"Grandma, I need to use the restroom." Rosalie put down her cutlery, and stood up to leave.After Rosalie left, Rebecca turned to Theodore. "Why are you sitting there like you’re mute? You should’ve said something!"Theodore smiled bitterly. "What could I say? Even if I agreed, Rose might not. She doesn’t want to be close to me, so even pretending will be stressful for her."That was why he hadn’t said anything. No matter what he said, it would only make her uncomfortable. He didn’t mind telling Rebecca, because he knew she understood deep down. Hiding it only give everyone more pressure.Rebecca sighed. This was exactly what she had expected. "Rose treating you this way now is your own fault. You lost a good wife, just like your father. Why don’t you ever learn?""I don’t know why. Maybe it’s human nature. We know it’s wrong, but we do it anyway. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many wars," Theodore replied helplessly.Rebecca shook her head in resignation. "I’m tired of reprim
“What’s the problem?”“I…” Theodore didn’t want to tell his grandmother that Rosalie was already married. Just as he was thinking of an excuse, his phone dinged. He took it out, and saw a message from Rosalie. [Please come to the restroom, thanks.]He put his phone back in his pocket. “Grandma, I need to use the restroom.”Theodore left the dining room and headed to the restroom. When he got there, Rosalie opened the door for him, pulled him inside, and shut the door with a bang.He waved his phone in front of her. “You're being very polite.”Rosalie had sent him a message with "please" and "thanks," speaking to him as if he were a stranger.“What do you want? Do you want me to speak rudely to you?” Rosalie asked.“I’d rather you be rude and curse at me.”She frowned. “Do you really want me to curse at you that much?”“Yes, I’d prefer that to you being polite. Your courteous attitude makes me uneasy.”The more polite she was, the further away she seemed. He’d rather she hit
“Why do you think I wouldn’t agree?” Theodore asked.“It’s not that I think you wouldn’t agree. It’s that I don’t know if you would, so I wanted to ask you privately,” Rosalie explained.“You’re very cautious. Can I take this to mean you care about my feelings? Otherwise, you could have just said that since she’s my grandmother, it’s my responsibility to fulfill her wish.”“Don’t misunderstand. It has nothing to do with caring about your feelings. I just think it’s a matter of courtesy. We’re divorced, and things aren’t the same as before. Besides, visiting your grandmother is a responsibility, but you’re not obligated to fulfill her competitive desires. You can refuse, and that doesn’t make you a bad grandson,” she retorted calmly.“So, you think Grandma shouldn’t compare us to others?”“It doesn't matter. It has already happened. I understand her feelings, so if I have the ability to fulfill her wish, I’m willing to do it.”“Aren’t you afraid that she might demand more in the f
Seeing Rosalie's wary expression, Theodore scoffed. “Are you afraid I’ll press you against the wall and kiss you? Then you shouldn’t have called me here.”Rosalie lowered her gaze. “I hope you don’t do such things here.”“Not here?” Theodore smirked. “You mean I can do it somewhere else?”Rosalie frowned. “Stop joking. Let’s go out.”Considering what he had done before, she knew he was capable of such actions. More importantly, she had texted him to come here. If he really did kiss her, it would be hard for her to defend herself.“I have a question for you.”“What?” Rosalie asked.“You’re worried about Grandma, and so am I. She says she’s fine, but we don’t believe it without seeing her medical report. Now I’m worried about you. When was your last check-up?”Rosalie felt a stab of pain in her heart. “Didn’t you take me for a check-up before our divorce? You already know everything, didn’t you?”Fortunately, Stephanie had helped her. Otherwise, she would have been exposed.“Yo
“I don’t know,” Rosalie said, looking at him sadly. “I only know that if you hurt him, it’s the same as hurting me.”Theodore couldn’t help but clench his fists. Indeed, Rosalie and Sebastian were married now. Hurting either one of them meant hurting the other.He wanted to say something, but the words were stuck in his throat. What could they reach an agreement on in the restroom, and with Rebecca outside? It would just end badly. The more he spoke, the more mistakes he would make.He sighed and turned, opening the door of the restroom to leave.Rosalie stood there for a long time. Her heart ached painfully. After quietly wiping away the tears from the corner of her eyes and regaining her composure, she made her way back.Rebecca was ecstatic to hear that Rosalie and Theodore had agreed to attend the wedding as a married couple.“You’re such good children. Thank you for indulging my vanity. I feel a bit guilty. I promise I won’t compare anymore next time. At my age, being vain i
“Stop acting like you know him, okay? You don’t understand his situation at all! Don’t judge his actions based on your own values. There’s a reason why I'm staying in the hospital to take care of him,” Rosalie said.Sebastian had amnesia, and needed her. Now, he was like a lost child who couldn't find his way home. He was unfamiliar with everything around him. If she wasn't by his side, he would be terrified. Brain surgery wasn't a joke; even a tiny error could result in paralysis or death. It was already a miracle that he survived.Theodore had no idea what she had gone through!Seeing how protective Rosalie was of Sebastian, Theodore could see their relationship was indeed unbreakable. He felt a mix of bitterness and sadness.“As long as you think it makes sense,” Theodore said flatly. He didn't mean anything by that, but to Rosalie, it sounded a bit harsh.She wanted to argue back, but couldn’t find the right words. All she could do was swallow her anger and fume in silence.W
“Every time I get angry, it leads to serious consequences because I’ll come after you, interrogating you with righteous indignation, making you angry, making you cry, and even hurting you, as if I were the victim. But all of this was self-inflicted. I’m the one who divorced you for another woman, who abandoned my wife for the promises made to another woman. Why should I blame you for being close to Sebastian?” Theodore went on.“Even if you’re close to him, so what? It's my fault I lost you. You met a man who was gentle and caring, who stayed with you when you were in pain and protected you. Naturally, you’d be touched. Rose, tell me. Did Sebastian’s dedication move you so much that you transitioned from being ordinary friends to best friends who would go to great lengths for each other?”Rosalie was silent for a moment before nodding. “Yes, he moved me deeply.”Her heart wasn’t made of stone, so she could feel Sebastian’s kindness. While she didn't feel romantic love for him, love
“I'm the scumbag, but every time I see you with Sebastian, I feel like you shouldn’t be so close to him. Since you both are just friends, why should you be so intimate with each other? I ignored what I had done, and all the painful situations I put you in. At that time, Sebastian brought you so much hope.”“Ordinary friends and best friends are different. If you must compare the two and then use the standards for ordinary friends to criticize all cross-gender friendships, that’s superficial. It just means that one doesn’t understand how complex emotions can get. Such a person is doomed to never have true friends, and even if they do, they will lose them.”“I shouldn’t have measured your friendship with Sebastian using the standards of ordinary friends. I was viewing your relationship from my narrow perspective, so I became extreme and harsh. I hurt you repeatedly, questioned you, and belittled you.”“Foolish and superficial people see everything in black and white, but there are gra
Their parent-child bonding efforts officially began the next day.Rosalie brought Jake to the theme park. In the beginning, Jake felt rather stiff and reserved. It was his first time alone with his mom, after all.As time went by, Rosalie's earnestness, concern, and gentle patience with him slowly opened him up.They sat on the carousel, drove the bumper cars, rode on the Viking ship, zoomed down slides, bounced on the trampolines, and sailed on mini-boats. They had a whale of a time.Jake was covered with sweat, but he was so happy, he didn't want the day to end.He had grown closer to his mom, so much so that he would jump into her arms, hugging her and asking for kisses.Rosalie did not hold back from expressing her love for him and even carried him on her back as they continued exploring the park.Jake was very obedient and came down very soon, for fear that Rosalie might get tired. They moved on to the next attraction hand-in-hand.Rosalie found out one thing from Jake, wh
Some time later, Rosalie realized that Jake was being rather sullen.Each time she asked him whether something was wrong, he would brush her away, claiming that he was fine before running off.It was a Saturday, and Rosalie didn't need to go to work. She was seated on the couch with a book when Chelsea ran over, her braids swaying behind her. "Mommy, can you give me a hug?"How could Rosalie say no to her adorable little daughter? She shut the book and said, "But of course. Come on over."Rosalie opened her arms, very willing to show Chelsea affection.Chelsea crawled up onto the couch happily, sitting on Rosalie's lap and diving into her embrace.Jake happened to see it all.Rosalie noticed Jake standing a short distance away and was about to say something to him when he ran off.The smile on Rosalie's face faded as a look of worry took over.At night, Rosalie put Chelsea under Theodore's care and went to Jake, wanting to speak to him alone."Jake, what's with you recently
A gentle breeze lifted the curtains slightly in the deep of the night.Rosalie laid in Theodore's embrace, panting slightly. Her cheek leaned against his chest, feeling his heart pounding heavily, and her cheeks flushed.She never expected this day to come between her and Theodore, yet everything happened in a flash. He went to bed with her just like that, bewitched and completely infatuated with her.Although they were once husband and wife and had been intimate countless times, this felt different from the last. Things felt more intense this time around."Rose, are you happy?"Although Theodore's liver had been doing well over the last three months of recuperation, he was still worried that his fitness level might be affected before his liver was fully recovered.Rosalie gave him a slight smile. "Of course, I am. You almost crushed me."Her face flushed the moment she spoke those words. She hugged Theodore tight, feeling safe and secure.She could sense that he was telling th
"Theo, have you had a woman over the past five years?" Rosalie asked very frankly.They weren't naive young men and women but mature adults with experience in this matter.Theodore was a red-blooded young man who had his needs. Suppressing his desires, which were absolutely normal, would only jeopardize his health.Theodore was getting angry. "Am I someone like that to you, going to bed with a woman I don't love just to satisfy my physical needs?""Aren't men all like that?" Rosalie said. She didn't mean it in a scornful way but simply highlighted it as a typical observation.Lonely men and women in the city were bound to seek companionship in some places and part ways after the night.Someone as powerful and influential as Theodore wouldn't even need to go searching for someone else. Women flocked toward him like bees to honey."Why can't I be an exception?" He was in no state whatsoever to find another woman over the past five years and would always deal with his sexual desire
Time flew by, and three months later, Rosalie was fully recovered and back at work.Her colleagues welcomed her back with a bash.Everything seemed to have returned to normal.To keep Jake company, Rosalie would go back to Theodore's house every day after work. She was practically living there.Rosalie and Jake's relationship had improved over time, and they were looking more and more like they were truly mother and son.Everything was going well.At night, the four of them sat around the dining table and chatted happily with each other.After dinner, Rosalie and Theodore sat in the living room chatting. She suddenly noticed a book on the table. It looked so familiar that it caught her eye.It was the book she had written. Over the past five years, not only was she busy learning and working, but she also managed to write the book she had conceptualized and even gotten it published. However, this book was only available in Briusian and not exported to Blencalgo.Rosalie's book
The door to the ward was opened once more.Rosalie thought Theodore had returned and didn't expect to see just her two children.Jake held Chelsea's hand as they approached the bedside. Rosalie looked kindly at them."Children, if Mommy were to go, listen to Daddy. And remember, Mommy loves you two forever.""No," Jake said loudly. "Mommy, you don't love us."Rosalie was shocked and pleasantly surprised to hear Jake's words.She was pleasantly surprised to hear Jake call her Mommy, but shocked to hear his claim that she didn't love them."Jake, how could Mommy not love you both? I've been dreaming of you over the years, and I only left you just because I was worried about implicating you. I didn't mean to abandon you like that."Rosalie was filled with endless remorse."But you left me anyway. Now that you're finally back, you're unwilling to go for surgery. You're going to die, and you're going to leave me again. You'll leave Chelsea behind too. That's why you don't love us a
After a few days of mental tug-of-war, Rosalie still refused to accept Theodore's liver. It was clear to see that her condition was deteriorating fast."Rose, I'm begging you! Go for the surgery," Theodore pleaded, unable to wait any longer.If there really came a day where he hated her, the reason would be her stubbornness. She wanted to keep his liver at the expense of her life.Both children were sprawled on the bedside, sobbing hard.Rosalie's haggard face looked lifeless. She held Theodore's hand and said, "Theo, promise me one thing. After I die, please take care of Chelsea. I hope you can take good care of her. I'm leaving both children in your hands.""I won't say yes," Theodore said agitatedly. "I won't take care of your daughter. If you die, I won't care about your daughter.""Theo, don't be like this!" Rosalie knew that he was saying that to make her agree to accept his liver. "I really can't take your liver. That would be way too selfish of me.""Aren't you being sel
"Don't look at him," Rosalie said. "He didn't say a word. I guessed it myself. The doctor told me that someone who ended up in a vegetative state due to a car accident was going to have his liver donated to me, so I went looking for him but failed. Clearly, you have been lying to me.""Rose, you misunderstand. That man…""Enough, Theo," Rosalie said, cutting him off. "Stop lying to me. Is it that difficult telling me the truth? Quit lying to me in the name of doing so for my good. I've had enough of that."Rosalie spoke so loudly, she strained herself and clutched her chest out of pain."Rose, I'm sorry. I just wanted you to get better," Theodore said, visibly upset."You want me to get better by giving me your liver? Theodore Spencer, I don't want it. I don't want your liver. I'm not going for this surgery."What Theodore feared most was happening.Rosalie didn't want his liver."Rose, why don't you want it? It can save your life!" Theodore said, starting to get angry."You k
The nurse pushed Rosalie to the hall, about to guide her outdoors. Rosalie really wanted to see her donor, even if it was just a glance from afar. She didn't need to appear before them.So, she asked her nurse to push her to the nurses' station."Excuse me, I'd like to ask if there's a patient who got in a car accident and is now in a vegetative state? A 35-year-old man sent in a couple days ago?""What is his name?" asked one of the nurses."I don't know, but he's preparing for a liver donation surgery, and I'm the recipient. I just want to see him from afar. I won't disturb his family," Rosalie said."Liver transplant? I don't remember such a patient in the hospital. Did you make a mistake?"Rosalie recalled what Dr. Landon had told her, and was sure she wasn't mistaken. "How could that be? I'm due for the surgery tomorrow.""Let's go outdoors for a walk," Jake said as he pushed hard on Rosalie's wheelchair. He was small in stature, but he managed to move the wheelchair along.