As soon as Anne hung up the phone, she received a friend request on Instagram. She shook her head and chuckled before accepting."Miss, do you not believe me?"After sending that message, the person also sent a distressed emoji.Anne replied, "Strenuous activity is not recommended in early pregnancy."Lazy Cat: "Oh, right! Miss, you're a gynecologist. Harvey told me."Anne went to pour herself a glass of warm water. In the short time it took, the other person sent over a few prenatal checkup reports.Lazy Cat: "Miss, I wasn't lying. I'm really pregnant."Anne glanced at the reports and responded, "There's fluid accumulation in the uterine cavity, which could indicate uterine bleeding."Lazy Cat: "What does that mean?"Anne: "Possibility of miscarriage."Lazy Cat: "I got checked at a small clinic. The doctor said it's nothing to worry about."Anne: "Have you had any abdominal pain or bleeding recently?"Lazy Cat: "No bleeding, but I think my stomach has been hurting. I thoug
"When… When did you get back?" Sophia asked.Zachery found the lights too bright and harsh on his eyes, so he covered them with his hand. "Just now.""Why didn't you go to the bedroom?""Didn't want to wake you."Sophia smiled. "How could you? I've been waiting for you.""Is that so?"Sophia sensed something off about Zachery's mood, but she was in a hurry, so she chose to ignore it."Um, are you hungry?""A little," Zachery answered."I'll make you something—how about some instant noodles?""Sure."Sophia froze for a moment, seemingly surprised that he actually wanted her to cook for him. She looked slightly displeased, but after a brief pause, she still went downstairs.Before long, she returned with a bowl of noodles—not cooked, but simply soaked in hot water."Here. Eat it while it's hot." She shoved a fork into Zachery's hand.Zachery stirred the noodles, which were still clumped together. Under her urging, he took a bite—still hard and completely flavorless. She had
Anne looked at Lazy Cat's messages and found them childish.Anne: "How old are you?"Lazy Cat: "20 years old. Young, right? Definitely younger than you, miss."Anne: "You're still in college, right?"Lazy Cat: "Sophomore year."Anne: "As someone older than you, here's some advice. Don't give up your education or future for a man. More often than not, he won't be worth it."Lazy Cat: "Wow, so preachy!"Anne: "It'd be wise to actually listen to what adults say and think it over carefully."Lazy Cat: "Do you think you're so great? That you never make mistakes?"Anne: "I don't think I'm great, nor do I think I won't make mistakes again. But no matter what mistakes I make, I can handle the consequences."Lazy Cat: "Since you can handle it, why don't you come to Ravenshade Hospital tomorrow and see for yourself how your husband is accompanying his little lover for a prenatal checkup? Tsk tsk! Harvey is really so gentle."Anne didn't bother responding and simply replied to Harvey,
After saying that, Sophia pulled her suitcase angrily and walked out.As she stepped past the courtyard gate, she glanced in their direction and saw Anne and her friends watching. She shot them a glare before finally leaving.Zachery didn't chase after her. Instead, he kicked the step in frustration, and then looked over at them.Jenny raised her beer. "Mr. Judd, do you want to join us for a drink?"Zachery frowned, ignored her, and turned to go back inside."Wow, their drama just keeps getting better!" Jenny clicked her tongue. "Someone should write a script for them. If they filmed it, it'd definitely be a hit."Mindy shook her head. "They'd only be fit to play the toxic supporting couple."Jenny wrapped an arm around Mindy. "You're absolutely right."Mindy clinked her beer bottle against hers. "Oh, yeah, that new show you wanted to audition for—who's the male lead?""Felix Jones.""No way! He's my favorite!""If I get the part and join the cast, I'll get his autograph for
Kathy quickly wiped down the table and chairs as she apologized. She was worried that the small place would not have much to suit their taste."Let's do 20 lamb skewers, 20 beef skewers, 20 pork belly, and grilled squid—uhm… not too much. Let's say ten skewers. Oh, and beef tongue, too. That thing's amazing! Give me 20 of those. Also, give us a plate of fresh oysters, and…"Leonard started rattling off the order right away. Seeing that he was going to order even more food, Amelie quickly gave him a slap on the arm. "That's enough.""It's only a few skewers! I want a roasted turkey leg, too! Yeah, gotta have that.""Leonard, seriously, that's enough," Anne said with a smile.Seeing Anne speak up, Leonard finally handed over the menu. "Alright. I'm done. You guys order what you want."Anne's lips twitched when she realized Leonard ordered all that food for himself.Amelie shot him a glare and turned to Kathy. "Sorry to trouble you, but could you add some veggies, too?"Kathy no
Anne hesitated for a moment, then took out her phone and snapped a photo.She didn't think there was any misunderstanding that couldn't be resolved. As long as everyone sat down and talked about it openly, anything could be worked out eventually.When she got back downstairs, Leonard was already digging in. He looked genuinely happy, holding a skewer in one hand and a piece of barbecue pork roast in the other. Anne couldn't help but pull out her phone and take a picture.Leonard noticed it and even encouraged her to take more."When I'm dieting later, I can look at these pictures and relive the good times."Anne laughed and snapped a few more photos of him. Just then, her phone buzzed.It was a message from Lazy Cat. "Miss, too bad you didn't make it today. Oh, by the way, my checkup went great! The baby has a heartbeat now.""Congrats," Anne replied."Miss, Harvey saw the baby today. He really liked it.""Oh, really?""He might actually agree to let me keep the baby!""Ho
Anne looked up at Zachery. Seeing how worked up and excited he was, she couldn't help but find it a little funny."Even if Harvey cheated, why are you so thrilled about it?"Zachery hurriedly said, "See? I wasn't lying! Harvey really did go to a hotel with another woman. If you go now, you can catch them red-handed.""Not interested."Anne walked toward the door, but Zachery quickly blocked her. "You don't want to see it for yourself?""Nope.""You… You've been deceived by Harvey! You should expose him and divorce him!""That's my business, not yours," Anne replied calmly.Zachery's emotions were still running high, but Anne was so composed that he didn't know where to vent all his frustrations."How can you tolerate him betraying you? Didn't you break up with me for less? Why can't you divorce him? Anne, wake up! A man like that doesn't deserve your love. You should…. You should…""Should what?" Anne raised an eyebrow. "Go back to you?"Zachery pressed his lips together tig
Anne hesitated before finally answering, only to hear desperate sobbing on the other end."Miss, I got hit by a car! The driver just sped off, and my stomach hurts so bad. Please come save me!""You…" Anne was momentarily stunned. "Call the emergency line!""I'm scared… I don't dare call. It's so dark here, and I'm all alone."Anne took a deep breath. "Send me your location."An hour later, Anne arrived by cab in a narrow alley behind the intercity bus station. Lazy Cat was huddled in a corner, covering her mouth as she sobbed quietly.Seeing Anne, she burst out crying. "Miss, I think I'm going to lose the baby!"Anne told her to calm down first. She quickly checked for any bleeding and then asked a few questions before helping her to her feet. "Let's get you to the hospital first."At the hospital, they needed to register first, so Anne helped her fill out the paperwork."What's your name?"The young woman was still crying softly, clearly shaken by the ordeal.Anne comforte
Meeting anyone from that family would always give Anne an immediate headache. Even though Carol had asked her to wait, she still shut the gate to her yard, making her stance clear.Carol cleared her throat. "I know about you and my son."Anne frowned. "What about me and your son?""That you two have rekindled an old flame. Sophia told me.""You guys are crazy!"Just as Anne turned around to leave, Carol called out behind her, "Anne, you're married to Harvey now. You should let go of your feelings for Zachery. Even if you can't help yourself, you must control it! Zachery can be impulsive at times, but you can't afford to be."We're talking about Harvey here—if he finds out about you two, he won't let you off. The Judd family might be powerful, but even we can't afford to cross the Parker family. For the sake of both our families, you two need to keep your distance."Anne was baffled, completely at a loss of how she should react to this. They truly were one family—their logic was
Hearing that, Harvey still looked skeptical."I remember very clearly—you don't like cilantro. Every time we eat out, if the restaurant adds it, you always ask me to pick it out for you."Anne was stunned but managed to maintain a calm expression. "You must be confusing me with someone else."Harvey furrowed his brows and started thinking hard. "Could it be that it's Lilian who doesn't like cilantro? Like last time, I mixed it up—she likes taro cheesecake, and I thought it was you.""Well, Lilian and I do have pretty different tastes." Anne chuckled.She reached over, took a taco from his hands, and took a bite from the top where the cilantro was. "The seasoning is spot on. It's really good."Harvey shrugged. "I must've remembered it wrong.""Good thing it's Lilian. If it was another woman, I'd be mad," Anne teased with a playful huff.Harvey raised a brow. "You can doubt my memory, but don't ever doubt my loyalty. That's an insult to my character."Anne laughed. "That serious
When Harvey got the news, he showed up not long after.Anne threw herself into his arms, fighting back tears. "I want to go home."Harvey kissed her forehead gently. "I'll have them transferred to another hospital. They won't bother you again.""I just want to go home," she insisted."Anne…""Hubby, let's go home." She looked up at him with pleading eyes.Harvey gazed at her, both helpless and doting. "Alright. Let me talk to the doctor."While he went to speak with the doctor, Anne pulled herself together and went downstairs to check on Jenny. When she entered the room, she saw Jenny packing her things."Jenny, are you being discharged already?" she asked.Jenny stiffened slightly before turning around with an exaggerated smile. "I'm fine. There's no need to stay hospitalized. Besides, I can't stand the smell of disinfectants here.""Are you sure you're okay?" Anne asked, concerned."Of course! I have a new audition lined up.""Maybe you should rest a bit longer," Anne sug
"She ate the food I made! That was my first time cooking, and I made it especially for you!" Sophia shouted, pounding her chest. Her eyes were filled with grievance."How could you let her eat it? How could you trample on my feelings like this?"Zachery paced the hospital room, his frustration boiling over. "Fine! I admit it—I'm still in love with her! I regret marrying you!""Zachery, you bastard!""I'm a bastard? What about you? Sneaking around with Sean behind my back? You're worse than me!""I don't care! You can't treat me like this! You promised you'd only love me and be nice to me! You swore that even if there were other women around, none of them would matter to you, only me! I'm the only one you love!" Sophia sobbed uncontrollably."I… I just didn't know my true feelings back then. I didn't realize it until later, but by then, I had already married you. I've been miserable ever since. Yeah, maybe it's my punishment, but I never actually wronged you—you're the one who wro
What was the point? Things were over between them."Thanks, but please don't do things like this anymore. It makes me feel annoyed," Anne said in a calm but firm tone.Zachery's face darkened like storm clouds, clearly feeling unappreciated."How's your injury?"Anne let out a deep breath. "It's nothing serious. You don't need to concern yourself with it.""Isn't Harvey supposed to be so amazing? Yet you still got hurt. Hah! The truth is, he doesn't really care about you. If he had, he would've protected you better.""Zachery Judd!" Anne tried not to lose her temper, but he was pushing her buttons. "Who exactly are you to criticize my husband?"Zachery glared at her. "I care about you!""Go care about your own wife. Stop worrying about someone else's wife, alright?""Anne!" Zachery looked like he was punched in the gut. "How can you be so cold to me? You… You used to love me so much!"Anne was beyond exasperated. How much clearer could she be? And yet, Zachery acted like he d
Anne furrowed her brows and got up to check the door. By the time she stepped into the hallway, all she could see was the back of a man in hospital scrubs, hurrying away in a flustered manner.She pressed her lips together. Even with just a glimpse of his back, she could recognize the man.It was Zachery.Anne ended up sleeping until nightfall. When she woke up, she noticed light spilling from the bathroom and the sound of water running. Knowing Harvey was here, she stayed in bed quietly, waiting for him.After a while, he finally emerged.Seeing she was awake, he walked over with a smile and leaned down to kiss her."Your hair's still dripping!" Anne quickly dodged.Harvey pulled her into his arms and kissed her firmly before pulling out food containers from the thermal bag. "Eat first. I'll go dry my hair."There was some oatmeal, steamed veggies, and two dinner rolls. She only needed one bite to know it was his cooking."I didn't have much time today, so I whipped up someth
Julius nodded. "I've handed the bar over to Caesar for now. I'll be at the hospital with her these next few days.""She's really scared," Anne said softly."I know.""Jul, she…""I know."Julius couldn't hold it together anymore. He wiped away a tear, then turned and slammed his fist into the wall. "I hate how useless I am. If I'd been able to help her pay off that debt earlier, none of this would've happened."Anne patted him on the shoulder. He was just Jenny's ex-boyfriend. He wasn't obligated to do any of this."Don't think like that. This isn't your fault. But as her friend, she'll need us to help her through this dark time."When Anne returned to her hospital room, Liam and Lilian were already there."You didn't tell Harvey's parents, right?" Anne asked them."Nope. Uncle Harvey specifically told us not to," Liam replied.Hearing this, Anne breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to worry the elders or make them overthink things."Anne." Lilian walked over and hugg
At the hospital, the doctor treated Anne's wound.Harvey insisted on holding her the whole time, saying if it hurt, she should lean into his arms.Anne felt a little embarrassed. As a doctor herself, she'd always thought patients like this were a bit too dramatic. But now? Okay, fine—she kind of wanted to stay in his arms, too, so she could be pampered and comforted.Still, she gently pushed him away. This was Windbrook Hospital, and the doctor treating her was someone she knew. She couldn't embarrass herself like this in front of a colleague.Harvey stood sulking against the doorframe, watching her pitifully.Her injury turned out to be more serious than expected—she needed to be admitted.This time, she was placed in a VIP suite. Harvey wanted to book the entire floor, but she stopped him just in time."I have to handle a few things. I'll come back tonight to stay with you," Harvey said, then kissed the tip of her nose.After the chaos from last night, Anne could barely kee
Anne frantically backed away, heart pounding in terror. No one knew she was here, so no one would come to save her."God, please don't let this happen," she prayed in her mind.She could no longer stay calm as despair consumed her."No, please. I'm begging you…" Tears streamed down her face as she pleaded over and over.The bearded man started taking off his clothes, leering at her as if he was about to devour her.The cigarette guy nudged the other two men awake. "Come on. Don't miss the show.""What the hell? Why does he get to go first?""Relax. You're second.""Fine. I'll be third.""I'll go last, then. Happy now?"Anne realized she couldn't escape. Rather than be violated, she'd rather end it herself. Gritting her teeth, she flung herself toward the wall.With a sickening thud, her head hit hard, and warm blood instantly blurred her vision.The men shouted in surprise."Damn, this woman's got guts!""Hah, the boss said even if it's a corpse, we still need to get it o