The birth of the baby seemed to instill an even greater sense of responsibility in Jayce. Raven became incorporeal, standing beside him, watching the light of hope shimmer in his eyes. He gently cradled the baby in his arms, his face filled with love as he playfully scratched the infant's wrinkled little face.
Raven stood silently by his side, feeling conflicted.
The entire space radiated happiness and warmth.
Just as Jayce had said on his wedding day, his future was only getting brighter.
But if there were a moment when the sky suddenly darkened, when the clouds thickened and gloom set in, it would be traced back to the baby's tenth month.
The child had been born prematurely, yet he was remarkably healthy.
One morning, at ten months old, the baby suddenly had a nosebleed and was rushed to the hospital.
Jayce's wife immediately lashed out at him.
"How do you even take care of a child? You useless man! If anything happens to my baby, I won't forgive you, Jayce! You're absolutely worthless!"
Jayce held his breath, furrowing his brows but saying nothing.
I care about the child too. I'm just as worried.
He was a smart man—smarter than most. But he loved his wife even more. She was the center of his world, the only thing that mattered.
It wasn't until the blood test results came back normal that his wife's anger subsided. However, she still clung to the baby tightly, refusing to let Jayce hold him or even look at him. If his gaze lingered too long, she would shoot him a glare filled with disdain.
Jayce simply blamed himself.
Raven observed in silence, following Jayce like a ghost as he left the hospital.
The sky was not yet stormy, but the air felt heavy, as if foreshadowing the coming downpour.
Driving home, Jayce repeatedly asked to hold the baby, but his wife scoffed and told him to get lost.
Her attitude toward him was truly appalling.
Those who are favored have nothing to fear.
Raven saw it clearly.
Jayce's devotion ran so deep that no one could love a woman more than he loved his wife. But it was that very devotion that enabled her cruelty. She belittled him, ridiculed him, looked down on him.
There was no gratitude. No appreciation.
Thunder rumbled overhead, cracking the sky apart.
The clouds thickened, growing darker and heavier.
Jayce's expression froze as he stared at the blood test report in his hand, confusion and panic creeping onto his face.
How could two parents with Type A blood have a child with Type B blood?
Where did the B come from?
No… No way…!!
Jayce's mind spun, and for a moment, he found a sliver of hope.
The hospital must have made a mistake.
"That's it! The hospital must have mixed up the babies!"
Jayce clung to the explanation like a lifeline. But his hands, gripping the report tightly, trembled. The paper crumpled under the pressure.
There was a truth he didn't want to face.
Because once he accepted it, he would lose everything.
His home. His sense of belonging. Every person and thing he had worked so hard for.
Raven watched him carefully.
She was certain now.
This—this was the pain that shaped Bardi.
The agony of despair. The pain of losing everything.
That night, Jayce and his wife slept in separate rooms.
But the next day, something happened that was even more suffocating than Raven had imagined.
When Jayce returned home, his wife had already packed her bags. She stood at the door, holding the child, while beside her stood a man—handsome, dressed in a finely tailored suit. Everything about him screamed upper-class sophistication, his every word and action calm and composed.
A bodyguard stood nearby, tall and muscular, exuding quiet intimidation.
The two men were playing with the baby, smiling, clearly not expecting Jayce to come home early.
When his wife noticed him, her face shifted.
For a long moment, silence hung between them.
Then she sighed and spoke.
"Jayce… you already know, so I won't hide it from you anymore."
"The child isn't yours."
"Thank you for taking care of me. I will always remember what you did for me."
She said it with a look of sadness before turning to the child's real father, her expression softening into one of hope and happiness.
Jayce stood frozen.
Silent.
His reaction puzzled Raven.
Why was he just standing there? Why did he look… like that?
He remained in a daze, his mind blank, even as they brushed past him.
It wasn't until his wife passed by, her familiar perfume filling his senses, that something snapped inside him.
He turned suddenly, grabbing her arm, almost making her stumble.
"Jayce… you—!" Sophia glared at him.
"I have money."
Jayce's voice trembled, but his grip was gentle, he was afraid of hurting her.
"In half a year, I built one million from nothing. I can buy you Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dior. I can take you around the world. You are my world—everything I have."
"If that's not enough, I can do more. I have the ability. Give me three years, and I will have fifty million. In five years, I will have a hundred million."
"I can do anything for you."
His voice carried desperation, a plea to keep her.
Sophia's breath hitched for a moment.
For the first time, it seemed she truly saw the depth of his love.
But then, she pulled her arm free and clutched her son tightly.
"Jayce, if you really love me…" she whispered, "then let me go. Let me have a better life. Let my son get a better education, grow up happier."
And with that, she turned and walked away.
Jayce's arms fell limply to his sides, all strength leaving his body.
The man beside Sophia did not leave with her. Instead, he turned to Jayce with a smirk.
"Fifty million? A hundred million?" The man chuckled. "Are you talking about the specialty fruit and vegetable supermarket project?"
"Sorry. That project was stolen from you by the Alex Corporation."
"A lawyer's letter will be arriving in a few days."
"Sophia really did me a favor, she gave me a son and handed me a business deal. Thank you."
"You really are a genius."
With a faint, mocking smile, he flicked his sleeve and left.
Taking everything from Jayce.
Raven looked at Bardi, feeling a deep sorrow well up in her heart.
He stood there, unmoving, for three hours.
Like a dead man.
She watched as he took several bottles of strong liquor and climbed onto the rooftop.
The sky was dark, filled with flashes of lightning.
Rain poured down in torrents, hitting him hard.
Raven saw his eyes—wide, furious, wild with agony.
He roared in anguish, his fists slamming into the ground, his knuckles slicing open on the shards of broken glass.
Rain and tears mixed on his face.
He knelt there, his clothes drenched and clinging to his trembling body, looking weak, alone, utterly shattered.
This…
This was already Bardi.
Raven felt the pain in her own heart spread.
With her intangible form, she embraced him, trying to share in his suffering.
Suddenly.
The wind howled, the sky raged, thunder boomed overhead.
The rain fell harder.
Bardi opened his arms to the storm, raising his head as he let out a feral, bloodcurdling roar.
Drenched, his face contorted with fury, his eyes ice-cold.
"No one," he growled, "will ever take anything from me again!"
Lightning struck.
The next morning.
Bardi put on the same suit he had worn on his wedding day.
He shaved his scruffy beard, washed his face with the cleanser Sophia had once bought, just a free gift that came with her many expensive cosmetics.
In the mirror, that bright, sunny smile returned.
The same one Raven had seen at his wedding.
A chill ran through her.
She watched as Bardi grabbed a leather travel bag and stepped outside.
He walked into a familiar knife shop.
The owner recognized him.
"Jayce, what can I get you?"
"A sharp machete."
"A machete?"
"Yeah… for cutting watermelons."
(To be continued.)