Not long after the nurse left, Aura was led into Anne’s office.“Be careful when stitching up my wound. I don’t want any scars!” Aura ordered coldly before she leaned back in her chair and started watching videos on her phone.Her behavior displeased Anne, but she was a doctor above all else. Lowering her head, she began to stitch Aura’s wound seriously.Just as Anne squatted down and was about to start sewing, all while Aura was watching a drama on her phone, Nigel accidentally fell on Anne.“Ouch!”His little finger landed right on Aura’s wound. He took the opportunity to wipe the salt on his fingers onto her wound—“Argh!” Aura was in so much pain that her entire face contorted in an instant, and she almost jumped out of the chair. That startled Anne completely. “Sorry...” Nigel quickly bowed his head and confessed his mistake, “Beautiful Auntie, I didn’t mean it. just... accidentally fell...”Aura’s facial features were distorted with pain as she stared at Nigel viciously.
Luna was unfazed at the man’s cold gaze as she nodded lightly. “Understood.”She then headed upstairs, but she paused just as she reached the top. “Ms. Gibson came to the house early this morning and smashed the photos. Ms. Nellie was unhappy all day. If you can’t handle your relationship with Ms. Gibson, don’t just fulfill Nellie’s request, then there won’t be a situation where both women are unhappy.”Joshua looked at her back that faced him, his voice colder than the surrounding air as he uttered, “Are you trying to teach me how I should handle my affairs?”“It’s just a suggestion.” Luna’s voice was calm and emotionless. “After all, if Ms. Nellie is always unhappy, it will only increase my workload.”With that, she raised her feet and headed upstairs, leaving behind nothing but an indifferent back view.The man sat on the sofa and frowned at her retreating form. ...Early the next morning, Aura received a call from Lucas before she even woke up.“Ms. Gibson, I’m downstairs.
Luna frowned. “Why?”“That woman has bad intentions!” The emotional Neil responded quickly, “Mommy, I can’t explain it to you how I found out exactly, but it’s blatant she wants to hurt Nellie. Don’t go out with her tomorrow!”Luna sighed. “Neil, what you can think of, I can think of as well, but you have to know that I’m powerless. I can’t decide for Nellie. Joshua had always been on guard for Aura.”If Luna prevented Nellie and Aura from ‘bonding’, Joshua’s suspicion over her would heighten. She only had very little power to protect Nellie with her given status, which was why she was enraged when Neil sent Nellie to Joshua. She took a deep breath. “Don’t worry. I’ll do my best to protect Nellie.”After all, the amusement park was also a crowded place. In public, with herself and the bodyguards that Joshua sent, Aura could never do as she pleased.“But...” Neil was well aware of his mother’s situation. He pursed his lips, his voice sullen, “I shouldn’t have asked Nellie to reun
“Mommy! It’s so romantic!”As she sat in the car of the Ferris wheel, Nellie knelt on a chair and gazed at the panoramic view of the entire amusement park. She clapped excitedly. “I didn’t know the amusement park was so huge!”The little girl who rode on the Ferris wheel for the first time danced around happily. “When we rise higher, others in the amusement park will become smaller than ants!”Luna sat next to her and patted her back lightly, her heart riddled with emotions.Her three children had suffered a lot with her, especially Nellie.She was well-behaved and sensible, and if she was not born in such a family, she would be a little princess that everyone doted on.Her first visit to the amusement park would not be when she was six years old.She would not be targeted by someone like Aura.Sadness rose to Luna’s throat at those thoughts. She took a deep breath, raised her hand to hold Nellie in her arms, and buried her head in the little girl’s neck. “Mommy promises you
Screek!There was a deafening squeal of brakes.The black Maserati drove into the amusement park through the special passageway. The car door was flung open, and the tall man got out of the car quickly.“Brother-in-law—!” The teary-eyed Aura ran toward Joshua when he got out, and she flung herself into his arms. “What should I do? Nellie is still in it! It’s all my fault!“I shouldn’t let that maid bring Nellie up there! I told them that the Ferris wheel was dangerous, but the maid didn’t listen at all. To please Nellie, she had to follow her wishes.”Joshua was confused, unable to tell whether Aura’s words were true or false. “How long have they been up there?”“It’s been ten minutes.” Aura wiped her tears, so much in grief that she seemed out of breath. “I can’t live with myself if something happened to Nellie today! If I knew she’d be in danger, I would’ve gone up even though I wasn’t feeling well!If the person with Nellie was me, I wouldn’t feel so unhappy and guilty...”“
Luna quickly flipped Nellie over and raised her chin.Her daughter’s face was so pale that not a trace of life was left in her cheeks. Her eyes were closed tightly as if asleep.Following Luna’s movements, the little girl’s hand dropped beside her weakly...“Nellie? Nellie!”Inexplicable fear shrouded Luna’s mind as she held the little girl like a crazed woman. “Nellie, wake up! We’re about to be saved! Nellie—”“What happened to Nellie?” A large hand grabbed onto the outer wall of the car just when Luna was about to collapse.A sweaty Joshua grabbed the handrail and swung himself into the car. He was so tired that his forehead was drenched with sweat, but he pulled Nellie into his arms immediately, his low voice full of worry as he questioned, “What’s wrong with her?”Luna raised her head and looked at him; sadness and anger surged in her chest. “You ask me what’s wrong with her?” A bloodthirsty smile spread across her lips. “If you hadn’t insisted that Nellie bond with Au
“Joshua!” Aura stood up from her chair in shock. He grabbed the broken edge of the car door just as he nearly plummeted… Blood instantly flowed from the fingers.His whole body hung outside the car, and it drew gasps and exclaims from the crowd below.Aura looked back anxiously at the bodyguard. “Order them to fix it quickly, right now!”How come the one that fell was Joshua? Why was it not any of the b*tches? She just wanted to get rid of them, and she never wanted to harm Joshua!“Daddy!” Nellie stretched out her small hand at him at the critical moment and tried to grasp his hand before Luna held her down. “You’re too light, and his weight will only pull you with him.” She took a deep breath, tied Nellie, tightened the rope around her body again, and then carefully crawled toward Joshua.She reached out her hand toward him. “Come on.”He did not move.He grabbed the metal sheet in a vice-like grip as he scoffed, tone slightly cold, “Don’t want to kill me anymore?”Luna’
With tears on her face, Aura rushed to Joshua worriedly, wanting to throw herself into his arms, but...Joshua’s left arm held Nellie and his right arm supported Luna, and it left no space for her at all.At that moment, Joshua, Luna, and Nellie looked like a family that loved and supported each other.Aura stopped in her tracks. The bitterness in the woman’s eyes spread like vines.The medical staff quickly placed Luna and Nellie onto the stretchers and carried them into the ambulance.“Joshua, you scared me to death!” Waiting for the ambulance to leave, Aura brought her head close to Joshua’s chest. “I cried so much! I thought I’d never see you again...”Joshua took a step back calmly.“Sir!” Lucas rushed over in surprise, face swollen and littered with bruises. “Are you okay? I thought that brat was lying to me, but he knew what he was doing and saved you!”Joshua raised his eyebrows slightly. “What brat?”Lucas quickly told Joshua what he had seen in the control room.“Th
At that, he looked at Gwen. "Actually…"Steven found himself unable to finish his sentence. After a long while, he shook his head and smiled. "Forget about it.""Steven…" Gwen looked at him, and her tears fell.Her heart was not made of stone. How could she not know Steven's feelings toward her?She was silent for a long while. In the end, she stood up and slowly walked over to Steven with arms opened wide. "Give me a hug."Steven hesitated for a while, but he still stood up.They hugged."Gwen." Steven hugged her thin figure. "I have to meet you earlier in the next life so I can compete fairly with my brother."Gwen nodded with tears streaming down her face. "Okay."They thus hugged once more. Minutes later…"He's gone," said Stefan.Tears kept falling.They hugged for a while longer before pulling apart. Gwen looked at Stefan with her tear-stricken face. He had tears on his face as well.She bit her lips and reached out to wipe his tears. "A—Are these tears…yours or his?
The next day, Rachel flew from Merchant City to Sharnwick City to diagnose Anne's condition. Theo tagged along as well because he had another identity, Rachel's boyfriend."According to the report, Anne's condition is slowly recuperating." Rachel was relieved after assessing the report. "Although she is very weak, she is going to get better with lots of rest."There is nothing wrong with her vocal cords too. It could be a psychological thing that makes her lose her voice. A knot in her heart that causes it." She looked at Luna, then at John. "Considering all factors, I think that knot is Luna."Rachel continued, "John, I know Luna is the root cause of all these bad things. Being away from Luna, Joshua, and other people is going to guarantee a safer life for you and your family. But have you thought about it from Anne's point of view? Other than you and Sammie, she has her own life and her circle of friends. Never has she blamed Luna for what happened, yet you forced her to leave Lun
It was almost a miracle for Anne to willingly leave the house just to visit him!Robyn, meanwhile, sobbed at the sight.The nurse who accompanied Anne to the ward was puzzled. What was going on with these people?She snuck her phone out of her pocket and took a photo of this surreptitiously. Then, she sent it into the nurse's group chat with the caption, [What a strange family I met today.]The nurses in the group chat began gossiping about this. One of them tagged a fellow nurse named Daisy and said, [Hey, isn't this the guy who saved the old man you're looking after? What a hero!]Daisy was, at this moment, walking into Andy's room to help him change his wound dressing. She saw the message but was not able to type on her keyboard to respond, so she recorded a voice message instead. "Yes, that's the man. What's wrong with his family? What are you guys talking about?"As soon as she finished her sentence, she lifted her head and finally realized that Andy was not there.Instead,
Anne stared at John for a long time before forcibly smiling and told him in sign language, "Robyn didn't return after so long, so I got worried and came by to check on her.""Daddy, Aunt Robyn, are you two hugging?" Sammie asked, blinking innocently as she raised her head in curiosity.John and Robyn turned pale at this.It was understandable for such a young child like Sammie to misinterpret them as hugging, but what would Anne think of this?John leaped off the bed and staggered toward Anne. "Anne, it's just a misunderstanding…"However, he was still so weak that his legs could not hold up the full weight of his body at all, and he almost crumpled to the ground.Quick-witted Robyn managed to catch him before he could fall, but this gesture appeared once again rather intimate to both Anne and Sammie. Sammie furrowed her brow and asked rather indignantly, "Are you hugging again? Daddy, how can you hug Aunt Robyn like this when you've never even hugged Mommy and me like this befor
When the nurse pushed Anne to John's ward, she overheard John and Robyn fighting from the door. The fight was about how John was anxious to return home because he was worried about Anne and Sammie.However, as someone who used to work as a nurse, Robyn knew John should not leave the hospital after being shot by a gun. At least, he needed to stay in the hospital and be observed for 24 hours to make sure that he was fine before leaving the hospital. If an infection happened, John's body would crash easily and he would become weak just like Anne.In the ward, John frowned and talked with a serious tone, "I'm really fine. Get me my clothes so I can go upstairs to thank Miss Andie and go back home immediately. If Anne knows that I'm hurt, she is going to worry. She will easily be suspicious since you haven't gone back home for a long time. What if she worries about me and brings Sammie to the hospital to look for me? Can you bear yourself even just thinking about it? She's weak and Sammie
Sammie's soft and cute babyish voice melted Stefan's heart immediately. It had been quite some time since he actually put a smile on his face. "Hi, there. What's your name and how old are you?"Sammie tilted her head to look at Stefan's handsome face and smiled sweetly, "I'm Samantha but everyone calls me Sammie."Then she did not forget to introduce Anne to Stefan too. "This is my Mommy. Her name is Anne."At this point, Stefan had given all of his attention to Sammie and did not notice Sammie mentioned that her mother's name was Anne. He pinched Sammie's cheek and said, "Your Mommy is not feeling well. You have to be a good girl and take care of her, do you understand?"Sammie nodded seriously and said, "I will.""Alright, sir. I will bring them to where they want to go," the nurse saw Anne signing to her anxiously. She smiled and said, "Don't worry. I will take good care of them."The promise from the nurse gave an assurance to Stefan that they would be well taken off. He smil
This was the first time Anne brought Sammie out. Ever since she escaped from death, she became a different person—a recluse and was afraid of the sun. This situation became even worse after she became mute.The last time she left the house was two weeks ago when she had to go for surgery.However, she worried about John. In the morning, Robyn told her John was hurt and needed to stay in the hospital to rest. However, she had a hard time believing what Robyn said.After spending so many years together with John, Anne reckoned she was the one who knew John the most. If it was a minor injury, John would never want to stay in the hospital. He cared too much about her and Sammie, so he never dared to let her worry about him. Therefore, it just did not sound reasonable if John would stay in the hospital because of a small injury.Furthermore, Robyn had not returned home since the morning, which was nearly three hours since she left the house. After much consideration, she decided to call
Tara fell silent upon hearing this. She bit her lip nervously and shot Gwen a tentative glance. "I didn't mean to offend you, Gwen…" "I know." Gwen let out an exhale and interrupted Tara before she could finish, "I know you meant no harm, but I can't deny that this is something I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around. In the future, neither of you—even you, Luna—should bring this up again." Her love life was such a mess that not even she could unravel the ties, much less expect other people to understand. Tara pursed her lips and did not reply. Luna stared at Gwen in silence for a while before finally saying, "But you have to face this eventually, Gwennie. After all that you've been through with Luke, all of us hope for nothing but the best for the two of you. Even if you avoid it now, you'll have to face the truth eventually. Otherwise, are you planning on spending the rest of your life in this complicated relationship with Luke? Can you bear the thought of not being
Stefan was mildly amused by the look on her face. He extended his arms out in a gesture of defeat and said, "I never intended on ratting you out to Joshua. You three spoke about these secrets in my presence." With that, he shot Andy a rather helpless look. "Don't you agree, sir?" Andy was surprised to be called out all of a sudden. "Of course!" Although Gwen and Luke had been together for a long time, Luke had never much cared for maintaining good relations with his future father-in-law. He always thought his relationship with Gwen did not concern anyone else outside of the two of them. Combined with the fact that Andy had done some hurtful things to Gwen in the past, Luke grew even more disdainful of his future father-in-law. Because of this, he had never given Andy as much as a second glance throughout their relationship and rarely ever addressed him directly like this. The truth was, Stefan had already called out to Andy once before, during their rescue mission the day befor