"Don't say that. I am more than willing to do this." Ollie pursed his lips and wrapped his arms around Catelyn's neck before rubbing his face against hers. "I will be back in a month."Under the current circumstances, only one could remain by Catelyn's side, and the other would have to stay with Cedrick.Changing places every once a month was the fairest arrangement for them.Miles was overwhelmed by guilt when he saw how reluctant Ollie and Catelyn were to part, but he had let Ollie have his mother for too long. He missed his bed at home and the days without Cedrick around.He combed through his slightly curly hair in frustration.Catelyn's heart broke into pieces, but Ollie had already let go and started exchanging clothes with Miles, no longer as hesitant as he was earlier.Though he didn't want to part with Catelyn, he knew that he would have the chance to see her again now that he had finally found his mother.The two children swiftly exchanged clothes. The delicate and exq
Janice had not seen Ollie for a long time, so she brought him to Nandose Villa for a two days trip.…It was about seven to eight in the evening, which were peak hours for traffic and pedestrians in the fast-paced Sapphire City.Catelyn and Cedrick were sitting at a restaurant."What were you doing in the washroom with the boy?" Cedrick asked in a serious tone.Catelyn felt her nerve ticking upon hearing that question. She planned to have a quick meal and send Miles home, but he was smart enough to get a cab by himself. He should be arriving at home already.Catelyn felt empty without her two sons with her."What else could we be doing? I was sad to have said goodbye to Master Ollie after spending a whole weekend with him," answered Catelyn, faking casualness.Cedrick did not buy her answer. He squinted at her dubiously and said, "Do you want to tell me the truth, or should I look for the truth myself?""No!" Catelyn cut him off."If you don't want me to look for the truth, b
Since the bus was filled with people, Catelyn gripped the handle above her head firmly. Her upper body leaned toward the window as she tried to balance herself so she would not fall when the bus pulled the brakes.Her shoulder was moist with the rain from earlier, but she did not bother to wipe it off."Mommy, that car seems to be following us," said a little girl who sat on a seat in front of Catelyn, pointing at a black car outside the window.Her mother smiled and acknowledged her. "Don't put your hand outside of the window. The road is big, and it could just be going in the same direction. Why would it be following us?""That's true," the little girl responded as she pursed her tiny lips and retrieved her hand.Moments later, the girl's mother was heard mumbling to herself, "Hmm. It does look like it's following the bus. Look; it stops every time the bus stops and moves every time the bus moves. That's pretty weird…"Catelyn listened to their conversations and looked out of t
The reason the bus came to a screeching halt was because of the black car.Catelyn's eyes followed the driver's direction, only to find that the black car had slowly left her vision and turned into a small, black dot.However, her mind decided to play tricks on her as a handsome figure flashed through her mind out of nowhere. She shook the image off, however.She must have lost her mind. Why would Cedrick be there? He must have gone home already.…Catelyn arrived at her station after a short while, but the rain was relentless, still. Since she did not have an umbrella with her, she decided to wait it out at the bus stop. No one was in sight as it was already late into the night.The street light shone dimly under the rain, and the sky was darker than usual.Catelyn shuddered under the gust of cold wind.Not long after, the rain slowly dispersed, and just as she was about to walk back home…"Tsk! Look who it is," rang a sinister male voice from behind her.Catelyn turned arou
"I have a hundred thousand in my bank account. I'll give you everything!" yelled Catelyn, suppressing her pain.The man stopped dragging her by the collar and glared at her doubtfully. "You're not lying to me…are you?""There's an automated teller machine just around the corner. W—We can go there right now…"Catelyn felt like something was stabbing her lower abdomen, her head was getting dizzy from the pain as she uttered.The man looked at her from head to toe, hesitating but eventually giving in to the temptation of money. His eyes rolled greedily as he warned, "If you lie to me, I'll give you to the homeless people under the bridge. Get me the money, now!"Catelyn was glad that he took the bait, but she had no energy to smile.Her cramps were getting worse by the second, and she could feel her lips going numb from losing too much blood.It felt like she could pass out anytime soon.She staggered toward the machine across the street as the man followed her closely behind.Ju
The dirty rainwater had wetted Cedrick's clothes. Still, he had enough body warmth that it comforted Catelyn as she nuzzled into his arms.Touched, frustration, regret, and a myriad of other emotions intertwined as Catelyn's eyes reddened from being so overwhelmed.She could burst into tears at any moment.'Why did it have to be you who ruined my life four years ago, Cedrick Mason? And why did it have to be you who came back into my life again four years after?'The rain poured like there was no tomorrow as the trees by the street danced aggressively, concealing the rest of the scenery under the cold, dark sky.Cedrick glanced at Eason before carrying Catelyn into the car. "Deal with that man. I never want to see that troglodyte ever again."Eason nodded in response as he stared coldly at the man on the ground whose face was pale as a sheet of paper.He must have had a death wish to harass the woman who had belonged to Master Cedrick.…Cedrick noticed how cold Catelyn felt wh
Stella had spotted Catelyn wrapped in a blanket, sitting on the passenger seat of a luxurious black car. Her eyes twinkled in anticipation as she strode toward them, gently running her fingers across the car's sleek side."Mom?" Catelyn's eyelids twitched upon seeing her mother as she tightened her grip on the blanket instinctively.Stella peeled her eyes away from the car unwillingly and turned toward Catelyn, whose face seemed deathly pale. "Goodness!" she gasped. "Why do you look so pale?""I have a cold, and Mister Mason here sent me back." Catelyn thought for a moment before deciding to get out of the car as she pulled on the handle.Stella caught her arms as she observed the man behind the wheels.That was the first time Cedrick had seen Stella.He got out of the car and nodded politely at her."Good evening, Missus Clark."Stella gulped in a thirstful manner and smiled brightly as she reached her hands out to him passionately. "Mister Mason? You're the owner of the mansi
Catelyn closed the door promptly behind her and nervously ordered, "Quick, Miles, Cedrick is here! Find a place to hide in quickly. I'll try to get him out of here as soon as I can so you can come out."There was only one thought in her mind at that moment—Cedrick must never see Miles!"What?" Miles shot up on the bed in an instant, his sleepiness completely gone at that point as he puffed his cheeks and complained, "Why is he here?""Your grandma let him in."Miles stared at the blanket on Catelyn. His big and round eyes squinted doubtfully, resembling Cedrick when he was being cold and stern. Catelyn had goosebumps upon seeing that look on Miles.The blanket on her did seem pretty inappropriate.She struggled to carry Miles up from the bed and put a jacket on him before opening the closet and placing him in there."Hide in the closet for now."Miles curled into a ball inside the closet, perfectly concealed behind Catelyn's long dresses.Miles poked his head out from behind t