Mentioning Nash brought a big question to Nina's mind. She hesitated for a long time, her hand hovering over the screen.She finally decided to ask and typed, "Mom, was there a summer during high school when I wasn't home?"Since Nash had this doubt, she wanted to clear it up as well. Julia took a while to respond, making Nina feel uneasy. They had been chatting just fine, but now there was silence.After ten minutes, Julia finally replied, "Who told you that?"Nina was not sure how to respond. "No one, I was just asking.""There’s no such thing," Julia said firmly. "You've been always at home from childhood through adulthood, except when you were working. Our family has strict rules. There's no way you would be away for an entire summer. Don’t overthink it, and don't listen to what others say!"Nina thought that made sense. All their relatives lived locally. Even visiting them would not account for disappearing for a month. Besides, while their family was not highly academic, th
After a long pause, Principal Wallace turned his gaze to Nash, his shock giving way to confusion. He did not understand why Nash was so concerned about this matter. "Why are you suddenly so interested? Even if the kidnapped girl wasn’t Nina, why does it matter to you?"Principal Wallace’s questions seemed genuine, not an attempt to hide anything or with any ill intent.Nash’s sharp gaze relaxed slightly, and he spoke in a calm tone. "I'm investigating something and came across this. I thought you could help clarify. The girl who was kidnapped wasn’t Nina, but she believes it was her and even shares the same name. If there was no intentional effort to hide the truth, how could she have these memories?"Principal Wallace’s expression kept changing."Principal Wallace, this happened at the school you managed. Can you provide an explanation?" Nash wanted a reasonable answer, suspecting there might be a larger conspiracy.Principal Wallace sighed deeply and sat up straight, ready to
Principal Wallace was taken aback, not expecting things to be like this. "I only just found out today. If I said anything inappropriate in the past, please don’t take it to heart."He had not forgotten his past attempts to matchmake Nina with Scott, including considering his own daughter."You're overthinking it, Principal Wallace," Nash said. "It's late, so I'll take my leave."Principal Wallace, being a cordial person, personally saw them out.---It was already early morning. Nina lay in bed, feeling her stomach growl with hunger. Lately, she had been getting hungry more often. Her cravings had intensified, with a particular fondness for salty and spicy foods. She could handle spicy food much better now.But she was also very tired and did not want to get up. She tried to sleep through it, curling up under the covers. Suddenly, she heard a noise, waking her up fully. It was the sound of knocking.She got up to answer the door. Opening it, she found Nash standing there, his ta
Hearing this, Nina instinctively clenched her fists and avoided his gaze. She was afraid she was being too self-centered. "You only want to change because you care. Why do you care so much?"Nash looked at her. "You’re my wife."Nina pursed her lips slightly and poked the tacos with her fork without eating. "Haven’t we already agreed to divorce? Just being your wife isn’t enough of a reason. You never tried to change for me before, so why now?"Nash simply watched her, seemingly deep in thought, without saying anything more.Feeling his gaze on her and seeing that he was not speaking, Nina stopped waiting and began to eat, keeping her head down."I think I’m falling for you.""Cough, cough, cough..."The light comment caught Nina off guard, causing her to choke on the spicy tacos. It burned her throat and made her feel awful.Seeing her struggle, Nash quickly poured her some water. "Are you okay? Drink some water!"Tears welled up in Nina’s eyes, blurring her vision, and she w
She sat on the bed, her gaze drifting toward the door, knowing that Nash was just outside. She could not fall asleep, her mind unable to calm down. She kept thinking about what Nash had said. When it came to this matter, she still felt a bit timid, unable to reveal her true feelings. Yet, she could not help but feel agitated.After a while, the door opened again. Nina looked up to see Nash walking in. She stared at him, just as she had the first time she saw him. She was unable to say a word and was simply looking at him openly.Nash held a cup of milk and placed it in front of her. "Drinking a glass of milk before bed is good for you. It’s sweet and can help relieve stress," he said in a low voice.Nina glanced at the milk and then at his arm, where veins slightly bulged. She felt a sense of déjà vu, as if she had experienced this moment before. Recently, she had felt very off. Not only was she becoming paranoid, but she was also recalling scenes she had not actually experienced.
Seeing that he really did not remember and had no impression of it, Nina felt a bit disappointed. She shook her head. "No, nothing else."Nash did not press further. Nina lay down, turning her back to him, avoiding his face. She had noticed his calm expression earlier. Why didn't he remember that Zac was him? Had he completely forgotten this part of his past? Even if so, he should remember his former name. Where did things go wrong?The more she thought about it, the more she felt trapped in a dead end. Frustrated, her head ached. She closed her eyes, trying to stop thinking. Nash tucked her in, watching her for a while until her breathing steadied. Then he quietly left the room.Taking out his phone, he saw numerous missed calls. He called back, his expression serious. On the other end, someone reported, "Mr. York, the company's stock has dropped several points because of the news about Miranda. We couldn't reach you and didn't know what to do. We need your decision."Na
Only by escaping these troubles could she establish herself in the entertainment industry, and the company would unconditionally stand by her side.Miranda had not walked far before she was recognized. "Isn't that the liar Miranda?" someone shouted.Seeing that she was recognized, Miranda panicked and instinctively covered her face."That's her! She's feeling guilty!"Despite wearing sunglasses and a mask, she was still recognized. One person speaking up drew the attention of many others, and soon she was surrounded."How dare you show your face? Aren't you afraid of getting hit with rotten eggs?""What face does she have left? If she had any decency, she wouldn't have done such despicable things!""Liar! You led your fans to cyberbully others. You deserve to go to hell!"Miranda looked at them, their faces fierce and menacing. Her face turned pale, and her heart trembled. She quickly tried to explain, "I didn't bully anyone online, and I didn't lie..."Smack!Someone grabbed
How could it be him?"What are you doing here?"Nina was still very cautious. She hadn't had much contact with him, only meeting once because of the situation with Miranda. His sudden appearance made her suspicious, wondering if he had followed her or had other motives.Wilfred's expression showed a bit of surprise, but he calmly said, "I live next door."Nina looked at him, not quite understanding what he meant.Seeing her wary and confused look, Wilfred pointed to the adjacent door and explained, "I'm your new neighbor."Nina looked at the open door next to hers and realized the empty apartment had been occupied. She turned back to Wilfred and asked, "When did you move in?""This morning.""I remember when I came to find you before, your workplace looked more like a place you lived," Nina said, thinking he had stayed there."No, I rest there when I'm busy, but I still need a private space."Nina recalled their previous encounters, which seemed a bit too coincidental.To ea
The woman had deliberately spoken in a vague and ambiguous way. She had been sent by Summer, with Mrs. Lucas's covert assistance. Together, they had schemed to place a helper in the villa with a simple enough task with their combined influence. But to Jamie, the words carried a different implication. This was Lucas’s territory, which meant this woman had likely been instructed by Ben. If Jamie didn’t drink the soup, she was certain Ben wouldn’t let it slide. A wave of bitterness washed over her. “Fine, just leave it over there. I’ll drink it later when I’m thirsty.” “Miss Lewis, I need to personally see you finish the soup before I can leave. If you’re not ready to drink it now, that’s no problem. I’ll just wait here.” The woman placed the tray on the table, pulled a chair over, and sat directly in front of Jamie. Her stare was unrelenting, her attitude clear. She wasn’t leaving until the job was done. If it had been anyone else in Jamie’s place, the woman wouldn’t da
“Don’t beg me. If begging worked, I’d have begged Ben not to leave a long time ago,” Winnie said as she wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes. “Here’s the deal. I called to make one thing clear. Everything you owe me, I’m going to take back, bit by bit, through Charlie. He’s your son, and they say the sins of the mother fall on the child.” With that biting remark, Winnie hung up without hesitation.Clutching her phone, her chest ached with a deep, lingering pain. The masked man approached, standing by her side. “Winnie, what’s the point of all this? You’re clearly full of hate for Jamie, but instead of taking it out on her, you’re here looking after her kid. I don’t get you sometimes.“If it were me,” he continued, “I’d grab this opportunity and make her suffer. Why are you holding back?”Winnie shook her head. “Charlie calls me his aunt, and besides, it’s not right to blame a child for the mistakes of adults.”She might despise Jamie, but Winnie couldn’t bring herself
On the day of the engagement banquet, Ben’s phone appearing near Jamie should have been a warning sign, but she missed it. Later, she had warmly welcomed Jamie into her home, showering her with care. She had even worried that Ben might dislike Jamie and tried to help them get along. And what happened in the end? While she had been tirelessly caring for them, the two of them ended up in bed together. Now, they were living under the same roof, while she and her child were left with nothing. How could Winnie not harbor resentment? Especially when she looked at Charlie, a chilling thought crept into her mind: If her own child’s life was ruined because of Jamie, then shouldn’t she retaliate by ruining Jamie’s child? An eye for an eye. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Every time Charlie called her "Aunt Winnie" with such innocence, it reminded her of the bond between them. How could she be so heartless? “I’m in Ben’s villa. He won’t let me leave,” Jamie
Ben gripped Jamie's chin tightly, his voice firm and unyielding. When Jamie had disappeared from his life, he had exhausted every possible means, called in countless favors, and poured his energy into finding her. But he had failed. Just when he was on the verge of giving up, he had met Winnie. It felt like fate had stepped in, intertwining their paths once more, as if destined for a lifetime of entangled love and hate. If that was his reality, then he would play along with it.“Instead of plotting ways to escape from me, why don’t you focus on apologizing? Show me some sincerity, and maybe I’ll make your life a little easier,” Ben said.Jamie’s lips curved into a bitter smile. She knew what he wanted.He wanted an apology and an attitude of remorse. But she also knew she had no leverage to stay by his side.Even if she played along now, making him happy temporarily, there was no future for them. Mrs. Lucas’s disdain for her was an insurmountable mountain, and she couldn’t see
Unfortunately, Ben couldn’t see through any of this. Summer, however, wasn’t the least bit intimidated. Shaking her head confidently, she said, “I’ve never done anything to upset him. I don’t believe that just exchanging a few words with him would make him kick me out.”Mrs. Lucas opened her mouth, about to say something, but seeing Summer’s confident demeanor, she hesitated. Maybe, just maybe, Ben might actually feel too awkward to reject her outright. And if a little covert manipulation were added into the mix…Suddenly, Mrs. Lucas had an idea. Hearing it, Summer’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Mrs. Lucas, that’s an excellent plan! We should act quickly before he does anything else irrational.” “Alright.” Though the plan was solid, the two of them decided to put it into action three days later. Meanwhile, Ben hadn’t been to the office lately, but he was still keeping track of all the firm’s cases. He was also trying to reach Winnie, but while her phone would ring,
Ben wanted nothing more than to wring Jamie's neck after hearing her cold, cutting words. “I don’t need your lectures,” he growled. Human nature? Didn’t she think he knew enough about it already? He had seen it in every case he handled, and he had learned it the hardest way through her betrayal. When he fell for Jamie, it had been with the intent to marry her, to share a future. But she had stabbed him in the back without hesitation. And yet, when he tried to hate her, tried to wish for her downfall, he couldn’t bring himself to follow through. “Stay here and reflect on your actions, Jamie.” Ben knew her well enough. If she cried, begged for forgiveness, he would soften. But she didn’t. Instead, all she cared about was that child, the child he refused to acknowledge. “Fine,” he thought grimly. “Let’s see how long that bastard can survive.”*Meanwhile, Ben’s mother, Mrs. Lucas, had failed to convince him to cut ties with Jamie. This left her in a tough spot, especial
Ben would never believe the truth, and his mother would never allow Charlie’s existence. Instead of creating chaos and an irreparable fallout, Jamie chose to keep it hidden. She thought that once Ben’s anger subsided, he would eventually let her go.“Even if you figure out who the father is, what difference does it make?” Jamie met Ben’s intense gaze calmly. “We’ve already said everything that needed to be said. Can’t we stop making each other’s lives miserable?”"Your mother offered so much money. Why wouldn’t I take it? I’m not a fool. I gave you up for one million before. After these past four years, do you really think there’s any love left between us? Do you honestly expect me to cry and beg for you?”Jamie’s voice was steady as she stared calmly at Ben. She had been scared at first, but over time, she had come to terms with her reality. Ben wasn’t going to kill her. And as long as she stayed alive, there would eventually come a day when he’d let her go. Right now, his anger wa
The next second, there was only silence on the phone.Ben sent the phone number to his assistant. “Investigate thoroughly.”A thought suddenly struck him. He couldn't let Jamie continue to roam freely outside.*Four days later, Ben's mother came to visit. “You refuse to take over the family business, and now you're going against me by keeping Jamie around again?”Ben didn’t respond, but her anger only grew. “Ben, you’ve seen for yourself what kind of person Jamie is. Why are you still so obsessed with her? The fiancée I arranged for you is far better than the one you’ve chosen!”The Larson family was also one of the prominent families in Birkham. While the Lucas and Larson families couldn’t rival the York family, the Lucas family still held its position as the second most influential family in the city. On top of that, they were relatives of the Scott Lucas. Even Scott, who had initially resisted marriage, eventually followed his parents’ wishes and entered into a family
Jamie closed her eyes briefly, sinking further into despair. She didn’t even notice when Ben had left the room. Her thoughts were scattered, her mind drifting in and out of focus.Though she wanted to leave the hospital, she was constantly watched, making it impossible. By afternoon, a nurse came in to change her dressing.Jamie glanced up absentmindedly. “It’s fine. I don’t need it.”“This is under Dr. Lawson’s direct orders,” the nurse replied gently but firmly. “I can’t afford to cut corners. Since you’re still admitted, please cooperate.”Jamie lifted her gaze slightly, her tone subdued. “I’d like to get some fresh air.”“Of course, once we’re done changing your dressing, I can take you outside. Just make sure not to strain your muscles,” the nurse said patiently.The weather was exceptionally pleasant that day. As she sat in the wheelchair outside, Jamie made several calls to Winnie. The phone was still off, as if Winnie had made up her mind to disappear completely from her