His cold voice whispered to her, wanting more of her. Only she could soothe the lingering fear in his heart.Even though she was currently right in front of him, alive and well, she had no idea how scared he was! She had no idea how many times the scene of her almost falling out of the window had replayed in his mind!Thank goodness he caught her!Thank goodness he managed to pull her back into his arms!Thank goodness she's safe!"Serenity..." he hoarsely called her name. This name was engraved in his blood and bones, a name that would be forever etched in his memory...Stroking back her hair, he kissed her brow softly. "No one shall harm you while I live. I won't allow it."He affectionately carried her to the bathroom.She was still asleep, her clear and beautiful face looking charming under the bathroom’s soft light."Serenity, I'm yours too," he whispered gently as he wiped her dry, then carried her back to bed.She was sound asleep, but he didn't feel sleepy at all.Th
When she opened her eyes, there was still a trace of panic in them. And when Jackson's face came into view, she felt as if she had instantly traveled to another world."J... Jack..." Her voice trembled."I'm here," he said. "I'm sorry for hurting you earlier."She stared at him blankly. Perhaps because of what happened earlier in the day, she dreamt of the incident where she fell into the sea. Even though she knew that the incident happened five years ago and it was just a dream, her surroundings still didn't feel real to her.Had she really come back? Back to his side?Trembling, she reached out, wanting to touch his face, but it stopped halfway, afraid to make contact, as if she was afraid that everything wasn't real.With trembling eyelashes, Jackson held Serenity's hand and placed her palm against his cheek. "What's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?"She took a deep breath, and a bitter smile appeared at the corner of her lips. "Yes, indeed... a bad dream."The memory follow
Gwen's and Lark's ending gave her immense satisfaction!"By the way, the phone recording that was broadcasted, did Jackson find that?" Lisa asked."No, it was Micah," Serenity replied."Micah?" Lisa's eyes widened in surprise. "Are kids nowadays so capable?"Clara was also a little surprised, but because her own son was also intelligent and mature for his age, she wasn't as amazed as Lisa."Yes, apparently he's good with computers," Serenity said.The three of them were sitting together outside Clara's store. Right then, out of the corner of her eye, Serenity caught a glimpse of a kid walking to the elementary school nearby.Serenity was familiar with this kid; it was the little boy named Caden. The kid had left a deep impression on her. But what surprised her was that the kid was walking with a limp."Huh? Why isn't that kid with an adult? He's so young!" Lisa had also noticed Caden and couldn't help but wonder.Clara thus briefly explained Caden's situation to Lisa."I feel
Caden's exposed skin was bruised. His little face was still swollen. Serenity could imagine how it must have been worse over the past few days. Unable to help feeling pain for him, Serenity crouched down, leveling her eyes at the child. "Does it hurt?" she asked, but Caden acted like he had not heard her and continued staring at the school gate. All he cared about was when he could see his sister after school. Nothing else mattered to him. Serenity wanted to touch the boy's face, but the little one avoided her hand warily."I just want to see your injury. I don't mean any harm!" Serenity hastily said.The little boy stared at her for a long moment before finally enunciating slowly, "I don't like you touching me!""Then… Shall I take you to the hospital and let the doctor take a look at your wound? Once your bruise heals, you'll feel better," Serenity coaxed. "It doesn't hurt," the little boy said coldly. Then, he turned his head away and stopped talking to Serenity. Serenity
The seven-year-old Cynthia behaved like an adult and showed signs of a mature child. She knew there was no such thing as a free lunch and knew how to protect herself. "My kids are about the same age as Caden. When I see Caden hurt, I can't resist wanting to help. Taking Caden to the doctor is something I can do to help," Serenity explained in a matter-of-fact tone with no intention of intimidating the little girl by getting too close.Cynthia fell silent. She turned around and looked at the little boy, still hesitant and unsure.Caden said, "Sis, it doesn't hurt." "I know it doesn't hurt, but you're still injured. Look at how you walk! You're still limping!" Cynthia said and finally made up her mind."Aunt Serene," Cynthia glanced up at Serenity, "Please wait for me. I'll be back in a while. We'll go to the hospital with you." Cynthia said something to Caden after that and told him to wait for her in front of the store.Caden grabbed the hem of Cynthia's shirt, refusing to let
"Who knows? Adoption for unusual reasons can be pretty common. I've heard about some families that adopt children for pretty strange reasons," Lisa said, pouting.Serenity pursed her lips, pondering something. Just then, Cynthia came running back carrying a small satchel instead of a school bag this time. She took Caden's hand and said to Serenity, "Aunt Serene, let's take Caden to the hospital.""Alright. Let's go," Serenity said, smiling. Lisa shrugged. When everyone got into the car, Serenity asked Cynthia, "Did you talk to your parents when you got home?""Well, I left a note," Cynthia said, but she knew it did not really matter. Her father would not care if she and Caden were out all night, let alone her stepmother. Besides, her stepmother would love to see her and Caden gone.Lisa drove the car to the hospital. While they were on the way, Serenity saw Cynthia holding Caden's hand tightly. The siblings were very close, and it seemed like they only had each other to rely on.
After the doctor's consultation, the group went to pick up the medication. The doctor prescribed a couple of ointments and a pain-relieving spray for Caden. Serenity handed the medication to Cynthia. "Here, these are Caden's medicine. You have to apply the ointment a couple of times a day. There are instructions written on the label. Can you read them?""I can!" Cynthia agreed readily."From now on, I’ll have to trouble you to help Caden with his medication," Serenity said."It's no trouble! Caden is my brother!" After putting the medications into her small satchel, Cynthia pulled out several crumpled rolls of money ranging from a dollar or two to as much as fifty dollars. "Here is 93 dollars. I know it's not enough for the bill today. Once I've saved enough, I'll give you the rest!" Cynthia said, behaving like a grown adult. She took out her stash of money all at once, giving Serenity all her savings.Serenity smiled at the stash of crumpled money but refused to accept it. "No
Cynthia tried stuffing the pile of crumpled money into Serenity's hands again. Serenity accepted the 'special' money this time. "Okay, I'll take this. You can pay me back the rest when you have enough. Now, let's get you two home."Lisa drove and took the kids to their home. When they arrived at their destination, Lisa and Serenity dropped off the kids at the door. Cynthia's stepmother, Yara Jenkins, opened the door. When she saw the kids, she immediately yelled at Cynthia, "Where have you been? If you don't like staying in this house, take this leech with you and get out of there!""I left a note. I took Caden to the hospital," Cynthia said calmly."You left a note? Hmph! The hospital? The both of you must have been fooling around! Did you damage someone's property? Do you need me to pay for it? I'm telling you, the family's money has nothing to do with your short-lived mom. It all belongs to me and your father!" Yara scolded, assuming that Serenity and Lisa had come to their house