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
At their young age, Chase and Alex didn’t really know much about leftovers. All they knew was that they couldn’t show up empty-handed when visiting their mom. With their lunchboxes carefully packed, the two little boys tiptoed upstairs to their room. They pulled out their pre-packed backpacks and stuffed the food inside. Of course, they didn’t forget to slip in a couple of their favorite snacks. This was the highest form of etiquette they could think of. Mom and Grandma always said that eating well helped build strength and recover faster when sick. Opening the back window of their bedroom, they each secured a safety rope around their waists, fastening the other end to the bed frame. The ropes were custom-designed by their family’s company, tested to support hundreds of kilograms. Evelyn, had used the same kind of gear during her missions. If it could hold an adult’s weight under extreme conditions, carrying two little boys was nothing. Carefully, they gripped t
Justin walked up to the elevator and pressed the button for the upper floors, waiting as the numbers on the display steadily climbed.The elevator ascended floor by floor, the digits flickering until it reached the VIP inpatient ward.With a soft ding, the doors slid open.Inside, a small figure stood patiently, a backpack neatly strapped to his back.As soon as the doors parted, Alex stepped out first.Justin was about to step in when—Wait.Alex looked up. Then up again.His tiny hands rubbed his eyes as if making sure he wasn’t seeing things.“Uncle Justin!”His face lit up with excitement as he threw his arms wide and practically launched himself into Justin’s embrace. “Uncle Justin, what are you doing here?” Justin had already crouched down the second the doors opened, instinctively ready to catch him. “Alex?”Alex wrapped his arms around Justin’s neck, nuzzling against him like a kitten. “I missed you so much!”For Alex, coming to see his mom and running into
Justin glanced back down the hallway. Hadn’t Alex just walked away? Then who was this? Chase blinked, recalling how Alex usually reacted when he saw an adult he liked. Got it. With his arms full—a bouquet in one hand, a fruit basket in the other, and a backpack strapped to his back—he launched himself forward like a little cannonball, sprinting toward Justin. “Uncle Justin!” he called out in an enthusiastic, high-pitched voice, deliberately mimicking Alex’s tone. Justin crouched down to catch him, his arms wrapping around the small boy. He didn’t lift him up, though—Chase was carrying too many things. His sharp gaze swept over ‘Alex’ from head to toe. Same outfit. Same backpack. The only difference? This ‘Alex’ had his hands full. “Alex, what are you doing at the hospital? Did you come here alone?” The same question, asked twice in one day. ‘Alex’ shook his head, giving almost the same answer. “Nope, I came with Mommy.” “Oh…” Justin responded, waiting f
Justin knew that the moment he pushed open this door, every doubt he had—all the questions swirling in his mind—would finally have an answer. And yet, he hesitated. He couldn’t bring himself to open it. The bodyguard standing at the door, noticing his hesitation, reached for the handle to open it for him. Justin instinctively raised a hand to stop him, then motioned for them to step aside. The bodyguards exchanged uncertain glances, unsure whether to follow his command. After a brief pause, they finally stepped away from the door. Justin had been at the hospital long enough. They knew he meant no harm to Haley. Inside the room, Chase carefully placed the fruit basket and bouquet on the bedside table, then pulled a tissue from his pocket. He wrapped the strands of hair he had collected and tucked them securely into his backpack. Alex had already set his things down. Now, he stood quietly by the bed, watching his mom sleep. Chase walked over, and Alex turned
Laughter filled the hospital room, echoing into the hallway where Justin stood motionless, listening. His eyes stung, turning red at the corners. He heard it. He really heard it. Alex had just called Haley Mommy. And then—another name. Chase. His mind reeled. The first child he met at the elevator was Alex. The second was Chase. Twins. Two identical little boys. His breathing quickened. Chase had recognized him instantly. But why? There was no hesitation in the boy’s reaction. No shyness, no wariness. That wasn’t how a child acted when meeting someone for the first time. Justin stood frozen outside the hospital room, his mind racing.That day at the amusement park—when he had taken Alex out for the day…Something had felt off.That Alex had been quieter, less playful, not as energetic.Because it hadn’t been Alex at all.There had been two of them.They had been taking turns to visit him.Switching places right under his nose.How had
“I want to stay with you, Mommy… Chase and I both do…” The more Alex spoke, the more pitiful he sounded. Thinking about the past few days without his mom made him even sadder, and tears welled up in his eyes before rolling down his cheeks. “Oh, Alex, don’t cry.” Haley’s heart ached at the sight of her youngest son crying. She pulled him into her arms, hugging him tightly to comfort him. She didn’t want to live separately from her children either. It was all Justin’s fault—stubbornly staying here and refusing to leave. If not for him, she wouldn’t have to feel so anxious just to see her sons. As usual, Zac was making his rounds, checking on the VIP patients. When he reached Haley’s room, he saw Justin standing alone at the door, with no bodyguards in sight. “Where is everyone?” he asked. Justin pressed his index finger against his lips, signaling Zac to stay quiet. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed him, making it clear that there was no need to check this room
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