Shayne looked guilty and regretful, which baffled me. What was going on with him?He approached me slowly. "Can we talk?"Julian also looked down at me.Shayne had been acting strange lately. In the past few days, every time he saw me, he would always say weird things.Even though I no longer had feelings for him, he was still convinced that I was hopelessly in love with him. Today, he was asking to talk to me."We have nothing to talk about." I declined without even thinking about it.I shifted my gaze from him to the little kids walking out of the kindergarten. "We've already said whatever needed to be said.""I just wanted to ask. Did I treat you badly when we were married?" Shaye asked, his tone heavy.What a pointless question. Had he treated me well, we wouldn't have ended up divorcing.Without waiting for my answer, Shayne continued, "When I'm with Luna, as long as she acts sweet and tells me what she wants, I always buy it for her. "After I bought the things she want
Shayne's heart ached as well. He patted Zach's back gently. "You have Mama Luna."Zach's crying came to an abrupt halt.Thinking he had comforted Zach, Shayne continued, "She'll treat you even better than Aralyn did.""No, she won't." Zach pulled away from Shayne's embrace."Dad, stop lying to me. I may be a kid, but I understand everything," Zach added seriously.Shayne wanted to say more, but Mason interjected, "Dad, can we go home now?"Shayne turned to look at him.Mason frowned. "I'm hungry.""Let's go, then. We can't have you going hungry," Shayne uttered without hesitation.Zach stayed rooted to the spot, watching as Shayne walked away with Mason hand-in-hand.Without realizing it, his dad had become someone else's dad, too.But when… did it turn out this way? Zach didn't understand.…The instructor arrived early.As we reached the entrance of the house, we saw a stranger standing in the yard uneasily."Why didn't you let him wait in the living room?" Julian aske
Not expecting Julian to trust him this much, Eric felt gratified. "Alright."When he left the study, he thoughtfully closed the door behind him.Julian sat at his desk and picked up his phone. "Continue.""The staff for the comic company has been fully recruited. The company has also been established successfully," Mark reported seriously.Now, Julian could proceed with signing Aralyn to his comic company.He crossed his legs gracefully, a hint of warmth flickering in his usually icy eyes. "Got it.""Is there anything else?" Mark inquired."I asked Lyn to design props for the gaming company. Make sure to give her a bonus," said Julian.If it were for a regular employee, Mark would have come up with a reasonable bonus amount in no time. But Julian clearly treated Aralyn differently. Everyone knew Julian was a workaholic whose mind revolved solely around the company. Yet, the typically professional and business-like Julian had insisted on bringing Aralyn into the company. Des
When Willow finished resting, the whole family gathered in the dining room to enjoy dinner together.Looking at the table full of delicious dishes, Eric couldn't help but swallow hard.Julian noticed this and was worried Eric might feel too shy to eat. Hence, he served Eric some food with his utensils.Eric quickly waved his hands. "No need. I can do it myself.""Don't hold back," Julian uttered calmly.I glanced at Julian unintentionally. It was strange how his demeanor and interactions often made him seem distant and aloof. Yet, in everyday life, he came across as genuinely thoughtful.Willow had taken a few bites of her food. Once her hunger subsided a bit, she regained her usual energy as she asked, "Mommy, if I keep this up and train every day, can I become a martial arts master?"Though she hadn't even started practicing martial arts or boxing yet, her earlier dream of being a boxer had already been replaced by new ambitions.I wasn't sure what she meant by 'martial arts
It was clear what she was trying to say—Mason needed to have that lucky charm.However, Shayne didn't plan to give in to her. "I've given you plenty of money recently. If you really want to give Mason one, then take him out and buy him one yourself."As he spoke, he nudged Zach gently. "Want to open it and see if you like it?""Yes!" Zach realized that although Shayne always sided with Luna and Mason, when it came to major issues like this, Shayne would always back him up.Setting the paper bag aside, Zach opened the jewelry box and saw the bright golden item inside."Dad, I love it!" he exclaimed."Then go keep it in a safe place," Shayne replied, patting him on the back.Zach sprinted back to his room and closed the door. He opened his custom-made table. There was a hidden drawer there, and he slid it open, revealing several passbooks.The money there had been saved by Aralyn. There were also several property deeds, most of which were for commercial spaces. These were also th
"I just feel that you'll go back to Zach and be his mom again." Willow sobbed."Why would you think that?" I asked in surprise.She stifled her tears and replied, "Because you gave birth to him."Upon hearing this, I realized that Willow still felt insecure.Even though she usually played happily with me, any small stir from Zach would make her tense and worried that I would abandon her.I carefully considered how to reassure her."I know what it's like not to have a mom. It's not easy. But I also feel selfish… It's as if I stole someone else's mom. But I love you so much, Mommy. I don't want to give you back to him." Her voice trembled.I held her small hand gently and said, "Actually, I think being a little selfish is okay. You don't need to sacrifice your own happiness just to make someone else's life better."Willow looked at me, confused.I smiled. "I let go of Zach because he hurt me. No matter how much he changes afterward, it has nothing to do with me anymore. I chose
"I'm planning to sign you under my comic company. That way, you won't need to worry about promotion or publicity anymore. In the future, all you need to focus on is drawing your work," Julian uttered.These past few days, I had indeed been incredibly busy. Besides sketching, I had to color the completed line art. After finishing all that, I barely had any time left. Whatever time I did have, I spent brainstorming ways to get my work seen by a larger audience. My original plan was to set aside a few hours daily to learn promotional techniques. But now, Julian had saved me from that time-consuming effort."Thank you," I uttered, thrilled.Julian looked into my eyes. "Lyn, you don't have to be so formal with me."…Luna sat in her bedroom, growing increasingly frustrated. She still wanted to reclaim the golden lucky charm that had been gifted to Zach.Her initial plan had been to bring it up in passing when Shayne came to find her. But it was already 10:30 pm, and he still hadn't
It wouldn't be long before Shayne grew tired of her and found an excuse to kick her out.There was absolutely no way that Luna was going to let that happen.She made up her mind. She needed to find more opportunities to strengthen her bond with Shayne. Only by doing so could she stay by his side a little longer.…To help Willow improve her health, I made a point of waking her up ten minutes earlier than usual.Willow was still sleepy, but she still got out of bed.First, I had her walk a few hundred meters. Once she was fully awake, we started jogging together. When she got tired, we took breaks.After repeating this a few times, Willow was so exhausted she could barely breathe, let alone walk.She flopped down onto the grass, completely motionless.Knowing she was worn out, I carried her back to her room. Once she had washed up, I helped her take a bath.After putting on her clothes, Willow said solemnly, "It seems like getting healthier isn't something that can be achieved
"I believed it. Kelly even said that if Stephanie really wanted to break up with me, she'd move out of my place."Even though we weren't married and we were just dating, we were already living together. Kelly said if I used moving out as a threat, Stephanie would cave."The more Shayne listened, the more silent he became. How could Spencer be even dumber than he had been back then?But seeing his friend hurting, he didn't have the heart to rub salt in the wound.Shayne asked, "You didn't seriously believe what Kelly said, did you?""Yeah." Tears slid down Spencer's cheeks. "But before I even had the chance to threaten her, Stephanie had already packed up all her stuff and left me."That day I came home, full of confidence, thinking that as soon as I spoke up, she'd make up with me. But… I opened the door and saw that all the photos of us hanging on the wall had been taken down."The woman who used to wait for me at home with dinner ready was gone. Everything that belonged to her
"I didn't say anything before because I thought there was no point," Spencer said.Spencer wasn't stupid. If he couldn't even see through all of that, he had no business running a company. He just never took it seriously before.He figured Stephanie would just throw a small tantrum at most, and that would be it. He never thought it would lead to such serious consequences.He continued, "Did you really think I was that dumb? That I couldn't tell what you were doing?"Kelly stayed silent.Spencer couldn't be bothered to say anything more to her. He got in his car and drove away.He arrived at a bar, ordered a few bottles of liquor, and then called Shayne. "Are you free? Come find me. I'm in a bad mood."Shayne had just gotten home, planning to spend some time with his wife and kids. But hearing Spencer's tone, he immediately said, "Okay."He turned to Luna and said, "Spencer's looking for me. I'm heading out for a bit."Luna, exhausted from a full day of work, didn't feel like d
Kelly froze. "She's really willing to break up with you?"Spencer nodded. "She told me not to go looking for her anymore."As he spoke, it felt like needles were stabbing his heart.He had always been certain that Stephanie loved him. He had been so sure that she would never leave him.So, he had gotten arrogant, thinking no matter what he did, she would always forgive him.But he had forgotten that…Stephanie was human, too.She could get hurt, too.Spencer said, "She wasn't just throwing a tantrum. She thought it over carefully and decided she'd be better off without me."Seeing his pained expression, Kelly moved closer and pulled him into a hug."She really doesn't know how lucky she was," she said. "Meeting a guy as good as you and still letting you go? Isn't she scared someone else will swoop in and steal you away?"To Spencer, her words were like kicking him while he was down. "But I only like her. I don't want anyone else."Kelly knew that if she asked now, "What abo
Spencer asked, "Just because of one little argument?""In your eyes, maybe it was just a little argument," Stephanie said calmly. "But for me, it was the last straw that broke the camel's back. In this relationship, I was the one who always gave more."No matter what Kelly did, the one who ended up hurt was always me. You only had to take her side and blame me to settle everything. So, to you, it was always just small stuff."She continued, "Nobody wants to spend their whole life being wronged like that. I don't either. So, after that day, I really thought it through…"How much love do I still have left for you? Is it enough to keep tolerating you and her? The answer was no. I even realized at that moment that I didn't love you anymore."Forget tolerating both of you. Even just dealing with one of you felt unbearable. Then, I thought, since it's gotten to this point… We might as well break up."When Stephanie said this, her eyes carried a relaxed smile. "I just haven't figured ou
Shannon shook her head. "That's why I really don't think much of Luna. If it weren't for our son liking her…"Patrick understood how Shannon felt. "Honestly, we did wrong by Luna before. Once she's willing to come back, we should make it up to her as much as we can."Shannon was unwilling, but seeing Patrick insist, she could only mumble, "Fine, we'll do what you say.""Okay."…Hannah noticed that over the past few days, Patrick and Shannon hadn't contacted her at all, and she immediately found it strange.In the past, the two elders were very close to her son, almost seeing him every day. What was going on now?After putting her son to sleep, Hannah took the initiative and called Shannon. "Mrs. Cunningham..."Shannon frowned and glanced at Patrick, speaking in a low voice, "It's a call from Hannah."Patrick's face darkened almost instantly, but he forced himself to hold it in. "Don't tell her we went to see Rowan, and don't let on that we know the truth. If she wants to fool
Rowan shook his head. "If it were really that simple, that would be nice."Patrick didn't understand why Rowan said that.Rowan continued, "Before Luna and I divorced, she had already guessed you were lying, so she made it very clear to Mason…"If I chose to come back and help you, she would divorce me. If I stayed with her, she would continue living the hard life with me."Patrick hadn't expected the truth to be like this. His face turned even uglier. Shannon was also in pain.Rowan tilted his head up, staring at the ceiling. "But in the end, I was too scared the company would fall apart, so I chose to go back. To completely cut ties with me, she went and started dating Shayne."At first, Luna still had hope for him. After all, they had truly loved each other for so long.But over time, through all the back-and-forth, she probably realized he was never going to change, so she finally gave up completely.Recently, the comics she created have been doing very well. Because of tha
Rowan said, "Come on, I'll take you to eat."Patrick followed behind Rowan and asked, "Have you thought about what to do with Mason in the future?"Rowan didn't take the question seriously. "Why would I?""He's your only child. If you don't acknowledge him, you'll end our family line."Rowan didn't know why, but looking at the streetlights and the thinning crowd around him, he felt unusually calm. "Isn't this exactly what you wanted?"When they reached the restaurant, he handed the menu to his mother. "See what you want to eat."Shannon picked a light vegetarian dish and said, "We just didn't expect Hannah to lie to us!"Rowan crossed his legs and repeated her words. "You didn't expect Hannah to lie to you?"Patrick ordered two meat dishes before saying, "Exactly. Who would've thought she would dare lie about something like that?"Rowan stared at his father. "So, just because you said it, even if you had doubts, you really thought I cheated on her with Luna…"Shouldn't you ha
Willow stared at me in shock for a long time before finally asking, "You can really do that?"I nodded. "Yeah. As long as you want to, you can keep in touch with her as much as you want."Willow jumped up excitedly. "That's awesome!"Just then, there was an urgent matter at the company that needed Julian's attention. After taking the call, he happened to overhear my conversation with Willow.He immediately got an idea. "During summer break, if you want to hang out with Pamela every day, she might not have that much free time."Willow's smile disappeared instantly. She asked, "Then, what should I do?"He guided her, "Do you think there's an excuse that could make both of you improve and leave her mom no reason to say no?"She followed his lead and quickly figured it out. "Studying?"He didn't give it away directly. "Oh?""Daddy, how about you hire a tutor for me during summer break? I can get a head start on school! Then, I'll ask Pamela to join me. Her mom will definitely agre
Alice raised her voice and asked, "You two already broke up, and he's still coming around asking you to apologize?"Stephanie shrugged. "What else could it be? You don't think I'd made all that up just now, do you?"Alice had never thought that, but Spencer's behavior still struck her as outrageous. "Do you need me to help you?""No, it's fine." Stephanie had already moved on, so she needed to handle it herself. "I can deal with it."With that, she walked out of the hotel.Spencer saw her come out and quickly stepped in front of her. "Can we talk?"He expected Stephanie would agree, but she gave him a glance and asked, "What do we have to talk about?""I know you're upset because of her, but can you be the bigger person? If you just apologize to her, a lot of things can be smoothed over."She looked at him, confused. "Why should I be the bigger person?""Because you're my girlfriend!" He tried to persuade her.Hearing that, Stephanie couldn't help but laugh out loud. "It look