A few moments later, my friends bid me goodbye. As they stood at the door, Mom followed them and said something before they finally left the mansion.
“Mom, is there a problem?” I asked.
“No, son,” Mom replied.
“Honey, I feel like your friends don’t like me. Anyway, if they don’t like me, I don’t like them either.”
“Valerie, my friends are good people,” I replied quickly.
“I didn’t say they weren’t good people. I just feel like they don’t like me. Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” she said.
“Where do you want to go now?” I asked my fiancée.
“Anywhere. But I’m hungry, honey. Let’s eat out first. Let’s invite Mommy Ella if she doesn’t have other plans.”
“I’m fine. You and my son go ahead,” Mom said to Valerie.
After a few hours, Valerie asked me to take her to my old apartment. I had no choice but to bring her there. It was clean since the building’s cleaning service took care of it.
When we arrived at the building, the security guard told me there was a woman waiting for me in the lobby.
“Honey, what is the guard talking about? A woman waiting for you?”
“I don’t know,” I said.
“Sir, she’s been coming back and forth since this morning. She said it’s important to talk to you,” the security guard explained.
I parked my car and immediately headed to the lobby, holding Valerie’s hand. When we reached the lobby, my eyes widened as I saw the woman who had been haunting my thoughts since I saw her last time.
Her eyes were fixed on me and Valerie’s clasped hands.
“What are you doing here?” I asked firmly.
“Arlo, why are you doing this to me? Please, babe, talk to me. We need to talk—I’ll explain everything to you,” she said desperately before suddenly hugging me tightly.
No matter how hard I tried to remove her arms from my waist, I couldn’t break free from her tight grip.
“Who is she?” Valerie asked me.
“I don’t know her,” I said.
As she embraced me, I closed my eyes for a moment and caught a familiar scent—the smell of her perfume and the shampoo in her hair. It felt familiar, but I couldn’t remember where or when I had encountered it before.
Eventually, she let go of me, tears streaming down her face.
My heart pounded hard as our eyes met.
“Who are you? Don’t you know that the man you just hugged has a fiancée? Hon, do you know her?” Valerie asked angrily.
“I don’t know her. This is the first time I’ve seen her,” I answered.
“What’s going on here?” came Mom’s voice from behind me.
“Mommy Ella, I’m glad you’re here. This woman is causing a scene, claiming she knows Arlo,” Valerie reported to Mom.
My eyes remained on the woman. There was something in her gaze that felt different. Her face stirred an ache in my heart, especially when she spoke.
“Guard, escort this woman out. From now on, don’t let her enter this building again. And you, woman—if you plan to ruin my son’s relationship, don’t even think about it. Leave now!” Mom said angrily.
Two men grabbed the woman by her arms to lead her out.
Lily’s POV
I clenched my fists tightly at her remarks, feeling anger rise within me, but I took a deep breath to maintain my composure. I had to keep my focus—this wasn’t about her; it was about Arlo and our children.
“Listen,” I said firmly, looking directly into her eyes. “I’m not here for money, and I’m not here to ruin your engagement. I’m here because Arlo has the right to know the truth—that he has children. My children have the right to know their father, and he has a right to know them.”
Her smirk disappeared for a moment, but she quickly replaced it with a condescending smile. “You really are delusional. Arlo doesn’t know you, and you’re claiming he’s the father of your kids? What kind of scam are you running? You think by throwing some kids into the story, you can pull him back into your web?”
I stood my ground, refusing to let her words get to me. “You don’t know anything about me or what Arlo and I shared. If you think you can erase the truth with your baseless accusations, you’re mistaken. I’m not leaving until Arlo hears me out.”