Gwen could not help frowning as she stared at the text.She was not a child anymore. Winson's insistence on sending her home and his sudden interest in her sent a clear message.Besides, she remembered a time when Winson used to have a crush on her in high school, just like Ben. However, she turned him down and chose to be with Ben instead.After a moment's hesitation, Gwen took out her phone and replied, [I'm not up to anything in particular tomorrow, but I don't want to waste your time, Winson. Ever since my ex-boyfriend passed away, I don't think I can fall for anyone else anymore. Let's remain friends.]With that, she let out a sigh, put down her phone, and strode out onto the balcony.The moon was exceptionally bright and full that night but emanated a cold hue, much like her heart.As she closed her eyes, Luke's face appeared in her mind's eye.She had come to terms with Luke's passing, but she could no longer find it in herself to open her heart to someone new. It was as
A woman's piercing scream echoed through the master bedroom of Orchard Manor.Luna finally caught sight of Gwen's message the moment she returned to the room. She could not help letting out a shriek of excitement, and, ignoring a drunken Joshua entirely, plopped onto the bed to reply to her message. [Gwennie, did you see our wedding photos? Where are you now? Bonnie told me that you've lost touch with us ever since what happened with Anne and me, and I thought you decided to cut all ties with me!]When they were getting their makeup done shortly before the ceremony, Luna had been talking about this to Bonnie.Everyone that she knew had come to the wedding, save for the two most important people in her life—Anne and Gwen.Unfortunately, Anne would never be able to share the joy with her anymore, and as for Gwen…Luna was not certain whether Gwen had chosen to leave out of disgust for her actions.She was so ashamed by this that she could not even pluck up the courage to call Gwen.
Neither Luna nor Bonnie expected this response from her. They sent her a playful sticker in reply, retorting, [I can't believe this. We're just concerned about you, yet you've resorted to attacking our husbands. We're going to tell them about this now, and they'll find a way to track you down and capture you home!][Please don't. I was kidding, I'm fully aware of Joshua and Jim's ferocity.] Gwen snickered at this. [I'm not done having fun yet, so I'm not ready to come home.]Luna could not help sighing at this. She tilted onto her side, trying to ease her sore muscles, and continued typing, [Haven't you had enough fun, considering how long you've spent out there all by yourself now? When are you coming home? We all miss you dearly.][I don't have any plans for that as of now.] Gwen paused, then told them everything her father had told her on the phone. [Banyan City and Sea City are too close to each other. I think I'd better stay away for now, lest I get in trouble.][What are you
Luna was dumbstruck when she saw the text Gwen sent. Dazedly, she looked back at Joshua. "Did…you send someone to protect Gwen?"Joshua, playing with his phone at the moment, paused and nodded. "Yes."It only triggered more questions in Luna's mind. "When did you arrange that?"After she was released, she did ask Bonnie about Gwen. At that time, Bonnie said Gwen told no one when she left, and no one knew where she was headed to.Why would Joshua arrange for people to protect Gwen? If he did that, why did he not mention it when she talked about Gwen with him?"I did it after you went to jail." Joshua coughed and looked in another direction to avoid looking into Luna's eyes. "I was afraid someone is going to hurt your friends after what happened to Anne. Bonnie has Jim with her, so I wasn't worried about her. Gwen, on the other hand, has no one, so I asked a friend to protect her."Luna's eyebrows furrowed. "Your friend?"When did Joshua have a friend who worked as a bodyguard?A
"It's in the city. Do you want to come?" chirped Winson over the phone. "I'll wait for you here!"After hesitating for a few seconds, Gwen eventually agreed. She did want to see the painting Winson mentioned.Theo never told her he painted her before, but…she and Luna did not know Theo when they were in high school. Maybe Theo did paint her before, but she did not know for sure.She believed Winson could tell it was her because they studied in high school together. Thus, she eventually agreed to go with a stomach full of curiosity. "Okay. Share the location with me. I'll go over now."After refreshing herself, she put on a jacket and went out. When she was downstairs, she saw the man waiting outside of her building again.Same as before, he dressed entirely in black with a cap and mask covering his face.His presence reminded Gwen about what Luna told her last night."Joshua sent him to keep you safe. His face is covered because he doesn't want to scare anyone with his disfigure
The man dressed in black took a step back and used his hand to reach for his other injured arm. He remained silent and merely shook his head in response to Gwen.By then, Gwen could tell the man did not just hurt his back but also his arm too. He had been trying to protect her from slamming on the ground to the extent that there was obviously blood wetting the sleeve of his black sweater.Gwen's heart throbbed when she saw blood on him."You look like you're hurt badly."She bit her lip and wanted to go near him, intending to bring him to the hospital. After just one step, however, she remembered the thing Luna texted her last night.This man did not want anyone to go near him. He was self-abased and ashamed because of his disfigured face. Gwen knew she should not go near him or break the rules he set for her.She paused and frowned. "You…should go to the hospital."The man took another step back and shook his head silently again."Hey, if he doesn't want to go to the hospital,
The man dressed in black frowned upon hearing what Winson said. He looked up at Winson's face with his frosty gaze. "So you're getting close to her because you want her?""Wrong." Winson looked in the direction where Gwen left. He took out his lighter from his pocket to light up the cigarettes and puffed out a ring made out of smoke into the air."Since you and I have the same motive, I'm going to be frank with you: I'm getting close to her to bring her back to Sea City to claim a reward.""Claim a reward?" The man dressed in black stared at Winson. "And what's that?""Don't pretend like you don't know anything." Winson scoffed at that question. "Aren't you after the reward too, seeing as you're trying to win over Gwen? Don't tell me you don't know the gang in Sea City has put a bounty on Gwen to avenge Luke?"The man dressed in black trembled, and his eyebrows furrowed. "A bounty on Gwen just to avenge Luke? Didn't he give Gwen his heart? Isn't it the same as destroying the last
Winson grunted in pain as his body slammed against the ground.At that moment, Gwen was walking out of the pharmacy with some alcohol pads, sanitizer, and bandages, so she saw how Winson was flung to the ground by the man dressed in black.Shocked, she quickly rushed over. "Winson!""Gwen…" Winson used his hand to support his back when Gwen helped him to get up. He said weakly, "Do you even know this guy? He's so fierce…"Gwen bit her lip and looked at the man dressed in black. "I…"She wanted to say she knew him, but she remembered what Luna and Joshua told her.Gritting her teeth, she answered, "I don't know him.""You don't know him…" Winson glanced at the man dressed in black in disdain.Although this man did not have the same motive as him, they were both here because of Gwen. He, however, was much closer to Gwen.The first one to arrive normally had the advantage of being in a favored position. He and Gwen had known each other since they were in high school, and Gwen had
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