I had no idea what to expect when Jaxon called me into the living room. This tension that had been building between us for days now felt unbearable, like we were standing at the edge of something that would either bring us closer or tear us apart. And yet, there he was, standing in front of the television, his eyes fixed on the screen like he was trying to absorb something that was too big to understand all at once."You need to see this," he said, his voice flat but firm.I crossed the room, feeling the weight of the moment hanging between us. Something was in the air, like the calm before the storm. It was palpable, and a feeling that it was all about to come crashing down couldn't be avoided."What is it?" I tried to keep my voice steady.He didn't utter a word. He pressed some button on his remote, and it started playing. The quality of the recording was poor; it had been taken from some security camera-reasonably enough, but quite clear to distinguish what was going on in it. I s
"Can you pass me the bottle?" I asked, not looking at Jaxon as I reached for the ketchup on the table. We sat in the kitchen quietly eating, the clink of cutlery and the hum of the refrigerator the only sounds filling the air between us. It was this way for quite a while: moments of equilibrium, only to be cut short by tensions that seemed to hover over everything we were doing. Co-parenting was getting easier, but this. this unease was another kind of challenge altogether.He passed the bottle in silence; his movements deliberate as if not to touch me. Every touch now felt charged, even the slightest gesture that quickened my heartbeat and swirled my mind with memories that I was not ready to relive."Thanks," I muttered, unscrewing the cap and squeezing out the ketchup onto my plate.Jaxon didn't respond. He just kept eating his own meal, his eyes darting over to me every now and then before quickly looking away. We'd had this dance for weeks, trying to stay civil, attempting not to
"Come on, Isabel. It'll be good for us," Jaxon urged, his voice more convincing than I was prepared for. He stood in the doorway of the kitchen, arms crossed, his expression serious. "It's just one night. We can do this. For Hazel. For us."I scowled, eyeing him warily. "What exactly are you asking me to do here, Jaxon?"Come with me to this charity event tomorrow night. As a family. It's not gonna be as crazy as last time, I promise." His smile was small, almost like he was trying to reassure both of us at once. "I'm not asking for anything big, just. a simple night out. You, me, and Hazel. Nothing more, nothing less."I hesitated, the thought of going anywhere with him in front of all these people stirring more anxiety than I was willing to let on. But being around him, the feeling of the heat between us, pretending it wasn't there-well, that wasn't even marginally tolerable. And still, there was Hazel to take into account. All she had been through-mostly because of me, and perhaps
I had finally begun to doze off, my body only now relaxing after the chaos of the last few days. Hazel had been sleeping for hours, curled up in her room just down the hall. The house was quiet-almost too quiet.Then, I heard it-an unmistakable sound, a soft creak from downstairs. In an instant, my heart slammed in my chest, and I was frozen in place. Next to me, Jaxon stirred, sensing that something was wrong before even I could react."Isabel?" His voice was low, groggy, but laced with that edge. "Did you hear that?"I nodded, catching my breath. "Yeah… I don't know. I thought it was nothing."But then, the other sound was louder this time. A slow, deliberate, heavy step-that was unmistakable. There was someone in the house. My heart leaped, and I bolted upright."Stay here," I whispered, but Jaxon was one step ahead. He didn't need a second longer, and that was one of the things I loved most about him. He never ran from anything that got in his way, let alone protecting anyone who
My eyes were transfixed on the cup in my hands, long cold, bereft of even the hint of steam. There was silence in the kitchen-the hum of the refrigerator the loudest of sounds. It was as if the world had simply stopped since that night, when in fact what was happening now was that the threads were all starting to unwind.Jaxon had been pacing back and forth, his face tight with frustration as he replayed the events over and over in his head."Do you think it was my mom?" His voice broke the silence, raw, uncertain.I looked up, meeting his eyes. "I don't know. It's possible." I hedged, then added, "But I'm not so sure it's her.His brow furrowed, a quick flash of annoyance crossing his features. "You think it was someone else?""Lauren," I said softly, almost as if I was testing the word. My gut twisted with the possibility. It didn't sit right with me, but after everything that had happened, it felt like it could be the only explanation.Jaxon stopped mid-step, his eyes locking with
I really couldn't remember when this argument started, but what I knew was that it was one of those moments, you know-when everything breaks. Jaxon was red from his anger, with his tightly clenched jaw, throwing accusation after accusation at me. My temper was just as short, and it was like we went to war—every word from him a grenade, every word from me a bullet. I don't even remember what it was about anymore. Maybe it was the constant tension, maybe the trust issues we're still dancing around, but tonight, everything boiled over.Why do you always do this, Isabel?" Jaxon's voice was tight, his hands balled into fists at his sides. "You push me away every time things get tough.""I'm not pushing you away," I spat, my chest rising and falling with each breath, my heart pounding."From me?" he snapped back, his expression twisted with disbelief. "I'm not your enemy!"I never said you were," I snapped back, my voice raised. "But you can't keep doing this to me, Jaxon. You can't keep pu
It came as a phone call. An ordinary, unsuspecting ring that sent a shiver down my spine. I wasn't prepared for what came next."Isabel," Jaxon's voice was strained over the line. "I need you to sit down for this."My heart went into overtime skips as something pulled the rug from under me. "What's going on?"“I… my mother, she’s going to take us to court. She wants custody of Hazel.”I blinked, my mind reeling. “What? Why?”“I don’t know,” he said, his voice tightening with frustration. “She says I’m not fit to raise her, that we’re unstable. She wants Hazel with her full-time.”I could feel my stomach twist in knots. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be happening."I… I don't know what to do," Jaxon continued, and in my mind's eye, I could just see the anger rising with every word. "I'm not letting her take Hazel. She doesn't get to decide that. I won't let her."My mind whirled. I knew Jaxon's mother wasn't exactly thrilled with me, but this felt deeper. More personal.I won't let
There was silence in that room, even thick, inescapably more than common. I'm just standing, my eyes off out the kitchen window, those pale shades slanted across the floor. Fingers wrapped with cold coffee already for a pretty while. Every inch of bearing upon me came up to something hardly bearable; the previous few days served just to push everything over a very steeply raised edge.Jaxon hadn't come home yet, but I could feel him coming-my presence looming, even before the door creaked open."Isabel," his voice broke through my thoughts, soft, as if he wasn't quite sure whether to disturb me or not. I turned around, but my eyes didn't meet his. I couldn't. Not yet."What is it, Jaxon?" My voice sounded a little more distant than I meant it to.He took a deep breath, and I felt the hesitation in him, weighing each word before he set it free. "I found something," he said low, as if it was some sort of secret.I lifted an eyebrow, curiosity warring with wariness. "What are you talking
Two more snows had fallen. The members of the international class noticed that ever since Maureen returned from the final round, the atmosphere between her and their "boss" seemed to have subtly changed. Before the final round, they seemed inseparable, obviously lovebirds. After the finals, who knows what happened? Or if it's just their imagination, but Maureen appeared to care more about their "boss," almost like an eagle protecting a chick. For instance, their class advisor, Teacher Logan. Because of Liam, Teacher Logan hadn't received a performance bonus in three years, and his resentment was more than justified. Finally, after Maureen transferred into their class this semester, the number of incidents involving Liam dramatically decreased. Teacher Logan thought he could relax a bit, but the last school celebration performance was unexpectedly changed by Liam! The school leaders were furious. Now, this month's bonus was gone again! Teacher Logan was so enraged with Liam th
The two hadn't had their fill over there, so they decided to cook some noodles when they got back. "I'm actually a little angry." Maureen stirred the noodles in the pot with a long pair of spoons, her tone still choked with emotion. She avoided looking at Liam, her eyes lowered on the boiling water and the tumbling noodles in the pot, her eyes rimmed red, "I asked you before, about the wound on your neck, you told me that the instant noodle glass bowl exploded! Do you have no heart, no feelings?" Maureen couldn't help but drop her Spoon. She should have realized it long ago, she had been living there for so long, and she had never seen Liam eat instant noodles - his refrigerator was completely empty, not a single instant noodle or glass bowl, what noodles was he supposedly making?! Liam was always lying to her! Seeing Maureen crying all the way back in the cold wind, her eyes swollen to the size of walnuts, Liam felt deeply distressed. He lightly patted Maureen's back, trying t
Maureen was the first to take a bath. After Liam entered the bathroom, Maureen wandered around the apartment in her fluffy pajamas, bored out of her mind. Being in love is such a fascinating thing. Before, besides studying, she found dramas and games enjoyable. Yet, after falling in love, when he was not by her side even for a moment, she got bored no matter what she did. Nothing was as fun as spending time with Liam. She wanted to do everything with him, whether it was watching dramas or eating. Just one glance from him, and her feelings could experience the dramatic waves, drowning in the deep ocean, the best bite of a summer watermelon, or the tartest segment of an orange. The spacious apartment changed gradually after Maureen moved in. Maureen was like an invader, painting the previously icy and quiet apartment with colors everywhere. She was afraid of the cold, so Liam always had the heater on, causing the previous bone-chilling feeling to disappear. She was afraid of t
There's a small step at the entrance where shoes are changed. Liam leans on the shoe cabinet to stand up, and Mr. Boris carries his wheelchair in. Liam hops up on one foot. He glances at Maureen, trying to hop in a nonchalant and handsome manner. But how cool and handsome could he possibly look hopping around on a single foot? Liam feels a bit embarrassed, murmuring discontented, "Who decided to put this step here?" Maureen watches from the side, her heart pounding. She subconsciously raises her hand to help him, fearing a second injury due to a slippery tiled floor. However, Liam, who seems to intentionally show off his skills, or something like that, refuses her help and smoothly completes a series of movements. Maureen: "Once he's up, Mr. Boris quickly pushes the wheelchair behind him. He holds onto the handles, sits back down in the wheelchair, raises one plastered leg, and with great effort, positions his plastered foot correctly. He then raises his handsome eyebrows a
The next day, Teacher Logan specifically noticed that it was again Maureen who was pushing Liam's wheelchair into the classroom. The group of boys in the class were extremely envious, while Liam coolly tucked his hands into his pockets, raised his chin, and wore noise-canceling headphones around his neck. He looked both arrogant and pleased. Liam wished he could show off Maureen to the entire world. Teacher Logan, on the other hand, was extremely frustrated. Right after the class, Teacher Logan asked Maureen to his office with a stern face. "Has someone been bullying you in the class recently?" Maureen was taken aback,?" No." Teacher Logan sighed deeply and said, "Maureen, you can tell me if someone is bullying you. I will back you up." Maureen thought for a moment and really couldn't think of anyone who could bully her. In fact, when she transferred to the international class, she had made the most important decision to stick with Liam. This could be the so-called stra
The three of them came out of KFC, it was so blistering cold that Liam put Maureen's hand into his own pocket. Niel, with his sharp eyes, suddenly called out to Maureen and pointed in a direction with his milk tea in hand, he said: "Am I seeing things, or is that Bianca? Is she dating someone now?" Bianca's contract with the talent agency, Maureen heard about it too. For the past month, Maureen had barely seen Bianca in school. She seemed to have disappeared completely from her sight, someone she used to bump into every few days on the streets. The main reason was that even though the controversy of the true and false heiress was over, Bianca still faced some stares. If it wasn't for the sake of graduation, Bianca wouldn't want to attend school at all. She spent most of her time in society, working. So, seeing Bianca again out of the blue at the school gate was quite a surprise for Maureen. She followed the direction Niel pointed and glanced over. Outside Secondary School wa
"Sir," The butler came in with a phone in hand. "The hospital replied they are willing to sell, but," Under Augustin’s gaze, he swallowed hard before continuing. "The price is three times higher than what we previously sold it for." "Three times?!" Victoria widened her eyes in surprise, her voice sharp. "This is downright robbery!!" Augustin’s eyes darkened, his face looking extremely unsightly. "Did they specify why the increase in price?" "They said someone is willing to purchase at a high price, which led to the price hike." The butler nodded affirmatively. "So, do you still want to buy it?" Augustin pressed his lips together. Before he could even speak, Victoria on the side grabbed the opportunity to interject. "We cannot buy it,” There was a hint of anger on her slightly chubby face. "Augustine, we can't be the scapegoats." "What do you know?" Augustin looked at her with deep, mysterious eyes, his voice icy. "In a few days, it will be grandpa Luther's birthday ban
The house was dead quiet. The type of quiet that feels too still, as if everything were holding its breath. The letter had left its mark, but I tried to shove it away. We'd already been through enough, and I refused to let something like this get the better of us. Jaxon was right; it was only a prank. Nothing more.Already Hazel had gone to bed, which left Jaxon and me still sitting in the living room trying to process it all. I was holding our son, this tiny little ball of a boy cuddled into my side, his soft, light breath a reminder of the fragility but beauty life had become. And in this uneventful drive home, at least, I felt normal settle over us.Jaxon sat across from me, his eyes scanning the letter again, as if willing it to change. He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. “It doesn’t make sense. Who would want to hurt us now?”I shrugged, glancing down at our baby’s sleeping face. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s someone who never really let go.”He let out a deep sigh. "
Laughter and murmurs of quiet conversation filled the house. It was so still, so right with the world. I had never felt this relaxed in my life. I was seated on the couch, Hazel perched on the arm beside me, as we watched Jaxon bounce our son in his arms. He looked so natural with the baby, like he had done this all his life. And in many ways, he had-just never with a child of his own. But that didn't matter. We were here, together; our little family was complete."Did you see the way he smiled?" Hazel laughed. "He's definitely a charmer. Takes after his dad."Jaxon was smirking, rocking the baby gently. "I think he is more like his mom. Look at those big eyes."I grinned, knowing full well what he meant. The baby had my eyes, sure, but he also got my stubbornness. I could tell that already.But before I could answer, there came a soft knock on the door. I turned, wondering who it could be. It was still early, and I wasn't expecting anyone. Jaxon stood up, a bit too quick, and I caugh