Tears sprang to Sarah's eyes. "Zachary! What are you doing?"He whispered against her ear, his voice icy, "Why didn't you tell me? Couldn't you even make one phone call? Did you want to leave me?"Sarah looked at him, helpless but determined. "No, I don't want to go."Zachary released her and walked to the bed.Sarah sighed with relief, moving to sit on the edge of the bed, her emotions in turmoil."Then why didn't you tell me?"Sarah turned away, whispering, "I was afraid I'd cry."Without seeing him, she could be strong and brave, fearless.But one look at him made her want to depend on him completely. She wasn't even sure she could follow her cousin's wishes anymore.Zachary held her tight, breathing in the fresh scent of her hair, unsure whether to smile or maintain his stern expression.Finally, his cold facade cracked. Seeing her lips still red from his earlier kiss, he leaned in again.Sarah wrapped her arms around his neck, heat rising from her throat to her face unt
He needed to take that step, to show Melvin he could protect Sarah."Could you take Mia with you?" Zachary asked seriously. "Her condition is more stable when you're around."Sarah nodded. She'd wanted to bring Mia anyway but wasn't sure if Zachary would agree."Okay. Melvin says we're leaving tomorrow morning. Bring Mia early, I don't think he'll refuse." Though Sarah wasn't entirely confident.Zachary kissed her nose. "I haven't kept my promise yet. I said I'd talk to Melvin, but now you're leaving before I could."Sarah cupped his face in her hands, smiling. "Maybe he's rushing because he knows you won't give up.""Sarah, trust me. I'll convince Melvin." He wouldn't surrender."I know."Zachary gazed into her eyes with burning intensity. "Sasa…” He stopped himself, swallowing his words.Before Sarah could ask, his lips found hers.He held her tight, as if trying to merge her into himself. There was a metallic taste between their lips.Sarah lost herself in this ocean of
This time she used subconscious therapy again, but without including herself in Mia's mental landscape.Melvin had offered his office for Mia's therapy sessions. Sarah dimmed the lights.With Mia settled on the couch, just like at the university, they began."Mia, close your eyes. Imagine you're in a vast desert, surrounded by endless sand. In the distance, a tornado rushes toward you.""You feel gentle breezes, warm sunlight on your skin. You're comfortable, just growing tired, so tired you sink into the soft sand..."Mia's closed eyes relaxed, her furrowed brow smoothing.Sarah continued softly, "Deep in the desert, you see a camel. It runs toward you. Is it seeking help or trying to attack?""Attack. It wants to attack me.""Good. But you dodge it. Then hunters capture you. You scream for help. Someone comes. Who is it?"Mia's hands clenched. "Sarah.""No, not Sarah. Someone else. Who?" Sarah pressed.Mia's arms trembled with tension, but she insisted, "It's Sarah."Sara
At the Chancer house.Charlotte emerged from her shower, now truly Mrs. Chancer.After her quick shower, she spritzed on cool perfume and hurried to choose an outfit from her closet.Since the incident, despite becoming Mrs. Chancer, some still mocked her - especially about being arrested at the press conference. It still stung.But none of that mattered now.James was her priority. She needed to win him over completely, bind him to her forever.She'd bought something special while shopping today, planning a "surprise" for James tonight. She'd waited for him to finish work, but grew impatient.Her heart pounding, Charlotte pulled out the garment, studying it for a long moment before falling silent.She gripped the barely-there, sheer nightgown tighter.She'd never done anything like this, but she had to try - for James's heart.Taking a deep breath, Charlotte steeled herself and put it on.She hurried to his study, carefully turning the handle."James." She dimmed the light
James looked at her apologetically. He didn't understand how he'd lost himself in that final moment and called out... Sarah's name."I'm sorry." At this point, that's all he could say.Charlotte sobbed uncontrollably, her tear-filled eyes fixed on him. "James, why? How could you do this to me? Why did you call her name in bed? Do you regret marrying me? Regret divorcing her?""No, I've never regretted marrying you." James tried to hold Charlotte, but she shoved him away."If you don't regret marrying me, why did you call her name? Are you in love with her?" Charlotte's eyes blazed.James shook his head desperately, "Charlotte, I don't know what came over me. I wasn't thinking. I never meant to hurt you."Even he didn't understand his thoughts. When he heard Charlotte's whispers, he'd remembered Sarah's hatred toward him.Whether at Sarah's door or at the press conference after their divorce, he'd had many chances to see her, but her eyes remained cold and distant. It had been so
"I'm fine," Sarah forced a smile.Despite her best efforts, Mia's therapy showed no progress. Mia's connection to her seemed too deeply rooted. She couldn't figure out how to alter Mia's subconscious in the short term, and she'd discussed this with Scott.During their sessions, she'd found Mia easy to hypnotize, suggesting a generally malleable mind. Yet on this one issue, Mia showed incredible resistance, stubbornly pulling Sarah into that memory.After sending Mia to rest, Sarah sat alone on the couch, lost in thought for nearly two hours until Melvin returned.He was startled to see her. Holding up a wine bottle, he asked, "Care for a drink?""Sure."They hadn't sat together like this since her father's death when Melvin took over the company. After her marriage to James, they'd barely seen each other.Melvin had assumed Sarah was either acting out or avoiding painful memories, so he'd kept his distance. That is, until he saw her situation in the news.Sarah fetched two wine
Sarah pondered Melvin's words. What did he mean by "second time"? Was the first time marrying James?But she remembered her cousin hadn't strongly objected to that marriage initially. He only tried getting to know James after seeing her determination.So who was he really talking about?Melvin had taken the wine bottle, leaving just a little in her glass. She lifted it and downed it like he had.Back in her room, slightly tipsy, she checked her phone. Opening her chat with Zachary, she saw how brief their conversations had become over just three days - a few lines, with today's messages still unanswered."Are you there?""At work.""Miss me?"Every message spoke of longing, but met silence. She wondered if she'd somehow offended him.Sarah felt like she was reliving the past. These unanswered messages reminded her of her marriage - was history repeating itself?She'd only seen Zachary on the news these past days.Watching him looking tired on the financial news channel, she un
She was certain they were being followed.Her palms were sweaty with nerves. Mia finally noticed something was wrong. "Sarah, what is it?""Nothing," Sarah said softly. She couldn't let Mia be in danger - Zachary had entrusted Mia to her care.As they walked, she tried calling Zachary repeatedly, but only got busy signals. What was he doing?At the airport arrival hall, Zachary frowned as he declined the call. He wanted to answer, but he'd spotted her coming out.She wheeled her suitcase, fully disguised in sunglasses and mask. When she was about ten yards away, she took a call. After listening briefly, she smiled with satisfaction. "Continue."She hung up casually, handed her luggage to Zachary, and removed her sunglasses, revealing expressive eyes."Zachary, I knew you'd come for me." She moved to embrace him, but he stepped back.Pretending not to notice, she straightened up. "Still so cold? Aren't you happy to see me?"Zachary finally softened slightly. "It's not that. I'm
Seeing him helped Sarah gradually calm down. She looked around, trying to figure out where she was, but quickly remembered the photo in the study, accompanied by another headache."Zachary, what's the story with that photo in your study?" Sarah rubbed her head while staring intently at the man whose face briefly showed panic. She wouldn't give him any chance to back away."What are you talking about? What photo?" Zachary reached for a teacup. "Are you thirsty? You just woke up—have some water to soothe your throat."Sarah frowned, looking straight at Zachary. "I'm not thirsty. Don't change the subject! What's the deal with that photo?"Right—the photo.Just then, Mia timidly approached, wringing her hands nervously."Mia, how are you feeling?" Sarah asked with concern, shifting her attention.Mia said guiltily, "Sarah, I'm so sorry. It was my fault. I shouldn't have tricked you."When Sarah showed concern for her despite just waking up, Mia's guilt peaked. She hadn't expected Sa
She stared hard at this single photo, trying to uncover something more, but the longer she looked, the more her head ached. The pain felt like something tearing apart inside her, making her want to punch the wall.Meanwhile, in Mia's room, Zachary held both of Mia's hands while his eyes anxiously watched the door. Half an hour had passed—why hadn't Sarah returned?Mia continued struggling, her eyes also darting toward the door, quickly lowering her gaze to hide her concern from him.Zachary took a deep breath, released his grip, and said flatly, “Cut the act.”Mia fell silent immediately. She wasn't sure how her brother had figured it out, but she could only close her mouth sheepishly. "Zach, I—""Say no more. I'm going to check on her." Zachary couldn't wait another moment. He stood up and left.Mia followed right behind him. "I'm coming with you."When Zachary pushed open the study door, he saw Sarah collapsed on the floor. He instantly panicked and ran to her. "Sasa! Sasa, are
Zachary couldn't quite identify what he was feeling. He calmly signaled the housekeeper to fetch the reports.Sarah carefully opened the door and peeked at Mia hiding in the corner. She also took in the mess on the floor.It seemed Mia was experiencing severe emotional swings. Sarah couldn't use an aggressive treatment approach.Mia spotted Sarah.She blinked, then suddenly burst into tears and started reaching for more breakable items in the room.Sarah rushed in without concern for her own safety. First, she called out firmly, "Mia, stop!"Zachary followed her inside, instinctively positioning himself to Sarah's right, ready to protect her if anything unexpected happened.Seeing this, Mia secretly smiled to herself, more determined than ever to play matchmaker.In her excitement, she set her sights on a waist-high vase.Sarah's attention was completely focused on her. Following Mia's gaze, her heart skipped a beat. She immediately spoke to her with gentle authority, "Mia, no.
Zachary was unhappy with her tone, as if his sister had some incurable disease.Due to his good upbringing and manners, Zachary didn't lose his temper. He simply asked the housekeeper to see the doctor out, his face showing clear displeasure.This was already the fourth psychologist today. All of them were professor-level professionals for whom writing books was a minor achievement.The nanny specifically assigned to care for Mia also had tears in her eyes as she stared at the closed door with endless worry. "Mr. Reynolds, Mia hasn't eaten a single bite since this morning. We can't go on like this."Zachary irritably pinched the bridge of his nose and coldly ordered, "Aren't there still some candidates on our list? Send people to bring all of them here."The nanny bit her lip and gathered her courage to suggest, "Mr. Reynolds, I don't think bringing more experts will help. Why not ask Miss Sanders to try?"Zachary turned to look at her, his expressionless face making the nanny los
Mrs. Chancer anxiously watched Charlotte lying unconscious on the bed, barely hearing anything the hospital director was saying.James had regained his composure after learning that Charlotte was currently stable. He politely responded to the director, "Thank you. Please don't let us keep you from your duties."After speaking, he glanced at the housekeeper.The housekeeper instinctively stepped forward and extended his right hand courteously. "Director, please, let me escort you back."Mrs. Chancer sat on the stool that James had pulled over, staring at Charlotte's pale face with lingering fear, unable to look away for a long time.It wasn't that she truly cared for Charlotte; she was simply afraid of losing her chance to hold her first grandchild.James placed his hand on her shoulder and gently urged, "Mom, you've had a shock. Charlotte is fine now. Why don't you go home and rest?"Mrs. Chancer was still somewhat angry with him. "I'm not leaving. What if you leave the moment I'
She bit her lip hard, regaining some clarity, then shouted toward the stairway, "Help! Someone come quickly! Save my baby!"Before she lost consciousness, several panicked figures appeared in her vision, rushing toward her.The ambulance arrived quickly. Everyone carefully lifted Charlotte inside, where doctors and nurses immediately began emergency procedures.The housekeeper went along in the ambulance to the hospital.On the way, he called both James and Mrs. Chancer, briefly explaining what had happened and giving them the hospital's location.After receiving the call, James put aside his work and rushed to the hospital as quickly as possible.Even though he disliked Charlotte, the child in her womb was his undeniable responsibility.Mrs. Chancer reacted as if the world was ending. As soon as she arrived at the hospital, she frantically found a doctor and grabbed his hand, refusing to let go. "Where is my daughter-in-law? Where is she? Is the baby okay?"The doctor she corne
Perhaps due to her extreme emotional state, Charlotte quickly fell asleep.She had a dream.In her dream, she had just gotten off a plane and spotted James in the distance, elegantly leaning against his car waiting for her. In that moment, his eyes were fixed only on her.Charlotte ran toward him happily, wanting to throw herself into his arms and hold him tight.However, halfway there, she saw another woman appear from the side who ran straight into James's welcoming embrace.She could clearly see that James's eyes were filled with affection, without sparing even a glance in her direction."No, this can't be real. Who is she?" Charlotte shook her head in disbelief as she walked closer step by step. When she saw the woman's face, she instantly fell apart."Sarah Sanders, why is it you again? Why do you keep haunting me? James is mine. Don't you dare try to take him away." Charlotte lunged forward like a madwoman, trying to separate them.A mist enveloped the couple, and the scen
The guard at the door was easy to convince. She made up a simple excuse about having a stomachache or needing to see a doctor.The police still sent someone to follow her to the building entrance. When they arrived, the officer blocked her path. "Ms. Garnett, please go back. Without approval, you can't see anyone except your doctor.""Not even my husband? My stomach hurts terribly. I need to see my husband to feel at ease," she pleaded.But the officer wouldn't budge. "Ms. Garnett, please return!"Just then, the officer received a phone call. After listening for a few moments, the officer stepped aside.Charlotte walked in confidently, wearing sunglasses with her head held high.The receptionist greeted her politely, "Miss, who are you here to see? Do you have an appointment?"Charlotte removed her sunglasses, frowning slightly with an annoyed tone, "I'm here to see your CEO, James Chancer. Do I really need an appointment?"The receptionist was new and didn't recognize Charlotte
As Mrs. Sanders kept talking, not only did Sarah stay silent — she actually started laughing.Mrs. Sanders frowned. “What are you laughing at?”Sarah’s gaze turned cold. Her voice was calm but sharp. “Shouldn’t matters between us younger people be handled by us directly? Wouldn’t it sound bad if word got out that you’re getting involved like this?”She paused for a second, then added with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Besides, no matter what, I’m still the biggest shareholder in Sanders Group. Firing an employee is well within my rights, don’t you think?”Right now, Sarah was actually glad Mrs. Sanders had finally dropped the act and shown her true colors. At least it saved Sarah the trouble of pretending to be polite.Mrs. Sanders still wore the kind, gentle smile of an elder, but her voice turned colder underneath. “So what, you’re using your position to pressure me now?”Sarah laughed softly. “You’re joking. How would I dare?”Without bothering to continue the