Chapter 235

Sarah's POV

I ran my tongue over the bite mark on my lip, tasting the metallic sweetness of blood. My eyes remained fixed on the glaring headline on my phone screen. Brian-that five-year-old child-had somehow managed to push me into such a precarious position.

Philip knew the truth now. He knew Brian had never contacted me. Knew that every word I'd told him was fabricated.

My heartbeat accelerated, thoughts racing through my brain like electric currents. How could I have let this slip through the cracks?

*Deep breath. Stay calm.*

My fingertip gently tapped the screen, dialing Philip's number. The call was answered almost immediately, and the coldness in his voice made my spine involuntarily stiffen.

"What do you want to tell me?" he asked.

His tone concealed a knife. In my mind, I could picture his expression at this moment-those sharp eyes that normally tracked market trends now analyzing my every move with the same clinical detachment. The thought made my lips tremble slightly.

"Philip..." I deliberately infused my voice with a hint of vulnerability.A pause. A breath. This performance came to me as naturally as breathing."Even you don't believe me anymore?"

From the other end of the line, he let out a barely audible cold laugh:"The fact that you're calling me means you've seen the news online too."

After a moment of silence, he continued: "With all the evidence in front of me. how can I possibly believe you?"

A chill spread through my body. Once, Philip had been so easy to manipulate-a tearful gaze, a small sob was enough to make him surrender his trust. Now, he spoke to me as if I were a stranger.

"I might have remembered incorrectly..." My voice quivered just right, like a feather landing on the surface of a lake, light and fragile.

My fingers unconsciously brushed across my abdomen, though I knew he couldn't see the gesture. It helped me stay in character: "You know, since I've been pregnant. my memory hasn't been the best..."

"Continue," he said.

Those two flat syllables irritated me. The old Philip would have softened immediately, would have rushed to comfort me. This change caught me off guard.

A flash of inspiration struck me: "I remember now! It might have been when I went to pick up Brian at the Upper East Side Private Preschool recently.He told me then."

The moment the words left my mouth, I realized how absurd this excuse was. But there was no turning back now.

Philip's response was calmer than I'd anticipated:"Your son and Brian aren't even at the same preschool anymore. And Brian moved out long ago." His voice remained steady, as if dismantling a toy:"Why would you be picking up Brian instead of your own son?"

How stupid. I surprised myself with such an elementary mistake.

I could feel my heartbeat quickening,palms slightly damp with sweat. No,it couldn't endlike this. At the very least, I needed to maintain the appearance of being wronged and innocent.

I softened my voice, carefully controlling the degree of trembling in my tone: "I just wanted you and Brian to have a good relationship. As a mother. I'm willing to humble myself..."

I intentionally squeezed a hint of moisture from the corner of my eye, the tremor in my voice perfectly calibrated-this trick had always been effective on Philip.

But his cold voice cut through the emotional web I'd carefully woven: "If you were truly that good to Brian, we would still be living together as a family. It's precisely because you made life difficult for him at every turn that he moved to Ruth's place, isn't it?"

"Stop pretending to care about Brian. We both know that's not true."

My nails dug into my palm as I suppressed the anger surging within me.This man, once so easy to control, now dared to speak to me in such a tone.

"I won't believe another word you say."

His statement hit me like a slap. My thoughts briefly went blank with shock before quickly regaining composure.

"Is that so?" I gently stroked my abdomen, even though only I could feel this gesture. This child was like an ace up my sleeve, but clearly now wasn't the time to play it.

Men are always fickle. Philip's anger would subside. What I needed now was a strategic retreat.

"Since you hate me so much right now. I won't bother you anymore."I injected carefully calculated sadness into my voice and hung up before he could respond.

The moment the call ended, the mask slipped away. I massaged my temples, feelings of frustration coiling around my heart like a venomous snake. I shouldn't have allowed Philip to confront Brian directly. The smarter approach would have been to ask Philip to forgive Brian on account of his youth and ignorance. That way, even if Philip wanted to assign blame, he wouldn't have been so blunt, and my true intentions would have remained perfectly concealed.

A sharp pain exploded in my forehead. I had always prided myself on being calculating-how could I make such a basic error at this critical moment? A thought flashed through my mind-pregnancy had indeed affected my judgment. The idea made me smile slightly. What a perfect excuse.

As the emotional turbulence gradually subsided, my thouaghts became clearer. Since the Philip avenue was temporarily closed, Robert became my next target. How was his new project with Howard progressing? Perhaps Robert really could use this opportunity to make a comeback?

My fingertips glided across my phone screen, opening my conversation with Robert. His feelings for me were like a well-thumbed old book-every page so familiar it was tedious, yet for that very reason, easy to manipulate.

I pondered for a moment, then took out the abortion appointment form from my bag, quickly photographed it, and sent it. This move was quite risky, but also perfectly timed-I knew exactly how Robert would react.

Sure enough, in less than thirty seconds, his reply arrived as expected:"You don't want our child anymore?"

The panic and pain behind those few words seemedto penetrate the screen and reach my senses, bringing a tingling satisfaction. That familiar sense of power flowed through my veins again, warm and intoxicating.

A man's love is nothing more than a stepping stone towards my ultimate goal. Whether Philip or Robert, they were all just pieces I could move on my chessboard. If one piece faltered, another would take its place.

I closed my eyes, allowing the waves of renewed confidence to wash over me. The initial shock from Philip's rejection was fading, replaced by a cold clarity that had served me well throughout my life. His defiance was merely a temporary setback,not a defeat.