"I'm sorry, but I've already accepted Asher's proposal," she stated without struggle or holding onto him. She calmly stated a fact, "I love Asher, and I could never leave him."His arms slowly loosened with almost imperceptible movements until they hung by his sides.He looked at her and suddenly chuckled, "You love him?""Yes," she replied with utmost certainty, taking a few steps back and creating distance between them.He didn't approach her again and remained in his place, with his eyes half-lowered. There was a mocking expression on his lips as he said, "Even if you knew that our breakup years ago was orchestrated by Asher, would you still love him?"Vivienne paused for a moment. "What do you mean?"Ezra lifted his gaze, a smile playing on his lips. At this moment, he seemed to have returned to his usual self, composed and elegant, without the previous anxiety and loss of control."Vivienne, why do you think I mistook Scarlett for you back then? Do you think, given my personality
When Vivienne returned, it was already past 4 a.m. The security guard downstairs seemed surprised to see her at this hour."Miss Sullivan, you're back," he greeted with a smile.Vivienne nodded absentmindedly and entered the elevator. Pressing the familiar number, she watched as the floor numbers changed: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...When the elevator doors opened, Vivienne stepped out and arrived in front of her apartment door. However, as she reached for the keypad lock, she suddenly hesitated. Should she open the door? Asher must be waiting for her inside! When she came, her mind was filled with various questions, and she was eager to see him and find out the truth.But now, as she stood before the door, she hesitated. Her gaze fell on her right wrist, where he had personally woven a bracelet for her, and in her bag, there was the unfinished bracelet she had been making for him.Should she ask? Should she inquire about the truth? Should she ask if he remembered the scene when she and Ezra met
Asher lifted his chin slightly, staring at her blankly. Although his expression remained indifferent, the color drained from his face little by little. He pressed his lips together, silent, and his deep eyes resembled a dead sea, showing no ripples. "Last time, I asked you who I was with and what we said and did when we first met at the sandbox in our childhood. You said you didn't remember, right?" she asked. His pupils contracted suddenly, and his body became stiff at her words. "Yes," he replied, his long lashes drooping to conceal the glimmer in his eyes. "Do you truly forget?" she quietly watched him, and his complexion grew even paler. Did she know something? Or did she suspect something? The secret he had gone to great lengths to hide, the things he had done to win her over, regardless of the means. And now, in her gaze, he felt an unbearable sense of exposure. "Why did you go there?" he murmured, his voice trembling imperceptibly. "Because there was someone who said they
"Please leave, I need some time to calm down," Vivienne said, feeling a wave of powerlessness engulfing her entire body. At this moment, all she wanted was to be alone, away from everyone and everything, and not hear any words.He had deceived her. He had been deceiving her all along, starting from ten years ago. She had never truly escaped his control, not until she gradually fell in love with him.Asher tightly pursed his lips, standing in front of Vivienne, motionless. His eyes were damp, as if tears could fall at any moment."If you don't leave, then I will," she said, about to walk out of the room."Don't leave, stay here, don't go anywhere," he suddenly embraced her tightly, his voice hoarse. "I admit, I was wrong, I was wrong, but if I hadn't done this, maybe you would never have belonged to me." So, even if his heart was uneasy and afraid that she would discover the secret, he never regretted what he had done."Let go of me... Release me..." she struggled to say.But he held h
She struggled with all her might, her willpower on the verge of being overwhelmed by the waves of pleasure coursing through her body. But she could still see his expression, the exquisite features of his face contorted with restrained desire. Was this restraint all because he wanted to hear her say those words? A softness rose in her heart as she bit her lip, her body trembling slightly. With great effort, her hand reached out and touched his face.His body stiffened instantly at her touch. His gaze, stunned, stared at her, as if he couldn't believe it. "Vivi...""I... I don't want to leave..." She just wanted a moment of silence, a chance to sort out the chaotic thoughts in her mind.Her voice faltered as she spoke, her words somewhat unclear, but he still heard them clearly."Not... leave?" he murmured, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing."...No."In the next moment, he plunged into her."Ugh..." She let out a muffled groan, instinctively gripping his shoulders.He felt h
Perhaps Asher was right, Ezra didn't care enough about her. Initially, Ezra liked her, which was why they started dating. But this kind of liking wasn't deep enough; it was more about chasing after a shadow from his past.In reality, Vivienne understood that the reason she broke up with Ezra was because their love wasn't deep enough. If it hadn't been Asher manipulating Scarlett, maybe she wouldn't have been so angry. She might have felt a bit nostalgic, shrugged it off, and moved on, but she definitely wouldn't have felt deceived, as if everything was controlled by someone else. It was as if her freedom and her love were in his hands.The living room was quiet as Vivienne, as usual, took breakfast ingredients from the refrigerator and prepared breakfast for two. Asher sat on the couch, holding a teddy bear tightly, his gaze fixed on Vivienne who was still busy in the kitchen.He had liked her for twenty-one years, and this liking had grown deeper into his bones as the years went by.
Vivienne finally sat down at her desk and looked at the renovation progress sheet on the table. According to the schedule, her work would take at least three more months to complete.Originally, she had decided to renovate the villa to avoid being bound by the contract for five years, but since last night, she was no longer so sure. Did she want to stay in this company? Did she want to continue renovating the house that belonged to Ezra and their memories?At this moment, she finally understood that the villa meant more to Ezra than just a house. It was a childhood obsession for him. But this kind of obsession shouldn't have been directed towards her because she couldn't give him any response or commitment now.Vivienne lowered her head and absentmindedly looked at the progress sheet in her hand. Meanwhile, in the manager's office, the manager who had just spoken to Vivienne was busy making a phone call. "Yes, she has come to work... She seems fine, just like usual... Alright, if anyt
"Beat him?" Vivienne pondered. She realized that even when they argued as children, the most she did was give him a push, and she couldn't recall ever actually hitting him."Yeah, vent out your anger and then stop thinking about it. After all, the person you love now is him, and..." Julian's voice paused for a moment, filled with admiration. "Vivienne, I have never seen a man care about a woman the way Asher cares about you. Although I haven't spent much time with Asher myself, even as an outsider, I can see the depth of his feelings for you. When he's with you, his eyes are completely focused on you!"Vivienne lowered her gaze, looking at the rainbow-colored bracelet on her wrist. She understood better than anyone else how deep his feelings for her were.Julian continued, "Besides, you said it yourself, this happened three years ago. Maybe he made a mistake back then, but it doesn't mean he'll make the same mistake again in the future. Everyone makes mistakes, so are you planning to
When Sheila Montgo's baby was born, Asher felt a little disappointed because the child's appearance showed no resemblance to her mother.In Asher's daydreams, he hoped his daughter would look more like Vivienne. However, being a newborn, with wrinkled skin and all, she simply looked like a little monkey.As Sheila grew day by day, her facial features became more distinct, and she started to resemble Asher more and more. Despite Asher's initial disappointment, Vivienne was delighted, especially when she saw the two pairs of eyes, one big and one small, staring at her. It gave her a sense of accomplishment.It was after Sheila's birth that Vivienne learned about the Montgo family's blood curse. Asher took the initiative to tell her, and the revelation left Vivienne utterly shocked, like a storm at sea.The Montgo family's blood curse meant that in the next generation of Montgo children, one of them would inherit it. Although Vivienne felt uneasy and worried, when Sheila turned five, the
Compared to the newborn baby, Nelson was more concerned about Viola. After she was brought back to her hospital room, he never left her side. After the baby was cleaned up, it was brought to the bedside, lying next to Viola.The little baby closed its eyes. Was this his and Viola's child? A rush of tenderness surged in Nelson's heart. Would the child resemble him or Viola? If possible, he hoped the child would resemble Viola more.Just as he was thinking about this, the baby suddenly moved, half-opening its eyes and then bursting into wailing cries. Viola, who had been sleeping, woke up because of the baby's crying."Bring the baby to me; she must be hungry, and I want to breastfeed her," Viola said.Only then did Nelson realize that she had woken up. Following her instructions, he stiffly picked up the baby. In that moment of holding the soft little body, he felt an indescribable sensation.Viola couldn't sit up at the moment, so she needed to lie down to breastfeed the baby. Nelson
The day before Viola's due date, she was admitted to the hospital and underwent various routine checks. On the following day, Viola remained calm and even flipped through magazines before entering the operating room.In contrast, Nelson was visibly more anxious and approached the doctors several times, asking about various possible emergency situations during childbirth, even though they had already explained them to him many times.When Viola was wheeled into the operating room, Nelson's whole body tensed up. He stood outside the room, staring at the closed door as if he were a statue.Anyone could see how nervous he was, and as time passed, Nelson's complexion grew paler.Viola was considered an older mother, and despite the best doctors that the Montgo family had arranged and even with a caesarean section, there were still risks.Sebastian noticed Nelson's anxious state and gently patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, Viola and the baby will be fine."But Nelson remained motionless, h
"I..." Viola hadn't finished her sentence when Nelson's lips pressed against hers, stopping the words that were about to come out. His tongue swiftly entered her mouth, stirring her saliva, and he took her tongue into his mouth, biting it as if venting all his frustrations.Though her tongue wasn't bleeding, it hurt terribly, and her lips also throbbed with pain from the pressure of his lips. She tried to push him away, but his hands easily restrained her wrists."Mmm... Hmm..." Viola initially struggled, but she didn't dare to move too much, afraid of hurting the child in her belly. Giving up on resisting, she allowed Nelson to kiss her.He kissed her with his eyes closed, his long, thick eyelashes casting a heavy shadow on his eyelids. Meanwhile, she kept her eyes open, staring at his face that was now closer than ever before.He deepened the kiss, seeming to release pent-up emotions, indulging and losing himself in the sensation.When he finally ended the kiss, Viola knew she must
When Viola returned to the Montgo mansion, Sebastian looked at her with a look of disbelief as she stood there with a big belly. Before leaving, Viola had told her family that she was sent to work in another city by the hospital, and her family didn't suspect anything. They just advised her to take care of herself while outside."How many months pregnant are you?" Sebastian's voice sounded."Almost 8 months," Viola replied honestly."How is your health? You're a doctor yourself, so you should know the risks of having a child at this age," Sebastian worriedly asked. After the shock, his main concern now was his sister's well-being."I know, but there shouldn't be any major problems if it's a cesarean section," Viola said. For women like her who have never given birth before, a cesarean section would be more suitable than a natural birth."Why didn't you stay at home?" Sebastian asked."Because I wanted to clear my mind and quietly find a place to give birth," without getting entangled
Since the day they parted at the hospital, Nelson withdrew the surveillance around her, and he didn't want to know anything about her. Later, when he tried to find Viola, he couldn't locate her no matter how hard he tried. Until one day, Mort brought news about her. It turned out that Viola had gone to a remote village the next day and had been living there for several months.The car sped along the road. Viola, Viola! Nelson kept repeating her name in his heart. She was so close, only two hours away... no, an hour and a half, and he could see her!He had so many words he wanted to say to her. He wanted to tell her not to try to avoid him, that he could endure her disgust, her indifference, and even her love for her Dependence on Fate. But... he couldn't endure not seeing her!Ten years ago, when she disappeared from his world, even though he aged overnight, he could wait for her to come back. But now, after she vanished, he had lost even the patience to wait.He couldn't endure it li
Nelson suddenly laughed, his laughter was cold, each laugh feeling like a chilling cold wind blowing across his cheeks.After a moment, his laughter ceased, and he stared straight at her, his voice icy to the extreme, "No regrets! I, Nelson, believe that I can do anything for you, but there's one thing I can't do. Viola, it's not up to you to decide when it's over! It may be over for you, but for me, it's not over yet!""What do you want to do?" His gaze and tone made her feel uneasy."Viola, unless you die, I'll follow you to the end, no matter what!" He said each word deliberately, like a bolt of thunder striking her mind, shaking her heart.She was stunned, and her heart pounded wildly. Did she make a mistake? Did she make a mistake? "To the end"... he actually said such words. Perhaps she had pushed him to the brink for him to say such ruthless words. Or should she say that she had extinguished all of his hopes?Before she could speak, Nelson had already turned around and left the
In the obstetrics and gynecology operating room, he ran as if he had gone mad, his handsome face showing anxiety, unease, and panic.If those who knew Nelson were to see him in this state, they would undoubtedly be shocked. The composed and calm man would reveal such an expression!The light was on at the entrance of the operating room, but among the crowd waiting outside, he didn't see that familiar figure.Is she inside the operating room? His heart clenched tightly, feeling the intensifying unease.Nelson rushed toward the operating room, and the nurse at the door tried to stop him, "Sir, there's a surgery in progress, you can't just go in like this!""Get out of my way!" He coldly retorted, pushing the nurse aside. The fierce aura emanating from him made the nurse dumbfounded. Though he was undeniably handsome, he looked more like a ferocious demon at that moment.Nelson charged toward the operating room again, and this time, the other nurses and attendants reacted. They bravely s
One month later, when Viola was at the hospital working, she suddenly felt nauseous and started vomiting. It was then that she realized she might be pregnant. She went to the pharmacy and bought a pregnancy test kit. Looking at the two bars on the test kit, her body felt a chill.Is she pregnant? Although pregnancy test kits might not always be accurate, the chances of them being wrong were very low. And now, she had tested with more than one kit, and they all showed that she was pregnant.Viola was usually calm and composed, even when dealing with family matters that made her anxious and worried, she could still make quick judgments. But now, she really didn't know what to do. She never imagined that one day she would be carrying Nelson's child!Back in her office, Viola lowered her head, looking at her still-flat abdomen. Was there really a life growing in her uterus? But right now, other than experiencing morning sickness, she didn't feel anything else. It even made her feel like t