"Ouch!"On our way home, we stopped at a pharmacy where Luke bought iodine and anti-inflammatory medicine to treat the wound on my forehead.When the cotton swab soaked in iodine touched my forehead, I winced in pain and recoiled.Luke's handsome face remained tense, but his hands didn't stop."Mr. Walker, maybe we should go to the hospital and let a nurse handle this."It hurt, it really hurt!I leaned back slightly, trying to avoid the cotton swab.Luke put his hand on the back of my head to hold me still. "If you had hit your head any harder at the cemetery, we'd be in the orthopedic ward of the hospital right now.""It's not that serious."I gripped the car seat in pain. Luke didn't say anything, but his touch became gentler."I was overwhelmed by my emotions and lost control. Please don't hold it against me, Mr. Walker."When one's inner secrets are exposed, it triggers a self-protection mechanism. I had worked for so long without being able to adjust before my emotions
Wendy, being considerate, glanced at Luke through the lowered driver's window but refrained from calling out to him. Instead, she made a gesture to me indicating her understanding.As the car entered the yard, Luke stepped out. "If the Walker family calls you tomorrow, tell them you're injured and unable to go out.""Okay." Remembering Joey's message from the previous night, I felt compelled to inform Luke that she had also received an invitation. "Joey was invited as well.""She won't show up at the Walker house," Luke stated confidently.According to Joey's message, it seemed she highly valued Mrs. Walker's invitation and would undoubtedly make preparations to attend!Unless Luke stepped in.But would someone as stubborn as Joey listen to Luke's arrangement?I later discovered that, to prevent Joey from attending, Luke had arranged for the magazine's owner to assign her an urgent out-of-town assignment.Joey pleaded with her boss to postpone the trip by a day, but he refused.
"You...""What 'you'? I haven't even gotten to the worst part yet!" The older woman didn't give Joey a chance to speak. "Did you just appear out of thin air? Didn't you ever have moments as a child annoying the f**k out of everyone? Looking at how bitter and mean you are, it's clear this wasn't developed overnight. They say you can tell a person's character by age three. If I were your parents, I'd have thrown you out long ago and left you to fend for yourself.""My parents are dead! If you were my parents, you wouldn't be alive now!""Are you cursing me to die?" The woman, at her age, couldn't stand hearing the word 'death'. She was furious. "Say that again, I dare you.""I just said..."Smack!Before Joey could finish, the older woman slapped her hard across the face.The woman's strength knocked Joey's sunglasses off and sent her head reeling to one side.Joey, not one to take such treatment lying down, started grappling with the older woman.By the time the flight attendan
"That tiny bit of extra insight I see can only be understood, not explained.""Wendy..." I pleaded, using the trick that had always worked with Wendy, given our close relationship.But judging from Wendy's reaction, it wasn't very effective this time!"Last time, I brought you some letters. Today, the new homeowner contacted me. Two more letters arrived."Wendy retrieved a few letters from her bag and handed them to me."Please inform the new homeowner that if any more letters come, they can simply discard them," I said. Max had previously run a public account teaching people how to invest.His academic performance was good, but solely in terms of exam scores, where he was neck and neck with Luke. In reality, he had not achieved anything significant in his field.Although he had not accomplished anything in real life, he was skilled at deceiving people online and had gained quite a following.His followers trusted him wholeheartedly. Through these letters, I discovered the publ
The wind was strong today, making the fire burn quickly. My hand was scorched as I reached for the letter, and I almost dropped it back into the fire basin from the pain.The burned area was reddish. I blew on it gently, then went to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and ran cold water over it for a while.Once the pain subsided, I dried my hand with a towel and picked up the letter I had placed on the sink.When I first threw it into the fire basin, I had only glanced at it briefly. Now, looking more closely, I was even more certain it was Max's handwriting.Max sending letters to himself? What kind of game was he playing?He always had countless schemes, none of them good. This had to be another trick. Ever since I received Cindy's video, it was like opening Pandora's box. With Max's death, everything should have ended, and his dirty secrets should have been buried with him.I raised my hand to throw the letter away, but curiosity got the better of me.I pulled back my hand
I quickly cleared my throat, afraid she might detect something was off.As soon as the call connected, Wendy's worried voice came through, "Jen, are you alright? I've been calling and texting you with no response. I was so worried!""I was just reading with my phone on silent," I said, using my playful tone with Wendy. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Wendy. It won't happen again.""Given your good attitude in admitting your mistake, I'll forgive you this time." Ever since the previous incidents, Wendy would get anxious when she couldn't reach me.She put down her car keys and lay on the sofa. "How's that scar removal cream I gave you last time working?""It's like a miracle drug!" The last time Wendy brought me letters, she also gave me a bottle of cream, saying her friend brought it from abroad. It was supposed to be very effective for scar removal, and she told me to apply it regularly.Everyone wants to look good. Although I could cover the scar on my cheek with makeup, I'm a cas
And maybe that person was hard to pursue, or perhaps Wendy cherished their relationship so much that she was afraid to break that delicate balance, fearing the other person might not feel the same way.As soon as this thought crossed my mind, I quickly dismissed it.Wendy was so amazing; the man who could refuse her hadn't been born yet!"I've always had someone I like! It's you, isn't it? Haven't you noticed?" Wendy said in a hurt tone. "It breaks my heart that you'd ask me such a thing."Wendy was just joking around with me. I couldn't get anything out of her, so I played along and comforted her.I looked at the paused surveillance footage on the screen, tempted several times to tell Wendy about that night at the Waldorf Hotel.Wendy cared deeply about my affairs and always treated me well, never letting me be taken advantage of.If she knew Luke was the man from that night, she'd immediately storm over to his place and demand he take responsibility for me.That night was an
Fearing that I might back out, I forced myself to go to the office after two days. I tried my best to minimize our interactions."Ms. Middleton, is there something wrong with my cooking?" Marianne asked cautiously."Marianne, your cooking is the best!"I really enjoyed Marianne's dishes and desserts. I had gained ten pounds in New York and planned to lose weight after returning to Johnsonville. Sadly, I discovered that I had gained another four pounds instead of losing weight.My once slender body now felt more curvaceous.Yesterday, when I met Wendy, she said I looked radiant and glowing.Wendy's sincere compliment made me waver in my resolve to diet again."Is Ms. Middleton worried about troubling me or Mr. Walker?""Neither!" I couldn't explain to Marianne, so I lied, "I've gained weight recently, and my clothes don't fit well anymore. If I keep eating like this, I'm afraid I'll turn into a roly-poly.""Even if Ms. Middleton became a soft, cuddly teddy bear, she'd be the cu