Rosalie listened to Laila's screams. Though she felt a bit afraid, Laila deserved this. It was karma.Laila's gambling addiction had led her to incur heavy debts, and to think she even conspired with kidnappers to abduct her own niece! It was utterly unforgivable.The screams continued for several minutes before finally subsiding. Eventually, Laila's pleas for mercy faded away."What a fucking jinx!" the man cursed. He was panting heavily, as if exhausted from the beating.But no sooner had he finished cursing, he kicked Laila again. "Look what you made me do. You made me curse! How can a refined person like me use such foul language? It's all your fault! Damn it! Damn, I cursed again!"He grabbed a bottle nearby, and smashed it over Laila's head."Anyone who makes me curse deserves to die!"The sound of the bottle shattering echoed sharply, like a knife piercing Rosalie's eardrums.Then, footsteps approached her. She trembled in fear. Suddenly, the blindfold was removed fr
Rosalie was extremely tense. "What game do you want to play? Please don't harm my child."The man slowly walked over to her, lowered his head, and gently placed his hand on her belly. "Your child, or should I say, Theodore's child?""It's my child, and also his child," Rosalie replied. "The child is innocent. Please don't harm him.""You care so much about this embryo?" The man chuckled softly. "Then why haven't you told Theodore that you're pregnant?"This man knew everything. Could he be someone from her or Theodore's life? But who could he be? Rosalie couldn't figure it out."What's wrong? Are you afraid to tell him? How about I tell him when he arrives?""Did you contact him?" Rosalie asked immediately."Look at your face. You want him to come, don't you?"The man leaned in close to her, his black mask swaying before her eyes. It was terrifying.Rosalie turned her head to the side. "He's already married to another woman. There's no point in you reaching out to him. You s
"I may be her ex-husband, but you probably found out in your investigation that I've known Rose for ten years. Even though we're divorced, we're still family. I'm more reliable than Sebastian, so whatever you want, you can talk to me. There's no need to involve Sebastian.""Oh, really? But I already contacted him late last night, and told him about Rosalie's situation. He seemed very worried. He also said he'd do anything to ensure Rosalie's release. It sounds like he's more anxious than you, her ex-husband.""You contacted Sebastian?" Theodore frowned."What, you don't believe me?"Theodore's breathing became more rapid. Sebastian had promised to notify him if the kidnappers called, but didn't say a word.However, Theodore wasn't entirely surprised. Expecting Sebastian to share information with him was wishful thinking. A man like Sebastian wanted to have everything to himself."I believe you. If you want to play some twisted game, I'm willing to play along. But you have to guar
"Did you hear that? Your ex-husband wants you to talk to him. Don't stay silent, or he'll think I killed you and won't play my game anymore. That would upset me."Rosalie still refused to speak. What could she say to Theodore? In her current situation, anything she said would only be a fatal blow to him.Things had already reached this point. Theodore was certainly going to try to rescue he, but deep down, she didn't want him to come. If he really did, it would not end well.She couldn't risk other people's lives just to save her own. If Theodore died, his grandmother wouldn't want to live anymore. Plus, what would his parents do? He was their only son."You bastard! Did you kill Rose?" Theodore roared in anger, unable to contain his fury.Rosalie still said nothing. This was for the best. If Theodore thought she was dead, he wouldn't foolishly come to rescue her.Suddenly, a sharp knife was pointed at her belly, the blade glinting menacingly.The man leaned close, and whispered
"You better think this through. You can only come alone. If I see you bring anyone else, I’ll immediately cut open this woman’s stomach, and then take out what's inside her..."As he spoke, the man suddenly paused and turned to glance at Rosalie meaningfully.Rosalie's heart nearly leaped into her throat. Was this man about to tell Theodore that she was pregnant?The man continued, "As for what happens next, you can imagine it yourself.""I won’t bring anyone with me," Theodore said, trying hard to suppress his rage. "Don’t harm her. I’ll do exactly as you say.""Good. I’ll send you the address now. Make sure you behave."Seeing the man's fierce gaze, Rosalie became very agitated. "Theo, don’t come!"But before she could finish speaking, the man had already ended the call.He walked over to Rosalie, grabbed her chin, and lifted her head. "Even in this state, you still want to protect your ex-husband, huh?""Why didn’t you tell him I’m pregnant?" Rosalie asked. The man had me
"What’s your relationship with Laila?" Rosalie asked.She couldn't even call Laila her aunt now, filled with resentment toward the latter."What relationship could I possibly have with her?""Then why is she here?" Rosalie pressed on."Oh, it's like this," the man said. "She was with the kidnappers at the time. Later, to save her own life, she betrayed you to them. I found a way to get her out, and sent her to the wedding to tell Theodore that you were kidnapped.""Why did you do that?""Are you asking why I had Laila tell Theodore that you were kidnapped?"Rosalie nodded. "What do you want to get from Theodore? Is it just to play some boring game?"The man leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "I like playing games, and unknown games are even more exciting for me."Rosalie felt a chill at his words.She then turned her head and looked at Laila, asking, "What do you plan to do with her?""What do you think?" the man asked. "Maybe I can give her to you. You can do whatever
Laila's words made Rosalie feel increasingly disgusted. She was glad she hadn't given in. Such a person was unworthy of any sympathy."If it weren't for me, would you have been able to live the life of a wealthy lady or to have a good life? You wouldn't even lend me money and just watched me fall into trouble. You've wronged me! What did I ever do to deserve this? You brought this on yourself!"Laila, who was desperate now, glared at Rosalie menacingly. "You're so stingy! Even though you have so much money, you wouldn't lend me any. You were the one who wanted to harm me first!"Rosalie snorted coldly. "Say whatever you like. You won't have a good ending."Rosalie then ignored her.Laila struggled to get up from the ground and move toward Rosalie, but the man blocked her path. His hands on his hips, he looked down at her. "What, do you want to hit her?"He raised his fist, ready to hit her.Laila fell to the ground with a thud. She covered her head, and curled up in the corn
Rosalie didn't care about what Laila said, except the one thing regarding her not being her parents' biological child."Stop it!" Rosalie shouted at the man.The man retracted the foot he had just raised.After putting his foot down, he felt a bit frustrated. He seemed to be a bit confused about his role. He was a kidnapper, so why should he listen to his hostage? It was annoying! He also had to avoid swearing, lest it affect his image.‘Forget it,’ he thought. He would just listen and not be petty with women. He still had to listen to Rosalie.Rosalie immediately said, "Laila, you said I'm not my parents' biological child. Why should I believe you? It sounds like you're just saying that out of desperation. You have no evidence.""What evidence do you need? You're not their biological child!" Laila's voice trembled. "If you don't believe it, you can do a DNA test. If you're truly my brother's biological daughter, then we have a blood relation. If not, the DNA test will show tha
Theodore wrapped all of them up in his long arms.Under the golden sunshine, the family of four was wrapped up in each other's embraces. Sunlight shone on them, encasing them in a warm, golden glow. Everything felt calm and peaceful. The children snuggled in their parents' arms, innocent smiles lighting up their faces. They could feel the warmth of the sunshine as they found the safest and warmest haven in the entire world in their arms.In the evening sun and gentle breeze, they finally found happiness in each other's embrace.-In the deep of the night, Rosalie had a dream.Both Justin and Grandma came to her in her dream.Grandma and Justin were playing cards, surrounded by beautiful birds and flowers. They seemed to be in heaven, having the time of their lives with a look of tender love in their eyes.Grandma was very happy that she had reconciled with Theodore.Justin told Rosalie, "Rose, I'm so happy to see you happy.""Justin, do you hate me?""Silly girl, why would
Theodore made Rosalie feel like love was possible once more, and gradually opened her up.Love was ever-changing with time and the experiences they went through.Rosalie missed Justin dearly, but she also learned to treasure the people around her and every present moment of happiness. She learned how to accept the past and treasure the present amidst all her relationships.Justin would be her one and only in her heart, but Theodore also found his place in her heart amidst the unique position Justin was in.This was how their affections and love for each other grew and changed with time.Justin was dead, and Rosalie couldn't keep living in the past. She would carefully preserve her love for Justin in a corner of her heart.She would spend the rest of her life loving Theodore and their children."Chelsea," Rosalie said as she pulled Chelsea over. "Your daddy loves you very much, but he didn't get to see you come into this world. But you must remember his name. He is Justin Lynch."
Theodore and Rosalie brought both children to Justin's tomb.Before they left, Rosalie said that she and Chelsea wanted to spend some time alone with Justin.Theodore brought Jake to the car to wait for them.Golden sunlight shone on the land, feeling warm and toasty and giving the earth a beautiful glow.Rosalie caressed the tombstone. "Justin, I'm sorry for not coming to visit for such a long time."The last time she came back was a few months ago, during which she snuck a peak at his tombstone.Rosalie pulled out a bone fragment. "That's because you're always by my side, which is why I think that I can bring you everywhere I go. You're not just here at this tombstone."Justin, Theo and I have reconciled. He did so much for me, even sacrificing his own life for me. I can't just stand idly by and do nothing about it. I can't bring myself to reject him ruthlessly again and again."You can say that I'm moved, or that I fell in love with him once more. He's just too good, and I c
Jake had so much fun today and was exhausted by the time he reached home. After his shower, he crawled into bed and fell right asleep without any coaxing whatsoever. Jake would sometimes sleep in the bedroom with Chelsea, and sometimes they slept separately.At night, when Rosalie went to Chelsea's room to tuck her in and tell her a bedtime story, she asked, "Chelsea, how was your day with Theodore?""Hmm, it was alright," Chelsea said. "But Mr. Spencer was so silly, he burnt the food. I only got to eat lunch very late.""Is that so?" Rosalie burst out laughing. "How silly of him indeed.""But Mr. Spencer is quite nice," Chelsea said. "I like him. He said that I can call him Daddy."Rosalie's eyes lit up. "Do you want to call him that?""I do," Chelsea said with a nod, "but I'll do that tomorrow."Chelsea yawned. She felt tired, too.Rosalie caressed her cheek. "Goodnight, my darling. Go to sleep."-Rosalie returned to her room, took a shower, and laid on the bed. Theodo
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