Zachary did not need Liberty’s help but Liberty was someone who could not sit idly, so she went ahead and helped out in the kitchen.While holding Serenity’s hand, Grandma May chatted with her.In the end, Grandma May said, “That psychic is brilliant. As I said, those words aren’t meant to just comfort you. Look, they’re true, aren’t they?”Serenity grinned and responded, “Yes, yes. The psychic is an expert. He’s skillful.” “Yeah. If he weren’t capable, I wouldn’t have trusted him.”Grandma May continued, “In fact, I believe in fate. I think fate determines the course of our lives. We can’t force things.“The Yorks have never done anything evil, and what’s more, you’re good-hearted. How could God possibly not grant you a child? Having said that, it depends on luck too. Just relax and nurture your baby. Don’t get overstressed.“Continue doing what you can do. I won’t demand you to stay at home and grow the baby without doing anything else. Most importantly, you should stay in a
Mrs. Lane said, “When I left yesterday, the door was locked. I was wondering why it’s not locked today. It turned out that you’re back, Missus.”The moment the pet dog saw Serenity, it wagged its tail and scurried toward her.Serenity said with a smile, “Snowball.”She touched Snowball’s head and it lay obediently by the side of her leg.“Mrs. Lane, we came back last night.”Mrs. Lane grinned and said, “Missus, you should’ve given me a call so I could prepare great food for you.”“No worries. This place is close to the market.”Mrs. Lane had been working for Serenity, so the both of them were close. Mrs. Lane knew that Serenity would not put on airs. Even if Serenity did, Mrs. Lane dared not act unscrupulously.When Mrs. Lane noticed that Zachary was busy preparing in the kitchen, she promptly went over to help him out.Zachary said, “I’ve cooked pulled pork with sauerkraut. Mrs. Lane, you don’t need to help out. You can go to the balcony and see to the plants. You’ve been loo
“Nana, Gramps is watching from above. He’s at peace,” Zachary chimed in after hearing Grandma May’s words.She replied with a smile, “As long as you get married and have a child, your gramps would be at ease. He was most worried about you. His attention was all placed on you.“When he was a father, he didn’t care for his sons as much as he did his grandsons when he became a grandfather. Back then, your gramps would criticize your father and all other sons. When it came to your generation, he’d be cheerful no matter what you did.” This showed that the intergenerational relationship between Old Mr. York and Zachary was better than the one he had with the generation before Zachary.Serenity had never seen Old Mr. York, so it was not her place to comment.As Zachary’s grandparents were the ones who raised him, he was the closest to the two of them.Zachary walked over to bring Grandma May to the dining table and seated her. He said with a smile, “Do I look like the younger version
“Nana, is there any way to stop Seren from vomiting?”Grandma May said, “It’s normal to have morning sickness, but this only happens in the first trimester. After three months, morning sickness will gradually clear. If it’s not too severe, she can endure it. If it is, she should go to the hospital and see the doctor.“Don’t simply take medications as many can’t be taken during pregnancy,” Grandma May reminded her grandson.Serenity said, “Nana, I know. I won’t simply take medications. I’ll endure it.”In the end, she said in admiration, “Why didn’t Jasmine vomit?”Serenity wondered why she had this reaction but not Jasmine.“Everyone is different. Some people don’t vomit when they are pregnant with their first baby. However, they vomit terribly during their second pregnancy.”Serenity touched her belly and said, “I hope I won’t vomit until the baby is delivered.”“I’ll take Seren to the hospital for a checkup later. I’ll ask the doctor if there’s any way to ease her morning sic
Zachary remembered the words of advice Serenity had offered to Clive back then.Having a miscarriage could be harmful to the body.The husband and wife should know each other best.Serenity was aware of Zachary’s expression. Soon, she was able to guess what was going on in his head. Also, he bit his tongue several times just now.“Zachary, don’t even think about it!”Serenity warned him seriously, “If you dare act as my cousin did, we’ll get a divorce. I’ll raise my child, and you don’t have to meddle in it.”“Seren.“What’s wrong?”Grandma May and Liberty were stupefied to hear what Seren said.Seren actually brought up divorce.Just like when Zachary revealed his identity, Serenity’s reaction was extreme and she mentioned that she wanted to get a divorce. Zachary acted like a lunatic at that time.The couple’s relationship then was stiff, which was worrying.Fortunately, they made peace afterward.Serenity never brought up divorce again with Zachary.She knew the me
Grandma May was about to slap Zachary again. Serenity quickly pulled the old lady’s hand back. “I’m not angry anymore, Nana. Please stop hitting Zachary. He’s already in his thirties. He’ll be embarrassed if you keep beating him.”“Although Seren is protecting you and hiding your mistakes from me, I’m still giving you a warning—I won’t let you off if you don’t behave yourself.”Zachary smiled bitterly. “I know, Nana. I’ve always behaved myself properly.”Mrs. Lane soon returned with the sour prunes. Serenity tore the package open eagerly and ate one. The sour taste spread in her mouth. She smiled and said, “I love this taste.”Zachary breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Serenity enjoying the sour prunes. After a short rest, Zachary brought Serenity to the hospital for a checkup. Grandma May and Liberty remained in Brynfield. Mrs. Lane continued going about her business. Since they had nothing to do, Grandma May could finally ask Liberty about her and Duncan’s relation
After a moment of silence, Liberty said, “He’s out of the ICU and transferred to a normal ward. He’s recovering. I brought Sonny to visit him previously.”Grandma May hummed in acknowledgment. “Does Hank still want to make up with you?”“He regrets his decision but has never mentioned anything about remarrying me. He and Jessica aren’t divorced yet. His family hopes he’d get a divorce with her, but he doesn’t seem to think the same.“However, even if he gets divorced, I won’t remarry him. I won’t stop him from meeting and bonding with Sonny because he’s his dad, but I’ll never remarry him out of consideration for Sonny. My feelings for him were already gone the moment he suggested we split our bills.”After a pause, Liberty added, “The Browns are persistent about getting Hank to remarry me. How can I do that? My heart was wounded terribly. It’s as good as dead. There’s no way I’ll go back to him. Even if I don’t marry again for the rest of my life, I’ll never remarry him.“Besides
Grandma May said, “You’re just like Seren. You two have the same personality. Since you’ve said so, I can make Duncan happy when I visit him later at the Lewises’.”Liberty was speechless. She felt Grandma May was addicted to being a matchmaker. Grandma May had chosen Liberty as her next target after she had settled the marriages of her grandsons who were at marrying age. At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Liberty released Grandma May’s arm and said, “I’ll get it. I wonder who it is.”Zachary had brought Serenity to the hospital, so they would not be back so soon.Besides, not many people knew they were back. That was unless they could see Serenity’s post on Facebook. “I think it’s probably your aunt.”Liberty went to open the door. Snowball followed her while wagging its tail vigorously. Surprisingly, the person standing behind the door was Jasmine. “Liberty.”Jasmine greeted Liberty with a smile. Liberty moved aside to let her in. When she saw the two b
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,
Sonny asked Liberty, “Mom, is it okay? I want to stay at Grandaunt’s house for one night. Tomorrow, you can come pick me up and take me to Dad’s house.”After receiving a call from her former mother-in-law, Liberty had already asked Sonny after he woke up that morning if he wanted to stay with the Brown family for a couple of days, to spend time with his grandparents. Tomorrow, she would take him to the Browns.Liberty smiled, “You can stay the night if you want. Tomorrow, I’ll come pick you up and take you to your dad’s house for lunch.”She planned to call Hank soon and let him know that she was not taking Sonny there early in the morning, so the Browns would not have to get up early to wait.Sonny jumped up happily and said to Audrey, “Grandaunt Audrey, my mom agreed! I’m going to stay here tonight and play with Elias."With that, he rushed upstairs. Elias was getting cuter. When he talked to him, the baby would respond with cooing sounds, which was really fun.“Aunt Audrey, I
After a long while, Jessica finally asked, “You have swollen eyes because Liberty is getting remarried? You’ve lost your chance to remarry her.”“Jessica, I’ve never thought about remarrying Liberty. That’s impossible. I’ll wait for you to be released. No matter how many years it takes, I will wait for you,” Hank quickly explained. “It’s true that I’m upset that Liberty is remarried, but it’s mainly because of my son.“In the future, Sonny will call someone else ‘Dad’, and I’m not around him often. I’m afraid that one day, he’ll only end up closer to his other dad and not me, his biological father.”Jessica quietly looked at him for a moment before coldly replied, “If you have time, you should spend more time with Sonny. Even a biological father and son need to nurture their relationship.”“Who did Liberty marry?” Jessica asked. “Is it Duncan Lewis?”“Who else could it be? It’s Duncan. He kept Liberty close, never letting anyone else near her. Whenever any other man got close to L
Why was he crying? He knew the reason deep down but could not bring himself to say it out loud. Instead, he simply slumped over the steering wheel and cried his heart out. After he was done crying, he finally started the car and left the city hall, heading to the prison to visit Jessica.When Jessica saw him, she noticed his eyes were red and swollen. Thinking something bad had happened in his family, she immediately grabbed the phone and asked, “Hank, why are you crying? Your eyes are all swollen. Did something happen to your parents?”She still harbored hatred toward Olivia and Chelsea, hoping something would happen to that mother-daughter pair. Ideally, she wanted the old woman to face judgment in hell.Back when she stabbed Hank and Chelsea came to the rescue, Jessica felt she should have made sure to stab Chelsea to death. It was because of Chelsea’s incitement that she and Hank ended up like this. The two women had torn apart Hank and Liberty’s marriage, and now that Liberty’s