Whether Evelyn said it or not, it wouldn’t change Haley’s decision.“You’ve suffered enough. But now that I’m here, no one will ever hurt you again. That includes Emma. And if anyone tries to protect her or stand in our way, it won’t change a thing.” Her last words were aimed directly at Zac—a clear warning. Even if Justin wanted to protect Emma, it wouldn’t matter. If it came down to it, their families could go head-to-head. Helen elbowed Zac and shot him a glare. “If you dare to side with Justin and defend Emma, then you can leave with them!”Zac immediately caught the underlying message from his mother-in-law and wasted no time swearing his loyalty. “I’m on your side. No question about it.” *At the hospital’s underground garage, Justin and William got into one car, while two bodyguards forced Emma into another.“Mmmph! Mmmph!” Even now, Emma refused to stay quiet. The cars drove straight to a property Justin had once bought for her. When they arrived,
Emma knew Justin’s personality well. She could not admit that she had fallen on her own. If she did, Justin would make her pay for it. The miscarriage, her sudden disappearance on an overseas trip—all of it had been built on his guilt. She could not let him know that everything had happened by her own design. And then there was the debt he owed her—the time she had saved his life in Merika State. That was her shield. As long as that debt remained, Justin would always give her leeway. Even if he did not want to, he would still spare her life. She had no idea which woman had actually saved him that day, but she owed that mystery woman a thank-you. Because of her, Emma had been handed the perfect excuse. Justin’s dark eyes were terrifyingly calm, a storm raging beneath their surface. His grip on her chin shifted, his fingers now wrapping around her throat. “Did you have anything to do with my mother’s death? Was it you?!” His furious roar sent a c
Upstairs, the agonized screams echoed through the halls, but down in the underground parking garage, Justin heard nothing. He unlocked the car and got in. With William still upstairs handling things, Justin settled into the back seat, pulled out his phone, and dialed Zac. During those few short minutes descending from the upper floors, his mind had been racing. His mother, Heidi. Haley’s car accident. And then, his thoughts drifted further back—five years ago—when Haley had still been Emily. That incident at the hospital. The fight with Emma. A single fall had supposedly caused Emma’s miscarriage. But what about Haley? Back then, she had been pregnant when she was caught in an earthquake. What had she gone through? Haley had always avoided answering his question. What exactly had she gone through, all alone in Ramsdale? Every time Justin tried to think about it, a sharp pain throbbed in his head, as if his own mind were forcing him not to di
Zac didn’t say anything, but Justin understood exactly what he meant. The call ended. Just as he put his phone away, William approached from across the underground parking garage, carrying a black plastic bag in his hand. “Mr. Yates, what do you want us to do with this hand?” “Get rid of it,” Justin replied, tilting his head back against the seat, his voice cold and emotionless. There was no trace of sentimentality for its former owner. “Understood,” William responded without hesitation. He handed the bag to two bodyguards and instructed them to dispose of it properly. Then, without a hint of blood on him, he got back in the car and drove Justin back to the hospital. Evelyn, Helen, and Zac had already left the hospital, leaving only Haley in the room. Instead of heading straight to her, Justin first stopped by Zac’s private lounge to take a shower. He scrubbed himself thoroughly, changed into fresh clothes, and made sure there was no trace of any lingering sc
The cool mist of the medicine sprayed onto Haley’s ankle, making her instinctively pull back. Justin tightened his grip, refusing to let go until he was satisfied that he had applied enough. Only then did he release her foot. “If you’re injured, stop moving around so much.” “Justin Yates, could you please figure out your place here? I don’t need you to apply the medicine, and you definitely shouldn’t be sleeping in my bed!” “Got it. There won’t be a next time.” He casually promised there wouldn’t be a next time, making Haley huff in frustration. Arguing with someone who stayed so calm only made her feel like the unreasonable one. It was like throwing a punch, only to have it land on nothing but air.Annoyed, she shot Justin a sharp glare before hopping off the bed and limping toward the bathroom. Seeing her struggle, Justin instinctively stepped forward to help, but Haley swatted his hand away. She didn’t need his help. Neither of them brought up yesterda
Justin lifted his glass and offered a toast to the chairman. “A toast—no wine, just a drink—to celebrate your wonderful family.”His words were warm, but there was a faint bitterness in his eyes. He had once been so close to having that kind of happiness—just one step away. If things had been different, he too would have a wife by his side, a home filled with laughter, and children to go home to.The chairman smiled, lifting his own glass as they clinked them together. After that, they shifted back to business, finalizing contract details and discussing future development plans. By the time lunch was wrapping up, the chairman’s phone rang—it was his wife. Since there were no outsiders in the room, he answered directly. “Hey, honey.” “Are you done with the contract talks? And don’t drink at lunch—you have fatty liver. The doctor said you should avoid alcohol as much as possible. If there’s a social event, let your team handle it instead.“If you really can’t a
Outside the restaurant, Justin dismissed his subordinates, sending them back to work. He remained by the roadside, pulling out his phone to call Haley.She hadn’t responded to his messages. Fine.If she wouldn’t text back, then he would just call her instead.He dialed twice, but both times, the call rang unanswered.Frowning, he got into the car, his persistence kicking in. He kept calling again and again, stubbornly waiting for her to tell him to come home. It became a battle with himself, a childish need to hear her say it. Finally, after multiple attempts, on what he swore would be his last try, the call was answered. “Hello?” Haley’s indifferent tone came through the receiver. Justin’s voice was full of grievance. “Did you even see my messages?” He had seen firsthand how glued she was to her phone when he was with her. No way she hadn’t seen them. “Yeah, I saw them.” Haley responded matter-of-factly. Justin pressed on, “Then why didn’t you call me? Why
Justin turned and headed downstairs, making his way toward the garden in search of Haley. It didn’t take long before he spotted her under the grapevine trellis, walking with a noticeable limp. And right beside her was Sean. The two were deep in conversation, laughing and smiling. Though he couldn’t quite make out what Sean was saying, whatever it was had Haley grinning even wider, her laughter carrying across the warm summer air and reaching his ears. Despite the scorching heat, Justin’s gaze remained ice-cold. He stood there, exuding an unsettling chill, like a walking refrigerator in the middle of summer. His steps were firm as he moved forward, fully intent on interrupting their little moment. But before he could close the distance, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Haley was starting to feel drained. The sun was relentless, and even in the shade, the air felt thick and warm. “I think I’ve walked enough. My stomach doesn’t feel so full anymore. Let’s head
Haley shook her head quickly, flustered. “No… I mean—no.” Then she realized how that sounded and corrected herself. “Actually, yes. I’m just hot.”Helen blinked in confusion. “Hot? The classroom has air conditioning. Was the sunlight from the window hitting her seat?” Helen wondered.Without missing a beat, she rushed over and tugged the curtains tighter, making sure her bestie didn’t get “sunburned.” She still needed Haley to hold onto that top spot. Otherwise, she would lose her excuse at home for going out to “study” with Zac.The pressure and tension of senior year finally came to a close. On the day of the college entrance exam, when everyone stepped out of the test hall for the last time, their faces lit up with genuine smiles—relaxed, free, and full of relief.Haley tossed aside her textbooks. Her summer break was filled with makeup shopping trips with Helen or third-wheeling her and Zac on their study-dates-turned-real-dates.That routine came to an end the d
Haley’s eyes shifted as she thought quickly. “But… I don’t really like guys who rank higher than me on exams.”She gave a light shrug and continued, “I mean, I think we should be focusing on school right now. Relationships can wait until after we get into college, right? What if we don’t even end up at the same school? Long-distance never works, and after a while, we’d probably drift apart. Don’t you think?”Was that a gentle rejection? It seemed like it. Haley wondered if she had been too blunt. Had she left him any dignity at all?They still had a whole year of high school left together. She didn’t want things to get awkward between them. A harsh rejection would only make everything more uncomfortable.Justin furrowed his brows, thinking for a long moment before giving a single reply. “Okay.”Then he slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked off.Haley stood there, completely confused.“Okay? What did he mean by that?“Did he understand what I was trying to say?
Emma and her little clique of schoolyard mean girls had Justin completely surrounded.“I’ll ask you one more time,” she said, smug and unbothered. “Will you be my boyfriend or not?”“No,” Justin replied coldly, his face unreadable.“Hey!” one of Emma’s loyal followers stepped forward, cracking her knuckles and getting way too close. “Do you even know who our Emma is? She’s the heiress of the Xander Corporation. She’s giving you a chance, and you should be grateful. You better say yes.”“What, you want us to beat you up before you agree?” another girl sneered.Justin didn’t flinch. His icy stare locked onto the girl who spoke, completely unbothered by the threat.Emma waved a hand to hold her crew back, pretending to be generous. Then she turned to Justin again, cocky and bold.“I like you way too much to have anyone rough you up,” she said sweetly. “But I heard you’re trying to get into Altiplano University in the capital. Here’s the deal—if you go out with me, I’ll have my dad
As soon as Justin sat down and pulled out the textbook for the next class, a hand suddenly reached out from beside him.“Hey, I’m Zac White,” Zac said.Justin glanced up with a cold look, then went right back to pulling out his notebook and pen—completely ignoring the extended hand.Zac awkwardly pulled his hand back, speechless.“Man… this guy’s seriously cold. What a show-off,” he thought to himself.The class flew by. When the bell rang, signaling the end of the period, Haley and Helen linked arms and headed off toward the bathroom. Zac immediately trailed after them.“Where are you two going? Take me with you.”“You planning on going into the girls’ bathroom, you perv?” Helen smacked his hand away, not wanting their classmates—or worse, their teacher—to get any ideas about the two of them dating.Zac scratched his nose. “Fine, I won’t go in the girls’ room… but I can go to the guys’ one, can’t I?”“Hmph!” Helen huffed, scrunching her nose playfully.Zac clutched his chest
At a top-ranked high school in Lincourt City, the bell rang.Students still lingering in the hallways or restrooms were urged to hurry back to class.Outside, the summer heat simmered, accompanied by the steady buzz of cicadas. Inside, the air-conditioned classrooms offered a much more comfortable escape.In Class 2–1 of the junior year, students hurried back to their seats. Just as the final chime faded, the homeroom teacher walked in, holding a stack of freshly graded exam papers.“For this round of mock exams,” she announced, loud and clear, “the top score in the entire grade once again goes to our very own Haley!”A wave of murmurs and applause followed. “Let’s all work hard and try to catch up to her next time!”She began handing out the papers in order, from the highest score to the lowest.After Haley got her paper, the next few went to her seatmate, Helen, and the student sitting behind them—Zac.“Work hard and catch up?” Helen muttered as she slid back into her seat, s
But what did it matter, even if she still loved him? The pain he caused her in the past was still there, lingering beneath the surface.They had loved, they had hurt, they had been entangled for years. But not every love story had to end with forgiveness and reconciliation.Haley couldn’t pretend the past hadn’t happened. She couldn’t smile and pick up where they left off, as if nothing had ever gone wrong.She would always remember that street in Merika State, when Justin turned away, picked Emma up in his arms, and left her standing there alone.Even if he had mistaken someone else for her, the pain he caused and the love he failed to give were real.And that wasn’t something she could ever forget.She could make peace with the past, but she could never erase it.Her heart ached, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she turned and walked away.*Years later, Haley passed away peacefully in her bedroom at the estate.That same day, Justin had gone out to the grocer
It was just a shame that life rarely worked out the way people wanted it to.*Ten years passed in the blink of an eye.Chase and Alex had grown taller and older. Haley’s once-small jewelry brand had not only found its place in the industry—it had grown into a globally recognized luxury label, known for bespoke, high-end pieces.As for Justin, he split his time between Haven State and Merika State. Whenever he wasn’t busy, he would shamelessly camp out at the estate, claiming he was just there to “see the kids.”Eventually, no one even bothered to call him out on it anymore.One day, Haley had a business meeting with a potential partner—a widowed single father. Somehow, Justin caught wind of a rumor that the man had feelings for Haley and was actively pursuing her. Word had it that she was interested too, and they were currently having dinner together at a restaurant.The second Justin heard that, he canceled a company meeting, boarded his private jet, and flew straight to Mer
As soon as Haley stepped into the room, Justin followed right behind her.It was the first time he had ever set foot in Haley’s room—the space where she lived in Merika State.“Get out!” she snapped.“Haley, I just wanted to see you. Please don’t make me leave, okay?”His eyes scanned the room. The walls, the shelves—everything was filled with Haley’s photos. There was even a custom-built glass display case, clearly made with love, housing her pictures from childhood to adulthood. It was something Evelyn had put together just for her, and it overflowed with affection.There were portraits of her alone, family pictures, and right at the top—photos of Chase and Alex.Justin looked at each one carefully, as if he were trying to piece together a life he hadn’t been part of, but desperately wished he had been.Then his gaze landed on a particular photo: Haley in her teens, wearing a soft pink-and-white hoodie with little bunny ears on the hood. Her pale skin, big round eyes, and brig
“Haley…” Justin’s voice was weak. There was so much he wanted to say, but he didn’t even know where to start.“I heard you’re sick?” Haley said.“I… I’m fine. I’m not really sick, I just—”“Take care of yourself. Heart problems aren’t like other illnesses. Just look forward. Let go of the past. Meet someone new. Live your life.”Justin fell silent. His head dropped, and the phone pressed against his ear was clenched so tightly in his hand that his knuckles turned white. He wrestled with the words for a long moment before finally managing to force out.“Okay.”But he knew. He wouldn’t meet someone new. Without Haley, what kind of life could he possibly call “living”?The call ended. Life went back to its quiet rhythm. Justin no longer clung to Haley or tried to find her. After one more day in the hospital, he threw himself back into work and took over the reins of RC Corporation.They had truly managed to part on peaceful terms.After returning to Merika State, Haley d