Wilson raised his eyebrows as Clara stood up and extended her hand in an inviting gesture."Mr. Birch, would you like to dance with me?" She smiled warmly."You still remember the steps?" he asked, surprised.Today, she had been full of surprises."I never forgot what you taught me," she answered softly.He was momentarily taken aback, then a faint smile crept onto his lips. Yes, he had taught her the ballroom dance steps. He recalled her stepping on his feet many times when he was teaching her, yet he had still wanted to teach her – because her apologetic expressions were cute, because her serious focus was cute, and because her growing joy as her dancing improved was cute...They made him want to keep watching her.Wilson stood up and gently took Clara's hand. In the warm glow of candlelight and music, they began to dance slowly, just like they used to back in the day.What surprised him was how effortlessly they moved together. He had expected her to be a bit rusty after s
Clara quickly supported him. "Wilson, are you okay?" she asked anxiously.The pain he was experiencing far exceeded her expectations. She could not have imagined that uttering the secret phrase to lift the hypnosis would cause him so much agony.His weight pressed down on her, causing them both to lose balance and fall to the floor. Fortunately, the carpet cushioned the fall, but Wilson fell on top of Clara, so his weight left her momentarily aching.However, Clara's focus was solely on him. "Wilson, are you okay?" she asked urgently.Wilson's complexion was unusually pale, sweat beading on his forehead, and he bit his lower lip hard, as if battling an inner torment. His expression and body language conveyed the depth of his suffering.Clara was already regretting it. She hadn’t anticipated he would be in such pain. Had she acted too hastily in lifting the hypnosis?"Wilson, how do you feel? Does it hurt that badly? I... I’ll take you to the hospital!" she said. She climbed u
"W-Wilson..." Clara said his name in a murmur."Clara," Wilson answered, very slowly. Clara stared into his eyes, her stomach sinking. She could not read his mind—how much did he hate or love her?"Are… Are you out of the hypnosis?" she asked with a shaky voice."Yes," he answered."So, now…" she parted her lips nervously, not sure what else to say. Should she ask him? Did he still love her? Did he still want her?Facing him, she panicked slightly. When she made up her mind to bring him out of his hypnosis, she was ready to do her best to get him back. Clara, what are you scared about? Clara scolded herself in her mind, and silence loomed between them."Why did you decide to bring me out of the hypnosis?" Wilson muttered."If I didn't bring you out of hypnosis, soon, I'd be skating on thin ice. I didn't want that. I didn't want to live in constant worry, fearing the day your hypnosis might be lifted."Clara remained calm. "You gave me the choice, and this is the decision I
Overwhelmed by emotions, Wilson slowly pulled Clara into his arms. He squeezed her in a tight hug that lasted a long time before letting go."I'll trust you one last time, Clara. Promise me you'll never leave me again!" Wilson growled, burying his face in her shoulder."You're the one who decided to bring me out of the hypnosis. You must take responsibility!"Clara froze, trying to get her head around it. Was he willing to stay with her? Did he believe her?"Aren't you angry at me? I thought you'd hate me…" Clara asked in a murmur"I am angry. But so what? I know what's most important to me! Like you said, you'd always be the one I love, no matter what!" Wilson replied, his voice dangerously low.All the pain of the past suddenly felt insignificant compared to his love for her. He loved her so much he would let go of the past!Wilson hugged Clara so tight it hurt. Wanting the hug to last a little longer, she stayed in his arms and ignored the discomfort. Slowly, she wrapped her
Summer readily accepted Clara's invitation. "I'm free this weekend. We haven't gathered since Coco's housewarming party, so it's a good time to meet."Over the weekend, Clara made a reservation in a famous club in Solaria for the gathering. She got a private room well-equipped with entertainment systems. No one brought their children this time, making this an adult-only gathering.Clara and Wilson's relationship became the main discussion during the party. Then, they began talking about Coco and the possibility of her pregnancy.Nosy by nature, Lisa was the first to ask, "So, are you pregnant yet?" "No, not yet." Coco shook her head with a bit of regret. It had been months since her wedding, but she was not pregnant, which made her a little anxious."Have you done any health checks at the hospital?" Serenity asked, concerned for Coco's health."We got a pre-wedding health check done, and there was no issue." Coco looked at her friends and sighed, "Seems like all of you got pregn
"Maybe because I had complications during labor. I almost died giving birth, and that traumatized Terry forever. He won't let me have a second child no matter what I say!" Lisa said with a hint of regret. Lisa had always wanted more children and a lively family, but her husband had said no. Terry would not change his mind no matter how she begged. He even got a vasectomy surgery to prevent any surprise pregnancies. "Well, you did have a dangerous complication during labor," Clara recalled the time Lisa had given birth. Everyone had feared that Lisa would not make it, and Terry's desperation at that moment remained clear in Clara's mind. "By the way, that boy from the Wood family, does he visit you often?" Clara asked. Lisa had given birth to Renee safely, and no one had expected a little boy to save Lisa and her daughter. Morgan Wood helped, but with a strange request—he wanted Renee. The result was that Renee would be the boy's future wife. The good news was that the boy wa
"Lonely?" Summer widened her smile. "I'm not scared about the loneliness. For me, I fear not knowing the purpose of living. I have a purpose now. I have my son and my friends, and that's enough. I've learned to content myself with what I have now.""You're right. I was overthinking it." Serenity was relieved to hear that. Clinking her glass softly against Summer’s, she lifted it and sipped the wine with a smile.Meanwhile, the men were chatting on the other side of the room. Lucas turned to Wilson, asking him," I heard you recently had your wedding photos taken with Clara?""Yup." Wilson nodded. "Remember what you told me? You know what, you were right.""What was it?" Lucas asked."Even though it's painful, you'd never want to forget it," Wilson immediately answered. "If only you had told me that earlier. Maybe Clara and I wouldn't have taken so long to be together.""Better late than never. Maybe it was meant for a better future," Lucas said."Right." Wilson snorted. "What a
"You guys go ahead. I have to go to the office early for my morning shift. I'll be going first," Summer said, much to Lisa's regret."Are you leaving already?" Lisa whined."We can gather more often. It's not like this will be the last time we get together," Serenity told Lisa. Then, she turned to Summer, "I'll have my driver take you home.""It's fine. I'll take a taxi," Summer refused at first, but Serenity insisted."Summer, please. I’d feel more at ease." Serenity grabbed her phone and dialed the driver. "The driver is right outside. You'll see him when you go out of the club.""Okay, thanks." Summer said and left.After Summer left, the rest of the group gathered together. Looking at the number of people left, Lisa suggested a game. "Why don't we play cards? How about Rummy?"The group agreed with no objections. "We have eight people here. Two tables, then?" Four players could play at each table."That's so boring," Lisa giggled. "Let's just have one table.""One table?