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Chapter 34
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A Heart Reclaimed: The Love I Deserve Chapter 35
The days ahead were still long, so there was no rush to figure everything out right away.I decided to focus all my attention on Willow for now and be the best mother I could be for her. I wanted to do my best to help her improve.Willow was a rather unique child. To understand how her condition could improve, I had to read more books and try to find clues in them that might help her get better. Fortunately, there was a bookstore nearby.I strode into the bookstore. It was very big, with three floors in total. The third floor housed the more specialized and knowledge-oriented books. I read the classification information on the bookshelves. The books near the window were related to psychology.I started with the psychology section and soon found books about autism. After paying for them, I didn't rush home. Instead, I sat in the reading area and started to read.There were actually a lot of books on autism, but most of them focused on cases where the person had never spoken since
A Heart Reclaimed: The Love I Deserve Chapter 36
Aralyn saw signs of improvement in Willow and wanted to analyze why Willow had suddenly started to improve. Could Willow fully recover if she continued interacting with her this way?…Julian, seeing that I was genuinely concerned for Willow, naturally viewed me in a more favorable light. "The situation in the book is very different from Willow's condition," he said.Over the years, he had taken Willow to all the doctors she needed to see. He had also gone through countless relevant books. However, he never found a way to cure her."Yeah," I agreed. "But she was clearly willing to interact with others this morning. So, from now on, I want to try encouraging her to interact more with others while doing things for her that she'd like to brag about."I continued, "Perhaps she would be more willing to speak to others if she could brag? We can then see which situation is more beneficial for her recovery."Of course, this was just an idea. Willow's real guardian was still Julian, so
A Heart Reclaimed: The Love I Deserve Chapter 37
Willow was very willing to express her love for me, so naturally, I had to let her feel my affection in return. "You're amazing too. I love you very much."Now that Willow was willing to communicate with Julian, he didn't want to miss any opportunity to talk to her. He pretended to be jealous. "Then does Willow not love Daddy?""I do, I do, I do!" Willow repeated, annoyed that her conversation with her mother was interrupted. However, she still said cutely, "I love you very much!"Julian seemed oblivious to her irritation. "That's good."Once she had dealt with him, she was worried that he would press her further. She thus cupped my face with her hands and whispered in my ear, "But the person I love, love, love the most is you."She used multiple "love"s in succession, as if that was the only way to prove her love for me was one of a kind.After she said that, she didn't forget to lift her chin and gave Julian a cocky look.Julian merely smiled. I couldn't help but smile as we
A Heart Reclaimed: The Love I Deserve Chapter 38
Shayne was put into a difficult position. "But Mama Luna is pregnant. Asking her to pick you up wouldn't be very safe."The teacher, despite her patience, started to feel rather irritated by Shayne's repeated excuses."So, you're saying that you don't have the time to pick Zach up, and your wife can't either because of her health?"Shayne replied awkwardly, "That's right."The teacher couldn't understand how a parent could be so irresponsible. "Then what about the child?"Shayne didn't know how to answer her question, so he remained silent. The two were at a standstill.In the end, it was Zach who offered a solution. "Dad, why don't I ask the teacher to take me home instead?""That's great!" Shayne answered eagerly. "I'll have to trouble you then, Ms. Warren."Cynthia Warren couldn't help but roll her eyes. In all her years of teaching, this was the first time she had met such a parent.However, for the sake of the child's safety, she sent Zach home. On the way to Zach's home,
A Heart Reclaimed: The Love I Deserve Chapter 39
Julian loved to spoil his daughter. He couldn't refuse any of Willow's requests. Without even waiting for her to ask, he simply lifted her and placed her in the shopping cart.He walked quickly as he pushed Willow. I followed them from behind but soon, I couldn't see them. However, I could still hear Willow's voice."Daddy, slow down!" Willow's tone was clearly happy. Even her complaints were filled with laughter. "I can't see Mom!""Oh, Mom!"I turned around when I heard her voice behind me. I just so happened to see her waving at me. I waved back in return.The next moment, the two of them dashed past me like a gust of wind. I continued walking slowly, seeing if there was anything I might need.When they circled back to my side, Willow seemed to have gotten tired of whizzing around. She tilted her head and asked curiously, "Mom, what are you doing?"I was about to choose the laundry supplies instinctively, but after comparing a few items, I suddenly realized that I no longer
A Heart Reclaimed: The Love I Deserve Chapter 40
Julian finally remembered and immediately put on a stern face. "No."Willow had wanted to copy the other kids by throwing a tantrum on the floor, but when she glanced around and noticed people nearby, her cheeks turned bright red. She walked back to Julian. "Let's stop playing," she said. It seemed embarrassing.I couldn't help but laugh. Children were so amusing.Julian picked Willow up, and she buried her face in his chest. "Mom, stop laughing."Only then did I stop laughing.Julian carried Willow in one arm and pushed the cart with the other. It looked exhausting, so I decided to help him out and reached for the cart. "Let me push it.""Alright." Julian didn't refuse. "Our chef will be on leave tomorrow, so we'll have to go out for breakfast."Willow eagerly voiced her opinion. "I want sausages!"I was about to suggest that I could cook breakfast since the chef wouldn't be there, but hearing Willow's excitement about eating out, I decided to keep it to myself.Children fr
A Heart Reclaimed: The Love I Deserve Chapter 41
Willow thanked Julian sweetly. "Thank you, Daddy.""You're welcome," Julian replied, his voice softening noticeably.Willow took a sip of her soup. She then raised her head and asked Julia as she looked at him, "Daddy, when will the chef be back?""Next week," he replied."Tomorrow is Saturday…" Willow calculated in her head. "We already have plans for that day.""Then Sunday!" yelled Willow. She then eagerly suggested, "Let's cook at home."She really wanted to experience what life was like for an ordinary family of three. Julian looked at me. It was as if he was worried that I might refuse.I didn't mind it at all. "That's fine with me."Julian seemed relieved and gently pinched Willow's cheek. "Then we'll do as you say."…Zach hadn't eaten ever since he returned. His stomach growled. He was very hungry. As such, he opened the fridge to see if there was any food. The fridge was completely empty.Zach rubbed his little stomach and opened the freezer. It was filled with
A Heart Reclaimed: The Love I Deserve Chapter 42
Upon being asked this question, Shayne replied, "Well that's because…"He wanted to say that she was out preparing a surprise for him, but before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly realized something was off.Luna always told him that she needed to take it easy because she was pregnant or else it would affect the fetus.However, shopping was hard as well, right? That meant in Luna's eyes, a little exertion while going out for fun was fine. But if it involved taking care of Zach then it wasn't.Seeing Shayne pause and not finish his sentence, Zach asked curiously, "Daddy, what's wrong with Mama Luna?""Nothing is wrong," Shayne replied.Zach was his only son, so he naturally wanted to prioritize him. "When we go back today, I'll talk to Mama Luna and make sure she comes to pick you up tomorrow, no matter how busy she is. Does that sound good?"Zach nodded with satisfaction. "Yeah!" He then murmured softly, "I want all my classmates to see how Mama Luna treats me even bet
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A Heart Reclaimed: The Love I Deserve Chapter 690
Shayne nearly collapsed onto the couch, staring at the ceiling with reddened eyes.The thing he feared the most had happened.Julian's secret crush was Aralyn.That meant he had no chance anymore.His tears fell in big drops.He didn't understand why he hadn't realized that someone had been eyeing Aralyn.If he had noticed earlier, would he have realized that Aralyn was someone others wanted too? Would he have realized that leaving him didn't mean she'd be alone, and that she was never bound to him?Would he have felt a sense of crisis then, which might have made him decide to cherish Aralyn, settle down, and build a life with her?Shayne was filled with deep regret. He couldn't understand how Julian had endured this long.All these years, he knew that Aralyn had been married, yet he still waited for her. He didn't even waver when she watched him get married and have a child later on.Shayne closed his eyes numbly. After a long time, he let out a bitter laugh.Sure enough.
A Heart Reclaimed: The Love I Deserve Chapter 689
"Does the name matter?" Shayne asked without hesitation."I can tell you. Consider it my way of repaying you for tipping me off. Her current name is Aralyn Jaffe." Julian's usually cold voice was now filled with amusement."That's impossible! Aralyn is gentle and honest. She could never have done the things your first love did," Shayne stated, not believing it."The fact that you would say that only proves you never truly understood Aralyn. If you had spent more time with her while you were together, you would have realized her gentleness is built on the premise that she can protect herself," Julian replied calmly.Shayne's mind went blank.Julian continued, "As long as no one harms Aralyn, she will always treat them nicely. But the moment they scheme against her or threaten her in any way, she will find a way to deal with it."Julian seemed to be in a good mood. "Haven't you noticed that what I just described sounds a lot like what you went through?"Shayne didn't know how to r
A Heart Reclaimed: The Love I Deserve Chapter 688
"Yes." Robert had been wondering how to continue, but with Shayne's question, he had the perfect segue. "After those two got out, they kept trying to make a comeback. They're not stupid."Even though they've been out of touch with society for a long time, after some time of trial and error, they managed to reintegrate fairly quickly. And later, when they started their own business again, it was extremely successful."Robert sighed. "Once they made money, they started looking for the true love. But they soon discovered that she seemed to have vanished from the world—there was no trace of her at all."They refused to give up and kept investigating for years before finally realizing that she had taken on a new identity and was living under a different name. Now, those two have been biding their time, just waiting for the right moment to go after her."Hearing this, Shayne finally smiled. "Say, if I call Julian right now and tell him about his true love's situation, do you think he'l
A Heart Reclaimed: The Love I Deserve Chapter 687
"But such justice doesn't exist in this world," Shayne said.Robert said, "Exactly. At that time, her response was…"He cleared his throat and did his best to imitate the first love's tone. "I didn't do anything to you; I just stated what you did back then. There shouldn't be a problem with that, right?"The principal's response at the time was, "You may not have done anything wrong, but your actions have had a huge impact on our school. Our school used to be the number one in the city, and now we've dropped to second place!""If you were so afraid of the impact, then why didn't you handle the situation when I was being bullied? Given your position, you should have thought about this outcome when the incident happened," the first love refuted."But you didn't, which clearly showed you believed that even if I left, it wouldn't have much of an impact on your school, right?"The principal remained silent.The first love continued, "Indeed, just as you thought, I don't have that kin
A Heart Reclaimed: The Love I Deserve Chapter 686
"In order to verify everything, I went to ask the local residents, and I found out that it was all true after asking around. There wasn't a single fabricated detail."Robert sighed. "She's a legendary figure—she's someone we could strive our whole lives to emulate but never will. Of course, she wasn't satisfied with just doing this. She even compiled her successful methods and handed them over to the teachers at her school."She kept an eye on the next two graduating classes as well. As a result, the school she attended ranked first in the city for three consecutive years."Shayne chuckled. "I initially thought Julian liked housewives. I didn't expect that he also admired strong-willed women."To be honest, he also had some admiration for a woman this strong and independent.Robert didn't respond to Shayne's comment but continued, "She wasn't just determined and capable; she was incredibly motivated. When she graduated, she ranked first in the entire province. Then, during an inte
A Heart Reclaimed: The Love I Deserve Chapter 685
The more Robert spoke, the more he felt that the mistress was out of her mind.She had already stolen someone else's father, and she wouldn't even let his kid study properly."At the time, the whole school started looking at the first love differently, and some people even gave her a hard time. But the first love never paid them any attention. Not gonna lie, she had an incredibly strong mindset."She knew exactly what her goals were, so she wouldn't let external factors affect her grades because she understood that only through studying could she change her life."Robert sighed. "After looking into all this, I feel as if I'm starting to fall for the first love myself. Even after everything that happened, her grades didn't drop at all in the next exam. In fact, they improved significantly. During a school meeting, they even selected her to give a speech on stage."Suddenly, Shayne could understand why this kind of woman could become Julian's first love.She was smart enough. Her a
A Heart Reclaimed: The Love I Deserve Chapter 684
Willow shook her head without thinking and said, "No. When my parents had just passed away, no one was willing to take me in. But Daddy did and raised me himself."She added in a small voice, "At the time, there were a lot of important tasks that Daddy needed to handle."Afraid I wouldn't understand, she specifically explained, "The kind of work that absolutely required Daddy to do it. If Daddy didn't go, it wouldn't work. But he still pushed the work to others so he could take care of me."I heard that because of this, a lot of people in the company were complaining about him, thinking he was incompetent."The more Willow spoke, the quieter her voice became. "Back then, Daddy must have suffered a lot of grievances too. They all said that Daddy always put work first. But only I know that in Daddy's eyes, work was never more important than me."I felt happy for Julian. His daughter was smart and could see everything he had done for her. "Exactly, so you see—he loves you. It doesn't
A Heart Reclaimed: The Love I Deserve Chapter 683
"Mommy, you should go too. After you're done, we'll meet in my room."I smiled and said, "Alright."Willow bounced back to her room happily."Willow doesn't agree with us being together," Julian muttered.Seeing the conflict and distress on his face, I raised my hand and touched his face."Willow is a kid. She's used to the way things are now. If you suddenly tell her there's going to be a big change in her life, of course, she'll struggle to adjust. And of course, she'll worry. You can understand that, right?"Julian nodded.He knew Willow was a thoughtful child."So, we should take our time. One day, she'll be willing to accept us being together," I reassured him.Julian's mood finally improved. "You're right. I've waited so many years already. There's no rush."I asked curiously, "Waited so many years?"What did he mean?"I mean, I've been single for so many years already, so there's no rush to get married now," Julian rescinded, poker-faced.From his expression, I coul
A Heart Reclaimed: The Love I Deserve Chapter 682
Willow felt a bit nervous. "What is it? You look so serious. I'm a bit scared."I patted Willow's back, signaling her to relax. "It's not a big deal. You can make the decision yourself, so there's no need to worry too much."Only then did Willow let out a sigh of relief.In front of Willow, Julian took my hand, his expression solemn. "Our relationship has reached a new stage. After carefully evaluating everything, I think it's time for us to get married. But we're worried that getting our marriage certificate without informing you would be disrespectful to you."We're also afraid you might feel resistant to it, so we wanted to ask for your opinion first. If you don’t want us to get married, then we won't."Willow was stunned. "You're asking for my opinion on something this important?"Lilia and Gabriel exchanged a glance."Yes, because you're important to us. We both want to have your support," Julian replied calmly.Willow's mind went blank. "This is a huge deal! Since you ask
