Theodore avoided her gaze. "I don't want to treat you as a substitute. It's not fair to you. Even if I use you to relieve the torment in my heart, once Rose returns, I would abandon you without mercy.""Then what if…" Aurora's voice was hoarse as she spoke. "What if I'm willing to be that substitute? What if I want to give it a try?"She really wanted to try. Even if she started off as a substitute, the woman he loved had already married another man. There was no longer any possibility between them.She still had a chance to be the real thing. Everything would work out if she could make this man fall in love with her."You're willing to be a substitute?" Theodore hadn't expected Aurora to say such a thing."Can you let me try? I don't mind if you see me as her, just as long as you don't call her name in front of me."Aurora had never thought she could compromise this much. In front of the man she loved, she had even given up her dignity. She had never done anything like this for
"You... you..." Aurora felt her blood boil. "You're too much! You really are a jerk!"Theodore sneered indifferently, "You're just realizing that now? I've always been a jerk. Otherwise, why would my ex-wife divorce me? This is reality. You're not even worthy of being her substitute."Aurora bit her lip hard, tears streaming down her cheeks. She felt utterly shattered.She never expected that even after compromising so much, this man could still be so cruel. It was over before it had even begun.She shouldn't have humiliated herself. She shouldn't have.In her fury, Aurora angrily took off the suit jacket she was wearing and threw it at him."You're utterly shameless, Theodore! I hate you!" she cried before turning and running away.Theodore didn't stop her. He casually dusted off the suit jacket and draped it over his arm.The sound of her footsteps grew more and more distant.Suddenly, a scream came from behind him.Hearing the sound, Theodore immediately turned around. Not
Before Cynthia could respond, Theodore spoke first. "Her name is Cynthia Zeller."He only introduced Cynthia by name, but didn't explain how she was related to him.Cynthia thought Theodore was deliberately hiding the truth from Aurora, and felt indignant. She immediately said, "I'm Theodore's fiancée. We almost got married before."At the mention of this, Theodore's brows furrowed slightly.He thought back to his wedding with Cynthia. He had been so close to marrying her, but at the critical moment, he received news that Rosalie had been kidnapped. Without a second thought, he left everything behind.Unfortunately, he still lost Rosalie.He hadn't known what happened to Cynthia afterward, and it was only today that he saw her again. It would be a lie if he said he didn't feel any guilt at all. He felt guilty toward Cynthia to a certain extent.When Cynthia said she was his fiancée, he didn't refute her on the spot. Aurora almost fainted on the spot."Fiancée?" She looked at
It must have been him who triggered Aurora.She had heart disease and couldn't handle such emotional turmoil. It was practically a death sentence.However, what else could he have done at the time? He couldn't really treat Aurora as a mere substitute.Cynthia clenched her fists so tightly that her nails almost dug into her palms.After a long while, she took a deep breath, calmed herself, and walked over to Theodore. "Theo, can you tell me what's really going on? Who is she?"Theodore leaned against the wall, his eyes lowered. "She saved me.""What?" Cynthia was a bit surprised. "She saved you? When?"At the thought of it, Theodore's heart ached again. Recalling that moment nearly took his breath away. "It's in the past. I don't want to talk about it anymore."He really didn't want to discuss it any further, and changed the subject. "About the wedding… I'm sorry. I abandoned you."Cynthia bit her lip, her eyes filled with dissatisfaction and pain."So, you do remember that yo
Theodore looked at her, unsure of what to say at that moment.He had indeed wronged Cynthia. He had no right to argue back.It was true that he had abandoned her at the wedding. Even if Cynthia cursed him, it would be entirely justified.Seeing Theodore's cold demeanor, Cynthia felt both pain and anger. She would rather Theodore argue or even fight with her.Instead, he treated her so indifferently, doing nothing at all, which only showed that his feelings for her were as dead as still water.Or maybe, Theodore had never felt anything for her from the beginning, and it had all been her own delusion."And what about this woman?" Cynthia asked. "What are you going to do? You abandoned me, and now you're planning to be with this Aurora?""Cindy," Theodore interrupted her. "You'll find a better man. Don't waste your time and emotions on me anymore.""It's easy for you to say! You just walk away, but what about me? Now I have to watch you with another woman. How can I accept that? W
"I am that kind of person." Theodore turned around. "Believe it or not."He didn't care whether Aurora believed him, or how Cynthia viewed him. He had completely stopped caring. He didn't even care how his family saw him, let alone anyone else."No, you're not like that! Theodore, why won't you admit it?" Aurora looked at him in pain. "You're suffering inside. Why won't you acknowledge it? You're not the kind of person you claim to be. There must be a reason for what you did.""What reason?" Theodore angrily replied. "Why do you always make excuses for men? There's no reason. I betrayed my wife, and I deserve everything I'm going through now! I had it coming!"Unable to control his anger, Theodore suddenly shouted. Aurora was startled by his outburst, and stared at him with wide eyes.Realizing that his emotions were out of control, Theodore immediately took a deep breath and said, "I did what I did. Stop making excuses for me. I'm not a good man."Aurora clenched her fists, tear
"Theodore... Theodore!" Aurora cried out his name, tears streaming down her face. "Why are you treating me like this? Why?"Aurora really wanted to chase after him and disregard all her concerns, but right now, she didn't have an ounce of strength left."Why did I fall in love with someone like you? Why?" Aurora didn't understand. It had only been a few days, and she had only met him a handful of times, yet she couldn't seem to let go of him."Why did you fall? How pitiful. Let me help you up."A man suddenly appeared in front of her and helped her up from the floor.Aurora raised her head, and saw a stranger standing before her. She frowned in confusion. "Who are you?""Lie down first, and I'll explain slowly."Yerick helped her onto the bed and tucked her in.Aurora wiped the tears from her face.Seeing Yerick looking at her with a half-smile, Aurora felt a bit uneasy. "Who exactly are you?""Do you remember that email?"Aurora's heart skipped a beat. "You sent that emai
Seeing Aurora's emotional state, Yerick quickly comforted her in a gentle tone. "Calm down. Let me explain everything to you slowly."Yerick took out his phone from his pocket, swiped a few times, and then handed it to Aurora.Aurora looked at the screen, and saw a photo of a beautiful young woman. Her gentle smile was like the warmth of the sun in spring, giving off a feeling of immense comfort. Her eyes were full of tenderness.Aurora stared at the woman in the photo, her heart trembling violently. "This...this is...""She is Theodore's ex-wife. Her name is Rosalie."Aurora stared at the woman on the phone screen in a daze, her eyes gradually filling with tears. So, this was what she looked like. No wonder Theodore couldn't forget her.If his wife was so beautiful, why did Theodore get involved with that woman named Cynthia?If it was really about looks, Cynthia didn't seem to be more beautiful than Rosalie. Could it be because of some other qualities?Yet, in the end, Theodor
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