Quincy didn’t get angry at Lydia’s words. Instead, he just felt more guilt. “I’m sorry, Lydia. Truly, I am.”“There’s no need for apologies, and no need to waste any more time on me,” Lydia replied. “They just called our number. Once we’ve got our divorce papers, you’ll be free to be with Miss Tiffany as openly as you want.” She stood up.Together, they approached the desk, and Lydia addressed the clerk, “Hello, we’re here to file for divorce.”“Are you both sure you want to go through with this?” the clerk asked, following protocol.Lydia nodded firmly. Quincy didn’t say a word, but his expression spoke volumes. He clearly didn’t want this.The clerk picked up on Quincy’s hesitation and took a moment to offer some advice. “Every marriage has its share of disagreements and arguments. That’s completely normal. Sometimes people rush into divorce, only to regret it later. I’ve seen many couples come back and remarry.”“We’ve made up our minds. Please continue with the paperwork,”
“Quincy,” Lydia turned to face him. “In what capacity are you saying that to me?”Before Quincy could respond, Tiffany, who had rushed over from her cab, answered for him. “Obviously as your soon-to-be ex-husband, Miss Fay. Let me remind you, you’re still married. Accepting roses from another man while you’re still married. That’s cheating, isn’t it?”Lydia nearly laughed out loud through her frustration. “Cheating?” Was she seriously being accused of cheating?What did Quincy and Tiffany think they were? She and Eugene were entirely innocent, nothing had happened between them. And even if it had, Tiffany, as the mistress, had no right to accuse her of anything.“Tiffany, who told you to come here?” Quincy’s eyes burned with anger.Why did she keep interfering like this? He shoved Tiffany aside. “This is none of your business. Get out of here.”“Quincy! Wake up! She’s been seeing this man since before you two decided to divorce. How can you not see what’s going on?” Tiffany shout
Behind them, Quincy watched Lydia and Eugene walk away, a storm of pain swirling in his chest. He wanted nothing more than to step in, stop them, and take Lydia back home. But in his current position, what right did he have?“Quincy,” Tiffany cut in, taking advantage of the moment. “I know how women think, and I can see through Lydia’s little game. She’s with this new guy, but she still wants to keep you as a backup. She’s just using you as a safety net.”Quincy clenched his fists. “I don’t hit women, but don’t push me. I’m warning you. Keep your mouth shut.”“Quincy!” Tiffany’s frustration boiled over. Why was he so devoted to Lydia?But she also knew when to stop. If she kept pushing and really set Quincy off, it could spiral out of control. So, she reluctantly fell silent, watching as Quincy walked away.Immediately, Tiffany pulled out her phone and called the media contact she had arranged. “You got all the footage I mentioned, right? Follow through as we discussed, and I’ll s
When Lydia finally hit rock bottom, Eugene planned to step in and offer his support. That way, she would remember his kindness deeply and she would likely end up despising Quincy completely.“Alright, Mr. Ford, I’ll head back to handle those files,” his assistant said, though he couldn’t help but feel puzzled. “If you truly love someone, shouldn’t you want them to be okay?” the assistant wondered.Online harassment could be brutal, and yet Mr. Ford was choosing to stand by and do nothing. The assistant didn’t understand his boss’s thinking, but he knew it wasn’t his place to question. He was there to do his job, and that was all.After the assistant left, Eugene returned to his work, occasionally checking the trending topic online. Frustrated by the slow momentum, he decided to speed things up by hiring a few more bots to fan the flames.……After completing the divorce paperwork, Lydia had initially left with Eugene. However, halfway there, she asked to be let out and headed bac
What if Lydia couldn’t handle it and did something to hurt herself? How would they survive?“Dad, if something’s wrong, just tell me. Don’t carry everything on your own like this,” Lydia pressed, refusing to back down.She stood firm in front of him, making it clear she wouldn’t leave until he explained everything.Mrs. Fay came over as well, gently urging her husband. “We’re a family. There’s nothing we can’t talk about. If Quincy really did something terrible, Lydia needs to know. It’s better for her to see his true colors than to be kept in the dark.”Mr. Fay tried to brush it off. “It’s really nothing. I was just chatting with someone about their perfect son-in-law, and it reminded me of Quincy, which made me angry. Let’s not dwell on these unpleasant things.”But after so many years together, Lydia knew her father far too well to be fooled by a few words. She wasn’t about to let it slide so easily.Pulling out her phone, she said, “If you won’t tell me, I’ll find out for mys
The calmer Lydia appeared, the more anxious Mrs. Fay became. She would prefer if Lydia broke down in tears, screamed, or even smashed everything in the house. Anything but this eerie calmness.Mrs. Fay pulled her into a tight embrace. “Lydia, you know you’re our only child. If anything were to happen to you, your father and I wouldn’t survive it.”With the awful things being said online, Mrs. Fay was terrified that her daughter might not be able to handle it and would consider something drastic.But Lydia wouldn’t let that happen. She wrapped her arms around her mother, noticing how much weight she had lost. It was something Lydia hadn’t realized before. All because she had been worried about her.“I may have lost my child, but I still have you and Dad. You’re the best parents in the world, and I want to take care of you. As long as we clear up the truth, everything will be fine,” Lydia reassured her, though as soon as she spoke, the doorbell rang.She quickly went to the door and
Quite the opposite, Mrs. Fay believed that Eugene’s tears were proof of how deeply he loved Lydia. Because of his love, he could truly empathize with her pain and feel her suffering.Lydia wanted to say she didn’t need Eugene’s help, but seeing the exhausted faces of her parents, what choice did she have? Could she really just kick him out?Doing so would only hurt her parents, who had already been through so much. So, instead, she watched as Eugene sat down with her parents on the couch.“Mr. and Mrs. Fay, I’ve already come up with a plan for handling the online scandal on my way over. We’ll fight fire with fire. They want to attack Lydia? Well, Quincy is no saint either! He’s been messing around with another woman the whole time.” Eugene slammed his hand down on the table to emphasize his point. “Lydia and I haven’t even been in touch, but Quincy’s cheating led to Lydia losing her child. I’ll make sure he ends up with nothing.”Lydia didn’t want things to escalate like this. In h
“No, not yet,” the doctor sighed heavily, “Your mother’s condition is incredibly severe. The chances of a successful surgery are very, very slim. She already had a weak heart, and now with this brain hemorrhage, it’s a tough situation. In all my years of practice, I’ve never seen anything like this.”Quincy felt a sudden chill grip his heart. He had always hated his mother meddling in his marriage, and had even thought to himself that it would be a relief if she stopped interfering one day. But he had never imagined the cost would be her life.“Doctor, is there—”“Whatever you need to ask can wait. First, you need to sign the critical condition notice. Every second you delay puts your mother in more danger,” the doctor interrupted, handing over the papers.A nurse quickly brought over the pen and paperwork. Quincy grabbed the black pen and, without hesitation, signed his name. He watched as the doctor disappeared back into the operating room. His heart felt like it was lodged in
But instead of feeling touched, Vera’s first reaction was nausea. A wave of discomfort surged up from her stomach, and Vera’s face paled. She bolted for the bathroom. Caleb followed quickly. “Are you feeling sick?” “I don’t think so. I’ve been eating normally—nothing too heavy or weird lately.” Vera clutched her stomach, just as confused as he was. Then, a possibility flashed through her mind. Caleb clearly had the same thought. Without a word, he turned and walked into their bedroom, returning moments later with a pregnancy test. Vera looked at him, stunned. “When did you buy that?” He responded matter-of-factly, “Better safe than sorry.” Vera was momentarily speechless. Five minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom, her hand instinctively resting on her stomach, her expression a mix of shock and disbelief. It was positive. They had only been married for three months. How did this happen so fast?Caleb, on the other hand, remained composed—at le
Of course, Vera wasn’t about to dump all her responsibilities on her assistant. That would be exploitation. She called her assistant into her office. “You’re twenty-five this year, right?” Her assistant blinked, confused. Wasn’t her age common knowledge? Why was Vera suddenly bringing it up? A thought struck her. Was this an arranged marriage situation? Her face immediately filled with silent refusal. “Miss Vera, I’m still young. I’m not thinking about marriage anytime soon.” Vera tapped her pen against the desk. “I’m not telling you to get married.” “Oh.” “I just want to offload some of the smaller daily tasks to you. You don’t have to run every minor document by me.”Her assistant instantly understood. A raise. After confirming she was on board, Vera gave her a salary bump and had her hire a few more assistants to distribute the workload. “If I don’t have time to handle everything, you guys will take care of it. If something’s too complicated, jus
Vera could sense danger the moment the conversation turned in this direction. Her father had never questioned her about married life, and she was lucky enough to avoid nosy relatives. But just because she hadn’t experienced it firsthand didn’t mean she hadn’t seen it happen to others. Without hesitation, she abandoned the half-folded pastry in her hands. “I... uh, need to use the restroom.” Before she could escape, Mrs. Smith caught her wrist. “You and Caleb aren’t getting any younger,” she said matter-of-factly. “You should start thinking about kids—make sure you’re putting in the effort, hmm?” Vera left the kitchen visibly drained. Mrs. Smith was a wonderful mother-in-law, the kind who treated Vera like her own daughter. Despite knowing Vera came from a well-off family, she had still gifted them a house as a wedding present. Of course, Caleb already owned a place, but his mother had insisted. “That’s your house. This is the home I’m giving you as a weddi
That undeniable possessiveness flickered in Caleb’s gaze—subtle yet impossible to ignore. It was the kind of look a powerful man might give his beloved in an old Hollywood film. And right now, the photographer felt like the unlucky bystander who had accidentally stumbled upon an intimate scene. His voice wavered slightly, caught up in his own imagination. “Mr. Smith, lift your eyes toward the camera.” Caleb’s sharp gaze flickered over, intense and commanding. The photographer instinctively pressed the shutter. They continued with several more poses, reviewing the shots as they went. Vera loved them all, but her favorite was still the vintage-inspired one. “How long until we get the final prints?” she asked. “Two to three days at most,” the photographer replied. “I’ll have them shipped directly to you.” Then, after a slight pause, he hesitated before making a request. “I actually have a personal favor to ask—would you both be open to letting us displa
Vera was tempted. They had already taken plenty of wedding photos—several sets at the island, more at the wedding itself. But this wasn’t just any photo studio. It was privately booked and known for being one of the most prestigious studios in the city. Appointments here were nearly impossible to get. The fact that Caleb had managed to secure a session meant he had gone to great lengths to make it happen. If they were just going to take ordinary wedding pictures, it would be a waste of an opportunity. Still, she wasn’t sure what kind of shoot she wanted. The photographer, understanding her hesitation, pulled out a sample album. “You can take a look at our past work. These are some of the styles we’ve done.” Flipping through the pages, Vera saw an array of stunning concepts—each picture more breathtaking than the last. Then, one particular set caught her eye. A Golden Age Hollywood theme.It was classic, nostalgic, and beautifully atmospheric. “Ca
After the wedding, Vera considered taking some time off for a honeymoon. But the thought quickly faded when she realized Caleb had been practically living at the hospital. With a sigh, she dismissed the idea. She was used to it, but to say she wasn’t disappointed would be a lie. Her assistant picked up on it. “Mrs. Smith, don’t you want to go on a honeymoon?” she asked one day. “One of my friends just got married, and she’s been obsessively researching destinations. “She even said a marriage without a honeymoon is already half a failure.” Vera froze mid-page, suddenly losing interest in the documents she had been reviewing. Her assistant hesitated, then offered a suggestion. “Why don’t you go visit Dr. Smith at work?“You seem… distracted. Maybe seeing him will help.” Vera snapped out of her daze, suddenly aware of how preoccupied she had been lately. It was embarrassing to admit, but she had been zoning out far too often—especially after coming hom
Whenever they did this in the past, Caleb always maintained some restraint. But tonight—he didn’t hold back at all. He took her from the bedroom to the bathroom, then back to the bed, his searing kisses trailing every inch of her skin. The next morning, even as she woke up, Vera could still feel the lingering traces of last night’s intoxicating pleasure. As expected, she ended up taking the day off. It wasn’t until two days later that she finally returned to work. *Everyone at the company had already prepared for this. The moment Vera walked into the office, she was greeted with knowing smiles and teasing remarks. “Congratulations, Mrs. Smith!” “Newlywed bliss, huh?” “Three whole days off? Someone had a good time.” It didn’t take a genius to figure out what she had been up to. Obviously, her married life was going exceptionally well—so well that she had completely abandoned work for it. Under the weight of their mischievous stares, Vera barely k
Yelena still hadn’t accepted Hunter, but he wasn’t giving up either and was relentlessly closing in on her. Knowing Yelena’s soft heart, Vera figured it was only a matter of time before she gave in. She let out a sigh. Her friend’s love life wasn’t something she could interfere with. Besides, Caleb had already given her a little inside scoop. “She came to the hospital for a follow-up a few days ago,” he had mentioned casually. “Hunter was the one who brought her.” Vera had clicked her tongue at the news. Yelena always seemed quiet and reserved, but apparently, she was full of surprises.*Time flew by in the blink of an eye.By mid-month, Caleb had rented out an entire vineyard and spent several days transforming it into the perfect wedding venue.When the day arrived, the celebration took place right there.The vineyard was sprawling and elegant, every bit as grand as any luxury hotel—if not better. Even the wine cellar remained untouched, stocked with years-
“Did you plan this from the start?” Vera narrowed her eyes, feeling like she had just walked into a carefully laid trap. “Mm.” Caleb smiled, then leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Because yes—he had always been planning this. The biggest change in Vera’s life after the island proposal was the ring now sitting on her finger. It wasn’t just any ring. It was custom-made, something Caleb had specially ordered. She only found out by accident when she glanced at his phone one day and saw the purchase record. It had been ordered two months ago. Vera did the math and was stunned. He had been preparing for this long before she even started getting impatient. Her heart swelled with emotion. And as soon as Caleb’s parents heard that their son had finally proposed, they wasted no time pushing them to get the marriage license. *One day, Vera overheard Caleb’s mother lecturing him. “Your dad and I weren’t expecting much from you. With how much ti