The exposed truth must have hit Harry hard."I don't want a new mom," Hayden said. "I don't want to stay at home or go to school. It feels like everyone is overly careful around me, whispering behind my back. They think I don't know what they're talking about, but I do!"Coco could relate. When her parents had just passed away, her relatives, the teachers, and students at school treated her with the same cautiousness while still gossiping behind her back. She knew exactly what they were saying and discussing. At that time, she felt out of place with everyone around her."Hayden, we can't stop others from gossiping, but we can make ourselves stronger," Coco said. "We can openly express our thoughts. We shouldn’t avoid interacting with people because of our fear or annoyance. Otherwise, you'll only become a hermit."Hayden listened, though it was unclear how much he had understood.Coco didn't expect the child to fully understand her words right away. He needed more guidance from the peo
"I did save her, but we’re not that close," Lucas replied."I see," Hayden muttered. Nonetheless, he went up to the stall and bought a charm. Coco couldn't help but sigh inwardly as she watched Hayden pay for it. Then, Hayden handed the charm to Lucas. "Please remember to give this to Mommy's friend," the little boy said earnestly."Sure.”Then, the three of them returned to the city for dinner.As Lucas parked the car in the parking lot, Coco suddenly exclaimed, "Oh!""What's wrong?" Lucas asked."I think I saw Serenity," Coco said.Indeed, Serenity was getting out of her car with three kids in the same parking lot.After Lucas parked the car, Coco got out of the car while holding Hayden's hand. She called out to Serenity, "Serenity!"Serenity looked in the direction of the voice and spotted Coco. She then waved back.A moment later, Lucas and Jackson also got out of their respective cars. Upon seeing each other, they exchanged a silent nod. They hadn’t expected to bump into each ot
Hayden looked hesitant. He clearly wanted to ask more about Summer but was feeling shy about it.Serenity smiled and said, "I'll tell you about her later, okay?" Instantly, a glint of joy flickered in Hayden’s eyes.Serenity then turned to Coco and Lucas. "Why don't we have dinner together? I can also talk to Hayden about Summer.""Sure," Coco agreed.Lucas and Jackson naturally had no objections, so the group headed to a nearby restaurant.There was a famous kids-friendly restaurant in the mall, which Jacqueline really wanted to visit. Micah and Frederick were okay with anything as long as Jackie liked it. Hayden, too, seemed interested in the restaurant, and no one objected.After entering the restaurant and ordering some dishes, the children started their chatter. Micah was the quiet one, and Jacqueline was the most talkative with Frederick mostly responding to Jacqueline's topics. Hayden occasionally interjected with questions.Jacqueline was confident to get good results in the p
Fred’s tiny lips tightened.Jacqueline said, "Fred, how could you say that to Hayden? It's great that Hayden wants to learn the piano. You should apologize to him."A hint of sadness flickered in Fred's eyes, but he still said to Hayden, "I'm sorry."However, he didn't genuinely want to apologize. He only said sorry because Jackie told him to."Alright, alright, the food is here. Let's eat, and then we can go play!" Serenity said.The restaurant had a small play area with some fun facilities that were very popular with children. It had received positive reviews online. Jacqueline cheered and started eating immediately, and the other children followed suit. The arguments between them seemed to be over.After finishing their meal, Coco and Serenity went to the play area with the four children. Lucas and Jackson stayed at the table, staring at each other."Looks like things are going well between you and Coco," Jackson remarked."It's alright," Lucas replied."You, Coco and H
"Serenity!" Jackson answered instantly, "I would save Serenity because she's the most important person to me. However, if Serenity wanted me to save the children, then I would respect her wish and save the children instead. After that, I would follow her to the afterlife."He said it so matter-of-factly.Lucas stared at Jackson. So Jackson would live and die with Serenity?And what about him? With whom could he share such a profound connection? If Coco were to face danger one day, would he make the same decision as Jackson?After some time, the children were finally done playing. Jacqueline mentioned their plan to visit the zoo the next day, so Hayden asked, "Can I join you?"And so, they all reached an agreement to visit the zoo together the following day.Later that evening, when Harry Scott came to pick Hayden up, Coco told him about their plan for tomorrow."Can Hayden join us tomorrow?" Coco asked.Before Harry could respond, Hayden chimed in, "I want to go!"His desire t
"Because he said he wanted to learn the piano, and when I told him about the piano, he listened attentively," she replied."Then... if he becomes skilled at the piano, you'll like him even more, right?" he asked.Once again, she nodded her head. If Hayden became good at the piano, of course she would like him even more!"What if he becomes better than me? Will you like him more than me?" He couldn't hide the possessiveness and unease in his tone.This emotion was more commonly known as... jealousy!Jacqueline pondered the question seriously, while Fred anxiously waited, fearing her response would be a "yes."The piano was his most potent weapon to win her affection. From the beginning, her fondness for him stemmed from his piano skills. Thus, it seemed logical for her to develop a liking for someone else because of the piano too.But apart from the piano, what else did he have? What other qualities could he use to impress her? His grades? Or perhaps, his current status as th
After some time, the woman put away the binoculars and turned to face the other woman seated in the room."Aubrey, you ask me to impersonate Serenity and infiltrate the Stanton Residence tomorrow, but what if things go wrong? I'll be in serious trouble, while you can escape unscathed! You assure me that I'll be safe and I’ll receive a substantial sum of money afterwards, but why should I believe you?" Snow Norris asked, glaring at Aubrey Stewart.Aubrey smiled faintly. "Because of how badly you want to see Coco Souza suffer. We both loved Lucas and hate Coco. Given that, my plan is the best plan."As she spoke, she carefully observed Snow's face, which bore a striking resemblance to Serenity's. So did her attire, hairstyle, and makeup. It was very hard to distinguish her from the real person.Aubrey was surprised that Lucas refused to keep Snow by his side, considering how much he loved Serenity. In fact, he wanted to send Snow away from Solaria in order to avoid complications with
The children insisted on taking a boat ride, so after the meal, they all boarded a small boat.As they sailed along the river, Jacqueline suddenly exclaimed and pointed to a distance, asking, "What's that?" The boat owner explained with a smile, "That's a reservoir. It releases water before the rainy season, but outside of that, it's usually inactive. Some local children swim there during the summer as the water there is cooler.""But isn't it dangerous to swim in a reservoir?" Coco inquired."Oh, yes! People have drowned there before," the boat owner admitted. "But that hasn't stopped people from going there. However, I've heard that a rafting project is being planned downstream, along with the construction of the city's largest outdoor swimming pool. It's been underway for nearly six months and should be completed in a few months. The pool will be free for local residents.""That's wonderful," Coco remarked.The children began discussing swimming and whether they knew how to s