The Child They Never Knew

Another winter descended, and I found myself back in New York, paying my respects to my late parents.

As I was leaving the cemetery, I ran into Liam Thompson.

He held a bouquet of pink roses, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes when he looked up.

When did you get back to New York?

Yesterday.

I had no intention of catching up. I quickened my pace, ready to leave.

But as I glanced back, I saw the tombstone in front of him.

Lily.

He was mourning our deceased child.

The cemetery steps were covered in moss, making my steps falter.

Liam always had that effect on me, effortlessly stirring ripples in my otherwise calm heart.

Beneath it, inscribed: Father Liam Thompson, Mother Chloe Brown.

I took a deep breath and placed a single flower before the tombstone.

"There was really no need for a tombstone. She was only a five-month-old fetus when she died."

Liam didn't respond.

He cleared the weeds from the grave, then carefully placed the pink roses into a nearby vase.

"You come back to visit every year?"

"Yeah."

"Me too."

Five years, the same cemetery, yet we'd never crossed paths. Perhaps that was our destiny.

A light drizzle began to fall from the grey sky, chilling my face.

My hands trembled as I lit a cigarette. Through the haze of smoke, I saw Liam's surprised eyes.

"When did you start smoking?"

I saw the disappointed look on his face, like I'd failed him, and let out a short, sarcastic laugh.

"Oh, that's a blast from the past. I'll have to really dig deep for that one."

"Was it when you got engaged? Married? Or maybe the day you abandoned me on my birthday for your ex-wife?"

Liam's eyes flickered. He instinctively reached out to touch my head.

I recoiled.

"Chloe, what happened back then, I was wrong. Are you still angry at me because of our child?"

The cigarette tip was damp from the rain, making it hard to draw.

"Don't flatter yourself. There's nothing to be angry about. I insisted on having that child back then; it's my own fault I couldn't keep her."

My connection with Liam was also something I'd practically begged for.

So when it finally broke, I swore I'd never look back once I left.

Liam sighed. "Chloe, I was wrong about what happened then."

"But... I was doing it for your own good."

I smiled, looking at the dying cigarette in my hand.

"Getting tangled up with her, abandoning me countless times for her C that was 'for my own good'?"

"Forcing me to abort our five-month-old baby, then pawning me off for an arranged marriage? That was 'for my own good'?"

"Liam, cut the crap. I stopped falling for that when I was eighteen."

Frustrated, I glanced around, then shoved the cigarette into his palm.

I lowered my gaze, straightened my coat, and turned to walk down the path.

The cemetery was secluded, and the rain was getting heavier. I couldn't get an Uber.

With a soft hum, Liam's black Maybach pulled up smoothly in front of me.

The dark window rolled down, revealing only a narrow slit.

"Get in. I'll give you a ride."

I checked my Uber app C still no driver. Eventually, I opened the car door.

As soon as I opened it, Sophia waved at me.

"Long time no see, Chloe. Liam said you were back, and at first, I thought he was joking, but you really are back in New York..."

Sophia was Liam's ex-wife, and now his secretary.

Or maybe even his current wife.

Before, I might have thrown a fit, demanding Liam kick her out so I could sit in the passenger seat.

Or I would've just walked away, muttering a string of curses.

But this time, I just closed the door and slid into the car.

"Chloe, you look so much more mature. You're different."

I hummed in response, looking out at the traffic, trying to control the turmoil inside me with each breath.

"How long are you staying this time? If you have a moment, come over to our house. My parents miss you."

Liam met my gaze in the rearview mirror, his eyes shrouded in a mist I couldn't decipher.

When I was ten, my parents died in an accident at the Thompson family's construction site.

The incident caused a huge scandal and severely damaged their reputation.

The Thompson family took me in.

Because of that, I was considered half a daughter to them.

Sophia turned to me. "She's right, come home with us. They were just talking about you yesterday..."

Her words dripped with the air of a woman who owned the place.

I frowned, cutting off her incessant chatter.

"I don't have a home."

Liam glanced at me, his eyes dimming.

Sophia, sensing the mood, wisely shut her mouth.

After giving the hotel address, I closed my eyes and didn't speak again.

When we arrived at the hotel, I got out without a word, slamming the door shut.

Liam rolled down his window and called out to my retreating back, "Come back and visit sometime."

I sped up, not looking back.

My colleague in the shared room was already asleep. I showered quietly and slipped into bed.

"You're back? The boss said tomorrow night we're meeting a big client, and he told me to tell you to dress nicely."

My colleague mumbled a few words in her sleep-addled state before starting to snore again.

But I never imagined the "big client" my boss mentioned would be Liam.

"Oh my god, he's so hot! I heard he's the only heir to New York's wealthiest family, and he expanded half of the Thompson family's business empire. And the best part? He's single."

Single...

He and Sophia hadn't remarried?

The quiet squeals of my female colleagues filled the air.

I remembered the first time I saw Liam when I was ten. My heart had let out the same kind of squeal.

He was twenty-three then, just back from studying abroad.

His white shirt only emphasized his sharp features and fair complexion.

Unfortunately, he was arguing with his parents at the time, all because of his poor girlfriend.

"I told you, I'll only marry her in this life!"

Liam grabbed a crystal glass and smashed it. Flying shards cut my calf.

I bit my lip, holding back tears.

The nanny beside me, horrified, quickly hugged me and took me to get bandaged, fearing New York media would capture it and accuse the Thompson family of abuse.

Later, Liam came to apologize.

"Hey, sorry I scared you earlier."

He pressed a chocolate into my hand.

The chocolate was sweet, and it melted into my heart.

From then on, I became Liam's little shadow, following him wherever he went.

Naturally, I became his convenient alibi whenever he went on dates with Sophia.

Back then, I was happy to do it.

Later, when I wasn't, it nearly cost me half my life.

"Chloe! Chloe!"

"The boss is calling you!"

A sharp jab to my elbow jolted me awake. I looked up and met Liam's dark eyes.

"Chloe, quickly, come toast Mr. Thompson."

I hastily poured champagne into a small glass and walked around the table to stand before Liam.

"Mr. Thompson, I toast you."

One glass down.

Liam's brow furrowed slightly.

I poured another. As I raised the glass, Liam abruptly stood up. "Stop drinking."

I ignored him, quickly refilled, and drank two more glasses.

"Mr. Thompson, please, drink at your own pace."

Under the curious gazes of everyone, I returned to my seat.

As the toasts went around, Liam barely touched his drink.

When my colleague Amy raised her glass, she stared at Liam's face for a long, long time, then drunkenly spoke to me.

"Chloe, why does Mr. Thompson look so much like your son?!"

The words dropped like a bombshell, exploding in the private room.

Liam's head snapped up, his eyes like deep wells, dark and scrutinizing, probing for answers.

Amy was about to pull out her phone to show everyone a picture when the door opened.

"Sorry, I'm late."

A striking figure stood in the doorway.

It was Sophia.

I'd almost forgotten she was Liam's secretary now; she wouldn't miss an occasion like this.

"You haven't been drinking, have you?"

"Your medical report said you have slightly high blood pressure; you should be careful with alcohol."

Liam shook his head. "No, I haven't."

Seeing Sophia's authoritative air, Amy sheepishly put her phone away and sat back next to me.

"Who said he was single? That woman practically has 'wife' tattooed on her forehead."

Amy grumbled grudgingly, then raised her glass and downed the rest of her drink.

Sophia took her seat, pausing when she saw me.

In the end, the contract wasn't finalized, but plenty of alcohol was consumed.

Our boss, however, had only been introduced through a connection this time; his true aim wasn't really the contract.

"Mr. Thompson, next time you're doing business, please consider Sterling Corp.!"

Outside the hotel, the wind was biting.

It stung my forehead, and my stomach churned with nausea.

Liam's gaze cut through the crowd, settling on me. A flicker of urgency crossed his usually indifferent expression.

"What's wrong? Stomach ache?"

He bent down, and in front of everyone, picked me up and carried me to his car.

"Mr. Smith, I'm taking your employee. As for the contract, we can discuss it."

With that, before anyone could react, he hit the gas and sped off.

"Chloe... where does it hurt? Here? Or there?"

His familiar voice buzzed in my ears, but I couldn't open my eyelids.

In the smooth ride of the back seat, I lay in Liam's arms, burrowing deeper into his warm chest.

I woke up to find myself in a hospital bed, an IV drip in my arm.

Outside the door, voices clamored.

"Liam, look closely at who's lying in there!"

"You're thirty-six now, not twenty-six! You're past the age of impulsive acts for love!"

"If I hadn't covered up that mess back then, do you think it would have passed so easily? The Thompson family would have been ruined!"

Sophia's hushed voice still reached my ears, every word clear.

"Enough! I know!"

"There are some things I just have to get clear!"

I lay in bed, watching the IV drip. The coldness from the fluid gradually seeped into my heart and lungs.

Liam was the most stubbornly devoted person I'd ever met in our social circle. He'd stop at nothing to marry Sophia.

All his passionate youthful rebellions were for Sophia.

When I was thirteen, he got his wish and married Sophia.

When I was eighteen, he and Sophia divorced, a messy affair that rocked the city.

Five years of marriage, and it ended up costing Thompson Industries 5% of its original shares.

Everyone said Sophia came from a humble background and only clung to Liam for those shares.

Everyone said Liam was shrewd in business but foolish in love.

One night, drunk, I found myself in his bed.

All the childish adoration and longing I'd harbored found their release in that moment.

Liam almost fled my room that morning, saying, "Chloe, let's pretend nothing happened. It's for your own good."

After that, Liam went through a string of lovers.

Every one of them bore some resemblance to Sophia.

He accepted anyone, but never me.

I cried and pleaded, demanding he be with me.

He couldn't stand my tantrums, and he feared my madness, so he agreed.

"Alright."

So we became a secret. By day, I was the charming Thompson family princess; by night, I was the woman in his bed.

Even if it meant never having a title, I was willing.

But Sophia came back.

One message from her shattered the bond I'd painstakingly fought for.

[Liam, I'm back in the city.]

That day was my birthday.

Liam didn't even lift an eyelid. He grabbed his jacket and walked out.

"Don't wait up for me. You go to sleep."

That night, headlines of Liam picking up his 'white moonlight' sweetheart late at night filled a third of the newspaper.

And I, staring at a table full of uneaten food, felt utterly desolate.

That time, I didn't leave. I waited at home for Liam to return and give me an explanation.

But this time, I had to leave.

I swung my legs out of bed, pulled out the IV needle, and slipped out through a side door.

The next morning, my boss excitedly posted a notice in the whatsapp group.

[There's hope for the Thompson Group contract!]

[Reschedule! We're flying back in three days.]

I rubbed my eyes, unable to believe that the Thompson Group would choose a small processing plant like ours.

My gut told me something was off. I took leave from my boss, citing my child's illness.

I booked a flight home for that day. As I walked out of the hotel lobby, my phone rang.

[Chloe, let's meet.]

[I want to know about the child.]

My phone felt hot in my hand. My heart, calm for so many years, began to ripple.

After Sophia returned, Liam's affair with her reignited.

One message, one phone call, and Liam would abandon me.

I remember one time, we were in bed, the act unfinished, and he was already pulling on his pants, ready to leave.

"What do I even mean to you?"

Liam looked down, buckling his belt, not even glancing at me.

"Chloe, if you can't accept this, then let's just end it."

He was always like that C no explanation, no reason. If I caused a scene, he'd immediately threaten to break up.

My silent treatment, my tears, my outbursts C nothing worked.

Later, I watched them, always together, standing side by side, becoming the couple everyone agreed was perfect.

Even Liam's parents, who had initially opposed Sophia, eventually fell silent.

Liam started bringing Sophia home, once, twice, three times.

Sophia would bring me many gifts, treating me like a sister.

I usually gave her the cold shoulder and spoke harshly.

Liam couldn't deal with me, always asking what I wanted.

"Are you going to abandon me and remarry her?!"

Every time I made a scene, so much so that Liam couldn't even speak.