He had no one to blame but himself. Zach's tears rolled down his cheeks uncontrollably. He really missed Aralyn.…Luna arrived late. When she saw Julian and me standing at the entrance, her steps slowed noticeably.She hesitated before walking over to Cynthia. "Mason, let's go home.""Mom…" Mason hid behind Luna.Sensing something was wrong, Luna tried to leave with her son warily.Julian blocked her path. "Your son has been spreading rumors in class, leading the other kids to ostracize my daughter. How do you plan to resolve this?" Though there was no expression on Julian's face, he exuded an undeniable pressure.Luna felt Mason trembling behind her and patted his arm reassuringly, signaling that she was there for him.She scoffed, "And how can you be so sure it was my son?"I looked at Luna in surprise. Was she planning to deny it?"The children in class all said it was him," Cynthia replied gently.Luna turned to look at Mason, and the latter nodded reluctantly. Luna
I was a bit surprised, as I didn't think Julian had already thought of how to handle this situation if Luna refused to cooperate."But Daddy, being isolated by the whole class isn't a good feeling," Willow uttered softly.Julian was slightly taken aback. Was Willow feeling softhearted? Did she not want him to use the same method to retaliate against Mason?"Willow…" Julian spoke in hesitation."I think that's a great solution, Daddy. He'll only change his behavior when he experiences the same thing," Willow continued.Julian felt relieved. Although Willow was a kid, she wasn't naive.He patted Willow on the arm. "Trust Daddy to handle this in a way you'll be happy with.""Okay." Willow nodded, then looked out the window. "But Daddy, where are we going?"She knew this wasn't the way home. Julian smiled and replied, "We're going to visit your grandparents."At his words, Willow immediately burrowed into my arms. I could feel her small body trembling, which was strange. Didn'
She picked up the card and opened it. There were only two words on the card—"I'm sorry."Luna sat next to Shayne. "Why are you apologizing to me?""These past few days, I've been focusing all my attention on Aralyn, and I ended up neglecting you," Shayne said as he held Luna's hand."Luna, you're the woman I've loved my whole life. Even after I married Aralyn, my heart has always been with you. I feel so guilty…" Shayne paused."I should have cherished you and treated you better."Spencer had told him that if he focused all his attention on Luna, he might stop thinking about Aralyn. Shayne wanted to see if it would work.Luna shook her head. "It's okay. I don't mind, Shayne."As she spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks, which would evoke anyone's sympathy.Strangely, though, Shayne didn't feel any heartache as he watched her cry.Instead, Aralyn's face surfaced in his mind.When Aralyn cried, she wouldn't say a word. She would only look at him quietly.As that scene replayed
"No need. You stay home with Mama Luna and Mason. I can handle this myself," Zach refused firmly.…At the hospital, people came and went. Willow was visibly tense. She held my hand tightly, her eyes fixed straight ahead."Willow, don't you want to see your grandparents?" I asked gently.Willow answered without hesitation, "I do!"I could sense how tightly wound she was. Julian had already stopped at the door of the ward.I crouched down and gently patted Willow's back. "But you don't seem happy."Willow finally turned to look at me."Can you tell Mommy why that is?" I asked softly.Willow lowered her head."It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," I added with a smile."I'll tell you tonight when we get home," Willow whispered.I was glad she was willing to share. That way, I could better understand and help her open up. Ruffling her hair, I uttered, "Alright."Julian waited until we were finished before opening the door and stepping inside.Willow followed but sne
Since that day, Willow felt that whenever her grandparents saw her, they would be reminded of her parents' death. Terrified they might hate her, she dared not to speak to them anymore.The more I listened, the more my heart ached. "But Willow, accidents are beyond your control."Willow's eyes filled with tears."On the day of the accident, whether you were in the car or not… There was no way to prevent what happened. So, it's not your fault."I hugged her tightly. "You're a victim too."Willow burst into tears. "But… That day, Mom died trying to protect me.""Your mom loved you very much, Willow. You need to understand that even if she could go back, she would make the same choice." I smoothed her hair gently.Willow stopped crying and stared at me intently."Even in her final moments, she must have been grateful that her daughter survived."After some hesitation, Willow asked, "Really?""Yes. Even though she's no longer with you, she would want you to live well and not be
Hearing that, I realized that in the car earlier, I had focused only on explaining how the accident wasn't her fault. But I had forgotten to tell her what her grandparents truly thought.I spoke slowly and gently. "Do you remember what I told you earlier?"Willow nodded. "Of course.""Your grandparents were heartbroken because your mom was their daughter. And she left them forever. Just like…"I paused, stroking her cheek. "You were deeply hurt too, right?"Willow thought back to that day, her gaze lowering."But later, they must have also felt grateful that you survived."Willow sat up straight. "Really?""Yes." I nodded firmly.Willow spun in circles, her joy spilling over. "That's great!"As I watched her, I asked, "Now that you know your grandparents have always loved you and never blamed you, do you think you can talk to them?"Willow stopped spinning, her face serious as she pondered for a long moment.Then, she shook her head. "I don't think I can yet.""That's okay
Julian's eyes sparkled with amusement as he continued enjoying the meal.…Zach sat in the car, staring at the brightly lit villa. What were they doing now? Having dinner?Or was Aralyn holding Willow in her arms, watching TV with her, and explaining life lessons to her as the story unfolded? When Zach imagined how the mother who had once cared for him unconditionally was now giving all her patience and love to someone else, he felt his heart was sliced apart.Noah gripped the steering wheel and looked at Zach through the rearview mirror. Noticing Zach's gloomy mood, he asked, "Should we head home?""Yeah."…Amber arrived at the villa at 9:00 pm.Willow had already finished washing up and was lying in bed on time. I sat by her side, reading her a bedtime story from a picture book. Amber strode into the living room, glancing around as she walked in. When she saw Julian sitting there, she immediately scanned the area.Julian put down the book he was reading. "Mom, who are y
Amber showed no awareness of just how cruel her words were. "If she did, you wouldn't have to take care of her. Maybe you would've been married by now, and I would've had my first grandson!"Julian let out a cold laugh, and the disappointment in his eyes deepened."Since you still refuse to acknowledge your wrongdoings, then stop coming to my house and avoid contacting me altogether in any setting."Amber froze. "What do you mean by that?""I consider Willow my biological daughter. When you unfairly blame her for everything and criticize her, you're essentially saying that the fault is mine. When you wish she had died, it's no different than wishing the same for me."Julian was expressionless, but his words carried a weight that was impossible to ignore. "You've treated me with such cruelty, so of course, I need to defend myself. "If I didn't, word would spread that I'm a pushover. Then everyone would feel entitled to walk all over me."Amber stared at Julian, utterly shocked.
Avery didn't know how to answer Luna's question. After some thought, she replied, "So, what do you plan to do?""I'll have to figure it out myself," answered Luna as she furrowed her brows. "Anyway, Shayne's personality is easy to manipulate. Even if he's the one who mentioned breaking up with me, it shouldn't be a problem as long as I drag it out for a while.She had a long-term plan in mind. "Also, since you work at Hughes Group, there's a good chance you'll come into contact with men who have both status and wealth. Remember to keep an eye out for them, then send me their details. I'll carefully choose a suitable man for me. I'll go after them once I figure out their preferences."Luna wasn't about to foolishly be with Shayne and beg him to love her again. The person he loved was Aralyn. The harder she worked for his love, the more he hated her. Once Shayne decided to get rid of her, she wouldn't have any money to spend. As such, it was better to use this time to pursue anoth
Upon thinking that, I turned to glance at Julian.Mark told me two days ago that the company planned to spend money to drive engagement. Had they already started?I thought about it earnestly.A few days ago, when each platform only gained a few hundred followers a day, we were already selling five thousand dolls across all platforms combined. Now, the amount of followers I gained per day was over ten times higher than it used to be. Did that mean the number of dolls sold would also skyrocket? What about my revenue? I silently calculated the numbers in my head. Five thousand dolls were over 50 thousand dollars. Ten thousand dolls would be over 100 thousand dollars.I slowly sat up straight. So, earning money after my comic became popular was easier than I thought.Someone knocked on the door. "Come in," Julian said coldly.Avery opened the door slightly. The moment she saw Julian, she thought of her countless interactions with him. In the end, she dared not enter his office
Only then was Alice satisfied. She looped her hand through mine and asked, "What's there to feel sorry about?"As she spoke, she looked around. Once she was sure that no one was around, she quickly pulled me into the office. She then closed the door and said, "Did you know that I've successfully infiltrated the gaming department? Whether it's the latest happenings or old gossip—I know it all very clearly!"However, after she knew everything, she didn't feel good keeping it bottled up inside her. After much consideration, she decided to skip work and come over to tell me.I sat on the couch and put my purse on the table beside me. "You're that good, huh?"Alice sat down next to me, lifting her chin proudly. "Of course!"I couldn't help but smile upon seeing her proud expression. Young ladies nowadays were full of life.She wasted no time and immediately began sharing the gossip she had overheard.I was stunned as I listened.Once she was done talking about her coworkers, she sud
Eventually, we sat down in a dessert shop. The two men each ordered a small cake and tea for themselves.The driver used his fork to pick up a piece of the mille-feuille and placed it into his mouth. Once he swallowed, he mustered up the courage to speak. "Don't you think your attitude toward Zach is excessively cruel? He's only five this year. He's just a clueless little kid. Do you know that he cries silently every day at the school gate when he sees you picking up Willow? "He loves you so much. How can you bear to ignore him just because you divorced his father?"He didn't understand my decision. In his mind, a mother was supposed to love her child unconditionally.I was much calmer than he was in his agitated state. "Have both of you ever considered what he did to me before deciding to ask me this question?"The driver shook his head. "I don't know what he did, but how bad could a child's actions possibly be?"I used to think the same. That was why I always unconditionally
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