…At The Woods Mansion.Sitting on the bed inside her room, Haley stared into nothingness. Her heart was filled with all emotions except happiness,Why?Wasn't she supposed to be happy?Finally, her wish had come true.Finally, she was back home.However,What if her parents found out the real truth someday?What if they realized she lied?What if they found out she only did that to the Nash Family because of her personal feud with them and not because of what happened between them and her family?What if they found out someday that she'd been their daughter-in-law and Liam had been her husband?Haley's gaze wandered across the bedroom, taking in the familiarity, her thoughts returning to the past.Her pictures were no longer here.Neither was her things.They must all be lying under a heap of dust in the storage room.Indeed, her parents must have wiped out all her memories from the mansion.Now that she'd returned…Haley felt like a complete stranger.She couldn't believe she'd bee
Haley's heart skipped a beat.It was too late to turn back.Too late to go back to the car and remain sitting there, wishing he'd disappear.Coming face to face with Liam, she came to a screeching halt, the shock immobilizing her.Liam's expression mirrored the same shock as his eyes widened in astonishment.Then he glanced from her to her parents, suspicion flashing in his eyes.Haley couldn't tell what he was thinking, neither could she tell the assumption in his mind.A sudden look of suspicion flashed in his eyes, followed by betrayal.He stood there, his lips parted but didn't say a word.“Hmph!” Haley's mother scoffed, breaking the momentary silence.Liam was blocking their path, and the woman grabbed Haley's hand. “Let's get out of here.”Without another word, they nudged past him, her mother bumping shoulders with him in fact.But the woman didn't care.Her rage towards Liam was all evident on her face.After what he and his mother did to their family, it was hard to speculate
Haley instantly became the center of attention, all eyes turning in her direction.Her mother's question hit her, chasing away the distraction.Damnit!Everyone gave her confused looks including Lana who'd been the cause of her distraction. In the heat of the moment, she'd forgotten the conversation they were having in the room, even mentioning Liam's surname, Nash.Of course, Haley would never suggest that name to anyone even in her sleep.The last name on her mind, she detested hearing it or someone mentioning it.How could she ever call her nephew that name?Clearing her throat, Haley let out a nervous laughter. She addressed her mother's question, “No, Mum, you heard me wrong. I mean Ash, not Nash… Ash as in Asher.”Haley's lie hit home.Everyone nodded in understanding, the confusion disappearing from their eyes.In fact, her parents looked relieved, and so was her brother.They must have been suspecting the same thing,That she mentioned the Nash Family's name intentionally.
~She paused, her shoulders tensing up. Her back was facing him, and Liam couldn't tell her expression.He could only guess that she looked as shocked as he felt right now.Never did he expect those words to be so easy to say.The words which had been weighing heavily on his heart.He'd thought it'd take decades before he would finally be able to say them.He was sorry!Indeed,He shouldn't have mistreated Haley.Of all people, he shouldn't have distrusted her.The only people whom he trusted happened to deceive him.His mother… his father,And Leah!He shouldn't have pushed Haley away when she so desperately wanted him by her side.Now that she was pushing him away…Liam wasn't himself!He'd never been himself ever since he realized his mistake. He should have protected her from his parents' bullying earlier.If he hadn't turned a blind eye to it from the beginning, it wouldn't have led to this.It wouldn't have led to Haley taking this measure to get his parents off her back.Liam
Liam squeezed the reports, hands trembling, rage coaxing through his nerves.What did his eyes just see?Leah got pregnant earlier than she reported.That filthy woman was pregnant way before they went on that business trip.Yet, she only told him after a few weeks of returning from the trip that she was pregnant, pushing the responsibility onto him. She made him believe he was the only man who had ever touched her.Thinking about it now…Did Liam even touch her?From start to finish, he couldn't remember a single thing.The only thing Liam could remember was waking up next to her.They were both wearing almost nothing, so he concluded something happened between them.Leah affirmed that, crying in grief that he forcefully made a pass at her.So she made it all up!The baby wasn't his.Somehow, Liam was relieved by this revelation. It meant his hands were clean and his morals were intact.However, Who was Leah's baby's real father?It mustn't be his father, right?Desmond and Leah w
…At The City's First Hospital.As Haley left the hospital with her parents, her heart raced wilder than before.Her thoughts were in jeopardy, and so was her calm and cool. Liam!She didn't hear him wrong, did she?That man didn't just apologize to her. 'I'm sorry.’That phrase echoed in Haley's mind, occupying her thoughts.Liam said he was sorry. How unbelievable. Haley must have hit her head somewhere and imagined him saying that. She was too shocked at that spot to even react. If she did, wouldn't she have made a fool out of herself?Liam didn't say that word and she'd imagined it. “What's distracting you, Haley?” Her father's voice, suspicious and confused, broke Haley out of her trance. As they stepped into the parking lot, she almost bumped into the man due to not looking ahead. Haley pulled herself together, feigning calmness. Her parents stared at her suspiciously and she breathed inside, faking a smile. “It's nothing.”After all, the couple had been giving her th
Their plan? He’d been acting all this while? Haley's relief knew no bounds, understanding the meaning behind what he said. Relaxing back on the chair, she let her eyelids close, laughing softly. “You got me there.”“I know, right?” Harry laughed as well. “My acting skill is unrivaled.”Indeed, he was. But he didn't need to be so full of himself. Shaking her head, Haley laughed again. Before she opened her eyes, Harry had resumed driving out of the parking lot. At a slow pace as if stalling time.“You haven't answered my question yet…” He broke the silence, sending her a glance. “What's next?”Their next plan?Haley furrowed her brows. If Harry was indeed acting along then their initial plan would still work. It was just that her parents taking this too seriously made her uncomfortable. What if the couple pushed them both into something they never wanted?“Let's abort it-”“Huh?” Now Harry was the one looking confused, staring at her as if she'd grown two heads.Sighing, Haley
…At NK Enterprises. So many documents rested in front of him, so many signatures to put. The mess of his office astounded him. Amidst these chaotic moments, Liam couldn't believe he had so much work ahead of him; The mountains of workload he'd ignored all in the name of teaching Haley a lesson. He shouldn't have totally abandoned the company. He'd thought branching here and taking a rest in his office would release some of the pent-up frustration and anger,What he didn't expect was walking into so much work waiting for him. A knock came from the door, jolting Liam to the present, and prompting him to look up from the piles of the documents. He'd thought Joye had retired for the day already.Watching the assistant barge in with an anxious look, Liam wondered if he'd found out anything about Haley. Indeed, it must be bad news.The assistant's expression didn't look good. “S- Sir, you can't believe what I saw!” Joye paused for a moment to catch his breath, panting heavily.Dro