Ever since I decided to take on a side hustle, my days had been completely filled with drawing. As soon as I finished the sketches, I moved on to coloring. Once the work was complete, I uploaded it online.And the cycle would repeat.The office door opened.I instinctively looked up and saw Julian walk in.When I was about to get back to work, Julian stood in front of me and said, "I'm making coffee. What would you like to drink?"I thought about it seriously for a moment before replying, "Tea, please."Julian made me a cup of tea. Originally, he was planning to make himself a cup of coffee, but as he looked at the delicate porcelain cup with green tea leaves floating inside, he ended up making himself tea as well.He placed the tea on my left side and sat down next to me. "How's work going lately?"I picked up the tea and took a sip. The initial bitterness carried a refreshing aftertaste, soothing both my body and mind."I can't seem to find a single free moment all day. It's
"Aralyn's aware of this. Moreover, since you two were married for over six years, even if you don't have feelings for her, you'd still be possessive of her. To get you back with her, she would definitely go to any lengths to provoke you."First, she'd pretend to have really given up on you, then be kind to another man. Once you see that, you'll definitely feel uncomfortable. And then you'll think about her all the time."If you can't hold back and go find her, she will act close with another man," Spencer continued disdainfully.Shayne hadn't considered that everything Aralyn had done was to intentionally set a trap to get him back. His restless heart began to calm down.Smiling, he asked, "So, what should I do?""Ignore her. When she realizes all her tricks and schemes don't work on you, she'll come crying to you, begging to get back together," Spencer suggested.Shayne couldn't help but imagine Aralyn's crying face, and he chuckled. If it really came to that, considering they
Shayne thought about it and felt that Spencer made sense.He had originally planned to drink more before Aralyn arrived to make the act more convincing, but he still had a lot of work to do in the afternoon.Although Shayne felt a bit regretful that he wouldn't get to see Aralyn's reaction to him, he didn't really mind. After all, he already knew that Aralyn still loved him.Since had gotten the answer he wanted, he decided to head back to the company to handle his work.Shayne stood up and said goodbye to his friends.Once he left, everyone gathered around Spencer. "What was that about?"Spencer hesitated before sharing his thoughts, "I think Aralyn is not pretending. I think she really doesn't love Shayne anymore.""Then just tell Shayne!" the others said in dissatisfaction.Spencer shot them a glare. "Didn't you see his expression? He looked devastated when I said Aralyn doesn't love him, and he smiled when I mentioned she still loves him."Everyone exchanged glances."Has
Willow looked up at me in confusion."That way, you can ask your classmates what the reason is directly," I comforted her.Willow still seemed a bit down. "Actually, I wanted to ask them today, but I..."She hesitated, "I just couldn't bring myself to speak.""It's okay. You can't rush things. We'll take it slow. One day, you'll succeed."Willow nodded earnestly. "Yes!"Actually, what Willow didn't tell Aralyn was that she was envious that all her classmates had friends. She even secretly thought that it would be nice if she had friends too.If only… she could talk to others, then maybe she would make good friends.Julian came back and shook his head at me.I felt a little heavy-hearted. It seemed the teacher didn't know the reason either.I held Willow's hand and led her to the car. Willow's situation was special. She couldn't communicate with anyone other than Julian and me. Even if others bullied her, she wouldn't tell the teacher.When she started elementary or middle
"Let the driver pick me up from now on," Zach said.Shayne was puzzled. "Why?"Zach didn't plan to reveal his true thoughts. "I just think you have to spend a lot of money buying us gifts every day. So, it's better if you focus on working. Otherwise, you won't earn enough money."Shayne hadn't expected his son to be so thoughtful. He happily hugged Zach and kissed him on the cheek. "Alright."…On the way, I took out all the little dresses I had bought for Willow and showed them to her, one set after another.Willow's eyes widened in surprise, and the gloom she felt earlier disappeared instantly."Did you buy all these for me, Mommy?""Of course," I answered with a nod.Willow hugged the beautiful dresses and suddenly started crying.I hurriedly wiped away her tears. "You don't like them?""No! I just didn't expect you to buy me clothes, Mommy. I'm so happy," she said, her eyes red.I held her close. "From now on, I'll buy you more clothes after I get my salary."Willow im
I leaned in close to her and took a bite.Meeting her expectant gaze, I exaggerated my reaction. "This is so delicious!"Willow was satisfied with my performance as she beamed. "Right?"When she was about to continue, Julian pretended to be jealous. "You only let Mommy eat? What about me?"Willow quickly gave Julian the piece that she was about to eat. "I was just cooling it down for you," she said seriously.Shawn played along, pretending not to notice her real intentions. "Thank you, Willow."Though there was a lot of food, the portions were small. It was just enough for the three of us.Willow patted her full belly and sighed happily. "Good thing I listened to Daddy, or we wouldn't have been able to finish it all!"Julian was amused at how she was trying to act like an adult. "Let's take a walk," he uttered.If Willow ate too much and didn't move around, she might end up with an upset stomach and have trouble sleeping later.Though Willow found sitting there more comfortab
Spencer fell silent.I didn't plan to waste any more time on him and withdrew my mocking gaze. Holding Willow's hand, I continue walking forward."Mommy, I hate that man. When your ex-husband hurt you before, not a single one of them spoke up for you. But now…" Willow huffed.She looked back and glared at Spencer. "Now that your life is going well, they're all coming to criticize you! Who do they think they are?"She was venting her frustration on my behalf. Naturally, I didn't want to dampen her spirits. "Exactly."Willow looked a little sad. "I really wish I could talk to people so I could yell back at them for you!""Then you'll have to work hard, Willow," I said, playing along with her.She looked up at me, her expression serious.I pretended to look troubled. "Life is so long. There's bound to be more people pointing fingers at me in the future. I really hope you can stand up for me, Willow.""Mommy, I promise I won't let you down!" Willow exclaimed earnestly."Really?"
"Before or after your marriage, we all know that Luna's the only woman in your heart," Spencer said.Shayne couldn't make sense of it either. Why was it that now his dream had come true, he felt no joy? Instead, he felt empty, as if he had lost someone important.Shayne opened his wardrobe to find his suits all wrinkled.When Aralyn was around, the clothes were always ironed flawlessly. They looked brand-new all the time.He pushed open the bedroom door and walked into the living room. Luna was watching TV. When she noticed him, she moved closer and pouted. "The housekeeper took the day off, so no one made dinner. I had no choice but to order takeout."It was at that moment Shayne realized that it had been a long time since he'd eaten takeout.Back when he was with Aralyn, during the early days of his startup, he was too busy to cook and relied on takeout every day.Aralyn, pregnant at the time, had told him that takeout food wasn't healthy. Hence, she would cook at home and p
Zach could no longer hold his tears back. They dripped down his face as he replied, "I do. I miss you so much right now. Mommy, when will you come back? It's okay if you hate Dad. Just take me with you."I'll bring along all the money and shop rentals you saved for me. With the rent and savings, it'll be enough for the two of us to live out the rest of our lives together."His tears were especially visible on his blanket. Zach knew that Aralyn no longer wanted him anymore, so no matter how hard he cried, she wouldn't comfort him anymore.He miserably wiped his tears away and continued through their chat history. He suddenly realized that before his parents had gotten divorced, it was always Aralyn who texted him first, and he barely replied to a single text.Zach couldn't put his feelings into words at that moment. His chest felt tight, and he wanted to cry.During that time, he remembered his dad would bring him to meet Luna every day. He would always praise Luna in front of hi
"When I used to go out drinking with you guys, she would always worry about my health and remind me to drink as little as possible—or better yet, not drink at all. When I got home, she would carefully take care of me and even cook me some soup."Those memories were sealed away in his mind.Now that he was recalling what Aralyn had done, he finally realized that he had let go of someone who genuinely cared about him. "And now, it's over. No one will ever care for me the way she did."As he spoke, he started wailing.Seeing how heartbroken Shayne was, Spencer couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. He said softly, "The main issue was your attitude toward Luna and Aralyn. It was too easy for others to misunderstand. Since you like Aralyn, then why was your attitude toward her so awful?"Back when they were still married, Shayne's attitude was mostly dismissive whenever he mentioned her in front of them. He even gave them the impression that Aralyn was throwing herself at him
I said unhurriedly, "Think about what a doll looks like, and then think about the person you want to talk to. If you were to custom-make a doll like them, what would it look like?"Willow thought about it seriously and asked, "Then what?"I smiled and replied, "Wouldn't you be able to talk to them normally once you have the image of their doll in your mind?""That's true!" Willow exclaimed in amazement. She clearly didn't think there would be such a good solution. "However…" she added, her eyes sparkling. She seemed like she was thinking of something mischievous."What is it?" I asked quickly.She chuckled happily and replied, "Doesn't that mean everyone in the world would become dolls in my eyes?"Seeing her expectant expression, I played along and said, "That's right, a world of dolls just for you."Willow grew even more excited....Julian sat in the living room, quietly awaiting Aralyn. She would chat with him for a while every day in the past."She's accompanying Willo
This question left me confused. I asked back, puzzled, "Why would I mind?"Julian knew full well that if a woman genuinely liked a man, she would inevitably feel possessive of him. The fact that I didn't mind now meant that I didn't love him yet.Julian felt rather dejected but knew that some things could not be rushed. So, he smiled and said, "That's true."…After sending Ximena back to her home and confirming that her ex-husband and Pamela weren't nearby, Julian and I finally left feeling at ease.Once I returned home, Willow immediately flung herself into my arms upon seeing me. "Mommy!"I bent down to pick her up."Yes?" I asked.She put her little cheek on my shoulder and asked, "Do you remember the goal I set for you? Back then, I said that I would definitely be able to talk with people other than you and Daddy normally within a month! It hasn't even been a month, and I've already reached my goal!"Willow then raised her head and looked at me expectantly. "I did so well
When we got home, Willow dragged the whole family along to exercise with her.After finishing, Willow took Pamela and her grandparents upstairs.Only Julian, Ximena, and I remained in the living room.Ximena glanced upstairs and said, "I thought Pamela would need to help her, but who would've guessed she'd recover on her own?""Yes," I agreed, sighing. "Children recover much faster than I ever imagined."Ximena couldn't help but chuckle. "Exactly. Look at Pamela. When she lived with her dad, she'd come home acting like a quail—so timid and cautious. But after just a few days with me, she's slowly returning to how she used to be."It was evident that Ximena loved Pamela. "If I had known that switching to a less stressful job would make life easier for my daughter, I definitely would've left my old company a long time ago."As a mother myself, I understood Ximena's guilt. Patting her shoulder reassuringly, I uttered, "It's not too late to change now."Ximena nodded. "Yeah."Juli
Hughes Group had excellent landscaping. The green plants on both sides were lush and flourishing.The tree shade blocked the harsh sunlight, creating a tranquil atmosphere.I turned to look at Julian. "Have you finished all your work?"As he did not like someone to lie, Julian replied honestly, "Not yet."He hadn't forgotten Gabriel and Lilia's advice—to appear vulnerable in front of Aralyn. "I just feel a bit tired.""It's a pity I can't help you much," I said regretfully. "But the account and selling peripheral products could bring me a lot of income."This was an answer I had thought about for a long time. "If your company runs into trouble and can't hold on, you can come to me for help. I can take care of you and Willow."Julian was very confident that his company wouldn't run into any problems, but he hadn't expected that Aralyn would already consider such a scenario.He even thought that if the company really did go bankrupt, wouldn't that also bring him closer to Araly
As soon as he finished speaking, the server brought over a large bowl of broth fondue and placed it on the table. "Enjoy your meal," he said with a smile."Thank you!" I picked up a piece of the beef. The crunchy and tender texture was simply irresistible.I ate several big bites in a row, only to notice that Julian still hadn't started eating. Curious, I asked, "Are you not going to eat?""Of course I am," Julian said, picking up his cutlery.…Shayne returned to his office, thinking about the things Aralyn had said. It dawned on him that he had indeed made far too many mistakes.Ever since he'd married Aralyn, he had taken her for granted because she was too sensible and understanding. He hadn't even noticed how much she had suffered.At this moment, Shayne was desperate to divorce Luna and make amends to Aralyn.Resolute, he called Luna."Yes? Miss me?" Luna's sweet voice came through the phone."I'm sorry." After saying those words, Shayne felt a sense of relief.Why was
"So, you think I should pay for every meal Julian and I have together?" I countered.The people around us started whispering, all saying that Amber was being shameless.Amber was so furious that she nearly lost her composure. "That's not the point! The point is my son refuses to support us because of you!"Standing up, Julian took out the bank transaction statements he had specifically asked Mark to print earlier. "Why don't you tell everyone how much you spend each month?"Amber had always gotten away with this kind of behavior before, so she never expected Julian to fight back this time.She froze on the spot.Julian unfolded the statements. To make sure everyone could see, he even handed out a few copies to the crowd.The onlookers opened the papers. The monthly expenses amounted to over five million. Then, they looked back at Amber, thinking she was being unreasonable.They thought she was being ungrateful by making a scene here when she received that much money; she hadn't
Mark didn't even think before replying, "Well, the company has a rule—if you complete three days' work in one day, the remaining two days are vacation."I found it a bit hard to believe. "Does such a great company really exist?"Mark teased with a smile, "Well, you've seen one now. The average price for these peripheral products is ten dollars, and your royalty margin is still 15%. The company just decided to spend a large sum of money to boost traffic."If all goes as planned, the sales of these peripheral products should break records day by day. We're worried that when the demand surges, production might not keep up."So, we're planning to stock up in advance to avoid running out of inventory when the comic goes viral. You just sit back and wait for the royalty money to roll in."When I heard that, I couldn't help but anticipate it. "Thank you.""You're welcome."With that, he left, not daring to glance at Julian.Julian followed him. "Help me print out the bank transfer rec