Steven shook his head, trembling.
âDonât read itâ¦â
He didnât want me to read it as if there was something that he didnât want me to recall.
âLeave,â I said to Michael. I didnât want to see him now.
Michael lowered his gaze and said softly, âWhen youâre done reading it, youâll understand⦠Iâll wait for you, Stephie.â
He shot a warning glare at Steven before leaving.
It was as if Michael had come just to expose the fact that Steven was not mentally disabled.
Everything that happened to the Lincolns was a part of Stevenâs plans.
âDid you plan everything ?â I asked grimly. âDid you scheme against the Lincolns? Including me and the baby?â
Public opinion on the internet had suddenly begun to favor Steven oneâsidedly. That was a hard blow to Martin.
Furthermore, Dax was a criminal suspect, which inevitably got Martin involved and exposed him to criticism.
If Steven returned to take over the Lincoln Group, there was a high chance that he could take full authority over the company.
After all, nobody would assume him as somebody who schemed against his wife and baby.
âHe thinks youâre Stephanie Carlson. Why would he scheme against your baby? Heâs been dreaming of becoming a father since he was 19 years oldâ¦â Eason mumbled as he put an ice pack against his cheek.
âYesâ¦.â Steven admitted.
I began to tear up. I wished he would try to explain himself.
âI was pretending to be mentally disabled. Everything was part of my plan.
âThe state that the Lincolns are in todayâMartin and Ignatiusâ feud, Daxâs attack on James, Martin hiring men to kill Ignatiusâ¦
âI admit that my plans contributed to all of that⦠I also arranged for the journalists,â Steven said softly, at a loss and in a panic.
Rachel was in shock and covered Zionâs ears in reflex. âCan you even listen to this when youâre a police officer? Donât listen.â
Zion was baffled. âBut Iâm a traffic policeâ¦â
Rachel sighed in relief.
âOh, fine then. Thereâs no evidence anyway. Itâs like a butterfly effect. The Lincolns deserve it.â
Zion raised his chin and pointed at the police officer in the ward.
Rachel glared at Eason. âYouâre deaf, right? You didnât hear anything, right?â
Eason opened his mouth, but he lowered his head when he saw Rachelâs tightened fists. âYouâre right. The stronger fighter decides.â
âI wasnât expecting you and the babyâ¦â Tearing up, Steven continued to say woefully, âI didnât scheme. against you and the baby..
âIf you were Stephany Larsonâ¦. This child would never come to exist. I really⦠wanted the child to be born.
Steven choked up. He was sad about losing the baby.
He just didnât know how to express or describe his emotions.
He even restrained his sexual drives to not harm the babyâ¦
Steven really⦠wanted the child.
He was crying. I felt heartbroken and helpless when I saw his tears.
Zion couldnât stand to watch it. It seemed like I was bullying Steven.
âHey, about the diary that Michael gave you, can we look at it?â
I wiped my tears away.
If Steven would explain himself⦠I was willing to believe in him.
âWhy did you stop pretending, then?â I asked, my eyes red.
Steven simply stared at me with a heated gaze. âIâm sorry⦠I couldnât protect you and the babyâ¦
Iâm sorry.
I want to do this in another wayâ¦â
Steven stopped caring about his own survival. He finally had a weak spot, so there was no need for him to protect himself by pretending to be mentally disabled.
Steven wanted to protect Stephanie:
âIâll trust you this time. Donât let me down⦠If I find out⦠that you were lying, I wonât forgive you,â I whispered.
Just like how I would not forgivé Michael.
The truth was after being reborn, I had no plans to trust anybody anymore.
But Steven⦠was an exception.