Grandma May and Sonny chatted as they walked. “Sonny, I haven’t seen you in a long time. I missed you so much.”Sonny liked being around Grandma May. Although she was not his biological great-grandmother, Mom told him she was the great-grandmother of his soon-to-be-born cousins. Therefore, Grandma May was his great-grandmother too. “Great-grandma, I missed you a lot too.”Sonny was a smooth talker. His speech would change according to the person. He would be especially honey-tongued with the people he liked and was able to please the adults. On the other hand, he would be brutally honest with unfamiliar people, such as Kevin. “I knew you were coming, so I had the chef prepare lots of good food for you. You have to eat more later, Sonny. That way, you’ll grow taller and go to school earlier.”Grandma May walked quickly without even panting despite carrying the child. Tania and the others had been behind her. When Grandma May carried Sonny back, they followed her and returne
Sonny was a baby boy. However, if he were to be a baby girl, the elders would not just surround him and coax him to talk. They would have been fighting to carry the baby girl. The York family had not had baby girls for generations. They would really go crazy for a baby girl. Zachary and Serenity, who were neglected, were happy and relaxed. They could even whisper sweet nothings to each other. Not long after, the rest of the family gradually arrived. The number of people sitting in the corner increased too. Everyone exchanged glances with the same expression on their faces.Serenity’s stomach was about to hurt from laughing at the York brothers’ expressions. At that moment, the butler entered and walked to Grandma May’s side. He reminded her and everyone else with a smile, “Old Mrs. York, Mr. Callum has returned with Ms. Newman.”“Camryn’s here. Let’s all go to Callum’s house.”In the York family, the main house was located in the center, and those who lived there were Za
In the end, Callum went along with her wish. After the butler called a few servants to move the gifts from the car, Callum slowly walked toward his house while holding Camryn’s hand.The servants followed them with multiple bags in their hands. Callum learned that Camryn’s way of getting around was based on the number of steps in her memory. Therefore, he walked very slowly so she could remember the number of steps she had taken. When they passed the main house, he told her, “We’re in front of the door to the main house now. There are a few steps leading up to the door. The main house in Wildridge Manor is where my nana and eldest uncle live.”Camryn nodded. She had the journey from the parking lot to the main house memorized. “Do we have to go in? Are we meeting Old Mrs. York first?” Camryn asked softly. Based on Callum’s usual respectful behavior toward Zachary, she thought he would take her into the main house. “We’ll go inside later. Let’s go to our house first. Nana
Callum brought Camryn to the door of his house and stopped to tell her how many steps were in front of the door. Then, he helped her to walk up the stairs. He dared not walk too quickly as he feared Camryn would fall. Camryn could hear the liveliness in the house. She knew there were many people. Callum had told her that his elders and brothers were already waiting inside the house. She even heard Zachary and Serenity’s voices. There seemed to be Sonny’s voice in the mix too. Liberty had to take care of Mr. Lewis, so Sonny had been with his aunt most of the time.“Camryn.”Seeing Callum bringing Camryn inside, Serenity stood up to welcome her as the eldest sister-in-law. “Seren.”Camryn stopped and replied to her. The blush on her face was not gone yet. She did not think she was embarrassed, but her face kept feeling hot. It must have been due to the weather. Camryn found an excuse for the flush on her face. “You just arrived, right? Are you tired?” Serenity asked
Everyone knew Camryn could not see and relied on her hearing and memory to differentiate people. They kept quiet when Callum introduced her to them and only spoke during their turn. It made it easier for Camryn to remember who the voice belonged to. Camryn was touched by the York family’s attentiveness again. Callum did not lie to her. His family was great. Whether the elders or youngsters, they did not shun her or think she was not good enough for Callum. She was the one who had been overly inferior. She did not dare to accept Callum’s feelings. After much delay, she finally took a courageous first step. If Aunt Evelyn had not visited FC Manor in Annenburg and found out that Callum had gone there to seek the genius doctor for her, she might not have been able to gather the courage to take a step forward. Grandma May was the eldest in the York family and the gentlest. She did not have the arrogance of an elder at all. Rosella was Callum’s mother, and she was deeply concerne
Since an elevator was needed to move between floors, Liberty believed the security detail was not needed. Liberty pushed Duncan into the elevator to get upstairs. Duncan still could not walk on his own, and Liberty was only taking him out for a stroll. Otherwise, Duncan would be cranky to lie in bed all day. Despite another month-long stay in the hospital, Duncan still could not stand on his feet, and it fueled his bad temper. He got the feeling that he might never walk again. For this reason, Duncan wanted to drive Liberty away more than ever. He did not want Liberty to look after him. He even offered six hundred thousand dollars to Liberty every month so that she would not hang around him. Duncan felt bad to see the tired state Liberty was in. Liberty lost a lot of weight after taking care of him for a little over a month. There was no telling when he would ever get better. At this rate, Liberty would become skin and bones just caring for him. He simply could not bear to see
Mrs. Lewis was afraid that her husband and son would get into a fight, so she pushed her son to the right where there was a ramp for wheelchair users. Liberty and Mrs. Lewis wheeled Duncan to the lower floor. Once on the first floor, they saw medical personnel wheeling a patient into the elevator. Liberty caught sight of a familiar face. It was her ex-sister-in-law’s husband, George. George paused in motion when he saw Liberty too. “Liberty,” George greeted.Liberty was about to pretend not to know him and walk away, but George called her name. With Liberty stopping in her tracks, Mrs. Lewis looked at George and asked Liberty, “Who is he?” “He’s my ex-husband’s brother-in-law.” Mrs. Lewis went to push her son ahead and told Liberty, “Oh, we’ll be waiting for you outside.” Since George wanted to have a word with Liberty, Mrs. Lewis did not want to get into their business. Once Mrs. Lewis and Duncan were gone, Liberty asked, “What are you doing here, Mr. Repton? Is som
Liberty listened as George tore into Jessica while thinking to herself, ‘Surely, the Browns pushed Jessica too far until a weak girl like her went stabbing.’People tended to act recklessly when cornered and pressured. Murder often happened when people were pushed over the edge. Liberty was not surprised that Jessica would stab Chelsea since Chelsea loved to stir the pot. Chelsea often poked her nose in Hank’s business, so it was no wonder Hank’s wife resented her. Before Liberty and Hank got a divorce, Liberty hated Chelsea’s guts. It was a good thing that Chelsea did not always stick around the Browns’ family home back then. The breathing space kept Liberty from losing her mind and committing murder. Chelsea resented Jessica for aiding and abetting outsiders to kidnap Lucas, so she went after Jessica at every turn. Chelsea would create a rift between Hank and Jessica and pit her parents against Jessica every time she stayed at the Browns’ residence. The Browns’ household was
Even Corey dared not do anything to Liberty, let alone the relatives. They were not fools.They would not incite arguments like Chelsea. Moreover, Liberty had the backing of the York and Stone families. The Wiltspoonians knew how much Serenity cared about her sister. Serenity would fight anyone who dared harm Liberty. If Serenity wanted to fight, Zachary would not sit still either. “I’m not my past self. I won’t get bullied.“Now that I think about it, I don’t know why I was so stupid back then. I was a housewife whose world revolved around my husband and baby. Even so, I was mistreated.”Liberty did not take care of her health as well. She let herself overeat to the point her weight became unhealthy. At that time, she thought she could afford to gain some weight since she was already married and had given birth. She also stopped dressing up. After the divorce, Liberty realized that women, especially married women, should love themselves. How could a woman expect oth
“You must come pick me up with Mom, Dunc. Okay?”“Of course.”Duncan could not bear leaving Sonny. He was already missing Sonny even though the little man was still right before him. Sonny slid down and returned to Hank’s side. Hank held his hand. He was about to say something to Duncan but ultimately decided against it. “Sonny and I shall head up now. His grandparents are waiting for him.”Liberty hummed in approval.She and Duncan stood and watched Hank walk away with Sonny. Sonny kept looking back and waving at them. Duncan tried his best to restrain himself from running forward to hug Sonny. He kept chanting mentally, ‘Hank is Sonny’s biological dad.’Letting the father and son reunite once in a while was perfectly normal. As a stepfather, he could not stop Hank and Sonny from hanging out together. Luckily, it was only for two days. Duncan was thankful that Liberty had brought Sonny to FC Manor right after winter vacation started instead of letting the Browns t
“Dad.”Sonny ran toward Hank when he spotted his father. Hank stepped forward and bent over to lift his son. He then kissed Sonny’s cheeks several times and rubbed his face against Sonny’s. They seemed close.Indeed, Hank had been treating Sonny well. Liberty only pushed Duncan over after Hank and Sonny were done.Hank’s gaze landed on Liberty’s face. She had a rosy complexion and charming eyes. Her expression was gentle, and she had a slight smile. However, it was not because she was being friendly toward Hank. She was simply in a good mood because she and Duncan finally got married and just had their wedding night. “Sorry for making you bring Sonny over, Liberty.”They initially agreed on having Liberty drop Sonny off at the neighborhood’s entrance, where he should have been waiting. However, he missed the timing because he was quarreling with Chelsea. Liberty had no choice but to bring Sonny inside. Hank knew she did not really want to return to the neighborhood, h
Liberty’s old neighbors even told her how terrible life had been for the Brown family for the past two years. A lady who used to be close to Liberty and Serenity pulled Liberty’s hand. She said, “The Brown family is unfortunate. Your living a better life than them is the best revenge.”Liberty smiled. “I don’t want to get revenge. I just want to live my own life. Whether they’re doing well or not doesn’t concern me.”“Of course. You’re kind and generous. There’s no need to stoop down to their level.”The lady caressed Sonny’s face. “Sonny has grown so much. He’s in preschool now, right? Getting more handsome as he grows. He looks just like you, Liberty.”“Hello,” Sonny greeted the lady. She smiled. “What a good boy.”Sonny had always been an obedient child as she recalled. The residents loved to tease the boy whenever Liberty or Serenity brought him out to play. What was the Brown family thinking? How could they not love such an adorable kid?Mr. and Mrs. Brown would rather
Sonny nodded. “I know, Mom. I’ll tell Dad to hide the box so Aunt Chel can’t find it. Why does Aunt Chel like taking stuff from Dad’s house?“Lucas used to take my toys too. I even cried. Grandmom said Lucas would return my toy after some time, but he never did.”Although Sonny was only two years old two years ago, he still remembered how his grandmom sided with Lucas. “About Chelsea… That’s something for the adults to think about. You’re still young. Don’t pay any mind to it.”Chelsea’s parents were to blame for her selfish behavior and habit of leeching off her family. Hank also played a part by allowing his parents to spoil his sister. Even he helped her out a lot in the past. Whenever Chelsea visited, he would get Liberty to prepare whatever dishes Chelsea wanted to eat, no matter how expensive they were. He also specifically asked for large portions to be made so that Chelsea could have her fill. Chelsea loved seafood. Her favorites were pricey ones like lobsters and crab
“Dunc picked me up. He’ll take me to Dad’s place afterward.“Are you feeling unwell, Mom?”Sonny got up and touched Liberty’s forehead, then his own. He even stuck their foreheads together. His mother and Aunt Ser always did the same thing whenever he felt sick. He simply copied what they did.“I’m fine.”Liberty could not tell Sonny that her waist and legs were sore. Instead, she glared at Duncan, who was sitting at the bedside. It was all his fault. He was insatiable. Duncan smiled apologetically. He could not help but indulge himself once he got a taste of pleasure after being single for so long. Liberty was the victim of his hunger. “Then why did you wake up this late? It’s already eleven. I wanted to wake you up, but Dunc didn’t let me. He said you were tired and that I should let you rest,” said Sonny.Liberty lied. “I was on an extended business trip and worked night and day. The things I had to do were endless. I’m too tired. Now that I’m finally on vacatio
Liberty smiled. “Not yet. Maybe you can continue sleeping in the car until the sun rises.“We’re home. Let’s get out of the car. Even if you’re sleepy, you should still take a bath first. The year is ending in a few days. The weather isn’t that cold now. I checked the weather forecast. It says it’ll rain a little on New Year’s Day, so the temperature might drop slightly.”Duncan sat up and touched his forehead. Indeed, there was some sweat. “It really isn’t cold. I’m even sweating.”Liberty did not turn on the car’s air conditioning. In that weather, it would be cold if the air conditioning was turned on and hot if it was turned off. Thanks to the wind, it was still cooling when the car was moving. However, once the car stopped, it became stuffy inside. Liberty got out of the car and went to the passenger seat to help Duncan. Duncan declined her help and insisted on doing it himself. Then, he held her hand and walked into the house slowly. After heading upstairs, he belatedl
Liberty did have a fatty liver back then. However, that was resolved after she lost weight. Indeed, having an unhealthy weight could bring about health issues. Purchasing plus-sized clothes was also a problem. Once she started maintaining a healthy weight, she looked fantastic in whatever she wore and often received compliments for having a great figure when shopping for clothes. Most people marveled at her healthy and youthful complexion. She did not look like she was already in her thirties with a four-year-old son. “Do you want to take a nap? There’s heavy traffic ahead.”Liberty saw a stretch of road highlighted in red on the navigation app, signaling slow traffic. “Aren’t most people on holiday and traveling? Why is the traffic still congested?”Duncan muttered, “Maybe there was a car accident.“I don’t need a nap. I’m energetic now. I won’t be able to fall asleep.”He was extremely excited. “If you think I’m too talkative, you can play some music. We can liste
Since Audrey would take care of Sonny, Liberty and Duncan were in a good mood as they exited the Stones’ residence. Duncan’s bodyguards were to return home instead of following him around. He had Liberty anyway. Besides, it was his and Liberty’s wedding night. They even left Sonny with the Stones, so there was no way he would be letting his bodyguards follow him home. Liberty was the one who drove as Duncan’s legs were still recovering. She would glance at him from time to time. She said, “You’ve been staring at me the entire night. Haven’t you seen enough?“It’s not our first time meeting each other. What’s there to look at?”“You’re beautiful. You’re the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen.”Duncan was particularly generous with sweet words that night. To him, his wife was the most beautiful woman in the world. “I can’t get enough of watching you. I controlled myself in Aunt Audrey’s house because I didn’t want her to laugh at me. Now that there’s only the two of us,