When this topic was brought up, Eric's mood instantly brightened. "They've already been discharged from the hospital, thanks to the salary you gave me over the past few months. Otherwise, I don't know how I could've managed it.""That's money you earned through your own abilities. Now, besides escorting Willow every evening, I've arranged a part-time job for you as well," Julian said calmly."You'll be responsible for taking Ximena and Pamela to and from places daily. Do you have the time?""Yes!" Eric responded unhesitatingly."As for the pay, I was thinking of adding 20 thousand to your current salary. If you have any concerns, you can ask me to raise it."Eric quickly shook his head. "I'm fine with it! I'm very happy with this income.""So, it's settled?" Julian asked.Eric nodded. "Yes, don't worry. I'll make sure to protect them."…Back in the living room, Julian relayed the arrangements to us.Ximena finally sighed in relief. "Now, when he bothers me, I'll have a way t
Pamela shoveled food into her mouth while exclaiming, "It's been so long since I've eaten something this delicious!"Seeing her daughter so happy, Ximena couldn't help but feel joyful as well. "Then eat more."…After dinner, Eric drove them home. On the way, he said to them, "I don't have much work during the day, so if you need anything, you can call me."Hearing this, Ximena was silent for a moment before asking, "I have several extra rooms at home. Would you mind staying at my place overnight?"She watched Eric nervously, afraid he would refuse.Andrew had recently started showing up at night to cause trouble, leaving her feeling utterly distressed."Of course, I wouldn't mind," Eric responded without hesitation."I don't have a place to stay at the moment anyway, so if you're willing to let me stay, I couldn't be happier."Ximena smiled slightly. "Thank you."The car stopped in the underground garage, and Eric escorted Ximena and Pamela upstairs.Holding Eric's hand, Pa
Andrew gritted his teeth but ultimately chose to leave.Looking at Andrew's retreating back, Pamela asked incredulously, "Did he really leave?"Eric chuckled. "Of course. People like him only bully the weak and fear the strong. As long as your fists are tougher than his, he'll back down."Pamela thought for a while before asking, "Then can I train in martial arts with Willow in the future?""Of course."Pamela clenched her fists. "I want him to fear me."Eric nodded approvingly. "That's the spirit."Ximena hadn't expected her troubles to be resolved so easily, but she still worried that Andrew might come back once Eric left. She took the initiative and prepared a bedroom for Eric. "Is it okay if you stay in this room tonight?"Eric was never picky about accommodations. "Yeah."Pamela closed the living room door.…Near the villa, a car was parked by the roadside.Zach sat in the car, his eyes filled with longing as he looked at Aralyn standing on the balcony.Aralyn had
"But after you became Willow's mom, all of that became your responsibility," Julian said softly.Laughing, I teased, "You pay me so much every month. If I didn't take care of anything, your money would've been wasted.""I don't think so, Lyn. Even if all you did was stay by Willow's side and help her get better, that alone would make it worth every penny."I froze. "Really?"Julian stepped forward and took my hand. "Yes."I looked up at him. "By the way, I want to visit my mom tomorrow.""Do you want me to go with you?"Perhaps because our relationship was now defined, the closeness we initially shared felt different. But the simple act of holding hands made me feel as if we were even closer than before. "Okay."…Luna sat at home, thinking about her situation repeatedly. Although Shayne claimed he was looking out for her by keeping her away from Julian, he hadn't made any effort to reach out to her.If this continued, the distance between her and Shayne would only grow, and
Luna looked down at her feet after hearing that and bit her lip. "When you're alone at home, it's inevitable to bump into things. I initially thought this was a small injury and shouldn't call you. But no one's with me, and I'm pregnant and have a child to take care of."As Luna spoke, her eyes brimmed with tears. She raised her hand to wipe them away. "I'm not even mobile, so I really had no other choice but to call you."She suddenly threw herself into Shayne's arms.Shayne instinctively wanted to push her away.Luna choked back her voice and said, "In a little while, you'll belong to Aralyn. I'll have to keep my distance from you by then, and I'll never be able to hold you like this again. So, now…"Luna raised her head, her teary eyes glistening. "Please don't reject me, okay?"Shayne looked at her face and wondered if Aralyn had been this helpless when he had just gotten together with him.He didn't know whether he wanted to atone for his past self and simply feel sorry for
I would rather use this time to relax than listen to annoying people say things that made me sick. Stunned, Shayne stood there, staring at the phone for a long time.Zach had said Aralyn was kind. And Shayne had naturally assumed that because of her kind-hearted nature, she wouldn't want to see him sad and that she would ultimately forgive him.But then he realized that was not the case. "What do I need to do for you to forgive me?""Nothing. We are over," I answered bluntly.After hanging up the phone, I lay down on the bed and pouted.I had blocked his number, and yet he still managed to contact me. How persistent.Unfortunately, his effort was misguided.Instead of thinking about this, I should now be thinking more about whether I should bring something when I go back to see Mom tomorrow and how to explain things to her so she wouldn't be angry. I placed my arm over my eyes.In Mom's eyes, I should never have gotten a divorce. But I didn't listen to her.She would surel
Julian was practically at Willow's beck and call. Even if he was swamped with work, he would still make time. "Yes," he replied."Then can you come to the event with me and Mommy?""Of course," Julian answered warmly.…When Zach got up in the morning, he only remembered the event next week. He had to do a recitation with Willow.But now, Shayne was ignoring him, and Charlotte was focusing all her attention on Luna.When the time came, all his classmates would have their parents with them, except for him.Zach didn't want to be the only one left alone.After getting up, he saw that Lewis had already prepared breakfast.He took a bite. It wasn't as tasty as what Aralyn made, but he was still content. At least he had food to eat and wouldn't go hungry.Holding the plate, Zach finished every last bite of his meal. "We have a parent-child event next week. Can you two come?"Both Noah and Lewis knew Zach's situation and felt sorry for him, but they also had concerns."If we go,
Zach reluctantly decided to pretend that Aralyn had come to see him off.…I didn't bring anything for my mom because she was getting older, and I wasn't sure if she'd like what I picked. After thinking it over, I simply transferred her ten thousand dollars.Mom, confused, sent me a question mark.A small smile crept onto my face as I raised my hand to knock on the door."Who is it?" Mom asked, her voice lively.She opened the door and saw me standing there. "You finally decided to come back, huh?"She stepped aside to let me in."Yes," I replied as I walked into the living room.Julian followed behind me and sat down next to me.Mom looked at Julian with curiosity but chose not to say anything upon noticing my calm expression. She had more pressing concerns and took hold of my hand."Last time you came, you said you wanted to divorce Shayne. I've been busy and haven't had time to check in on you. How are things between you two now?"I knew she didn't want me to get a divor
"I learned a lot of things today. Mason told me that your divorce from Rowan wasn't because Rowan's family went bankrupt," Shayne uttered slowly.Luna pushed Shayne away and looked at him. "Why are you suddenly bringing this up?""I'm sorry for misunderstanding you," he apologized.Luna didn't mind. "I wouldn't really call it a misunderstanding. Maybe I was too firm in my decision when I left you, which led you to misunderstand me."Shayne looked into Luna's eyes. "Aralyn said if I don't cherish you, I might regret it in the future. I gave it some thought, and I think she's right. So, from today onward, I want to cherish the days I spend with you."Luna smiled, her eyes crinkling. "Okay. But I've been busy with my career, so I might not have much time.""I'll help you," Shayne replied."Thank you," Luna said sincerely.Having been used to not having money for so long, Luna had developed the habit of saving. Now that she could earn her own money, she was thinking what she should
Shayne suddenly felt that Mason was incredibly smart, but he didn't dislike that kind of intelligence. "Okay."…Shayne dropped Mason off at kindergarten.Then, he drove to Willow's kindergarten. When he saw me about to get into the car, he quickly stepped in front of me. "Let's have a proper talk."I knew that if I didn't give him a chance to speak, he would keep blocking me here until I was willing to talk to him.To avoid wasting time, I decided to settle this quickly. "Alright, what do you want to say?"Shayne wanted to say a lot of things. But the moment he saw me, it was as if all those words got stuck in his throat. He couldn't say a single thing.In the end, he only managed to squeeze out, "Lately, I can't stop thinking about the days we were together."If he only wanted to chat casually or reminisce about the past, that would be a complete waste of my time."So what?"Shayne was used to my indifference, but it still hurt him a little. "Back when I pursued you, I trul
"Back then, Mommy had some savings and used all of it as our expenses. Daddy felt that we couldn't keep living like that, so he resigned from their company. Then, they came over and scolded Mommy."Mason's tone was full of sarcasm. "They said Mommy had instigated Daddy to quit. Mommy was really upset and cried at home secretly. But when Daddy came back, she still greeted him with a smile."Mommy only suffered all this injustice because she married Daddy, so when Mommy stayed quiet about it, I took the initiative to tell Daddy."He patted my head and told me he would handle it. Then, he went to the balcony. I overheard him telling Grandpa and Grandma to stop interfering in his life. He said that since he no longer worked for them and wasn't taking their money, he was already living independently."No one should have anything to say about his wife. That day, Grandpa and Grandma got really mad. Daddy just listened quietly and then hung up the phone. Back then, they were both under a l
"They'll bring that woman and her child into the house, then ask me if she and Daddy make a good match," Mason said.The more Mason spoke, the angrier he got. His cheeks puffed up unconsciously. "They want to set Daddy up with her and hope I'll help them, right? If I refuse, they'll just say I'm not as sensible as her son."Shayne felt that talking to a child about these things seemed pretty inappropriate..But then again, would anyone really be that outrageous?Just then, Mason's phone rang again.He answered and asked, "Do you need something?""Yes!" the two elders replied in unison."Your daddy hasn't been in touch with us lately. Do you know where he is?""No," Mason replied without hesitation.Even if he did know, he wouldn't tell them."When Mommy and I moved out, you said you hoped we would never come back and that you wouldn't contact us. What's going on today? Having regrets?"Mason hadn't planned to speak so harshly.But he really didn't want to have too much cont
Mason sat in the car, looking out the window. After a long time, he finally mustered the courage to turn back and look at Shayne. "Will you still get angry with Mommy in the future?"Shayne didn't understand why Mason suddenly brought this up, but he still answered politely, "I've never been angry with your mommy."Mason was confused. "Then why haven't you come to see us for so long?"Shayne casually made up an excuse. "Because I've been busy with work.""Oh, okay."Realizing he had misunderstood Shayne, Zach quickly apologized, "Sorry.""If I do have conflicts with your mommy in the future, what would you do?" Shayne asked."I wouldn't bother with you. Mommy treats me well," Mason said seriously."When I was very little, I always knew that Mommy really loved money. She always put money first, so when she and my daddy got divorced, I thought she wouldn't want me because raising me is really expensive."Mason's voice carried a trace of sadness. "But Mommy still chose to take me
Willow felt she had once again become the happiest child in the world, and her lips curled into a smile.Julian got up and followed behind us.After washing up, Willow pulled us along for a morning run. When we finished, we took a shower and had breakfast together.The food prepared by the chef at home suited our tastes perfectly.Willow ate in big bites, then started drinking her milk.Finally, Julian and I took her to school together.…Mason woke up in the morning.When he walked into the living room and saw Shayne still there, he didn't show any displeasure. Instead, he smiled brightly. "Dad, you really stayed!"Shayne felt deeply gratified. "That's right.""Take me to school today," Mason said eagerly."Most of my classmates have their parents drop them off, but I… It's always the driver who takes me to school. If this keeps up, they'll think I don't have parents."The more he spoke, the quieter his voice became. And by the end, he sounded pitiful.Shayne couldn't hel
Shayne was unwilling to give up and wanted to talk more. But whenever he tried, Aralyn would find an excuse to leave.Bitterness filled Shayne.He persisted day after day, treating Aralyn well bit by bit. After a long time, Aralyn was finally moved.She finally agreed to date him.But what happened after that?As their relationship deepened, he should have normally fallen in love with Aralyn and naturally stepped into marriage with her.But there was no such memory in Shayne's mind.Their relationship suddenly took a strange turn—Aralyn was the one pursuing him, while he was always avoiding her.Shayne frowned, seriously trying to recall what had happened.It was probably the day before he decided to forget about Luna and sincerely start a life with Aralyn when Luna called him.She said she was living a hard life and wanted to come back and reconcile with him.The smile on Shayne's face gradually turned bitter.At that time, Rowan was still incredibly wealthy. His family sh
The living room was spacious and bright.The food on the dining table was already cold.Even the candles had burned down completely.Aralyn sat quietly at the table. It was only when she heard his footsteps that she lifted her head and looked at him."Didn't you say you would come back to celebrate our anniversary with me? Why are you only back now?" she questioned.It was only then that Shayne realized he hadn't even told Aralyn where he had been.He quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, honey. Something came up at work; I was swamped. I couldn't come back and be with you. I'm really sorry."At the time, Shayne had still been serious about maintaining this family.Aralyn stared straight at him, her eyes carrying a calmness as if she saw through everything. "Are you sure you were working? You know I don't like being lied to. If you're lying, you know what happens."For some reason, Shayne had suddenly chickened out. "I went to pick up a friend."Aralyn didn't show whether she belie
In the past, I would never have dared to imagine that a plush doll I casually designed could turn out so well."Wait a minute."A thought suddenly struck me, and I stared at Julian.Julian didn't understand why I had such an expression on my face."Since the animation can release an entire series of products, then can't my plush dolls also be made into smaller versions? Or maybe I could launch a whole line of merchandise like mugs, keychains, and so on?"Julian hadn't considered this before, but after hearing what I said, he replied, "That could work.""I'll tell Mark right away!" I exclaimed excitedly, about to sit up and grab my phone. But when I glanced at the time, I realized it was too late.Although Mark was dedicated to his work, it didn't seem right to bring this up so late at night.I had no choice but to suppress my excitement and lie back down. "I'll tell him tomorrow."Julian looked at me with deep affection. "Alright."He raised his hand and stroked my hair. "Ara