"Asher!"I jolt awake with a loud gasp, my eyes flying open, heart racing. My hands instinctively clutch my belly, fear coursing through me at the thought that my clumsiness might have harmed my baby. How could I have been so careless? Letting myself drown in panic when my Asher is growing healthy inside me.I try to slap myself, reminding myself that I have my baby with me. Right now, nobody can hurt him. No one can harm my Asher.The sound of the door opening catches my attention. My head snaps towards it, and my eyes narrow in fury. I can’t let anyone come near me. I don’t trust anyone.But then my eyebrows slowly rise in surprise. Standing there with a grin on her face is Tiara Ericson, the only daughter of the Ericson family, just 19 years old. She rushes over to the bed and jumps onto it without hesitation.“Good morning, Sister-in-law!” she chirps.“Hey, Tiara,” I say calmly, even as I move a bit to shield my belly. I’m cautious about her presence.“What’s wrong, Sissy? You loo
Dawn's POV It's sudden, but it's worth it. I've been thinking about how to break free from Travis and give my baby a better life. Now, I know exactly what I want to do. After getting off the bed and taking a cold shower, I have enough time to let everything sink in. I've returned, living the exact same life, but this time the changes are visible and perfect. I have the chance to rewrite everything, and I won’t waste it. But planning everything out calmly and carefully doesn't suit me at all. My overthinking and the trauma I felt a week ago is enough to make my skin crawl. The scenes of my son and Travis's betrayal are like sharp knives covered with blood haunts me every night like nightmares. After getting dressed for breakfast, I step out into the lounge and see Butler Uncle standing there, holding a bouquet of gardenias. Asher's favorite. “My Lady! Your bouquet! Miss Millie said you've been buying bouquets every day since last week. Here you are!” His face is warm, like a fat
Two Days Later "You changed your dressing style and hair! Any reason for that, Sister-in-law?" Dawn glances at Tiara, who is approaching her as she places the bouquet of gardenias under the cherry tree. Tiara's eyes are examining her dress and hair. "Is it looking bad?" Dawn asks. Her appearance has noticeably changed since her recent shopping spree. "No! I think it's better than before. You used to have the same taste as your sister, and honestly, I didn’t think it suited you. Not to sound judgmental, but this look suits you better," Tiara responds in an apologetic tone. "Well, I didn't like myself either," Dawn admits, touching her hair. She used to dress like her sister so Travis wouldn't forget Spring. She was forbidden to change her appearance. But now, she’s going to live according to her own desires. The sense of obligation to her adoptive parents is long gone. "Brother agreed to let you study, so we’re going to be classmates!" Tiara says cheerfully. When she notices Daw
Dawn prepares the meals like she always does. However the difference between the previous dishes and today's dishes is most of them are Asher's favorite foods. The food that she prepared for Asher the day before his death. She even prepared some cupcakes with Cresent Moon on top of the cream. Her heart keeps beating faster with every dish she prepares. As if she is waiting for her son to run from behind and hug her. Her mind is so occupied with the cooking that she smiles from time to time. Caressing her belly and whispering something on her own. However, she has no idea that Travis has been standing on the doorway with his cup of coffee, his eyes are on her, When she turns, placing the cupcakes on the tray, her attention swiftly moves to him, making her flinch. Travis as usual notices her expression. It's mixed with disgust and hatred. Within a sec, her entire expression changes like she just saw her enemy. Travis can't shake off this. Her attitude recently bothers him.
The afternoon's orange light streams into the elegant café , facing the hustling city where Dawn is sitting at a large oak bench. She appears calm, yet beneath the surface, her mind is calculating. She flips through the papers the private investigator has just delivered, her eyes narrowing as she reads the detailed report. The bittersweet taste of latte makes her mood better with the lines on the report. Spring Clinton, 24 years old. Employed at a small but growing marketing firm, barely scraping by. A history of substance abuse. Several failed rehab attempts. Friends that are enablers. A secret life she keeps hidden from her colleagues and supervisors. Living with her boyfriend - Freddie, 28, drug-addict and unemployed. and his sister - Fanny. Dawn closes the folder, letting out a slow, meaningful breath. This is exactly what she needed. She didn't know that Spring would destroy her life like this. Just then, the door creaks open, and the private investigator, Mr. Holden, ste
Instead of hanging out with his friends, Travis has decided to hangout with his father who is also his best friend. With an hour drive, Travis enters the Old Mansion where his parents reside. The five storey building has its own world. Since his parents like to have their own office here and handling all sorts of work, they practically built the house with everything available. From lavish spa room to rooftop swimming pool, ten doctors in different fields to lawyers... At least 100 people who are professional in different sectors reside here just to make a whole world for his parents. Especially his mother who is an introvert and hates people, likes to remain in her own comfortable space. She is also a billionaire with her own business. Changing his dress and wearing a sports shirt, Travis grabs a gulf club and follows his father in a spacious room. " I was surprised when Den said you wanted to visit! What's the occasion? I thought you would visit me with my Daughter-in-law
Next Day, Spring Clinton sits at her cluttered desk in the small office of the Evergreen Marketing Solutions, tapping her fingers against her coffee mug. Her eyes dart toward the clock on the wall. It’s nearly noon, and she’s already counting the hours until the day ends. The office hums with the usual sounds of keyboards and printers, while her coworkers chat casually nearby. Despite being surrounded by people, she feels more isolated than ever. Her phone buzzes on the desk, and she glances at the screen. It’s a message from Freddie, her boyfriend. She ignores it, not in the mood for his complaints or his latest half-baked schemes. He’s part of the problem, constantly dragging her down with his addictions, his messes. She stuffs the phone in her drawer and turns her attention to the report she’s supposed to finish by noon. But the numbers blur before her eyes. Her head throbs from the night before. She hadn’t planned on using, but Freddie had brought out the pills, and she coul
" Everything is set up as you want. What's your next step? Mrs Ericson!" While searching for something in her closet, Dawn looks at her phone when Mr Holden asks. She has been thinking a lot and she knows that the future is changing. " Let Ava take care of her mental health first. Make sure Jared plays his role without any trouble." She says, constantly searching for something. However she can't find it. " Is it yet to happen?" She mumbles, trying to find it. " Mrs Ericson. The Supervisor seems to have ignored the report you made. What should we do next then? They might have trusted her abilities and that's why they're overlooking it." " Don't worry about it. I will handle it in my own way. Did you investigate someone called Nancy? I want to find her as soon as possible before something bad happens!" She asks, closing the door of her closet. Pretty disappointed but she is hopeful that it's yet to happen. " Actually there is no one called Nancy Braham in Ohio with the
Travis takes a deep breath while he loosens his tie in his office. Each hour feels like forever to stay away from his family. Asher is thriving. Thanks to Dawn's memories of her previous life, she has been taking care of Asher. From vaccines to doctor appointments, everything has been handled by Dawn.Travis wants to be a part of everything, but his responsibility as the CEO makes it hard. However, Dawn keeps a record of everything so that Travis doesn't miss anything.Right now, opening the baby monitor, he rests himself in the chair. Since morning, he has been attending meetings and has had no time to eat. Watching his son grow up closely feels different than it did in his previous life.Every weekend visitation wasn't enough if he thinks about it now. Resting his head on his arm, he looks at his laptop.Soon, his smile deepens, his eyes moist with a gentle gaze when he notices Dawn sleeping in the bed, holding Asher on her chest. Asher is awake and trying to nibble his mother's chi
" He rejected?" Dawn asks, surprised. " Yes. He said he can't love anyone right now!" The smile remains on her lips but the bitterness feels so palpable. "I am sorry, Tia!" Dawn gently holds her into her arms, " Danny has been hurt by his wife and might be in bad mood. Maybe you can try-!" " No!" Tiara whispers softly... " He was genuine. I saw those eyes. They didn't lie. He wasn't interested in me." " You want to give up? Isn't it too early?" Dawn asks softly, knowing that Tiara is in pain. " It's not like I am giving up. I am protecting my feelings from getting hurt and being hoped for. I will nurture them on my own!" Dawn's eyes widened. Tiara looks so calm about the entire situation. The Rejection must have affected her. " Are you sure you will be fine? It's your choice. But what if ... All I want is to see you being happy with someone who loves you and cherishes you!" Tiara smiles, throwing her long hair behind, " Actually, yesterday, one of my professors of
Next morning, Tiara has woken up with hundreds of calls and messages from her friends. Her sleepy eyes have failed to understand the context of the messages. But the moment all the memories rush back to her mind, she stiffens. Not only has she cancelled everything, but she has also confessed her love and has gotten rejected. Her hand reaches her forehead, gently rubbing between her brows. Tears fight to gather around her beautiful cerulean eyes. Not only has she lost those friends she thought of as true friends, but she has also been rejected. "What a shitty day!" She takes a deep breath and forces herself to smile. "But I am proud of myself!" She gently taps her own cheeks before walking to the washroom. But her movements halt midway when the phone rings again. This time, she has decided to face reality instead of running away from everyone. The caller ID is registered under her best friend's name, who didn’t care slightly yesterday and was the one who initiated pushing h
Danny’s face says everything. He isn't shocked or disgusted by her. He is surprised. Someone else was happy to see his wife die? It makes no sense unless there’s something behind those feelings. Jealousy? For what?The silence lingers between them, thick and unyielding. Tiara's fingers tremble around the neck of the empty wine bottle resting beside her. The flickering light above them casts shadows on her face, highlighting the strain written across her features.However, Tiara, who has been drowning herself in guilt, keeps talking with her drunken voice. As if the walls that have been building up around her with guilt and unrequited love crumble like a sandcastle.Her words are slurred but painfully sincere. There’s no pretense, no filter left. Her cheeks are flushed, not from the alcohol, but from the weight of shame and the courage it took to speak."I am sorry for your loss. And I apologize for thinking that way. I am a selfish and disgusting human being who felt so happy to hear
Crowds and loud noises are what Danny hates most. The moment he steps into the bar, with people chattering, loud music, and drunk people throwing tantrums, the first thought that crosses his mind is, "I regret coming here."His blue eyes dart around, a frown forming between his brows. He can’t see anything properly because of the people dancing on the floor. Almost avoiding the touch of others, he somehow makes his way to the bartender, who is talking to another woman."Excuse me. You called me, right? With the woman called...""Tiara Ericson?"Danny nods, his gaze annoyed as he looks around the bar."Please follow me. We have realized that she is a VIP customer here, which we failed to recognize. She is now sleeping in one of our rooms. We apologize for our rudeness.""Is she alright?" Danny asks, following the bartender who opens the elevator."Yes. Our manager’s girlfriend helped her. So don’t worry about anything inappropriate."Danny nods quietly. The question lingers—why is he i
After a few months, life settles into a sense of normalcy, with the exclusive addition of Asher. He grows fast and healthy, surprisingly more active than in his previous life. Travis returns to work but never misses a night with his wife and the son for whom they would do anything. Danny moves into his private apartment in a skyscraper, enjoying the privilege of being the youngest scientist and professor at a top university. Tiara studies at the same university, but luck doesn’t favor her—she hardly ever sees Danny, who spends most of his time locked away in the lab. Meanwhile, Spring and Taylor’s reality is nothing short of cruel. In their minds, Mary and Henry have escaped punishment by dying, leaving all the mess for them to suffer through. It destroys them slowly. Travis wants exactly that. The people who hurt them most were Spring and Taylor. Spring killed Asher. In their previous life, she orchestrated everything so meticulously that he had no choice but to admire
Spring collapses on the cold marble floor, her knees buckling beneath her as if the ground itself has pulled her down. The chill of the floor snakes under her skin, crawling up her spine like icy fingers. Her phone slips from her shaking hand, landing with a dull thud beside her. Her lips quiver uncontrollably, her fingers tangling into her hair as her chest rises and falls in uneven, frantic breaths. She can’t stop the tremor in her body, her panic consuming every inch of her like wildfire.The front door clicks open. The sound of rustling shopping bags and hurried footsteps fills the hallway."Spring?" her mother’s voice calls out casually at first, but freezes mid-sentence when her eyes land on her daughter crumpled on the floor.Bags tumble from her hands without a second thought as she rushes toward her, panic twisting her expression. "Spring! What’s wrong!? What happened?" her voice shakes, her hands reaching to steady her daughter’s trembling shoulders.Ever since Dawn exposed
The situation has indeed taken an unexpected turn that Travis didn't quite think about before. The initial plan was to make Taylor, Mary and Henry being banished from their own life while Travis or his father would help to get rid of Butler Jacob and Spring. However, after submitting the information about Mary and Henry, Danny decided to wrap things up and then will return to the USA. He even bought a house in the next city, closer to the University where he has studied. But things have taken an unexpected turn when the next call comes from Danny right when Dawn's in her labor. " Hey! Danny!" Travis huffs while rushing towards the elevator. The medical team is in the private clinic on the 19th floor and Dawn is on her labor. " Hey! Are you busy?" Danny asks, noticing Travis's heavy breathing. "Ah; Yeah. It's Dawn. She is on labor. What's up?" He asks, trying to calm down. " Then I will talk to you later. It's not more important than the situation right now. You shoul
Travis leans back in his chair, fingers tapping against the wooden armrest as he listens to the detective on the other end of the call. His expression remains cold, but there is a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "What makes you think so?" His voice carries an edge, daring the detective to continue. "Isn't it obvious?" Detective Williams asks, his tone filled with forced patience. "Your wife was supposed to receive eighty percent of the shares. Maybe Mr. Parker—or even you—found out that they were planning something against you. And then… Mr. Danny suddenly decides to change the will. Otherwise, why would he make such a drastic change? On top of that, why is Danny Parker giving such a huge amount of money to your wife?" Travis scoffs, shaking his head as he lets out a low chuckle. "Pfft! Do you know who you're talking to, Detective Williams?" "Do I need to?" The detective’s tone remains firm, but there is a slight hesitation. "No, certainly not," Travis replies, his voice