Keegan understood that Jaylene wasn't asking to be close friends; she wanted a romantic relationship with him.From the moment he woke up and encountered Jaylene, Keegan realized her intentions. He didn't have any romantic feelings for Jaylene, yet oddly, he found it difficult to outright reject her.Although he had indirectly rejected her, a nagging voice in his mind urged him to take back his words. 'That's not what Jaylene wanted to hear.'Suddenly, the sound of wind chimes interrupted Keegan's thoughts.Then he heard Jaylene speak in a hoarse voice, "Keegan, you know that's not what I meant. I like you..."Her eyes teared up as she spoke, and Keegan felt an instinct to reach out to comfort her, but before he could, Stella arrived."We can leave now."Keegan's mind cleared instantly, yet he didn't retract his hand. Instead, he gently patted Jaylene's shoulder and advised, "You should wear something warm. It's chilly outside."Jaylene's eyes grew even redder.With an express
Keegan was surprised by the ice-cold sensation in his palm. It felt colder than the bottled water he held."I—"Stella withdrew her hand, saying, "At least pretend to care if you're thinking about having a child."Keegan glanced at his empty hand and gently clenched his fist. Then, he turned to Aldor, instructing, "Turn up the heater."Aldor nodded, and soon the car's temperature increased.Stella wasn't genuinely feeling cold; she was just annoyed by Keegan's apparent consideration for Jaylene. Keegan might have comforted Jaylene if she hadn't shown up earlier.Her once-confident understanding of Keegan now seemed uncertain.Stella closed her eyes without looking at him again, feeling somewhat drained. The physical changes from pregnancy quickly lulled her into sleep.In her dream, she was diving. It was strange; despite being underwater, she didn't feel cold at all. On the contrary, it was comfortably warm.The underwater world was vibrant with colors, and schools of fish sw
Ignoring Stella, Keegan strode past the wedding photos and placed her luggage on the table. The housekeeper, Maria, who had been upstairs tidying, came down upon hearing the commotion. She greeted them with a smile, "Sir, Madam, welcome back."Keegan nodded briefly and indicated the items on the table, "Maria, could you assist Ms. Hall in getting her luggage to the guest room?"Maria looked surprised, "Guest room?"Keegan affirmed, "Ms. Hall is here to help me recover my memory. She'll be staying here for a while. Please help her settle in."Maria was aware of Keegan's amnesia but didn't expect it to be this severe, with him not recognizing Stella.Recalling Cordelia's instructions, Maria hesitated, "Sir, the guest rooms are currently unavailable."Keegan was taken aback. "None of the guest rooms are usable?"Maria explained, "That's correct."Keegan felt skeptical and decided to open each door, one by one. To his surprise, except for the master bedroom, none of the other rooms
Keegan nibbled his lip, feeling a weird sensation in his heart. His time with Stella before they got married didn't seem as rocky as his mom said. 'But then, why would I still have something she casually sketched in my desk drawer?'After staring at the drawing for a prolonged moment, he placed it back into the drawer."Aldor, inform everyone I won't attend the gathering today. Charge tonight's expenses to my account. We'll have another gathering once I settle the matters at hand."Aldor nodded, then asked, "Mr. Kane, there are new desserts at Memorie Baker. Should we get some for Mrs. Kane?""No need. Pregnant women should watch their sugar. It could make the baby too big for an easy birth," Keegan said casually.This puzzled Aldor. 'When did he learn all this?'Keegan was surprised himself. He hadn't tried to remember it. When he stopped Stella from having an abortion, he had skimmed a booklet about caring for moms and babies. The details stuck in his head without much thought.
Stella scoffed, "I see."She vigorously stirred the dumplings in her bowl, creating a crisp sound as the spoon repeatedly hit the dishware.Having dined together at the Saun residence before, Keegan knew Stella's table etiquette was far more refined than her current demeanor. It then dawned on him that something was wrong. "Are you upset?" he asked."No," Stella flashed a fake smile. "I'm so thrilled that you remembered to bring me food coming home from work so late, Mr. Kane."Keegan detected a pattern. Whenever Stella was angry, she would address him as "Mr. Kane".He vaguely recalled her raising her eyebrows and commenting, "Nice watch, Mr. Kane." Yet, she wasn't genuinely admiring his timepiece; she was being sarcastic.Keegan couldn't fathom what had triggered her irritation, so he asked, "Don't you like shrimp filling?"Stella shook her head and said in a serious tone, "No, I do. Like you said, shrimp is good for pregnant women. It's good for the baby too."Hearing that,
Stella was heartbroken to hear what Keegan had been through.'He was in a daze. How much painkillers did he have to take to be in that state?' Stella couldn't shake off the overwhelming feeling. She contemplated what could have been if she had just held onto him in the river. It might have prevented the subsequent events, sparing him from facing the most challenging moment of his life all alone.Sensing her distress, Keegan's mood seemed to darken. Without meeting her eyes or uttering a word, he matched her stride and silently accompanied her.The streetlights extended their shadows as Keegan suddenly inquired, "Did you use to take walks like this with him?"Stella was momentarily stunned but then comprehended that the "him" Keegan referred to was the previous version of himself, the one she had married. This realization stemmed from her previous statement, "I want to make sure the Keegan who deeply loved me is safe and sound."Dropping her gaze, Stella responded slowly, "No, we r
Stella felt anxious and reluctant to leave, but Baldwin insisted, "Ms. Hall, please step outside. It's Dr. Morghen's protocol."Stella tightly clutched her hands and eventually stepped back. The door closed firmly, muffling any sounds from within.Anxiously pacing outside the room, Stella couldn't shake off a growing sense of unease. Finally, she turned to Baldwin and said, "Who is this doctor? Can we trust him?""You've met him before," Baldwin replied.Perplexed, Stella questioned, "When did I meet him? I don't remember.""At the Temple of Abawo.""Temple of— Is he the Venerable Raphael Morghen? Isn't he a religious figure? Since when he knows medicine?" Stella did not recognize Raphael due to his loose hair.Baldwin explained, "His belief and job are two different things."'It sounds like he has quite a flexible career,' thought Stella.Raphael had a deep connection with Cordelia, and her trust in him prompted his invitation. Still, Stella wondered about his medical skills.
Wenham's voice echoed from the kitchen, asking if the soup was ready. "Coming," Darcie replied while swiftly deleting all the messages on her phone. She gracefully carried the hot soup to the dining area."Let Sandra handle these matters moving forward." Wenham wiped his hands and continued, "It's getting cold, and the food will cool down during all the back-and-forth.""Sandra has been busy all night. She's currently having dinner. We shouldn't trouble her with these minor tasks," Darcie said as she filled another bowl of hot soup for Wenham. "Plus, I'm used to it. I took care of your mom, remember? It's not a big deal."Wenham paused upon hearing that and refrained from saying anything more.Darcie had put a lot of effort into taking care of Eleanor over the years. With the wealth of the Saun family, finding help for such tiring work was easy as long as the pay was good. Eleanor, once a renowned debutante in Rivera, had become bedridden because of her illness. Her self-esteem suf