Love Began with the First Meeting
Chapter 498 Mark Belongs To Me (Part One)

We always pause before doing things, taking as long as we want, trying to do the right thing. But what we often forget is that sometimes this pause is the one that causes the most damage.

*The foreman gulped before announcing the verdict, "Brian was awarded the custody of Mark."

The words hit Molly and her mind went completely blank. She sprang from her seat, "No! That can't be! How could you give custody to him! I carried him for nine whole months and raised him those four years but where was Brian all those years?" The judge picked up his gavel and started to pound, trying to take control of the situation.

But Molly had already lost it. She couldn't contain herself anymore. She didn't even hear the gavel. The judge's face was cold as a rock, "Quiet!"

Spark pulled Molly into his arms, comforting her. But her eyes were towards Brian, furious. "Brian, Mark's all I have. He's my only son," Molly pleaded.

Brian didn't allow himself to be affected and kept his face emotionless, "And? When you decided to purposely not tell me, you should have known that this day was going to come."

Brian's cold voice echoed in the courtroom. The judge resumed court. He declared the verdict that Mark was under Brian's custody now. Molly was granted three days a month of visitation. His gavel hit three times. It was official.

When the trial was over; the judge, jury, and clerk left. Even though Eric's lawyers had lost the case to Brian's only lawyer, they weren't frustrated nor disheartened. They knew that Spencer was the best in the business and he never left a courtroom with a loss. When they heard Spencer's argument about Molly swindling off what was considered Brian's - Mark - they knew that there was no way they could get the verdict swayed.

They tried to play the pity card by showing Molly grieving but they didn't play it out well as the jury only saw Molly as desperate while Spencer followed the rules of the courtroom, logic and propriety on his side.

Eric kept his gaze locked on Molly, a bitter simile appearing on is face before reverting his attention to Spencer. His lawyers were all chatting with Spencer. He clenched his fists, frustrated with himself. How could he underestimate Brian?

Even though he had ten lawyers on his side, seven of them were Spencer's students. How could they ever outsmart their own mentor?

"I'm begging you, Brian, please don't take Mark away from me," Molly presented herself to Brian, humbled, "I'll do anything as long as you don't take him away from me. Please!"

She was on the verge of breaking down. It pained Brian to see her in tears. He had to hold himself back from closing the distance between them and pulling her into his arms. He said coldly, "You're begging me? Why on earth would I do that? You don't have anything on me anymore, you don't even have Mark, so how can you beg me?"

"No!" Molly shrieked as she freed herself from Spark who was holding her. Her red eyes stared at Brian as she screamed, "Mark is my son! You can't take him away from me!"

"Aren't you forgetting one tiny detail that he's also my son," Brian said harshly. As he tried to close in the gap between him and Molly, Molly instinctively drew back. Everyone was watching them, even Mark. "I told you to wait for me. But you left me, you abandoned me when you were pregnant with my son! I didn't even know you were pregnant! Molly, did you ever even think to ask me? Or even just tell me?"

Molly froze at his words. She stopped moving backward and just glared into his deep, sad eyes.

"Brian," Eric interrupted, "I can't say who's right and wrong here because in love, there's no right or wrong. Because if there is, then care explaining Becky to me?"

When Molly heard Becky's name, she jolted and composed herself. But before she piped in, Eric continued, "And did you ever think to ask Mark? Mark has no idea who his father is. Have you asked him about his feelings? Did you ever consider if he even wanted to live with you in the first place?"

Eric's stream of questions drew people's attention from Brian and Molly to Mark. Mark was standing between Manny and Tony and watching all of them silently.

Mark listened to the three-hour trial and by the end, he was confused. He couldn't tell who was right or wrong. Was it his mom for leaving that man? Or not? But either way, he didn't want to know.

"Mark..." Molly tried to speak as she looked at Mark but her voice kept breaking. Spark took a step towards her to hold her hand, hoping it would give her some strength. He turned his gaze towards Mark hoping to hear him answer.

Brian, meanwhile, looked at Mark with such casualness it was as if he wasn't looking at his own son. When Mark saw Brian's cold stare, he nervously fidgeted his fingers.

"Mark has spent his whole life with Molly. And you? You don't have any connection with him besides his DNA. You haven't spent enough time with him. Even if you won custody, Mark isn't going to be happy with you." Eric's voice rung in everyone's ears, "Like right now, are you too blind to see that Mark isn't happy with the outcome? If you force him to leave Molly now, you're going to ruin his life."

His words punched into both into Brian and Molly's heart. This was all Molly's fault because she hid the truth from Brian all those years.

"Bri," Molly whispered as she fixed her gaze on Brian. Her eyes brimmed with tears, "I know it was my fault. I shouldn't have left you. But Mark is innocent. He's innocent in all of this. I'm begging you, just please let me and Mark go,"

Molly amplified her voice in despair.

Even though Brian had clearly heard Molly, he didn't even turned to look at her. He kept his eyes fixed on Mark. His mind was racing, he couldn't collect his thoughts. He didn't even know why he was fighting with Molly over custody of Mark. 'Maybe if Mark was with me, Molly would leave Spark to be with me,

He felt disgusted with himself as soon as he thought of this. He felt like a villain.

"Mark is my son," Brian hissed, "he's an heir, he shouldn't be raised anywhere else but in my household."

"Did you ever even consider his feelings?" Eric asked through gritted teeth.

The atmosphere grew thicker. Everyone was staring Mark, waiting for him to speak.

Mark was fidgeting his hands, knotting his fingers. His cheeks were flushed and his once playful eyes were blank as he stared at Brian, recalling what Brian had told him before. At that moment, he finally understood what Brian was talking about.

He turned his head to look at Molly whose eyes were red from crying. He recalled all the time he spent with Molly and how in those times, not once did he see Molly cry. But ever since they got here - in T City - Molly had done nothing but cry. Molly didn't know that he could see right through her lies because she kept telling him that her eyes were red from lack of sleep.

"Mark, who do you want to live with, your mom or your dad?" Daniel suddenly asked.

It was not like asking the question mattered anyway because the court had already given Brian custody over Mark.

Mark was too young to absorb the thing happening in front of him. He tried hard to relieve his hands and began to gesture

when all three of Molly, Spark, and Brian's face stiffened.

"I don't want to live with either of you! I hate you both!" Mark yelled at Brian and Molly.

Before anyone could even react, Mark ran outside pushing everyone aside.

"Mark!" "Mark!"

All of them ran after him. But they were too late as by the time they were outside the room, the only sight that they saw was Mark standing in the elevator with the doors slowly closing.

It wasn't until one month later when Mark finally recalled what happened that day. Brian found him after he ran away and took him to A City where Brian met Molly and where he was conceived.

Mark sat at the bench in the garden of the villa, alone with a book in his hands. But his mind was far off. It had already been a month and Molly would only be able to come see him two days later. "Young master," Lisa greeted as she served Mark a piece a chocolate cake that she had just baked, "please enjoy your dessert."

Mark rose from the bench he was sitting on to thank her.