“You were worried I’d have a hard time, so you abandoned me? Did you think I had it great with you? You should know what my life was like when you adopted me. You were often drunk, and took your anger out on me. I did all the housework until my hands were raw. Even though you took all of my parents' compensation money, you wouldn’t even pay for my school supplies. I was ostracized in class, and you never cared.”“Are you complaining about me?” Laila growled. “I did adopt you, after all! Without me, you’d have been homeless.”“And you have the nerve to say that?” Rosalie retorted. “You spent all my parents' compensation money! You know exactly why you adopted me.”Laila’s face darkened. “How can you say that? I didn’t adopt you just for the money! I’m your closest relative, so of course I should be the one to take you in. Since I did take you in, why shouldn’t I use the money? After all, I was taking care of their daughter. You’re a living, breathing person. What does that money matt
Rosalie walked out of the hospital room, ignoring Laila's frantic shouts. "Rosalie, come back! Come back now! You can't leave!" Laila tried to get out of bed to chase after her, but her legs wouldn't cooperate. All she could do was watch helplessly as Rosalie's figure disappeared down the hallway.-Once outside, Rosalie immediately called Rebecca. The phone rang only once before Rebecca's kind and patient voice answered."Rose, is that you? What’s the matter?""Grandma, I need to ask you something, and I need you to be honest with me."Rebecca chuckled softly. "Of course, dear. What is it?"Rosalie took a deep breath. "Did Aunt Laila ever come to see you?"There was a sudden silence on the other end.After a moment, Rebecca replied, "Why are you asking about this now?""Grandma, please just answer my question. She did come to see you, didn't she?"Rebecca sighed. "Yes, she did, but it was many years ago."Rosalie frowned. "Why didn't you tell me? I had no idea.""Becau
Time flew by, and before long, it was time for Sebastian’s discharge. After spending about twenty-five days in the hospital, his recovery was progressing well, and he only needed to focus on resting.During this period, Rosalie hadn’t seen Theodore at all. It was as if things were completely over, and there was nothing left between them. In a way, it wasn’t all bad.Back at the Carter Residence, Sebastian found comfort in the familiar surroundings. Although he vaguely remembered some things, the memories remained fragmented. Now that he could move around freely and live a normal life, his spirits had lifted significantly.That evening, after a bath, Sebastian returned to his room. He saw Rosalie making the bed. Hearing his footsteps, she turned and said, "Seb, the bed’s ready. Come over and rest."She patted the bed’s edge, and then straightened up. As she turned to leave, he suddenly pulled her into a hug and leaned in, wanting to kiss her. Rosalie was startled and quickly
Rosalie’s heart raced. “Seb, you were in the hospital, and you weren’t well.”“That’s no excuse,” Sebastian said. “I was ill, but a hug or a kiss shouldn’t be a problem, right? Now that I’m out of the hospital and the doctor has given the go-ahead for some intimacy, are you willing to let me be close to you?”Rosalie stared at him in silence.Sebastian took a step closer. “Honey, let’s have a hug.”He wrapped his arms around her back. “Honey.”Even with his memory loss, Sebastian was still a normal man. Holding his beloved woman, his mind was filled with thoughts. He turned his face, and whispered in her ear, “You smell so good.”Rosalie flinched and pushed him away, stepping back a few paces. “No, we can’t do this.”“Why not?” Sebastian’s frown deepened, his voice rising. “Tell me why we can’t. I’m your husband. Don’t use my health as an excuse. I won’t believe you.”“Sebastian, we just can’t,” Rosalie said, her eyes misting. “We can’t...”“Tell me why.” Sebastian clenched hi
With the conversation reaching this point, Rosalie could only admit the truth. She nodded. “Yes. I’m sorry, Seb. This baby isn’t yours, which is why I didn’t tell you about it.”She simply didn’t want to deceive Sebastian.This child wasn’t his. Lying to him would be unfair to him and to the baby she was carrying. She couldn’t bring herself to do it.Sebastian felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. “It’s not mine? Then whose is it? What happened between us? Why are you carrying another man’s child? We’re married!“No… it can’t be.” Sebastian’s head suddenly ached. He raised his hand to his head, and stepped back. “How can this be? Did you cheat on me? Why are you carrying someone else’s baby? No, this isn’t right. Rose, how could you cheat on me? We’re legally married. How could you!”Sebastian’s voice grew increasingly agitated, and with the pain becoming unbearable, he collapsed to the ground.“Seb!” Rosalie rushed to his side, holding his arms and trying to help him u
Rosalie was silent for a long time. “Sebastian, so much has happened between us, but please believe that everything will work out. I’ve been by your side all this time. Can you not…pressure me?”Seeing the redness in Rosalie’s eyes, Sebastian lowered his gaze, thought for a moment, then took her arm. “Rose, I never wanted to pressure you. I was just confused, and now that you’ve told me, I feel…”“Are you angry?” Rosalie asked. “If you’re angry, just tell me.”Sebastian shook his head. “No, I’m not angry. I’m just very sad. And deep down, I feel like I’ve always known.”“Seb, I’m sorry I’ve upset you.”“Rose, if you can’t answer my questions directly, it must mean this is very complicated. If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. I know it’s for my own good, and I won’t pressure you. But promise me, if something comes up, you’ll tell me. I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do. I just want you to be happy. I’ll listen to whatever you say.”Sebastian’s unders
Rosalie returned to the next room, took a shower. After getting back into bed, she glanced at her phone and saw she had a message.It was from Yerick. [Rose, are you asleep yet?]Rosalie replied, [I’m just about to go to sleep. Is something up?][Not really, just wanted to say goodnight and let you know that I’ve joined a new R&D team recently.]Rosalie responded, [That’s great! Congratulations!][Rose, I really want to take you out for a meal, but there’s never been a good time. How’s your husband doing?]Rosalie wrote back, [He’s out of the hospital now and recovering well.]Yerick replied, [That’s good to hear. You’ve gone through a lot, Rose. Make sure to get some rest.]Rosalie smiled. [It’s fine. No matter how tough things get, it’s worth it. The storm has finally passed.][Yes, the storm has passed. Let’s hope there are no more storms; they’re so annoying!] Yerick joked.Rosalie wrote, [Yes, but life is full of ups and downs. Let’s focus on handling the present and che
“Do you like it?” Cynthia stepped back a few paces, holding the hem of her wedding dress and twirling around in front of Theodore.Objectively speaking, she looked lovely in the dress. Despite that, he seemed uninterested.Noticing his lack of enthusiasm, she said, “Theo, what’s wrong? Does the dress look bad? It’s a gift from you, and I’m finally wearing it. We’re about to get married! You should be happy.”Theodore had promised her so many times that this time, she wouldn’t let him back out.Theodore stared at her in silence for a moment before saying, “Cindy, I remember you said you loved music when you were younger, but you never had the chance to study it.”Cynthia nodded. “Yes. I did love music when I was a child, but as you know, I wasn’t very favored in my family. If I pursued something as impractical as music or the arts, I would struggle to support myself, so I had to choose a more practical field.”Theodore nodded sympathetically. “I know, and I’m sorry for that. But