"And then?" Spencer asked."I asked her if she thought I loved her," Shayne said, his voice filled with confusion. He truly believed Aralyn was the one he loved. Yet, everyone around him, including Aralyn, believed he loved Luna.Spencer, with no patience for Aralyn, said irritably, "She probably said you loved her."He had always disliked Aralyn and instinctively assumed she would say or do something to make him dislike her more."No, she said I loved Luna," Shayne uttered, his eyes unusually vacant.What? Spencer couldn't believe his ears.Shayne asked, "Does that mean I was a terrible husband? In the six years I was with her, I never made her feel loved."The private room fell into an instant silence.Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to say. To be honest, it did seem like the fault lay with Shayne.But as his friends, they naturally wanted to side with him.While everyone was struggling to think of a way to console Shayne, Spencer had already figured out how
As I recalled that moment, I couldn't help but feel speechless. "Did he forget we got divorced because he loved Luna?"Julian didn't say anything.Suddenly, a thought came to me. "Do you think it's possible…"Julian raised an eyebrow. "Oh?""That he came to me specifically to brag about how good his relationship with Luna is?"Other than that, I couldn't think of any reason why Shayne would want to see me."That's possible." "He's so childish." I rolled my eyes.When it was time to get off work, Alice rushed into the office and told me her friend had invited her out, so she was leaving first.Before I could respond, she was already out the door.Shaking my head, I packed up and followed Julian to pick up Willow.…Willow got out of school right on time.However, Pamela's parents were absent again.Julian called Pamela's parents and told them directly that Willow really liked Pamela, so we could also take Pamela with us whenever we fetched Willow.We thought they might r
Pamela stared at me and asked, "Really?""Of course."…The car stopped a short distance from the villa. Zach sat inside. Noah brought a tutor over, who was teaching Zach seriously. Zach glanced in the direction of the villa, then turned his attention back to the lesson.He didn't know why, but studying near Aralyn's home made him feel a deep sense of peace. It was as if Aralyn had returned to him.Zach made up his mind—he was going to learn whatever Willow learned. He could convince himself that these were courses Aralyn had chosen for him.As a good child, he would study hard and not let Aralyn down.This time, there was a lot to learn, but Zach was smart and mastered everything. The tutor was delighted and wanted to teach Zach more.Just then, someone tapped the car window. Zach turned his head and saw Shayne standing outside. He opened the door and hopped out. "You can drive the tutor home," Zach said to Noah."Alright.""Don't forget to come back for me," Zach remind
"Hello, are you Pamela's mom? She's my daughter's classmate. I brought her to my place when no one picked her up at school," I explained.Ximena Sawyer quickly asked, "Where are you? I'll go pick her up."Hearing how concerned she sounded, I said, "No need. Just tell me your address, and we'll bring her to you.""Alright."…We dropped Pamela off at Ximena's doorstep.Seeing her mom, Pamela was thrilled and bounced over to Ximena. "Mom, I talked to them, and we agreed I'll go play at their house again tomorrow!"Ximena looked at me, surprised."Tomorrow's Saturday. We won't be working, so we can take care of her."Relieved that it wasn't an inconvenience, Ximena exhaled. "I'll drop her off at your place tomorrow.""You're busy with work. We can come pick her up instead."After a pause, Ximena said, "Thank you."As we left Ximena's house, I glanced at Julian. Ever since he saw Ximena, he'd been acting a little off."Do you know her?" I asked."She's someone our company has
This way, when I drew Willow, I'd be able to capture her cuteness exactly as it was. …Julian took out his phone and switched to camera mode. Aiming at Aralyn and Willow, he snapped a picture.Maybe because Aralyn was gentle, but in the photo, she looked calm and beautiful. On the other hand, Willow looked cute.Julian stared at the photo for a long time before setting it as his phone's wallpaper.…"Do you want to take a picture of Willow?" I noticed Julian was taking pictures, so I leaned back to make room for him. "Go ahead."Julian didn't want me to know who he was taking pictures of, so he aimed the camera at Willow and took several more pictures.…Noah came back, and Zach left in the car.On the dark road, only Shayne was left. He stared at the brightly lit living room, feeling a complicated mix of emotions.Everyone was saying he didn't love Aralyn. But when he was near her, he felt at ease. What could this possibly mean?…Zach sat in the car, looking at the sh
We planned to install a walkie-talkie inside the dolls so Willow could talk to her grandparents through it.Perhaps it wouldn't take long before Willow could speak to her grandparents directly.A smile spread across my face. I felt a sense of gratification watching the little girl I genuinely cared for. Willow finished speaking and waved at me confidently. "Mommy, I'm going to bed now."I stood up as well."Since Grandpa and Grandma are with me tonight, you can take a break," she added.I watched as Willow hugged the two dolls and struggled to carry them upstairs.The dolls were bigger than her, so carrying both at once proved a challenge for her, but she didn't ask anyone for help.She was such an independent child. My affection for her grew unknowingly.Thinking about how I'd be accompanying Willow and her friend tomorrow, I looked at Julian and said, "I might need to work overtime tonight."Julian nodded. "Go ahead.""Okay." I brought my laptop to the living room and sta
Only then would Shayne be willing to continue spending money on her.Luna thought for a while, then pretended to be considerate. "But it's too far from your company. I can't bear to see you run back and forth every day. You'd be exhausted."Luna hesitated before adding, "How about… You come over on Friday night and leave on Sunday?"This way, she would have a few days every week free and unrestrained, without needing to please anyone.At the same time, she could keep Shayne with her. For her, it was a deal with no risk of loss."Alright," Shayne accepted her proposal. "I'm tired. I'll go rest first."He thought that after saying these words, he would feel a sense of relief. But on the contrary, he felt a suffocating despair.Shayne staggered toward the bedroom.Luna watched him until he entered the bedroom, then slowly sat down on the couch with a smile.…Zach lay alone in the pitch-black bedroom. It was also eerily quiet, and he suddenly missed Aralyn. He missed when Aral
Willow nodded heavily. If Aralyn suddenly said she was leaving and handed her to someone else, she would cry her eyes out.But Pamela was completely unaffected, and Willow admired her for that.Pamela puffed out her chest confidently. "I think so too."Then, she started showing off how much her mother loved her. For example, last night, after she went back home, Ximena had been hugging and kissing her non-stop.Pamela sighed. "Mom says she has to work hard to make money, buy me a house, and save up a few million for me. That way, even if I can't find a good job after graduation, life will still be easier. But…"Pamela lowered her voice. "I just hope Mom doesn't put so much pressure on herself. I'll be sad if she exhausts herself."Willow also became sad.Watching them from the side, I rested my chin in my hand and paid attention to their interaction. I found kids' conversations pure, direct, and interesting.Neither Willow nor Pamela had breakfast yet, so Julian decided to take
Luna was just that attractive to men.She couldn't stop smiling at the thought."Then what kind of men do you think would like me?" Yasmin asked.Luna was momentarily stumped as she looked Yasmin up and down. Even though Yasmin was the same age as Aralyn, she lacked Aralyn's composure and calmness.Instead, she seemed a bit foolish.Luna found Yasmin somewhat annoying, but she didn't show it.She just smiled faintly and said, "Probably more mature and experienced men."Yasmin pressed her lips together. Those kinds of men were usually older, and she wasn't interested in them.Of course, Luna knew what Yasmin was thinking about but didn't show it. "I think most men aren't worthy of you, of course. Someone like Julian is just right.""That's right!" Yasmin agreed instantly.Luna nodded. "Yeah."Frowning, Yasmin muttered, "But the men who are worthy of me don't like me.""With diligence and persistence, anything is possible," Luna answered patiently.After finishing work, teas
Shayne had no other way to relieve his feelings now.Although drinking could make him forget Aralyn, he would feel like his heart had been hollowed out the very next day. It was unbearably miserable.Hence, he wanted to meet Zach. Zach was one of the few family members he had in this world.Once Shayne made the decision, he drove to Zach's place.…Luna never knew that pregnancy could be so exhausting. The animation project had just ended, but she had to design drafts for trendy toys now. She was dead tired.And now, someone was knocking on the door in the middle of the night.Luna opened the door.The person standing at the door was Yasmin, someone she had seen on TV.Recently, Luna had also learned a bit about Yasmin. Although she was rather fierce and seemed immature, she was about the same age as Aralyn."What are you here for?" Luna asked in surprise."To chat with you."Without even waiting for Luna to invite her in, Yasmin walked straight into the living room and s
Julian walked out, having just finished his shower. When he heard my conversation with Willow, he explained, "Your mommy is even more amazing than you think. Tens of millions is actually just a safe guess."Willow's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Wow, she can make even more?"Julian remained composed. "Yeah, these designer toys are selling really well, and they've also boosted sales of related merchandise and some comic books."Willow looked at me with even more admiration.Smiling, I uttered, "It's all thanks to your daddy."However, Julian was humble. "It's clearly because of your own hard work."I didn't deny it.Julian then asked, "The toys you designed yourself are also making a lot of money, right?""I heard from Mark that their sales are catching up to the designer toys. They've also made a huge profit. When the hype starts dying down, I'll release a new set of dolls. Based on my current inventory, I think I can keep the momentum going for at least another year," I s
"Alice doesn't know much, but these manufacturers definitely do. If you contact them and ask for a list, do you think they'll help you?" I asked.Mark hesitated for a moment. If everyone took advantage of this trend and increased production, they could make more money.And the more people knew about it and discussed it, the longer the hype would last, and the more money everyone could earn.Of course, they would be willing to introduce their peers.Once Mark understood this, he excitedly said, "Got it! I'll contact them right away!""Okay." My tone finally relaxed.…Mark was dedicated to this job. He proactively reached out to the factory owners. After explaining the pros and cons to them, he asked them to introduce other factory owners to him.Each of them was enthusiastic. Within just a few dozen minutes, he had already gotten at least ten phone numbers.He called them one by one, explaining his needs.To ease their concerns, he mentioned his referrers and emphasized that
Aralyn had always been the one to soothe them, including Charlotte.Shayne had now come to realize that Charlotte wasn't as great as he had once imagined.It was just that, when Aralyn was by his side, she had been afraid of affecting his work. So, no matter how much trouble Charlotte caused, Aralyn always covered for her.Yet, he refused to cherish the woman who had cared so much for him.Shayne took a deep breath, suddenly feeling exhausted."What's there to think about?" Charlotte asked."In all the years Aralyn was with me, the money she spent didn't even add up to what you both spend in a month, or even a week. Wait, even a day," Shayne said coldly.Charlotte felt that Shayne had become stingy. "But you're supposed to spend the money you make.""My son and wife didn't get to spend it. It all went to you." Shayne's voice was filled with self-mockery.Charlotte was a little annoyed. What did he mean by that?She had worked so hard to raise Shayne. It was only right that he
"Other people don't know the truth, so I can understand if they blame me. But Shayne knows, yet he still blames me!" Charlotte said.Luna sighed. "Don't let others sow discord between you. As for Shayne, he's still dreaming about getting back together with Aralyn. He's probably still hoping to have more children with her."But Aralyn no longer had any interest in Shayne.Luna understood this very well. If she were married to a man like Julian—gentle, rich, handsome, and loving—she wouldn't even consider someone like Shayne.Sure, Shayne was somewhat good-looking, but he was also stingy and emotionally unavailable.The contrast was just too brutal.If Aralyn broke up with Julian and got back together with Shayne, Luna would seriously question whether Aralyn had a mental illness.Charlotte, of course, didn't think her son had done anything wrong. Hence, in her mind, Aralyn was the one at fault."Aralyn must have been secretly contacting Shayne! Otherwise, why would he still be th
"That's right," Julian said.It seemed Donald coming here wasn't entirely in vain. At the very least, he had helped Willow learn something.Julian was extremely pleased.When Donald heard that, his face grew darker, and he tried to explain, "I didn't…"Julian had no interest in listening. After years of navigating the business world, he could tell a person's intentions the moment they spoke.Not wanting to waste time on Donald's nonsense, Julian uttered, "It's late. My daughter needs to sleep. You should leave."Donald was forced to swallow all the words he wanted to say.He stared at Julian in a daze for a long time. But in the end, he could only leave.Once he disappeared from the living room, Julian asked, "Can you guess why he went through all this trouble?""What else could it be? He wants you to think I'm a terrible person and ruin our relationship."Julian's voice grew colder. "If he were only trying to sabotage our relationship, I might call him clever. But he even pu
Mom should have fought a fair and just lawsuit and demanded more money from them.Donald remained silent, unable to say a word."Besides, Mom had a job at the beginning. Even after you two got married, she rarely asked you for money."Honestly, I always felt that my personality was similar to Mom's.Both of us were highly independent."Even after you made Mom a housewife, you rarely gave her money. She spent almost entirely from her own savings. So, can you tell me the 'good things' you've done for me?"Donald hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "I admit, when I was with your mom, I really didn't treat her well. But you wouldn't even exist if it weren't for me. I'm your elder! Even if you ignore everything else, just the fact that I gave you life means you should respect me!"I laughed. "If Mom wasn't with you, she would have been with someone else. And I would still have been born just the same. You're not exactly irreplaceable."Donald stared at me for a long tim
Shayne showed no emotion, yet it struck Charlotte like a bolt of lightning.Charlotte's lips moved. After a long time, she finally said, "I never expected things to turn out this way.""Not expecting it means you can wash your hands of responsibility?" Shayne mocked coldly.Charlotte didn't know what to say."No, you can't. Zach won't forgive you, and neither will I. You should just focus on the baby in Luna's belly and live your life," Shayne added.Before he could hang up, Charlotte hurriedly said, "But didn't you already forgive us before?""The fact that you can still reach me by phone is proof that I don't hate you."Charlotte let out a sigh of relief upon hearing that."It's just that, for now, I can't forget that I will never be able to have another child for the rest of my life."Charlotte's mood grew heavier.…Donald rushed to Julian's house in the middle of the night.When Julian saw him come in, he was a little surprised.Just as he was about to ask what Donald