It seemed that growing up always came with a certain amount of pain.After two consecutive blows, Maisie became much more mature and talked less. Nevertheless, she gained a new perspective on things. So, when Ethan called, she didn't ignore him this time."Mais," Ethan greeted softly."Mr. Ford," Maisie replied.Ethan choked up and couldn't speak for a long time."Is there something you need?" Maisie asked. She almost thought she was imagining things, but it felt like she could hear the sound of his heart breaking on the other end of the line.After some time, he spoke up, "Grandpa is holding his birthday banquet this weekend. He's been asking about you and hoping that we can attend the banquet together. He's turning 90 this year, and his health isn't good. The doctor says this might be his last birthday. "Could you… not mention our divorce just for now?"Lance Ford had been a war veteran in his youth. Because of that, his body had suffered from lingering ailments. He was ab
Lance's birthday banquet was held with great grandeur. Almost all the prominent figures of Halom City attended out of respect for Ethan. His company had grown rapidly, and many had heard rumors that he was planning to enter the North Alwarian market by the end of the year to compete with established games like Realm of Wars.Ethan was surrounded by a crowd of people and couldn't move an inch. He glanced over in Maisie's direction. She was sitting next to Lance on the floor, looking like an adorable little girl as she chatted with him. Her playful words made Lance chortle heartily."Excuse me. I need to say hello to my grandpa," Ethan said as he made his way through the crowd.He arrived just in time to hear the laughter and cheerful conversation around them.Lance pointed at Maisie, who was by his side, and said, "You've spoiled her rotten! She's gotten bold enough to say anything she pleases."Maisie grinned mischievously and continued in a playful tone, "But I'm not wrong, am
Seth chuckled. "It's 25 miles from here to home. And you want me to carry you all the way back?""Mm-hm. Do you think you can do it?""Of course! A man can't say he can't."Maisie snuggled into his arms, teasing him playfully, "Hey, I heard that once a man hits 35 years old, he starts losing his strength. You don't have much time left, do you?""Maisie, I'm starting my annual leave next week.""So?""Are you sure you want to provoke me like this?"Maisie instantly backed down. She dropped to her knees theatrically, raising both her gloved hands in a thumbs-up. "Just kidding! You're number one!"Her cute gesture melted Seth's heart.It also softened Ethan's. He watched as those small hands were gently clasped by Seth's larger ones and tucked into the pockets of his coat to keep them warm."Ethan," Seth said, "we've already wished Mr. Ford Senior a happy birthday, so I'm going to take Maisie home now."Ethan snapped out of his daze. "The banquet hasn't even started yet. Why do
Maisie and Seth's wedding was set for February 14th—Valentine's Day.Maisie wasn't really excited about the whole marriage thing anymore. In her view, relationships came together and drifted apart as fate dictated. Even with someone like Seth, she wasn't certain they'd be together till the end. Over time, she even came to think that Ethan might have been right about one thing.Expecting a male to be loyal to a single female for life went against basic biological instincts. This was especially the case for someone like Seth. He was handsome, capable, and from a prominent family. The temptations he'd face were only going to be greater than Ethan's.The reverse was also true. She couldn't guarantee she'd stay in love with Seth forever, either. She once thought she'd love Ethan until the end of time, but here she was, having let go and moved on with Seth. People would change. Until the day one died, no one really knew what the future held.But things were complicated on Seth's side.
The group of young men responded enthusiastically, crowding around and ditching the glasses in favor of pouring liquor straight from the decanters. They all rushed at Seth.Seth sighed helplessly.Sometimes, they were his fiercest opponents in court. At other times, they were buddies who'd share a drink and joke around with him. He had strong ties with every one of them, making it difficult to turn them down.However, he'd already gone through a round of toasts with the elders earlier. He had already gone to ten tables in total. Even though he could hold his liquor, his liver was feeling the strain by now.Waylon came forward, grinning as he glanced at Maisie. He teased Seth, "You're a lucky guy! Look at you marrying such a young bride!"Seth didn't bother to deny it. He was five years older than Maisie. She'd still been a little girl when he was already an adult—he couldn't argue with that.He accepted the decanter Waylon handed him. It held four ounces of vodka, and Seth downed
Maisie hadn't expected Ethan to show up.Even though Seth had personally delivered the invitation, Ethan had declined. He had said that he would be away on a business trip. Seth hadn't insisted. After all, Ethan would only feel awkward showing up at their wedding.When Seth told Maisie about it, he kept a close eye on her reaction.But Maisie didn't react much at all. She simply said, "It's up to him."It was a phrase she was all too familiar with. Back when she had repeatedly begged Ethan, even threatening to harm herself to stop him from cheating, his response had always been the same: "It's up to you."...Ethan didn't arrive until dusk.By then, the entire wedding ceremony had already concluded. Seth was escorting Maisie from table to table, offering toasts.To be honest, Ethan hadn't planned on coming.The thought of Maisie dressed in a wedding gown, exchanging vows with another man—it was something he couldn't even bear to imagine. Just picturing it made his heart feel l
Maisie said, "Thank you for coming today."In a slightly choked voice, Ethan replied, "Of course I'd come to your wedding."But in the next moment, another guest stepped over and raised a glass to Maisie. "Congratulations on your wedding!"Maisie smiled and replied, "Thank you for coming today."Ethan suddenly felt like he was thinking too much about it. Maisie's words carried no special meaning. She was just genuinely expressing her gratitude for his presence. It was no different from the way she addressed any other guest. In her eyes, he had ultimately become just another ordinary attendee, blending into the crowd like everyone else.Ethan's shoulders slumped slightly. Seth noticed and patted him on the back. "Thank you, Ethan."Inwardly, Ethan had an urge to ask, "Are you thanking me for being here today? Or are you thanking me for losing Maisie to you because of my own stupidity?"But when he opened his mouth, all he managed to say was, "Take good care of her."Seth nod
After the wedding, Maisie's life was relatively comfortable. Apart from Francis occasionally asking when they planned to have kids, Maisie felt that marrying Seth wasn't a bad decision. He was a mature man, so he was emotionally stable, attentive, and gentle. Besides his rather intense needs in the bedroom, she was the one wearing the pants for most of their relationship. Seth rarely voiced any objections.Seth had told Maisie he was planning to buy a new marital home and renovate it to her liking. After all, his current apartment was decorated in a minimalist black-and-white style, which wasn't exactly warm and cozy. The small apartment Maisie was renting was a bit out of the way, plus the bed was too small.It seemed that Maisie still had her guard up. Her bedroom still only had a single bed that was just over three feet wide.Fortunately, they were both slim. Even though it was cramped, Seth didn't mind holding her close as they slept. But after a while, Seth started to
Ethan wrote a letter for Maisie. The letter read, "Maisie, you may never read this letter, but I want to write it anyway. Consider this a letter for myself. "Maisie, Seth told me that if he were the one who approached you when you were at your lowest point that night 15 years ago, things would have turned out differently for the three of us."I thought long and hard about that. He was right. Things would have been different. You would've fallen for him and led a good life with him. "You wouldn't have to endure the hardships of being poor. You wouldn't even have to cook. Most importantly, you wouldn't have to feel the pain of being betrayed by the man you loved."If I could rewind time, I would still choose to be the first one to get to you. "Maisie, I couldn't possibly give up on what we had. The 15 years we spent together felt like a dream to me."I was like a man dying from thirst who found an oasis. Even though I knew the oasis would thrive even more in another man's hand
Felicia could never forget that day. Both she and Ethan thought Maisie would choose to get a divorce out of anger once she saw the intimate pictures of her and Ethan.Then, she would probably cut ties with Ethan forever. Maisie didn't do any of that. She was pregnant at the time. She went up to the balcony and jumped down.Felicia felt like Ethan's soul had left his body when he heard the news. He rushed to the hospital like a demented man. But he didn't go in. He hid behind a trash can next to a staircase in a corner. He clenched his teeth as he cried. Then, he muttered, "Everything's okay as long as he's here…"Felicia looked at the tall man standing outside the ICU. He had a striking presence and appeared very mature and composed. His features also resembled Ethan's a little. Felicia later found out that the man was named Seth Shaw and that he was Ethan's cousin.Ethan told her, "When my first attempt at starting my own business failed, I had wanted her to go with Seth. He
Just to make sure there were no mistakes, Seth went to the Ford residence and brought some stuff that Ethan's parents had used. That way, the police would be able to extract their DNA and compare it with the body. The coroner said, "We've already ruled out the possibility of homicide. This won't be a criminal case."Seth nodded. "Did you find any traces of alcohol in the body? Could it have been drunk driving? Or maybe the poor visibility at night that caused him not to see the lake?"The coroner said, "There weren't any traces of alcohol. Based on our deductions, the time of death should be around three days ago in the afternoon. The lighting should be sufficient enough. So, there was no way he could've missed it.""Then… an accident?""It's probably a suicide."Seth was at a loss for words. "We found a significant amount of sleeping pills in his system. Other than that, there's also a lot of half-burnt coal in the car. "The gaps in the car doors were tightly sealed with
Coco passed away six months after Maisie got married to Seth. Although Maisie had been preparing herself for that moment, she still felt as if the memories of the past 15 years of her life were gone along with Coco. She contacted a pet cremation center and went to Shelkin City alone. She scattered Coco's ashes under the tree where she and Ethan first met her. "Maisie. You're Maisie, right?"Maisie recognized the woman before her. "Mrs. Smith."Over a decade had passed. Her former landlady, Maria Wade, was holding the hands of her grandson who was around five years old. Maria asked with a smile, "Are you here for a stay?"Maisie shook her head. "No. I'm just visiting.""Your boyfriend came to stay for a bit a while back. I was wondering why you hadn't come with him. I tried to ask him, but he wouldn't tell me.""He came to stay here?""Yeah. He stayed for over six months. He only moved out last month. You didn't know about that?""We've broken up."Maria sighed. "Is that
Macy never saw Ethan again from that day onward. Her calls never went through, and she couldn't even see him when she went to his office. Macy couldn't accept this outcome. How could the man who said he loved her a moment ago leave her without the slightest hint of hesitation the next moment? She was only 18 years old. She couldn't figure out what was going on. Was the love of the rich really so fickle? She didn't understand when Ethan claimed to love her. She still couldn't comprehend it after he left.One of the advantages of being young was the determination to get to the bottom of things. Finally, she managed to run into Jeremy near the entrance of Ford Group. She had met Jeremy twice before. She knew he was a close friend of Ethan and his business partner. He was also her only shot at finding Ethan at that point. "Mr. Lloyd!"Jeremy stopped in his tracks. "Do I know you?""Did you forget about me? I'm Macy."Jeremy was taken aback. "Maisie?"Macy thought Jeremy had
Macy opened her eyes. She was a little confused. Why was the man who treated her like his most precious treasure a while ago suddenly so cold toward her?She thought she had done something wrong. So, she quickly held his arm and swung it playfully. "Mr. Ford, thank you for celebrating my birthday with me. This is the happiest birthday I've ever had."Looking into the distance, Ethan asked, "What made you feel happy?""Because you prepared a fireworks show just for me. It's even grander than the ones seen in theme parks. I bet the whole city saw the fireworks!""And that made you happy?""Of course!" Macy rested her head on Ethan's shoulder and said, "Thank you, Mr. Ford.""It's not me who you have to thank.""Then, who should I thank?"Who should she thank? The image of him and Maisie envisioning their future in the basement of Shelkin City appeared in his mind. …Back then, he was still a young man who had nothing. He held Maisie in his arms and rested his chin on her flu
Seth talked to Maisie about Waylon's request when he went home. That night, Maisie had trouble sleeping. Seth felt terrible for her and regretted telling her about Waylon's request. He felt like he should've come up with an excuse to turn Waylon down. He wrapped his arms around Maisie's waist and pulled her closer. "You don't have to think about it anymore. I'll turn him down tomorrow.""That's not it. I think I hear someone calling for me."Seth held his breath and listened for a moment. "I don't hear anything.""I'm confused, too. It's like I hear someone calling my name as soon as I close my eyes."Seth thought about Felicia. "Could something have happened to Felicia?"Maisie had no idea. She figured that Felicia was probably fine since she was with Ethan.Seth picked up her phone and placed it before her. "Why don't you give her a call if you're worried?"Maisie didn't move. "Are you still angry at her?"Maisie shook her head. "We're twins. I could never stay angry at
Seth was extremely pleased when he got to work the next day. Even the cleaning lady could tell. "Mr. Shaw, you look very happy. Did you win another case?"Seth cleared his throat. He wanted to say that he was very pleased with the effects of the beef and lentil soup he had the night before, but he couldn't say that out loud. So, he shook the pink-colored bag he was carrying. "My wife made lunch for me."The cleaning lady understood immediately. "Your wife must be a great cook.""Yeah. She's great.""You've changed since you got married, Mr. Shaw. You worked overtime until it was so late last night. Your wife must've felt so bad for you, right?"For some reason, her words made Seth feel a sense of serenity. "That's right. She felt so bad for me that she made a whole feast for me. It was a magnificent spread!""Oh, really?""Yeah. She wanted me to eat my fill, so she made all sorts of tasty dishes."Someone tapped him on the shoulder before he could finish talking. Waylon
After the wedding, Maisie's life was relatively comfortable. Apart from Francis occasionally asking when they planned to have kids, Maisie felt that marrying Seth wasn't a bad decision. He was a mature man, so he was emotionally stable, attentive, and gentle. Besides his rather intense needs in the bedroom, she was the one wearing the pants for most of their relationship. Seth rarely voiced any objections.Seth had told Maisie he was planning to buy a new marital home and renovate it to her liking. After all, his current apartment was decorated in a minimalist black-and-white style, which wasn't exactly warm and cozy. The small apartment Maisie was renting was a bit out of the way, plus the bed was too small.It seemed that Maisie still had her guard up. Her bedroom still only had a single bed that was just over three feet wide.Fortunately, they were both slim. Even though it was cramped, Seth didn't mind holding her close as they slept. But after a while, Seth started to