Kirk would always be there for her. Caroline slowly dozed off in his arms. In her sleep, she dreamed that she was the mother of three children, all of whom were very beautiful and lovable. They would surround her and call her 'mommy'. She gradually lost herself in their affectionate calls.Just as she was consumed with joy, the three children suddenly grew up. Each of them held a knife in their hand, pointing it at her. Their cute expressions were replaced with ferocious ones.One by one, they shouted, "It's all because of you that we ended up like this.""You didn't raise us well.""Hurry up and give us some money, you old hag!"Caroline opened her eyes in fright. Her sudden movements naturally woke up Kirk as well. He looked down at Caroline and asked, "What's wrong, darling?"Caroline looked up at Kirk in confusion before shaking her head. "Nothing. I just had a nightmare."Kirk said, "I'll get you some water.""No, it's fine." Caroline urgently grabbed Kirk's hand.
Caroline opened Google on her phone, and after entering Marietta's name, she clicked on the Wikipedia article about her.According to the article, Marietta had had a happy family when she was young, but her life had changed after her daughter had been abducted. That incident had also given her the incentive to start writing. She hoped to become famous so that her abducted daughter could find her and return to her.Caroline fiddled with her clothes as she read the article, feeling sorry for Marietta. She couldn't believe that this seemingly sharp-tongued woman had tragically experienced the loss of her child. On top of that, her husband had abandoned her for his lover in her early years. But when she saw Marietta, she dared to guess that no one could tell she went through such an experience."I'm sorry." Caroline replied reluctantly, "I must have reminded you of some bad memories." Marietta replied very slowly, probably because she was processing her emotions. "It's okay. I
Unexpectedly, Kirk pushed Caroline's hands away. He was so strong that she had no power to resist, and in the end, she could only protest with a whimper. However, her protests were useless. Instead, they served to make Kirk even more excited. They made love until dawn, and Kirk carried Caroline to bed and fell asleep together....Caroline would be discharged from the hospital soon. To celebrate, Gwen proposed to have a meal together. Caroline also invited Sonia, Cheryl, and Jack, and the seven of them happily had their meal in a private room.When they ordered their food, Caroline noticed Gwen had ordered dozens of glasses of white wine. She looked at Gwen and asked, "Gwen, did you order these by mistake?"Gwen glanced back at her and replied, "Nope.""Aren't you afraid you'll get alcohol poisoning from drinking this much?"Gwen hugged Caroline's neck and said merrily, "I'm just in a good mood today! Don't worry, I won't drink too much."Caroline doubted her words, but sh
The atmosphere in the private room was lively and cheerful. Cheryl sat beside Sonia and kept asking about the entertainment industry. Sonia wasn't much of a gossiper, so she only talked about things concerning herself.Meanwhile, Gwen had a drink-off with Jack. Jack was clearly a good drinker, and soon, Gwen drank until her face turned red.Caroline noticed Sean hesitating a few times, as if he wanted to say something. She whispered in Kirk's ear, "He obviously cares about her, but he's pretending that he doesn't. I really don't get what he's thinking."Kirk put a fish fillet on her plate and said, "If you don't understand, just leave them be. Let the youngsters solve their own problems."Caroline smiled at his words. "It sounds as if you're calling yourself old."Kirk retorted, "I'm not old, but mature. Compared with them, we're not as naive. We'll actively find ways to solve our problems."Caroline quipped, "You're just tooting your own horn.""Hey!" Gwen suddenly came ove
"Dr. Yates isn't the issue here," Caroline said.Caroline's words surprised Cheryl. "T-then, does Gwen not like Dr. Yates?""That's not it." Caroline didn't want to tell Cheryl about Gwen's family issues. Even though she saw Cheryl as a friend, she wouldn't simply share another friend's secrets."Then, what on earth happened?" Cheryl asked, scratching her head. She couldn't understand why two people who liked each other couldn't be together. If Jack also liked her, she would definitely get into a relationship with him.Caroline smiled and patted her shoulder. "You silly girl, after you get together with Jack, you'll discover that love isn't a fairy tale. It's full of trials and tribulations. Things won't be easy."Cheryl looked at Caroline and said warily, "Caroline, I don't even want to be in a relationship after hearing you say that."Caroline chuckled. "Really? Don't you want to be with Jack?""Caroline!" Cheryl stomped her foot, blushing."But seriously," Caroline stopped
When Sean reached the bathroom, he rushed in without hesitation. "What happened?" He asked. Seeing Gwen lying in the stall, he ran forward nervously."I don't know. She passed out when she was in here. Was it because she drank too much?"Sean carried Gwen on his back. He said, "It may be possible. I'll take her to the hospital.""I'll go with yo—" Before Caroline could finish, Sean had already walked out of the bathroom with Gwen on his back. She grabbed Cheryl and said, "I'll go to the hospital with Dr. Yates. Tell the others to head home.""Okay," Cheryl agreed.Caroline kept up with Sean's quick pace. When they arrived downstairs, she said, "I'll get the car."Sean nodded.Soon, Caroline drove her car over to Sean. She rolled down the windows and yelled, "Get in!"Sean quickly put Gwen in the back seat and got into the car with her.Caroline started driving to the hospital. Sean kept rubbing Gwen's hands and feet in the back seat. She only glanced at them for a moment
"D-Didn't you promise you won't interfere with my affairs anymore?" Gwen looked up at him and asked with a smile, "Then, why did you … after I fainted …"Sean smiled gracefully. He explained, "Although I've given up on pursuing you, we're still friends, right? Of course, I'll lend a helping hand to a friend in trouble.""So … we'll be friends from now on …" Gwen said slowly, looking into Sean's eyes.Sean turned away. "Yeah."Gwen smiled and said, "Yeah, that's a good idea. I think we'll last longer as friends than lovers.""I think so, too," Sean agreed, looking out the window. Gwen smiled. "Then, are we going back or …""That depends on Caroline." Sean looked at Caroline, who had finished her phone call.After getting into the car, Caroline said to them, "Kirk will pick me up in a moment. Which one of you can help me drive the car back?"Sean and Gwen looked at each other, then quickly looked away again."I'll do it. I was the one who caused all this," Gwen said."I can
Gwen fell into Sean's arms. She was confused for a few moments. Then, she said, "T-This doesn't seem like something friends do.""You're right …" Sean met Gwen's sharp eyes and swallowed. "Friends also don't put their hands under another friend's clothes."Gwen laughed. She slowly stood up with Sean's support. Keeping her arms around his neck, she asked, "Do you want to come upstairs?"Her words startled Sean. His relationship with Gwen had started because of this question. Memories of the past flooded back into his mind like a tide. Back then, he had been the one who had asked this question. This time, she had asked him."Okay." He had already given his answer before his brain could even process the situation.Gwen smirked and pressed her lips against his. "Let's go."The two entered the elevator together. When the elevator doors closed, Sean wrapped his arms around Gwen's waist and kissed those lips he had long desired. Her sweet taste almost made him lose control.Gwen
Soon, Kirk and Caroline met up with Thomas. When he saw the two of them, his eyes turned bloodshot from the rage boiling within him. "You won!" He spat with so much force that it seemed like he had used up all his strength for it. "Things didn't have to come to this," Kirk said calmly as he sat down beside Thomas. Thomas snorted derisively. "Oh really? If you hadn't chosen to marry Caroline at such short notice, do you think Eddy would have died? You two were the cause of the tragedy!" Caroline didn't feel like talking anymore after seeing how foolishly adamant Thomas was. She gave Kirk a look, and he hummed in acknowledgment. When he turned to face Thomas again, his eyes were frosty "I'm here to tell you something," he said.Thomas let out a bark of scornful laughter. "Why? What else do you have to tell me, huh? Are you going to tell me that you have a child now?" "It's not about me and Caroline's child. It's about yours," Kirk stated plainly as he stared at Thomas
"Yes, it's true! Why would I lie to you about something so important?" Betty said. "This is wonderful! Marietta's wish has finally come true." Caroline turned to look at Marietta, who had just stopped by the door. Marietta was so shocked by the results that she was too stunned to speak. All she did was stare at Caroline in silence. Caroline opened her lips to speak, but no words came out of her mouth. She and Marietta stood facing each other, tears streaming down their cheeks. The next second, the two of them rushed toward each other and hugged each other as tightly as they could. The words that were at the tip of their tongues turned into tears at this significant moment. The others felt touched as they witnessed the mother-daughter duo's reunion. After some time, Betty broke the silence. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and call her 'Mom'!"Caroline had once used that word to address Marietta, but she hadn't known that Marietta was her biological mother back then.
Blushing, Caroline nodded. However, Kirk couldn't lift his head due to his injuries. So, Caroline took the initiative to bend over so that she was closer to him. Their lips touched. Yet before Caroline could get that warm, fuzzy feeling she always had when they kissed, she heard Gwen's voice. "Oh? Did we come at the wrong time?" Gwen grinned.It gave Caroline such a shock that she almost fell to the ground. Cheryl reacted quickly and gave Caroline an arm to hold on to for support. Steadying herself, Caroline stared daggers at Gwen, who giggled and placed the supplements she had brought on a table. Sean and Kirk started discussing what had happened that day, while Caroline led Gwen and Cheryl out of the ward. "Are you two back together?" Gwen asked. There was a sparkle in her eyes, which said enough about how eager she was to gossip. When Caroline nodded, Gwen patted her back gleefully and said, "Great! We all know how much Kirk loves you, even though he kept his ident
As Caroline mentally prepared to face death, there was a sudden, loud commotion. The noise was followed by gusts of wind that were so strong that no one could pry their eyes open to see what was going on. Still, Caroline could make out the silhouette of a helicopter above her. She had no idea what had happened next, though. …When she woke up, she was already lying on a bed in a ward. Beside her were Betty and Marietta, their eyes red and puffy from crying. When they noticed that Caroline was awake, the two of them shot up from their chairs."Carrie? You're finally awake!" Still groggy, Caroline forced herself to hum in response. After getting up, she grabbed Betty's hand and said, "Where's Kirk?" "He's fine," said Betty while wiping the tears off her cheeks. "He's in another ward, but he hasn't woken up yet." "Can I see him?" Caroline asked, tearing up. Betty nodded and asked Sean to push Caroline's wheelchair to the ward next door. Caroline couldn't hold back her
Kirk and Caroline hadn't even caught their breaths yet when they sensed a more intense attack coming their way. It didn't seem like these people were human. They seemed like monsters, bringing destruction wherever they went. Caroline watched the situation outside in concern. "Why hasn't Nightshade come back yet? Did he lie to us?" she asked. Kirk gritted his teeth and replied, "No, he wouldn't. They're all people from the dark web, and they're all honorable. Since he promised to bring the top two assassins, he'll definitely come back."As he spoke, he pushed her into a car. "But before that, you have to leave first," he insisted.Caroline noticed that his words were only directed at her. She grabbed his hand tightly. "What do you mean by that?"What did he mean she had to leave first?He replied, "Finn has sent over all his trump cards. If you don't leave, I have no doubt that he'll come here too. So, you need to leave now!" Caroline grabbed his hand. "We haven't gone to Ci
When she saw his reaction, Caroline couldn't help but smile. "What I mean is, let's head to City Hall to re-register our marriage certificate. The information we used to register our marriage before was all fake. "Can we update it with the real information now?"Kirk brightened up. "No problem."She looked at him and smiled again. However, it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. "Oh, I forgot about Thomas. Do you think he'll send someone to ambush us when we go to City Hall?"Kirk fell silent. He didn't want to change the plans, but he still said, "Then, let's wait for Nightshade to find the assassins—"Before he could finish his sentence, gunshots rang out from downstairs. His face dropped, and he rushed to the window, where he saw two groups of people engaged in a gunfight. One of the groups was Thomas' men."What's going on?" Caroline asked as she got up from bed."Thomas must have found out that Nightshade left, so he took the chance to ambush us."Kirk led her to a
"If you make up with Kirk, I'll help you find them both."Caroline and Kirk were stunned to hear Nightshade's condition. Kirk had never expected Nightshade to say such a thing. Caroline was also in disbelief. She felt somewhat reluctant to agree to it."You don't agree?" Nightshade asked when Caroline remained silent. "Alright then, if you disagree, I won't look for them. Besides, Thomas is already planning to go all out against you. "When the time comes, I can escape. But what about you two?"Caroline looked at Kirk. "Thomas plans to go all out against us? You're not lying to me?"Kirk met her eyes and gulped. "No."She pondered for a moment, then looked at Nightshade again. "Do you really have a way to help us find the two assassins?""Of course.""Okay." Caroline lowered her head. "As long as you can help us find those two assassins, I'll agree to your condition."On the other side of the room, Betty and Marietta exclaimed excitedly when they heard her words. "Carrie, do
When Betty noticed how confused everyone looked, she said, "Oh, dear. Did you all forget?"Back then, when Marietta did the DNA test with that girl from the Hackett family—no, the fake Ms. Hackett—Caroline was the one who went to the restaurant with her."She continued, "Didn't we look through the footage from that day? Then, we called in the people who were at the restaurant that day to do another DNA test."Although they had unfortunately been unable to find Marietta's daughter, Betty still considered it a great effort. "We had thought that we had tested everyone. But there was someone who we didn't test!" Betty's eyes lit up as she looked at Caroline. Marietta immediately understood what she meant. She looked at Caroline with excitement, but she didn't dare to get her hopes up. "Caroline…"Caroline also looked at Marietta excitedly. "I… Aunt Mary… this… Is it possible?"Betty replied, "Why wouldn't it be possible? We tested so many people back then, and you were the only
Sarah was about to tell Caroline, but Dan stopped her."Don't tell her. Let her live in pain without ever knowing who her real parents are. Besides, do you really think she will get us the best lawyer?"Caroline wasn't upset that they hadn't taken the bait. Instead, a small smile appeared on her face. "You still have some sanity left."Upon realizing her trick, Sarah shouted angrily, "You liar!"However, she was taken away before she could shout more. Caroline watched as Sarah and Dan disappeared in the police cars. The feigned strength on her face finally disappeared. She might never find her parents in this life. But she didn't regret it. She tilted her head and glanced at Kirk, Cheryl, and Jack beside her. She had no regrets anymore.Even though she couldn't get her parents back, she was content that she had so many friends."Let's head back." Caroline's voice was weary. She needed a good rest, but there was still a tough battle waiting for her. The news about Caroline n