Tracy's unexpected appearance at the villa startled Ian greatly, but the shock factor from that couldn't compare to what she'd just said.He angrily shouted, "What nonsense are you talking about?"Seeing his expression, Tracy felt delighted. She spoke to her son in her arms, "My baby, Daddy is here—""Ah, there's my good son. Weren't you feeling unwell, Tracy? Why have you come here when you should be resting at home?" Steven walked past Ian and took his son from Tracy's arms.Tracy's unannounced arrival cast Ian and Cherry into extreme awkwardness. The already complex family dynamics became even more strained with Tracy's presence. Steven had no idea that Tracy used to be Ian's mistress. Yvette, on the other hand, had no knowledge of Ian's past affair, let alone that Tracy was her husband's former lover.Ian and Cherry, who knew the truth, had pale faces throughout and hardly spoke.Within twenty minutes, Cherry excused herself, claiming to have a headache and hoping that Yvette
Chandler's question plunged Yvette into deep thought, and for a moment, she didn't know how to answer. In reality, she didn't feel any such special connection. She didn't know where Erin could be right now.Or perhaps, Erin was already dead.Of course, Yvette dared not say her hypothesis out loud, as it would invoke his wrath. Even though she herself had lost hope in her heart, she couldn't dismantle the beliefs and expectations of others.While Yvette continued to ponder how to cleverly respond to Chandler, he'd already instructed Kyle, who was in the driver's seat, to drive away. He left without saying a word.Yvette gazed at the departing Maybach with inexplicable melancholy in her heart. She didn't anticipate Erin's return as eagerly as others did. Back then, she should have been happily by her parents' side, but fate was unfair to her. She was the one who was sold off to human traffickers.Even though Lamar treated her well as if she was his own daughter, it couldn't discount
Tessa was arrested, and that was undoubtedly great news!However, this joy only lasted for two seconds as Chandler asked, "What about Erin? Was Jack caught too?""When Tessa was arrested, she was disguised and buying baby products at the supermarket. Due to the baby's crying, Tessa became agitated and slapped the baby twice on the spot. This incident was quickly reported by the local residents to the police. She was arrested, but Jack was nowhere to be seen when she was apprehended."Osborn's words surprised Chandler, and he quickly asked, "Baby?"For some reason, when he heard that word, his heart suddenly ached severely.Osborn continued, "After Tessa was arrested overseas, the officers noticed her suspicious behavior while disguised, which immediately prompted them to investigate. That's when they found out that Tessa was a fugitive we'd been searching for. While Tessa was being interrogated overseas, the officers brought in a local lawyer who could speak Coandrian. But no matt
Three days later, at 7 pm inside a suburban detention center, Chandler finally saw Tessa, who was being held in custody.Besides Chandler, Osborn was also in the interrogation room.Tessa was confined in a trial cell behind iron bars, sitting on a metal chair with handcuffs and ankle shackles. She kept her head lowered and her hair hung loose. She wore an orange prison uniform over her shirt.On the second day of being held there, Tessa confessed to all the crimes she'd committed. She even revealed the location where the corpses of her assailants back then had been disposed of. However, those bodies were unlikely to be retrieved because they were all cut up and dumped in the mountains. Wild animals would have devoured those dismembered remains by then.Her willingness to cooperate and confess astonished Osborn. She also confessed how she and Jack meticulously planned Erin's kidnapping with the clear objective of obtaining her unborn child. However, Tessa deliberately didn't disclos
Jack was just like Tessa, wearing handcuffs and shackles around his ankles. His face showed a sense of relief as if the dust had settled.He looked at the woman he deeply loved and smiled. "Tessa, I'm here with you. I won't let you walk this path alone. I promised you that I would stay with you until the end."Tessa's face turned pale, and she asked in astonishment, "Did you surrender yourself to the police?"Jack shook his head gently. Seeing that, Tessa sneered inwardly while thinking, "So, he was also caught—""I was afraid that surrendering myself would lessen my sentencing, so the first thing I did after getting back in the city was to kill a taxi driver. That way, I would be sentenced to death just like you." As Tessa's accomplice, he always felt that his own sins weren't equally grave as hers. This kind of twisted and obsessive love shocked the police officers present greatly.However, a warm smile appeared on Tessa's face. "I knew it. I knew that you truly loved me. But
Quentin's body stiffened. He looked toward the door, and his trembling lips gave away the fact that he was a little emotional at that moment.The father and son stared at each other in silence for more than ten seconds.The bedroom suddenly became eerily quiet. Quentin was obviously not used to such sincere warmth from his son. Feigning nonchalance, he pretended to clear his throat and said, "It's been many years since I've heard you call me 'Dad,' Chandler."His words didn't contain excessive reproach; rather, they conveyed a sense of melancholy and helplessness.Chandler had already walked up to him by then. Taking a glance at his son's peaceful sleeping face, he instantly felt that the world was filled with tenderness and beauty."Have you found out where Erin is?" Quentin turned around and took two steps forward to gently place Asa back in his crib.Chandler's gaze suddenly turned cold as he replied calmly, "Let's talk in the study."Quentin gave him a glance and walked out.
A week later, in a ward on the private island called the Garden of Eden, a woman had been sitting by the window for a full three hours.Ever since Erin was rescued by Paulo, she had never left the island. Due to her severe burns, her ward was isolated from ultraviolet rays. But today, the weather on the island was rainy, and even though it was only 10 am, the sky was dark as if it were nighttime.Erin sat motionless in a wheelchair as if time itself had stopped.To her, there was only a dead silence, devoid of sadness or joy. It was as if she lived in a different dimension, in a world confined to her own little box.In this world, she had family and friends, but she had built walls to isolate them.In her heart, there were three rooms. The first room held her son, whom she dared not easily think about as she would miss him too much. The second room held all the memories between her and Chandler; they were memories she dared not recall. The third room held her past self—the old Eri
For three consecutive days, Erin hid in her hospital room and avoided seeing anyone. Whenever nurses came in to deliver her meals, Erin responded with two words coldly, "Go away."Due to Paulo's repeated emphasis to all medical staff that they should not force Erin into anything she disliked, they gave her full freedom. Therefore, when Erin refused to see anyone or eat anything, even the medical staff, including the psychologists, were at a loss.Paulo was aware of this, but he couldn't understand why. After he'd gone out of his way to tell her all those good news, Erin not only didn't continue to face her treatment positively but even refused to accept the most basic necessities.On the first day when Erin refused to eat, Paulo told the medical staff not to worry too much, saying that she was just throwing a tantrum and that she would eat when she was really hungry. But after three days, Erin showed no intention of letting up.In the end, Paulo couldn't let her have her way any lo