A year ago...
“You look busy, Noh. Won't you be late if you don't leave now?” Tyler asked as he curiously glanced at his busy boyfriend.He dared not even sit next to his boyfriend on the sofa because the sofa was full of papers. Even the coffee table was covered in paper, and Tyler could only stand beside the couch staring at the older man.“I have an important meeting coming up today, and here are the materials I need to bring for the presentation. I'm still preparing it," Noah answered without looking at the younger man.“Is it for another advertisement?” Tyler asked again. “But we just finished a collaboration shoot with EntertainMEN, and the publication from the magazine is enough, right? I don't know if a famous and classic brand like Button Boss needs to do so much advertising to promote its products. They can usually sell a lot even without advertising.”Tyler sounded both curious and innocent, and Noah smiled a little even though“So, you knew about the agreement from the start?” Noah gritted his teeth as he tried to hold back his anger after he heard Tyler calmly reveal how he knew about his agreement with Jessica. In fact, Noah wasn't the only one shocked by the revelation. Jessica even almost lost her footing and almost fell to the floor, but she managed to balance herself. She actually wanted to blame Noah. After all, it was Noah's carelessness that caused their deal to be discovered by Tyler, and that was when Tyler got the evil idea for revenge. However, she also couldn't completely blame Noah because she was also at fault for accidentally letting Tyler know about Noah's infertility. Both things were supposed to be kept secret until the end, but Tyler managed to find out everything and was even able to exploit the truth. Jessica knew she was defeated, and she couldn't even defend herself. Even when her father suddenly s
Tyler left after saying that heartless sentence. How can the news of someone's death be good news? Jessica couldn't believe the man she loved so sincerely could act like that towards her father, and she was even more heartbroken when he coldly walked away from her without turning around.She didn't feel sad because the man chose to leave her, but she felt sad because she regretted how she ended up falling in love with someone who caused her father's death.Jessica couldn't stop blaming herself, and she cried bitterly in front of the emergency room. She wanted to go into the emergency room so she could see her father, but her mother coldly forbade her to enter. The cold look in her mother's teary eyes was enough to make Jessica's heart sink, and in the end, she could only continue standing in front of the emergency room when her mother entered the room.There was still Noah and his mother with her in front of the emergency room, but neither of them said any
On the day of her father's funeral, Jessica thought that she was no different from the smelly trash that people tried to avoid. She was still lucky because her mother let her come to the funeral, but the older woman refused to spare her a glance during the procession. No words were exchanged between them from start to finish, and unfortunately, that wasn't the only bad thing that happened during the funeral.Gossip spread faster than fire, and the guests who came to the funeral seemed to have heard about what truly happened that even led to Luke's death. They knew that Jessica had an affair with her husband's boyfriend until she became pregnant and gave birth to the man's child, and that meant those people also knew that her husband was gay and had had relationships with a man.Jessica didn't know how the truth could spread, but people also found out that Noah was infertile, and that only added to the chaotic atmosphere around her after everything became known to t
Five years later...She had been a freelance photographer for a living for the past five years. Sometimes, she worked for magazines or other companies, but sometimes, she worked for private clients. Sometimes, the salary was big, but sometimes, it was so small that it could only last a few days for daily expenses.But, she was still grateful for what she had. Five years ago, she decided to leave her country because she had no reason to stay there. No one wanted her to stay, on the contrary, some people didn't want to see her face at all, especially her mother.However, who would have thought that she would get help from her mother's best friend when she wanted to leave the country as soon as possible? At that time, she was considering which country she should go to, and unexpectedly, her mother's best friend suddenly called her phone number, suggesting a country for her.That was completely unexpected because her mother had blocked her number, but
Jessica really didn't expect the luck that her assistant had. The first time she heard about Tammy's relationship with superstar Matt Habrew was five years ago before disaster struck.At that time, Tammy talked about her closeness to the superstar because they often worked together. Tammy's move to another department in the company eventually brought her closer to the superstar, and they started talking and even hanging out together in secret around that time.It didn't take long for the two of them to decide to be together, and Matt even came to her father's funeral with Tammy that year. That was also one of the reasons Jessica decided to leave New York. She assumed that her best friend deserved a happy life without having to think too much about her miserable life, and that was why she chose to move to another country.Even so, Tammy warned her to always stay in touch even though they lived far apart, which was why the two of them had not stopped communi
"You say that as if you haven't seen my children in years," Jessica rolled her eyes lazily as her hands moved to pull the bodies of the two children so they could sit on her thighs.On her right thigh was a cute little boy with blonde hair named Shane, and her left thigh was used as a cushion by a cute little girl with the same blonde hair named Shania.They were the twins who were born from Jessica's womb five years ago, and they just celebrated their fifth birthday two weeks ago. When Jessica left the country five years ago, she took the babies with her, and she also worked hard to raise them herself.It could be said that both children were used to growing up in difficult situations, and perhaps that was the reason why they grew up more mature than other children their age. They never asked for new toys or clothes, and they just accepted whatever Jessica gave them.“I haven't seen them for the past week, and it feels like a year to me,” Tammy a
Tyler Edwards became famous five years ago. He was not only known as a supermodel but also known as an actor. His first film did well at the box office and even broke several records, and he got more opportunities after that.His face was often plastered on billboards because he had succeeded in seizing many opportunities to become a spokesperson for various well-known brands, and his name was not only famous domestically but also internationally.That was why Jessica could still hear the latest news regarding him even after she left the country, including the man's death.It was said that the taller a tree grew, the stronger the wind would hit it. If the tree was not strong enough, it would be pushed to the ground by the wind, and that would be the end of its life.The same thing happened to Tyler in the last five years. Once he became famous in the industry, he was tempted by many things he had never experienced before. Initially, he was tempted
Ever since she left her hometown and started living in China, she promised herself that she would only return home if her mother asked her to. Unfortunately, even after five years had passed, there was still no call from her mother, but she decided to return this year.The reason was also because of her mother, but the woman did not personally ask her to come back. On the contrary, it was the woman's condition that made her feel worried and decided to return.Her curious children innocently asked her about the decision, and they even tried to stay in China instead of following their mother. The reason was that they only knew China as their hometown, which was why they looked confused when their mother suddenly said that they were going home.The twins were reluctant, saying that they didn't want to leave their friends in the village, but Jessica said that they would only be returning to New York for a short time and that they would definitely return to Chi
“Mom, are we really going to stay overnight at Grandma's house today?” Glancing in the rearview mirror to look into the back seat, Jessica could see how her son kept swinging his legs while asking the question. His cute movements only showed that the blonde boy was very excited to hear his mother's answer. But, this wasn't even the first time Shane had asked that question, and Jessica actually had answered the same question before. Thankfully, Jessica didn't get tired of hearing her son's excitement, and she smiled while shaking her head helplessly before answering, "We're going to have a sleepover at Grandma's house for real, but why are you so excited about that, Shane?" Jessica could keep glancing at the boy because she didn't need to focus on driving. But, the answer to her question came not from her son but from her daughter, "That's because Grandma promised us that she would tell us more stories about Grandpa, Mommy! We wonder if Grandpa is more like me or Shane!" "Of cou
“What is 'proposing,' Mommy? Why do you keep saying that word?” Impatiently, Shane continued to pull the side of Jessica's shirt while asking the question. It was indeed the little boy who responded to Jessica even though the question was directed at Noah. But, that didn't upset the woman, and instead, she looked satisfied as she smiled at the boy before answering, “You'll have to ask your favorite Daddy about that word, Shane. He would know more than me about that word.” Jessica did direct her answer to her son, but her eyes glanced at Noah when she said her last sentence. Noah looked cornered, he even tried to look away from the mother and son pair. The artificial light around the area reflected on the man's forehead after he took off the cat head, and it looked glistening with sweat, either because of his cat costume or because of his nervousness. Jessica didn't know the reason, but that didn't stop her from staring intently at the man while waiting for his answer. "Proposin
“So, where is your Daddy now? Did he run away after giving my son a stup—a funny task?” Gritting her teeth to suppress her annoyance, Jessica questioned her son, almost failing to restrain herself from uttering the word "stupid." However, it was not her son who responded. Instead, it was her daughter who suddenly tugged on her sleeve, causing her to turn towards the little girl. “Daddy didn't run away, Mom,” the little girl said, and Jessica thought she would continue to say something. That's why Jessica remained silent waiting for her daughter to explain what she had just said, but the little girl didn't say anything and just moved her little hands towards the pink backpack hanging on her back. Jessica didn't know what the girl was doing, but she could see how the girl unzipped her backpack before taking something out of it. To Jessica's surprise, the thing the girl had just taken out of her backpack was a camera. To be pr
In the end, Jessica decided to give Noah a second chance. Yes, a second chance to be closer to her children.The reason behind her decision was that her children really liked Noah since the first time they met at the mall ice cream shop when she accompanied Tammy to buy a birthday present for her husband. It could be said that the ice cream succeeded in buying the kids' love, and they really liked spending time with the person who bought them the ice cream.Actually, that was not a bad thing, but Jessica was quite annoyed by the stubbornness of her children who kept calling Noah "daddy." It was clearly Noah's fault for casually confirming that he was indeed the twins' father, and Jessica continued to curse the man in her heart from that day on.She didn't even realize that a week had passed since her mother left the hospital and started living again in Noah's old apartment. Due to her mother's pleading, she ended up staying in that apartment as well rather
“That… that's too cheesy! Aren't we going to buy food for my mother and children? We better leave now or they will eat us alive if they get too hungry," Jessica tried to change the topic of their conversation when she started to feel nervous because of what Noah had just said to her. She even averted her gaze to look at anything as long as it wasn't Noah's face, and that was why she didn't notice the hopeful expression on the man's face. "You just said that what I said was too cheesy, but you didn't say that you didn't believe what I said," Noah replied, ignoring the fact that Jessica was trying to change the topic of their conversation. Finally, Jessica could no longer avoid the man's face, and she once again looked at him with her pair of blue eyes. At this moment, she could finally see a glimmer of hope in the man's eyes. "To be honest, Tammy has told me everything related to you," Jessica finally said the truth.
“Why didn't you remarry after we divorced five years ago?” Jessica's voice was finally heard in the car. "Is it because you still can't get over Tyler?"Suddenly, Noah sneered before replying, “Do you think I love that man so much that I can't replace him with someone else? I don't know if this information is useful for you or not, but the truth is that I didn't really love him when we were together.""You didn't really love him but you still wanted to be with him even though it meant betraying our marriage," Jessica answered sarcastically, and Noah looked stunned by her answer.For a moment, Noah could only stare at the blonde without being able to utter a word with his mouth, but then he took a deep breath before saying, “I believe love and guilt are two different things, and I differentiated them clearly when I was still with him. I betrayed our marriage because of my feelings of guilt, not because of my love for him.”Jessica was the one who d
Jessica didn't know what to say after hearing Noah just say what was on his mind and heart, but for some reason, she felt familiar with the situation. The familiar feeling she felt in her heart made her anxious, her hands even moved to grip her jeans tightly as if asking for support from the blue fabric.“You probably think that my situation is similar to your children's situation, right?”Jessica felt her heart stop beating for a moment after hearing what Noah had just asked. It was actually impossible for her heart to stop beating while she was still alive, but she was truly surprised by the question. She finally understood why she felt anxious about Noah's story. That was because the story reminded her of her children.“I am the illegitimate child of that billionaire, and your children are the same even if their father is not a billionaire. They are very young now, but their lives are probably as full of drama as mine. Their lives will be full of lies a
After everything that happened to her five years ago, Jessica really didn't like surprises. Back then, many unexpected things happened to her, and none of them were pleasant surprises. That was why she felt traumatized by unexpected things, but today, she kept getting unexpected things since she came to the hospital to see her mother.First, a surprise came in the form of Noah, and second, it was in the form of the fact that her mother ended up living in Noah's old apartment. As if that wasn't enough, Noah then told her that he wanted to discuss a matter with her alone, and in the end, Jessica could only follow the man's lead.They were once again in Noah's car, and Jessica had fastened her seat belt. She prepared to look for something for her mother and her children's lunch, but she was puzzled because Noah did not start the car immediately.“Did you forget your wallet?” Confused, Jessica asked the man while looking at him.Her thinking was indee
In fact, Jessica had no plans at all to get into her ex-husband's car. Even her ex-husband's appearance at the hospital was not her plan at all, but in the end, she could only surrender and agree to get into the vehicle.Her mother first sat in the second row of seats with the twins, and she had no choice but to take the passenger seat next to the driver's seat. On the way to her mother's house, Noah, her mother, and the twins continued to chat happily about everything, but Jessica remained silent. None of those people seemed to notice her, and that was why she was lost in thought during the journey.She was actually drowned by the fact that she was passing through a route that she used to travel in the past. She didn't know her mother's new address, but she was sure that every street the car took was familiar to her eyes. It brought a feeling of nostalgia that both warmed and chilled her heart.At first, she ignored the familiarity she felt, assuming that