“No.” Hayden finished his soup and gathered the bowls and utensils. “Give me a second. I’ll wash them for you.”“That’s not necessary. I’ll take them home. The maid will wash them.”“It won’t take long.” Hayden proceeded to wash the dishes, while I leaned on his desk and played with my phone.It was the weekend, and it felt great not having to think about work.Just then, someone knocked on the door. “Come in,” I said. The door opened, and a beautiful woman stood there.As soon as I saw her, I sensed her strong presence. It was as if she had her own theme music and special effects. The wind behind her even blew her skirt up.I could guess who she was. The name “Yulia Lawson” popped into my mind.“Dr. Smith is washing the dishes,” I told her honestly. “You can wait here for a bit.”“My office is next door. Once Dr. Smith is done, please ask him to see me.” She nodded at me before leaving.She was cool—that was my first impression of her.Hayden returned after he washed the d
Cameron probably had a lot of women around him, but I had never heard him plan to marry any of them.A stepmother meant something different to a child. In fairy tales, the stepmother would often be the villain who caused the princess trouble. As such, it was not surprising for kids to not like their stepmothers.Even though I was curious, I did not ask Rachel what kind of woman Cameron intended to marry. I did not want to upset her.I held her hand and said, “Shall we go out and play?”She eagerly nodded. “I want to ride the giant octopus.”She had become hooked ever since the last time we visited the marine park.“There are places even more fun than the giant octopus.”“Where?”“I’ll take you to a trampoline park, but I can’t play with you. Why don’t I ask Sophie to come play with you?”“Is it really fun?”“Super fun.”As Rachel and I reached the door, I got ready to grab my bag and leave. However, I overheard Mrs. Zaffino talking to Mary, “Mrs. Gordon, Ms. Wilson is outsid
“No, no, of course not. Gordon Corporation is strong and a leader in its field. West City’s growth depends mainly on Gordon Corporation, so there’s no way you can’t afford eighty million. Mrs. Gordon, there was a misunderstanding yesterday, and I’m here to sincerely apologize.” Cecilia raised the crown higher as if she were presenting something precious.Mary looked at the crown emotionlessly.“You think I wanted to buy this crown because it’s worth eighty million? No, it’s not worth that much. Your actions made it that expensive.” Mary snorted. “But my feelings for my daughter-in-law are worth much more than eighty million. Besides, I don’t want something that’s been passed around. I doubt my daughter-in-law would want it either.”Cecilia lowered her head. She probably wanted to throw the crown back at me.She thought that she was being clever. She thought that Mary would be touched and accept the crown. But how could Mary accept such an expensive gift without giving something in
Mrs. Zaffino packed us a box of snacks. I was about to leave with Rachel when Cecilia suddenly started crying.Eloise did not like it when a woman cried for no reason. “Why are you crying? Did someone bully you?” she asked with a frown.“No, Mdm. Gordon. I just feel bad for you and Mrs. Gordon.”“Why would you feel bad for us?” Mary frowned.I stood aside as I held Rachel’s hand and watched Cecilia cry. I knew her well enough to realize that she was about to make a scene.What could she possibly have planned?She thought that I was faking my pregnancy, so she probably wanted to call me out for it.She turned to me with teary eyes and said, “Cassia, Mrs. Gordon and Mdm. Gordon have been so kind to you. Their family cares so much about you. Is this how you repay them?”“Cecilia, leave already!” I needed to take Rachel out, and I did not have time for her drama. She should also stop wasting our time. “Mrs. Zaffino, could you please help Rachel change her shoes?”“Of course.” Mrs.
Tyler quickly came downstairs with a dark expression. He was clearly upset. He glanced at Cecilia before he asked me, “Is this true?”It was true, so I had to admit it. I nodded and said, “Yes. Zach and I got divorced two weeks ago.”The living room went silent, and Tyler’s expression grew darker. Eloise wobbled and nearly fell, so I quickly caught her.Out of everyone, only Cecilia looked pleased with herself.She was in a good mood. She thought that she finally had the upper hand today. She believed that she had knocked me down completely.However, she was being overly optimistic about the situation.Since she enjoyed this drama so much, I would keep playing along.After a moment, Mary asked, “Cassia, was the pregnancy a lie too?”Everyone waited quietly for my answer.I looked at Cecilia, who was smiling smugly.I did not respond. I just lowered my head and pretended to be too embarrassed to speak.Cecilia got even more excited and pushed me. I stumbled and fell to my kne
After a moment of chaos, I was rushed to the hospital. I could feel Mary’s hand trembling when she held mine.I knew that she was unsure if Cecilia was telling the truth. Cecilia was so confident that Mary might have believed her at some point.Cecilia was driving behind us. When I glanced over, the mix of excitement and worry on her face was quite a sight.I was taken to the nearest hospital, not Hayden’s hospital. This way, Cecilia could not say that Hayden and I were in on it together.I went for a checkup, and the others followed me to the ultrasound room.The doctor looked at everyone in confusion. “Are you all her family?”“I’m her mother-in-law,” Mary said.“And you?” the doctor asked Cecilia.With a smile, she replied, “I’m her friend. Doctor, you can start now. We promise not to make any noise.”Cecilia had a relaxed and confident smile. She should remember this moment because the truth was going to catch her off guard.I lay on the bed, and the doctor applied some
I was taken to another room to listen to the babies’ heartbeats. Cecilia insisted on coming in.It was my first time hearing their heartbeats, and I suddenly felt nervous.Before we began, I asked the doctor, “Can this be faked?”The doctor was stunned. “What do you mean?”Mary quickly said, “Oh, it’s nothing. Doctor, please begin.”The doctor placed the stethoscope on my belly. Soon, we heard a loud thumping sound through the speaker, like a train was approaching.The doctor said, “That’s the heartbeat. It’s strong. Hmm…”Then, the doctor smiled. “There are two heartbeats. They’re twins. Can you hear them?”The doctor looked at Mary. “Two heartbeats—one in front and one in the back. Do you hear them?”Mary tilted her head and wore a wide smile. She closed her eyes as if she was hearing the most beautiful music in the world.“Yes, yes, I hear it! There are two heartbeats!” Mary nodded excitedly.“Everything looks great. Congratulations,” the doctor said.Hearing the heartbe
Mary was an impressive woman, and I hoped to be as confident as her one day.I wanted to protect myself and the people I cared for.The test results came back, and the director personally handed them to Mary. “I heard that someone was accusing our doctors of faking the results. If you have your doubts, you’re welcome to visit another hospital for a checkup. If their results differ from ours, you can sue us.”Mary took it with a smile and replied, “Doctor, don’t let her words bother you.”“That’s good to hear. The mother of twins has it tough, so make sure to rest and eat well.”Mary carefully supported me as we walked to the hospital entrance. Cecilia was still there. She refused to leave, and Mary treated her like a nuisance. She immediately told the driver, “Don’t let that woman get close to Cassia. You need to follow Cassia wherever she goes from now on.”As the driver pushed Cecilia away, she stubbornly said, “Mrs. Gordon, I know a doctor! You should take Cassia to him for an
Sophie knocked on my door the next day around 7 a.m.I only managed to fall asleep at about 2 a.m., so I had a bad headache. I sat on the bed as she ran over excitedly and asked, “Are you busy this morning?” “Go away.” I lay down again. “Come to the city hall with me. I’m getting married!”“Why do you need me there? Am I going to breastfeed you?”“You don’t have milk right now.” I was disgusted by our conversation. Rachel sat up from the bed and asked, “Why are you going to the city hall?”“To get married.”“Shouldn’t you be going to a church for that? There’s supposed to be a priest with a bible that asks if you’re willing to marry this person next to you regardless of… something?”“That’s a religious wedding. Besides, it has to be lawful. What we’re doing today is the legal side of things.” Sophie carried Rachel up from the bed. “Do you want to be a witness to our marriage?” “Yay, sure!” Rachel immediately beamed and agreed. “I want to be the priest who holds the bibl
Cecilia had no shame at all. I would be speechless if this worked on Zach. After a while, she walked out dejectedly with her flowers. It seemed like she did not even manage to enter his office. She stood there in annoyance for a while before she suddenly looked over in my direction. I could see her, but she might not be able to see me. I was on a high floor, and the sun was blinding. Right then, Hailey gave me a call. I knew that she wanted to rant about Cecilia. Sure enough, Hailey started to complain, “Ms. Freeman, Cecilia is really shameless. I’ve never seen such a shameless woman. When Mr. Gordon was cut off from Gordon Corporation, she abandoned him immediately. Now that she knows he’s going to be Gordon Corporation’s acting CEO, she instantly starts visiting him again. I really can’t stand her.” “Hasn’t she always been like this?” I was unfazed. “Fortunately, Mr. Gordon is not willing to see her.” Hailey sounded relieved. “Do you really think he won’t see her fo
I looked at Austin’s pale face, and I was at a loss for words. His argument was reasonable, and I had no way to refute it. I was upset, but I could not cry. I felt a heavy feeling in my chest, and I found it hard to breathe. He looked at me and suddenly smiled. “Look at your face. Have I ever said that I liked Sophie? I don’t like girls like her. I prefer girls like you who are smart, beautiful, and decisive. Why don’t you marry me after you give birth to your babies?”I did not want to joke around with him. It was not funny.After that, Lucy exited the bridal shop and got into the backseat of the car. I stood in front of the bridal shop and watched as his car disappeared into the corner. “Cassia,” Sophie called out to me. I turned around. “What?”“Whose side are you on? I realize you’ve been extra nice to Austin recently. Have you forgotten that he’s a jerk?”“Watch your mouth.”I got into my car unhappily. “I’ll make a move first.”“Aren’t we having dinner together to
I knew that he was looking at the photos of him and Sophie in her wedding gown. Perhaps this would be the only time in his entire life that he could stand next to Sophie while she was dressed in a wedding gown. I felt the waterworks coming. When I tried to look for tissue papers in my bag, Zach called me. He sounded a bit excited. “Cassia, there’s this person overseas who has the same blood type as Austin. He has ALS, which is a fatal motor neuron disease. His family has already signed an organ donation form for him, and his condition recently worsened. He may pass in a month’s time, so I got in contact with them. His family has agreed to donate his heart to Austin.” “Really?” It was good news, and I almost leaped in joy. I glanced at Austin excitedly. He was staring intently at his phone, so he did not notice me. “Does Austin have to leave immediately?”“It’s still early. We can leave when the donor’s condition worsens.” I estimated the time. Zach said that it would ta
Sophie could easily start a fight wherever she went. I immediately went over and saw that Austin’s forehead had turned red. It seemed to be getting swollen. I kicked Sophie in anger. “Is there something wrong with you? What are you doing?” “Why did you kick me? Didn’t you hear what he just said?”Austin bent down and picked up Sophie’s phone for her. “Luckily, your phone screen isn’t cracked. It’s fine if my skull is cracked; it can heal.” Sophie took her phone, and it immediately unlocked due to face ID. Her wallpaper was a photo of Kingston and her. She had just changed the wallpaper yesterday. It used to be a photo of me and her. Austin was the one who had taken that photo. Even though Austin was not directly in the photo, it felt like it was a photo of the three of us. He must have noticed it. He smiled and said, “I’ll make a move. Tell Lucy I’ll be waiting for her in the car.” Austin walked out of the bridal shop, and Sophie looked dispirited. “I was quite happy, bu
“You’re getting married too?”“I’ll be your best man or maid of honor. What? You’re too cheap to pay for the outfits?”“You, my best man?”“Look around you. Are there any single people left?”Sophie rolled her eyes. “Hah, I wasn’t planning on inviting you.”Kingston tried to shake Austin’s hand, but Austin ignored him. Sophie got mad and pulled Kingston away. “Don’t pay attention to him. He thinks he’s too good for anyone. He’s crazy.”“Sophie,” I warned.“What? He’s always acting crazy!” she yelled.I was not sure if Austin really wanted to be Sophie’s best man, or if it was just an excuse to come here.Anyway, Austin went to change too. I could not tell the difference between the best man’s and groom’s outfits. However, the difference between the bridesmaid and bride was clear.While Sophie was posing in front of the mirror in her wedding dress, Austin came out of the fitting room.Austin was very thin, and the suit hung loosely on him, but it still looked good.He had a
Sophie’s wedding preparations were progressing quickly. She limped to work in the mornings and dragged me along in the afternoons to buy wedding stuff.I felt like the wedding was just an excuse for her to go shopping.“This afternoon, Kingston and I are trying on our wedding outfits. You should come too.”“It’s your wedding. Why should I come?”“To help me choose! I look good in everything, so it’s hard to pick.”“If it’s that hard, just buy them all. Aren’t you rich?”“Why are you so grouchy?” She leaned closer and observed me. “Cassia, are your hormones off balance?”“I’m pregnant, so everything’s a mess right now.”After some thought, I called Austin and told him, “Sophie’s trying on wedding dresses this afternoon.”“Okay,” he replied in his usual lifeless tone.“Aren’t you going to say anything to her?”“Don’t eat too much. The wedding dress will be a pain to alter.”I was so angry that I hung up. He was so stubborn. I was sure that he would regret it and cry later.M
Austin was the weakest among us when we were kids. He could not climb trees, run, or do anything physically demanding. Instead, he would play board games and puzzles with us.Sophie always thought that he was smart, and she admired him.I never imagined that someone I grew up with might die so soon.“You should leave,” he said weakly. “She should be done by now.”“Austin.” I wanted to say something more, but he turned his back to me.He did not want to listen, so I had no choice but to leave.As I reached the door, I heard him say, “Actually, this is a good thing.”Was he saying that Sophie marrying Kingston was a good thing?What was good about it?I felt like grabbing Sophie over. I wanted to point at the dying man in bed and say, “This guy loves you more than you know. He helped you test Kingston’s character. He thinks about you all the time. He comes to see you every night using his half-sister as an excuse, but he’s dying. He doesn’t want you to be sad, so he plans to die
“I just went for a checkup.” Austin walked over to me. “Why are you sweating so much?”He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and gave it to me. Honestly, only Austin would still carry a handkerchief in his condition.I wiped my sweat. “I came with Sophie to get her cast off, and I thought I’d stop by to see you.”“Get her cast off? I thought that wasn’t until next month?”“She insisted on getting it off today. The doctor checked, and her bone is healing well, so it’s fine for her to take it off.”“When did she start caring so much about her looks?” Austin walked back to his room, and I followed him.He sat down and seemed a little out of breath. I had already asked the doctor about him. Austin could not engage in any physical activity; he could not even walk fast.I was about to pour him some water, but he waved me off. “Don’t bother. I’m not thirsty. How could I let you take care of me? I might be a patient, but you’re pregnant.”At least, he could still joke. If I were him