Sebastian sighed softly, then carefully laid Rosalie down on the bed and tucked her in.As he turned to fetch the thermometer, Rosalie caught his wrist. "Don't leave… Please don't leave.""I won't leave. I'm just going to get the thermometer to check your temperature."Rosalie's eyes welled up with tears. "You'll come back, right?""I'll be back right away.""You're lying to me. You won't come back. You'll go to be with Cynthia again. Every time she calls, you go to her. You say she needs you, but I need you too. Me and the baby need you!" Rosalie sobbed. "Theo, I'm pregnant. You're going to be a father...!"It should have been good news. Yet when she said it, it sounded so sad. She cried even harder."That's wonderful. I'm going to be a father," Sebastian played along, smiling tenderly."Are you happy?" Rosalie seemed incredulous. "Do you want this baby?""Of course I want this baby. It's our little one. Why wouldn't I want it?"Rosalie was confused now, so he tried to go al
Rosalie grabbed Sebastian’s hand, and placed it on her belly. Despite the clothes between them, her body was hot due to the fever. "Our baby needs his father. Promise me you won't leave me and our child. Even if you don't want me, you can't abandon your baby!"As she spoke, Rosalie seemed to drift into a haze, ready to fall asleep in Sebastian’s arms. But she was afraid that if she fell asleep, "Theodore" would leave, so she held his clothes tightly.Sebastian's tone remained gentle. "Be good and let me take your temperature.""Promise me first. Promise you won't leave me and won't see Cynthia again," she insisted stubbornly."Okay, I promise." Of course, Sebastian could promise her anything and everything. Unfortunately, he wasn't Theodore. Did that man even realize how lucky he was to have Rosalie? He didn't cherish her, and instead always felt like others owed him something.Those who tried their best to cherish someone often couldn't get what they wanted. It was infuri
Sebastian took great care of Rosalie, feeling her temperature and leaning close to her mouth, trying hard to hear what she was saying. He was the very example of a gentle and patient man.Rosalie shifted her body, and started crying again. He hurriedly wrapped her in his arms and comforted her.As he did so, their lips were mere inches apart. He just needed to lean in slightly more, and their lips would meet.Sebastian stared at the woman before him, his eyes slowly glossing over as he started to lose his ability to think. His lashes trembled, as the misery on her face reflected deeply in his eyes.Rosalie bit her lip, and stuck her tongue out to wet her lips. Her body kept twisting as she groaned in discomfort.The sight of her eyes tightly shut and in a trance made Sebastian think that she would be none the wiser to whatever he did. Just a gentle peck was enough.Sebastian cupped her cheeks in his palms, and inched closer to her.Their lips were almost touching when Rosalie cr
“I was not! You saw wrongly. I was just trying to hear what she was saying, that’s all.”Sebastian tried to explain himself, but panic was rising in his throat and his eyes darted around anxiously. “Oh? So why are you panicking? Isn’t it enough to just let her sleep after giving her her medicine?”“She can’t take medicine. She’s pregnant.”“What did you say?! She’s pregnant? My god, you…” Yvonne sputtered, shocked. She then pointed a finger at him, and accused, “You made her pregnant! I’m telling Mom and Dad!”“What nonsense! Rose is already married. The baby is her husband’s.”He wasn’t trying to dissociate himself from the matter at hand, but was simply worried about ruining Rosalie’s reputation. Yvonne’s eyes widened in shock. She looked at Rosalie through the door, and said, “If she’s already married, why did you bring her home and act so intimately with her? Are you interested in married women? Is her husband fine with this?”“I can’t be bothered to explain things to you
Rosalie was still feeling slightly dizzy and lethargic. Her voice was hoarse, and her throat felt dry. Sebastian, the thoughtful man he was, poured her a cup of hot water from the thermos.Rosalie took the cup from him, and downed the whole thing. It made her feel much better, and even the fuzziness in her mind cleared up as memories from last night came flooding back. Although details escaped her, she could roughly make out what happened.“You lied to me,” Rosalie suddenly said coldly, her face solemn. Sebastian looked at her in shock. Did she remember that he tried to take advantage of her last night?Panicked, he tried to explain. “Rose, I…”“You clearly took care of me the entire night, but you’re lying and telling me that you didn’t,” Rosalie cut him off, not letting him speak. “The more you lie, the worse I feel. I’d rather you tell me the truth.”Sebastian looked straight into Rosalie’s eyes; he could sense that she wasn’t blaming him one bit, and heaved a sigh of relie
Rosalie found it hard to believe that such an outstanding man like Sebastian was still single. She was sure that truckloads of women adored him. She wondered what kind of woman he would fancy.What woman would be worthy of his gentle kindness?Rosalie’s nose turned red, and she rubbed it before squeezing out a smile. “I know what you mean. I’ll lock it up and put it in a corner.”Since her love didn’t come to fruition, she didn’t want to be in pain over him for the rest of her life. Just as Sebastian said, she would lock it up and bury her affections in the deepest, darkest corner of her heart. She would let time bury those memories, and not let them affect her life.Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.Yvonne’s voice sounded from the other side. “Seb, do you want lunch?”Sebastian glanced at the clock, and noticed that it was already noon.“Rose, do you still feel unwell? Can you make it for lunch?”Rosalie smiled. “I’m fine now.”“All right, then. Shall I bring lunch up to
“You…” Sebastian was about to say something more, when Rosalie cut in, “We’re just having a chat. It’s all good.”“Hear that? Our guest has spoken. Stop talking so fiercely to me,” Yvonne said, displeased.Sebastian looked helplessly at his sister, feeling at his wits’ end when dealing with her.Rosalie looked enviously at the siblings before her. If only she had a brother… A pity she didn’t.She mentioned taking Theodore as her brother, but Theodore wasn’t actually her brother. No, he was her lover and husband. That was worlds apart from a brother.How could she take the man she loved the most as her brother? She couldn’t do it.After lunch, Rosalie tried to persuade Sebastian, who looked completely exhausted, “Sebastian, go back to your room and sleep. You didn’t sleep the entire night. You’re probably very tired.”“I’m fine.”He was the one who brought Rosalie here. If he went back to his room and sleep, she would be left all alone.Yvonne ran over, and said, “Just look a
Yvonne brought Rosalie outside for some fresh air. After some walking, they sat on a bench.“Rose, I heard Sebastian say that you’re married?”Rosalie nodded. “Yes, I am.” “You’re pregnant, too.”“Yes, that too.”Out of curiosity, Yvonne asked, “Who’s your husband?”The mention of her husband gave Rosalie a dull pain in her chest. “What’s the matter? Do you feel unwell?” Yvonne asked. Yvonne noticed how frail Rosalie looked, and hoped she wouldn’t faint before her. She would be in trouble when her brother woke up and found out what happened.“I… I’m a little tired. I want to go back to my room and rest.”“All right, then.” Yvonne suddenly found Rosalie rather dull and boring. It seemed Sebastian fancied dull and boring women.On the way back, Yvonne held Rosalie’s arm as she said, “You haven’t told me who your husband is. You already have a baby with him. Why wouldn’t you tell me who he is?”“He’s just an ordinary man. There’s nothing interesting about him.”“Oh, is t
Justin brought the baby home and saw Rosalie spacing out before the kitchen counter. She didn't even realize they were home."Mama," Steve called out to her.Rosalie heard him and turned to look at them. "You're back."She took Steve from Justin's hands and held him in her arms."Rose, are you alright? What did Theodore tell you?" Justin asked. "Aurora felt guilty and made Angie her scapegoat. Angie has been nabbed by the police," Rosalie replied.Justin frowned. "Angie surely wouldn't be a sitting duck. She'll expose Aurora.""That's not wrong," Rosalie said. "The problem is, Aurora is too good at putting up a facade. Theodore doesn't trust Angie and he said he'll investigate things and find out if Aurora was involved. At the end of the day, he refuses to believe that Aurora is capable of something like that. He subconsciously thinks that Angie was solely responsible.""That sounds like something he would do," Justin concluded. "Last time, I could tell he's very protective of
Theodore turned around. "Is there something else?"Justin walked over. "Do you want to hold him? He seems eager to hug you."Theodore paused. Then, he gave a helpless smile at the corner of his mouth."No, you take him upstairs." The more he held Steve, the harder it would be to let go. He didn't even know why he felt such strong emotions for Steve. Perhaps it was because Steve was Rosalie's child, and thus, he couldn't help but care for the baby.Seeing this, Justin didn't insist. He was about to leave when suddenly, Steve started crying in his arms. Steve stretched out his hands toward Theodore, trying to reach him.Hearing the cries, Theodore's heart tightened. He turned around and saw Justin trying to soothe the child."Steve, what's wrong? Are you hungry? I'll take you back right away."Steve continued crying, louder and louder, and Theodore felt as if his heart were being squeezed. His feet felt like they were nailed to the ground, and he couldn't move.Justin took a few steps b
"And what about you?" Theodore countered. "Rose, when will you finally see what kind of people are around you? Sebastian's two-faced, pretentious, and full of lies. Justin has blood on his hands, with numerous enemies. He's like a ticking time bomb, and both of them will only bring you disaster."Rosalie sneered. "And how much disaster have you brought me? Do you think the mental torment you've caused me isn't enough?"Theodore gave a bitter smile. "Rose, do you want me to die to make up for the harm I've caused you?""No, I just hope you won't bother me anymore. I have my own life now. Whether it's good or bad, it has nothing to do with you. Once upon a time, Grandma was the last connection between us, but now that she's gone, we have nothing left."She avoided Theodore's gaze. "You should go now."Theodore clenched his fists. "If this is what you want, then I understand. I'll stay away from you in the future and won't bother you again, because, as you said, we have nothing left."Wi
Theodore was about to speak, but then he remembered he had important matters to discuss today and couldn't be sidetracked by Justin."Rose, I have something important to tell you. Let's talk privately.""If you have something to say, just say it," Rosalie replied. She knew he wanted Justin to leave, but she didn't mind if Justin knew what was going on.Theodore gave Justin a cold glance before continuing, "This matter concerns Grandma. I don't want anyone else around. It's something that should only be discussed between the two of us.""He's not an outsider," Rosalie replied without hesitation. "He can know about Grandma's matters too."Seeing the two of them about to argue, Justin immediately said, "I'll take Steve out for a walk and come back later."With that, Justin left.Rosalie quickly said, "Justin, you don't need to…""It's fine," he interrupted her. "I'll take him downstairs for a walk."With that, Justin left with Steve.Rosalie took a step back and said to Theodore, "Come in
Aurora looked incredibly sorrowful, completely unlike someone who was acting. Theodore, for a moment, didn't know whether he should believe her or not.When Rosalie had first told him, he had only defended Aurora, completely ignoring Angie.Now, with Aurora telling him that it was Angie who killed Rebecca, Theodore couldn't be 100% certain that Aurora was not involved in this matter.It felt like a layer of mist had been added, blurring his vision and preventing him from seeing clearly.After a long while, Theodore released Aurora."Get better first," he said, turning to leave.Suddenly, he heard some movement behind him. Turning around, he saw Aurora stumbling toward the window in the ward. She forcefully pulled open the window and jumped straight down.Theodore's brows tightened, and with rocket-like speed, he rushed forward. He grabbed her from behind and pulled her back from the window ledge. "What are you doing?!""Theo, let me die! I don't want to live anymore. Just pretend I kil
Theodore took out his phone and called Aurora, but she didn't answer the phone.He turned to the bodyguard and asked, "When you took Angie, was Aurora not at home?"The bodyguard nodded. "Yes, only Angie was at home. Aurora wasn't there."Theodore furrowed his brow. Was Angie telling the truth? Had Aurora fled in fear of being caught? He clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking.Could Aurora really be this kind of person? Had he misjudged her character all along?"Find her. I want to know where she went."A few hours later, Theodore's subordinates brought news of Aurora's whereabouts. She had booked a hotel room.Theodore led a group of people to her hotel room and knocked on the door forcefully, but there was no response.The staff member opened the door with a room key, and the group entered. Aurora was indeed in the room, and she was lying on the bed.Theodore strode over."Aurora!" he shouted, but as he got closer, he noticed that she was motionless. An empty pill bottle was on th
Hearing the recording on the phone, Angie was horrified and nearly fainted."No, that's not how it is! It's not like that!" she cried in fear.Angie tried to get up from the floor, but the two men behind her pressed her down firmly, keeping her kneeling on the ground."It's not like that!" Angie shouted. "Aurora's framing me! She's setting me up!""She's framing you?" Theodore sneered. "Didn't you admit that you killed my grandmother?""I… It wasn't me!" Angie's agitation intensified. "Aurora is clearly using me as a scapegoat! She tricked me into saying those things! This is all fake!"Angie finally realized that Aurora had planned to make her the scapegoat from the very beginning, wanting to rid herself of any involvement. It was so sinister—recording conversations and twisting the facts. How despicable!"Fake?" Theodore seized her face with one hand, gripping it so tightly that her face nearly contorted. He gritted his teeth and harshly demanded, "Are you saying Aurora did this?""Y
Aurora wept bitterly, her voice choked with sobs. "Theo, I'm sorry. I didn't know Angie could be so vicious. I thought she just had a foul mouth—I never imagined her to be this wicked!"Theodore's trembling hand picked up his phone and played the recording again and again, listening to the conversation between Angie and Aurora.Aurora quietly observed Theodore's expression.In the recording, she had edited out the later parts, leaving only her dialogue with Angie. As a result, it sounded as if Angie had acted entirely on her own, with no involvement from Aurora.Aurora understood that revealing this matter would eventually lead to suspicions falling on her. However, if she didn't use Angie as a scapegoat, they would both be exposed sooner or later. Acting preemptively, she decided to sacrifice Angie.Theodore turned to look at Aurora. After a long pause, he asked in a low voice, "When did you find out?"Aurora wiped the tears from her face. "A while ago, when Angie was arrested by the
Aurora locked her bedroom door, then returned to her bed and began swiping on her phone. After confirming multiple times that everything was in order, she dialed Theodore's number."It's late. What's the matter?" Theodore asked."Theo, could you come pick me up? I have something very important to tell you.""Just tell me over the phone.""No, this is important. I have to tell you in person. Please come pick me up—I'm begging you! It's about Grandma."Theodore paused for a moment, then said, "Alright, I'm on my way."Less than an hour later, Theodore's car arrived at Aurora's apartment complex.Aurora had already changed clothes. When she received Theodore's call, she quietly slipped out of the house and hurried downstairs.Theodore was leaning against the car hood, waiting for her. When he saw her approach, he asked coldly, "What's so urgent this late at night?""Let's get in the car and leave here first," Aurora said as she opened the front passenger door and got in the car.Theodore