There was no trace of worry in Aralyn's eyes anymore, only happiness.Zach forced a small smile and muttered, "Mom…"But Aralyn turned and went back inside. Reluctantly, Zach withdrew his gaze and then said to Noah, "Let's go back.""Alright."…In the living room, Willow held my hand and bounced forward with each step. Without looking back, she asked, "Mommy, can you sleep with me tonight?" I remembered what Pamela had told me and felt it might be a good opportunity to have a proper chat with Willow. Hence, I didn't refuse. "Alright."Julian slowed his steps, and his usually cold tone now carried a faint hint of jealousy. "What about me?" Willow stopped and turned her head in confusion. "Daddy, you want to sleep with us too?"Julian didn't answer. Willow was five years old, the perfect age to foster independent sleeping habits. If he suddenly said he wanted to sleep with her, he worried it might make her reliant on adults, expecting them to stay with her every night
I was stumped by her question and honestly didn't know how to respond."If I guessed correctly, Pamela was the one who told you, right?""Yes," I answered, not denying it."It's true," Willow said. Seeing that I already knew, she didn't plan to hide it."But ever since I started exercising, my physical fitness has really improved. I've slowly stopped caring about what those irrelevant people say about me. If they insult me, I insult them back exactly the same way. And if they fight me, well, they can't beat me."Willow's tone was full of pride. "I've already taken care of all these problems on my own, so I didn't feel the need to tell you. But I definitely didn't mean to hide it from you, Mommy."I hugged her tightly. "You're amazing, Willow! You already know how to handle these things at such a young age."Willow smiled bashfully."Do you mind that Pamela told me?" I asked.Willow shook her head. "Of course not. If the same thing happened to Pamela, I'd do the same because we
The phone rang the moment the door of the bedroom closed. Julian took a look at the screen, seeing that it was a call from Shayne. With a blank expression on his face, he picked up the call and said, "What do you want?" Shayne sounded nervous as he said, "Give the phone to Aralyn. I need to tell her something." Julian replied in an icy voice, "She's putting Willow to sleep now. I don't think she'll have time to reply to you." Laughing, Shayne asked, "Aren't you in love with Aralyn? How could you let her even lift a finger?" "I don't love Luna, but I still hired someone to take care of her." Shayne was elated at his displeasure. "It seems that your love for Aralyn doesn't run that deep." Julian knew that Shayne was mocking him for not treating Aralyn well. However, he paid him no mind as he merely said, "Don't you know that Aralyn loves children? She'll only work after Willow has been to school. Then, when school ends, she'll devote all her free time to stay with her." S
If Shayne had given her even a bit of money, Aralyn wouldn't have been so miserable. Julian continued, "When Aralyn is with us, she doesn't have to do a single thing with her child by her side. She gets 80 thousand dollars just for that."Yet, back then when she had to do everything for you, how much money did you give her every month?" Shayne became upset and frustrated. "Does this have anything to do with money?" "Of course, it does," Julian slowly said. "When she was in your home, she didn't ask for anything, not even money. In the end, she ended up with nothing to her name. "Aralyn is an adult who managed to gain experience after losing so much. I'm sure she understands that giving so much to someone is useless. So, I know that she wants her efforts to be reciprocated in the future." Then, Julian asked, "How many people do you think are willing to pay my price?" Shayne mulled it over before coming up with nothing. He felt even more disturbed. Julian confidently said,
Shayne went quiet. Julian persistently snapped. "If you were more generous and spent more money on her, she would've felt your love for her. She wouldn't have abandoned you. You wouldn't regret it as much as you do now, and you definitely wouldn't be so upset." Shayne grew even more uncomfortable. He wanted to tell Julian that he was wrong, but there was a small voice at the back of his mind telling him that the latter was telling the truth. Aralyn had been disappointed in him, but she had given him another chance for her child's sake. If he had treated her decently, she would've forced herself to stay together with him. She would do it just to give Zach a complete childhood. So, Shayne merely pursed his lips, unable to formulate a proper answer. Julian then slowly replied, "There's nothing else we can talk about other than work. Why don't you call back tomorrow morning? Or…" Shayne felt a small glint of hope. "Or what?" Julian calmly said, "Or you could just tell me
For some reason, Luna found it hard for herself to calm down. Although she had long stopped caring about Rowan for a long time and viewed him as her second choice, she knew that Rowan still loved her. He was willing to do so many things for her. However, Rowan had rejected her today, making her feel displeased. Luna only felt calm after soothing herself for a long time. She no longer wanted to contact Rowan, even more so to waste her time on him. Then, she sent a message to Julian that said, "Do you really love Aralyn that much?" Even if Rowan felt nothing for her, he still couldn't erase all traces of her in his heart for good. That was the most devastating part for him. Seeing the difference between Luna's attitude toward him and Julian, Rowan couldn't help but feel upset. He tapped on the keyboard a few times, typing the same message over and over again. His message was long, but he still deleted it in the end. Without waiting for Julian's reply, Luna continued to se
It didn't matter if the man already had a girlfriend. Even if the man told her that he wasn't interested in her, she would still do her best to make herself seem like a potential girlfriend. Rowan smiled bitterly. He would always be the one to make the first move in their relationship. Taking a deep breath, he sent her a message. "Do you know why I haven't tried dating anyone else?" Luna seemed reluctant to answer him. "Why?" Rowan gave her a serious reply. "I have so many women around me. They're all different. Some of them are smart, some are pure, and there are some who are pretty and elegant."His next message read, "However, among all of the women I've met, I never felt the urge to date them. That includes you."Luna looked at the message Julian sent her and felt a sharp twinge in her heart. What did Aralyn have that she didn't? Rowan continued to send messages. "Whenever I talk to Aralyn, I get the feeling that I want to spend the rest of my life with her. It's su
Charlotte was dumbstruck. Then, Zach added, "Now, you, Dad, and Luna are a family. Understood? "As for me, it's up to me to decide who I'll call family. It has nothing to do with you, and you have no right to interfere in my decision."As for what you said earlier…" Zach trailed off into silence before he resumed solemnly, "I think Granny is a very nice person. She has never asked me for money. In fact, she gives it to me."Granny is completely different from how you've described her. So, stop trying to drive us apart!"Charlotte couldn't believe what she was hearing. Maisy was flustered. "I knew it. It has always seemed strange to me how Zach never wanted to be close to me for no apparent reason. So, it was you who had been driving a wedge between us, you old hag!"Maisy stormed over and stopped in front of Charlotte. "If you so much as tell Zach more nonsense in the future, I will cut your tongue out!"Charlotte looked at Maisy and snapped, "Am I wrong? Have I not been tel
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
Did he have to tell Luna that he wouldn't separate from her and Mason in the future?No.Shayne had already decided he loved Aralyn. He couldn't waver anymore.Remaining silent for a long time, Shayne said, "You're right."Luna hadn't expected Shayne to respond like this. She was momentarily stunned and immediately sat up, staring at him in disbelief."So, should I still take him out tomorrow?" Shayne asked.Luna finally realized that all her previous tactics were useless against Shayne now. "Go ahead, or you'll disappoint him since you've already promised him."Shayne didn't refuse. "Alright."Luna helped Shayne find some clothes and then led him to the master bedroom. "Are you planning to sleep in the same room as me tonight, or…"Shayne shook his head. "I'll stay by myself. If Aralyn finds out, she'll definitely be upset."This was exactly what Luna wanted to hear; she didn't want to sleep with him either."Then, I'll sleep in the guest bedroom tonight. Get some rest."W
"You were by Mason's side, and you treated him well. He was happy."Luna lowered her eyes, her gaze incredibly gentle. "He thinks you're the best dad in the world."Shayne suddenly felt a bit guilty.He hadn't been a good husband and father."But I wasn't good to him," he replied softly.Luna felt it was time for Shayne to bond with Mason. "He doesn't think so. Why don't I call him over? You can ask him."Shayne thought that was a good idea. Kids understood other kids' feelings best. "Then I'll trouble you with that.""Alright." Luna got up and walked forward while holding her belly.Shayne sat where he was, feeling a bit anxious.Luna walked to Mason's bedroom door and knocked. "Mason, Dad's here!"Upon hearing that, Mason was thrilled and rushed out of his room. But when he saw Shayne not far away, his expression froze. Then, he turned to look at Luna.He had thought his biological dad was here.Luna patted Mason's back gently.Mason instantly understood what Luna meant
Thinking it was Yasmin again, Luna grew a bit annoyed. But she still forced a smile. "Why are you here again?"Shayne narrowed his eyes instinctively. "Again? Was someone else here just now?""Yasmin." Luna stepped aside to let Shayne in. Her belly was already quite large, and she had to support her waist while walking."She said she wants to pursue Julian and asked me for some advice."After saying that, she realized her tone toward Shayne had been a bit cold.Hence, she softened her voice and asked, "What are you doing here?""I want to ask you some questions about kids," Shayne answered."Kids? I know a lot about kids." Luna placed her hand on her belly, stroking it gently.As she spoke, she pulled Shayne's arm, making him sit beside her. "But before you ask me anything, come and listen first. Our baby should have a heartbeat by now."Shayne no longer felt love for Luna, but he couldn't deny that he still cared a lot about the baby.It was his baby, after all.He pressed
Maisy stared at Shayne.Shayne remained silent for a long time before saying, "No matter what, he's my son.""So, now you consider him your son? Too late! I'm warning you, the only reason you got to talk to him today is because I didn't notice you in time! If I catch you near Zach again, I won't let you off!" Maisy snapped.For Shayne, Zach was the only connection left between him and Aralyn.If he lost Zach too, then he would truly have nothing.Shayne looked straight at Maisy and said, "But do you have the right to interfere? You're his grandmother. I'm his father. It's already kind enough of me to let him live with you."Maisy almost laughed in anger. "Me? Interfering? First of all, you were the one who gave up custody of Zach. You were also the one who refused to give him a single cent! And now you're telling me this? Do I look like a pushover?"She had managed to carve out her own path after her divorce, despite Donald trying to blacklist her from the industry.That alone
Shayne followed behind Zach into the bedroom, only to discover that the entire room was covered with photos of Aralyn.Every wall was plastered with them.He stood there, stunned.On the desk, a small robot said in Aralyn's uniquely gentle voice, "You're home, sweetheart."Shayne looked over in disbelief.Zach sat in front of the robot, looking at it with a smile. "Yes, Mom, I'm home.""Welcome home," said the robot softly."But there's an unwelcome guest in the house," Zach said.The little robot immediately suggested, "Why don't we call someone else over to kick him out?"Zach looked at Shayne.His longing for Aralyn had only gotten better because of the robot and the countless photos surrounding him.But when he noticed Shayne was also staring at the robot, his expression darkened. "Did you hear that? You're not welcome here. Please leave."Shayne stood there, dazed. "Can I ask who gave you this robot?""No, you can't," Zach replied sternly.Shayne averted his gaze and
Yasmin narrowed her eyes.So, Luna had indeed pursued Julian.Yasmin found it oddly amusing.Since Luna was also interested in Julian, would she really help Yasmin sincerely?Yasmin wasn't sure, but she decided to put it aside for now.Either way, she would just stay vigilant.…Zach returned home, only to see Shayne standing at the door. He merely glanced at Shayne before looking away and pushing the door open to enter the house.Shayne followed behind him.As soon as Zach stepped inside, he intended to close the door.But Shayne stuck his hand in the doorway. "Can we talk?""About what? Last time we met, you hit me. What about this time?" Zach asked coldly.He didn't believe for a second that Shayne had come for anything good.After all, Shayne was an idiot who always believed whatever people told him.There was a high chance that this time, Shayne had been manipulated again and had come looking for trouble."I'm here to talk about your mother," Shayne muttered.At hi