"Wahhh~"
With the loud cry of a newborn baby, Cecilia Morrison, exhausted from childbirth, lost consciousness.
Moments later, a splash of cold water jolted her awake—her fiance, Samuel Kingsley, stood over her, the empty basin in his hands.
"You despicable woman! You gave birth to a bastard!"
Samuel Kingsley’s furious voice rang out as he slapped a paternity test report against Cecilia's face.
She scanned the document, her vision blurring.
There is no biological relation.
How could this be possible?
It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck her.
Ten months ago, on her eighteenth birthday, she had drunk too much at her birthday party and woken up beside Samuel Kingsley. A few months later, she discovered she was pregnant.
With their families already engaged, they thought having a child would be the icing on the cake, so they agreed to marry after the child was born.
But now... this?
Her heart pounded as she read the report over and over again. It must be a mistake.
Samuel Kingsley looked at her disdainfully and said coldly, "Our family will never accept a woman who gave birth to a bastard. Our engagement is off!"
Cecilia tried to explain in a panic, but all that came out of her throat was a sob.
Yes, she was a mute.
Samuel didn’t spare her another look as he turned and walked away.
Moments later, her father, Frank Morrison, stormed into the room, his face twisted with rage. He pointed at her nose and scolded, "You wretched girl! You actually had an affair and brought shame to this family?!"
After twelve agonizing hours of labor, all she wanted was to drink some water, so she reached out for the cup on the bedside.
Snap!
Frank’s hand struck out, sending the cup crashing to the floor.
Cecilia flinched.
"I'm just wondering... Lady Kingsley specifically insisted on you marrying into their family even though you’re a mute. Could it be..."
Frank hesitated, then scoffed. "Never mind. What matters is that I worked hard to secure a connection with the Kingsleys. Since this engagement is canceled, you’re better off dead!"
The threat in Frank Morrison’s voice was unmistakable.
"I’ll send the bastard away. You go and apologize to Young Master Samuel. The Kingsleys only care about saving face—if you grovel enough, they’ll take you back."
Cecilia’s body went rigid. A jolt of terror shot through her, and she suddenly sat up.
‘No! You can’t!’
She screamed in her heart and grabbed her father’s arm, her pale fingertips digging into his sleeve. Her wide, desperate eyes pleaded with him.
‘Don’t take my child away!’
But her silent resistance meant nothing. Frank coldly shoved her hand aside and strode toward the door.
Cecilia flung the covers off and tried to chase after him, only to collapse from pain.
Her fresh surgical wound ripped open, and crimson spread across her shirt.
Still, she didn’t stop. Gritting her teeth, she crawled forward, dragging herself across the cold floor.
After ten months of pregnancy, she could not bear to see her child sent away.
"My child..."
Blood trailed behind her that ended at the corridor—where her body finally gave out.
"Doctor! Prepare for emergency treatment—!"
——
Four years passed in a blink.
"The flight is about to end, please keep your personal belongings..."
As the announcement played, Cecilia closed her laptop and gently shook the small, sleeping figure beside her.
Emma scratched her head in a daze, a faint trail of drool marking her pretty face.
The broadcast came on again. "As the tiring flight ends, let's relax with a song."
The first note played, and Emma instantly perked up, her sleepiness vanishing. "Mommy, it's the new song we wrote together!"
The ethereal and sweet voice resonated, and the surrounding people were excited.
"It's Riane's new song! Her voice is as beautiful as ever."
"She rarely shows her face, though. Do you think she might be… fat and ugly?"
Hearing the discussions around them, Emma blinked. "Stop talking nonsense! My Mommy is a great beauty."
Cecilia touched Emma's head and smiled gently. "Don’t be so upset. They haven’t seen Mommy’s face before."
Emma pouted and huffed, “I don’t care; nobody’s allowed to insult Mommy!”
She took Emma's hand and left. Their beautiful faces always attracted the attention of people around them.
This was exactly why she avoided public appearances. She had no time for distractions—she had something far more important to do.
She had come back to find her other child.
Yes, she had given birth to twins.
That time, after she fell into a coma, she only woke up two days later. Upon learning that her child had been taken away, she was desperate and even wanted to end her life, but a nurse had stopped her.
The nurse said she had given birth to twins, a girl and a boy, but only the boy was taken away.
To prevent her daughter from being taken away, Cecilia chose to leave with her daughter. Luckily, her mother left her a large sum of money before she passed away, and she used it to start a new life abroad.
She hadn’t always been mute. The trauma of losing her mother had triggered her aphasia, but the agony of losing her son that day had inadvertently cured it. Her mother was a singer, and she inherited her voice.
In just four years, she became a global sensation, an in-demand singer with a mysterious identity.
Nothing mattered to her anymore; not her engagement, her family, or even the father of her children.
She only wanted her son back.
While rushing out the airport gates with Emma, Cecilia brushed past a man. He was Steven Lawrence, the wealthiest man in Star City.
From the corner of his eye, Steven abruptly stopped in his tracks.
‘Beautiful face… Where have I seen her before?’