Ian remained calm in the face of Sage's confrontation. He explained, "You had too much to drink, and you wouldn't stop calling me Iany. You also stopped me from leaving."Frowning, she realized she had fallen asleep from tiredness during the massage with no memory of returning to her room or the words she said."Of course, you can make up anything because I was too drunk to know!" She scoffed at him. "Ian Holcomb, you planned everything—from the fruit beer to the spa—to take advantage of me, didn't you?"Unfazed, he calmly explained, "That's not true. You were the one who insisted I stay last night. You kept saying you'd never get a divorce, and that I couldn't force you to sign the papers."Sage, you were the one who initiated the divorce. In fact, you pressured me into signing the papers. When have I ever done that to you?"Sage inwardly gasped. Had she forgotten about her rebirth last night and believed that she was confined in the mental institution from her past life?Ian's
"I pleaded with Grandma, asking for permission to accompany you abroad, hoping to salvage what was left of our relationship. "However, our first night overseas turned into a nightmare when Ivy fell victim to a robbery and arson. When the culprit was arrested, he accused me of being the mastermind."You refused to listen to my explanations and had me locked up at a mental institution for two years. You sent your attorney to make me sign the divorce papers, clearing the path for your marriage to Ivy."Tearing up, she continued, "I lived a hellish life in the mental institution. I even developed stomach cancer from malnourishment. I decided to visit Grandpa's grave one last time because I did not have much time left."I even offered up Grandma's bracelet for a chance to meet with you. No matter how much I begged you, you refused to release me from the mental institution, all because you were afraid I'd ruin your wedding with Ivy…"Her voice cracked as memories of Ian's callous attit
Ian always thought that Sage had jumped from the second floor and asked for a divorce out of anger because he had not spent their wedding anniversary with her. He assumed she was making a scene in different ways and would one day come to regret her decisions. However, her resolve only strengthened over time.All the excuses she made up did not make much sense to him until he learned about the dream. Her misery in the dream was gut-wrenching. Was he so horrid to her in the dream that she needed to break free from him in real life?…Ian was gone when Sage came out of the bathroom. She did not care about his whereabouts and packed her luggage. She made her final visit to see the cubs at Panda World before flying back to Haldon City in the afternoon.Right before she took off, she saw Ian running late to the airport. He took a seat beside her and handed her a jewelry box. "My Sage, this is for you."She received the box and opened it to find a gold bracelet with panda-shaped ch
Last night, Ian had spent the night hugging Sage in their sleep, but she clearly did not plan to reconcile with him. Not only that, she even hurt him with words.Ian asked the stewardess for a blanket and decided to sleep instead. Sage didn't seem irked by his actions. She quipped, "Thanks in advance, then!"After that, she spent some time admiring the bracelet before organizing the photo gallery on her phone. Two hours later, they touched down at Haldon City. Immediately after alighting, she received a call from Shane, who was waiting for her at the airport. Some passengers spotted Ian when they disembarked and initiated a conversation with him. Seeing that, she left without waiting.Shane waited for her at the airport parking. He had arrived in a high-profile, eye-catching sportscar and was dressed up in a white suit. With his sunglasses on, he leaned against the car, looking handsome and roguish."Sage Joyner! Over here!" He removed his sunglasses and approached her while
Sage instantly turned down Shane's offer to help, and he did not insist. "Oh, fine then. Why don't you set a time to meet with my brother when you're free?"Baffled, she exclaimed, "Why would I meet with him? Why does he want to meet me?"He drawled, "Perhaps he's curious about the woman who stole my heart and wants to meet her in person."After some silence, she protested. "Shane Morrison, I will never meet with your brother. Just come up with an excuse to call it off."He questioned, "And why would I help you?"Speechless, she corrected him, "How is this helping me? There's nothing between us anyway. Why wouldn't you clarify our relationship and call off the meeting with your brother?"He lazily dug his ear. "He was instrumental in containing our 'dating scandal' the last time. Do you really think he'd believe in me?"She choked. "And wasn't that scandal your fault to begin with? You stayed in my room for two hours to disgrace your family. But it felt more like you disgraced m
"He isn't. He's just cheeky and playful." Sage shot down Layla's suspicions.Layla snorted. "How is that possible? The way he stares at you reminds me of how Zachary looks at you. I'm sure Shane is interested in you."But Sage did not have a chance to retort as Susan had shown up. "Sage, Layla, why did you come home together?"Sage turned around and found Susan coming home with the housekeeper, who was carrying bags of groceries. They were probably coming home from a grocery haul.Susan was curious. Sage and Laya, who rarely got along, had come home together for the first time."I called Layla, and she told me she was coming home. I tagged along because I miss your cooking," Sage explained.Susan, though skeptical, did not think much about it. She asked, "Who was that gentleman in the sports car? And why did you take his car?"Surprised that Susan had noticed Shane, Sage introduced him as her boss.Susan immediately inquired, "He's not married yet, is he?"Layla blurted out, "
Sage greeted both Owen and Zachary. Owen was still not quite over her divorce from Ian, so he responded lukewarmly. Zachary, on the other hand, was quite surprised to see Sage. "Hey, you're back from Soutbend County!"Sage nodded. "Yep. I just got back.""I came across your post on social media. Did you have a good time at the wildlife conversation center?" Zachary asked. Sage responded with a smile. "Yep. The baby pandas were so adorable!"Zachary smiled. "If I had known, I'd have taken a couple of days off to go with you.""There's always next time. I can be your tour guide then!""Sounds good."Noticing them chatting away, Owen went into his room to change his clothes, while Layla took a photo of them and fiddled with her phone for a while. After Owen emerged from his bedroom, Zachary brought up the subject of the personalized perfumes and asked for Sage's help. Owen's resentment toward Sage lessened after he heard that. He then sat down to discuss the matter in detail
Susan huffed. "All that matters is that it worked. In the end, Ian still married you. So who's to say that he won't marry Layla?""I won't marry Layla." Ian's voice rang out as soon as she said that.Susan and Sage turned around and noticed Ian, who was dressed in a suit, standing before them. Both of them were taken aback."What are you doing here?" Sage asked."It's none of my business!" Just then, Layla, who was standing behind Ian, poked her head out and admitted, "He showed up here after I sent him a picture!"Sage figured the photo Layla had sent Ian was of her and Zachary sharing a laugh. "I just wanted to pay Uncle Owen and Aunt Susan a visit," Ian said calmly. "Aunt Susan, Sage is my wife. I'll never marry anyone else but her."Susan wasn't the least bit embarrassed. In fact, she burst out laughing. "I was just jesting! Of course, I know you like Sage. I only asked you to let Layla intern at your company to give her a change of environment and some training. That's a