While desperation could motivate inspiration, that move was too sudden.However, Holly quickly found a way to stabilize herself in the water through survival instinct.After drinking several mouthfuls of pool water, she was floating steadily.It truly was incredibly fast, but it was also incredibly tough.The water didn't taste great at all.Bryce also jumped into the water and watched from the side in case something went wrong.After Holly calmed down, he began showing her some basic movements.First, he held her hand and taught her how to breathe while swimming. Then, he taught her how to move her arms.Next, he grabbed Holly's legs and guided her on how to paddle using her feet and legs.After that, he wrapped his arm over her body and held her wrists to teach her the proper swimming techniques.Bryce even squatted in the water to let Holly sit on his legs and practice how to paddle.He seemed to teach her well through words and actions.After a whole morning, Holly was
Holly was stunned.She tried to get pregnant and did everything she could previously, but it never worked out.Now, she was suddenly pregnant despite not thinking about it.Bryce threw the stone-grilled squid into the trash can next to them and said, "Let's go home. I'll get Leitia to make you some postpartum food."Holly was dumbfounded. "That's for after I give birth.""Then, we'll get her to make something healthy. It's all the same anyway."They quickly walked to the car while holding hands.Even though Bryce wasn't expressing any emotions, he was over the moon on the inside.Meanwhile, Holly was way calmer.Before they reached the car, Holly saw a pharmacy by the road. "Let's get a pregnancy test kit. My period would start a few days late sometimes. So, it's better if we check first.""Sure. Wait in the car. I'll go get it."James opened the car door, and Bryce placed his hand above Holly's head, worried she might bump into the car.Then, Holly got into the car.After
Holly felt extremely touched.She couldn't believe she had such a thoughtful mother-in-law.Bryce called Olivia next to tell her the news.Seeing how he was going to tell the whole world, Holly stopped him with a smile, "Let's get a confirmation at the hospital tomorrow before telling Granny. Otherwise, it'll be awkward if I'm not pregnant."Bryce hesitated for a while. "That's fine, too."He told Leitia to make some delicious yet simple dishes.Since Holly didn't have much appetite, she casually ate a little.Then, Bryce called James and informed him to buy some sweet and sour fruits. He wanted to improve Holly's appetite.When they went to bed that night, Bryce pushed the couch to Holly's side of the bed. He was worried she would fall off the bed.After getting on the bed, he let her sleep in the center.Meanwhile, he slept sideways on the edge of the bed, looking like he was about to fall off.Holly helplessly said, "You really don't have to do that. Let's just sleep how
Richard saw Olivia holding her phone and silently wiping her tears.It was too odd.He quickly went to her and anxiously asked, "Why are you crying on a call? Who made you angry? Tell me, and I'll punish them for you!"Olivia choked out while holding her phone, "Richard, you're going to be a great-grandfather! Holls is pregnant!"Richard was stunned. "What? Holls is pregnant?""That's right. She's finally pregnant." Olivia wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "Thank goodness. The Gabelman family lives on."Richard, who had never shown much emotion, got excited as well.He pinched his nose to stop it from running.Then, he spoke emotionally, "As I've told you, Bryce will gain happiness after overcoming his biggest obstacles in life. "Although his life was in danger multiple times after the accident three years ago, he managed to survive. He even managed to stand up two years after marrying Holls. "Now, he's becoming a dad. He sure is fortunate."Olivia burst out in te
Olivia's face fell instantly. "What's with that attitude, you brat? Aren't you happy that you're going to be a granddad?"Arthur said in annoyance, "I'm busy here. We'll talk after I'm done with work."Olivia then hung up the call angrily.On the other side, Arthur threw his phone on the table and started massaging his temples.Abraham was sitting in front of Arthur, and his face darkened immediately when he heard the news.He threw the documents in his hands onto the table.Then, he said angrily, "You promised you would matchmake Bryce with Samantha. Now that Holly is pregnant, are they still getting a divorce?"Arthur frowned. "I tried. I brought them together using work as an excuse so that there was an opportunity for them to be together. However, Bryce and Holly would just get back together again. How could you blame me for that?""I don't care. Samantha is my only daughter, and I love her the most. You better think of something quickly and not make her sad."Arthur suppr
Holly almost cried because of Sherry's action.Sherry was like the sweet rain that came just in time and caught everyone off guard.Her sudden move felt better than slapping Arthur on the spot.As expected, Arthur was speechless because of the sudden rain.He lowered his gaze and stared at the divorce papers. No words came out of his mouth.His face darkened—darker than the clouds during a storm.Holly smiled at Bryce.She was telling him how awesome Sherry was.Bryce smirked and wrote in her palm, "We planned this."Holly finally understood what was happening.It turned out that Bryce and Sherry had predicted Arthur would do that, so they came up with a plan in advance.However, Holly figured that Bryce would still be sad because of Arthur's announcement.The disappointment in his eyes earlier was real.He was frustrated, and even Holly could feel it.Seeing how Arthur kept quiet for a long time, Sherry lost her patience.She tapped on the table with her index finger an
She was still angry after that rant.Olivia glanced at Bryce from the side and complained, "I don't even know how you tolerated Samantha last time."Bryce was scolded even though he had been keeping quiet.Worried that he might upset Holly, he picked his words carefully."I spent most of my time studying abroad last time, so I seldom saw her. We would only meet once in a while during the festivals, and she's great at pretending."Olivia pursed her lips. "That's true. She puts on a great act in front of me, too. She would always sweetly call me Granny. I thought she was likable."Bryce placed his hand on Holly's shoulder. "Ever since marrying Holly, I realized it's more important to be sweet on the inside.""Exactly." Olivia locked her gaze on Holly, distracted.After a moment, she sighed. "If only you were Abraham's daughter, Arthur wouldn't have rejected you that badly."Bryce calmly said, "Abraham and Quirina really don't have what it takes to have such a great daughter like
The next day, Holly went to the mall in the early morning. She wanted to buy something for the baby.It was hard for her not to be excited as it was her first time being a mother.She wanted to prepare everything before the baby was born.However, Holly had always reacted to things slowly. She only started to get excited after a day and wasn't as exaggerated as Bryce.Previously, James would always accompany Holly when she went out.Now that she was pregnant, Bryce hired Cooper Ford to tag along with Holly as well.Cooper was a professionally trained bodyguard like James.Leitia also followed Holly closely.She was carrying a flask and some sweet and sour snacks at all times. She prepared them in case Holly felt nauseous and needed them.Holly had three people following her as she walked through the mall, and she wasn't used to it.However, she couldn't talk Bryce out of it since it was also his first time being a father.He would rather carry her around whenever they needed
Sitting by Bryce's bed, Holly softly held his slender fingers as if such a move would keep him safe.She must have been exhausted or emotionally spent, as she soon fell asleep by the bed. She then suffered a nightmare, in which Bryce stood in front of her, covered in blood from head to toe. Forcing a smile, he said to her, "Holly, I can't stay by your side anymore. You need to take care of yourself and be strong."After that, he turned into wisps of smoke and vanished right in front of her eyes. She frantically reached out to hold him, but she was clawing at the air.She waved her hands madly to take hold of him and run after him. Her voice was hoarse from all the yelling. "Bryce! Bryce Gabelman!"Her shouting was futile. Jolting awake, she gasped for air. Her forehead was drenched in sweat, and her eyes were wet from crying.She noticed that she was lying in the caregiver's bed. Someone—perhaps Bryce—had carried her to the bed.Bryce managed to get out of bed and lay by her
"You're injured. Don't stay on the floor—it's cold. Get up now!" Holly cautiously pulled Bryce up from the ground.He was speechless at her response. Any other woman would have happily accepted the ring and put it on.Perhaps, the woman he loved was different from the others.Going on one knee, Bryce refused to get up. He tenderly stared at Holly. "I'll get up after you agree to remarry me.""Get up now, and I'll agree to it."Defeated, he stood up, held her hand, and tried to put the ring on her finger when he was overwhelmed by a wave of dizziness. He lost his balance and collapsed forward onto her.Holly quickly held him and asked worriedly, "What's wrong?"Bryce's lips parted. He wanted to reassure her that he was fine, but he couldn't utter a word. Soon after, his fingers that grasped the ring went numb. The large diamond ring dropped to the ground, spinning and clattering until it came to a stop.Panicking, Holly patted his cheek. "What's going on?"However, Bryce didn't
Looking at the man in Holly's embrace, Abelin turned his attention back to his phone. He asked inquisitively, "Who are you?"The person on the other end of the line was filled with anger. "I'm Bryce. I called her phone, but it was switched off."Abelin replied honestly, "She lost her phone.""Where is she right now?" Bryce questioned indifferently.After Abelin told him the villa's address, Bryce hung up.Abelin once again glanced at his phone before looking toward the dazed-looking Holly. "Holly, I think this man might not be Bryce."Holly shook her head. "You don't need to comfort me.""I just got a call from Bryce. He's on his way here."Holly thought he was lying and refused to believe him. When Abelin wanted to pull her away from the corpse, Holly got triggered and pushed him away. "Don't touch him! He'll be in pain!"Seeing Holly in such a dazed and abnormal state, Abelin felt a sense of pity for her.A tall figure emerged from the door about 45 minutes later. He was we
Abelin wanted to follow through with the protocol, but Holly refused.Realizing they weren't locals, the police decided to let them be. Thus, Abelin sent Holly and the corpse back to a villa their family seldom stayed in.Upon arriving at the villa, Holly did nothing but hold onto the bloodied man dazedly. Her heart felt heavy and chaotic. She was filled with regret and self-blame.Did she regret breaking up with him? The answer was no. Instead, she regretted not being firm enough with her decision. If she had been more resolute and didn't give him any hope of reconciling, he wouldn't have flown to Calria to find her. Correspondingly, he wouldn't have gotten into a car accident and died.Death was such a dreadful word. Bryce was gone, forever disappearing from this world. Holly would never hear his voice or see his smile and face. It was all gone.She would never see him again. She would rather he had lived, no matter who he ended up with in the future. She just wanted him to
The driver pressed the pedal, made a U-turn, and accelerated. When Holly arrived at the address Tobin sent, she saw two deformed cars at the crash scene. However, she didn't find anyone there.Holly's heart skipped a beat. She could only call Tobin repeatedly. However, the call didn't go through.Bryce and the others didn't own a car, only renting one after they got off the plane. Thus, Holly didn't know which car belonged to them.The driver continued driving a bit further until they came upon a collision between a car and a truck. The car's front end was completely obliterated. The driver was cut in half at the waist, and the person in the back seat was so badly mangled that his face was unrecognizable.A loud roar echoed in Holly's mind as it went blank. Her gaze fell on the man's blood-soaked suit. This was the deep-colored suit that Bryce always wore. The man had long legs. The wrist that was hanging out of the car wore a Patek Philippe Celestial watch.Holly remembered the
The moment Bryce reached Calria and got off the plane, he received a call from an unknown number. He took the call with furrowed eyebrows. "Hello. Who are you?"Zenia fumed. "I'm Zenia. Holly and Abelin's wedding is today. Your woman snatched away the man I loved!" She hung up the call after that.Bryce didn't believe her. He tapped into his messages, and several wedding photos came into view. Although the images were not high resolution, one could at least make out the newlywed's features.The groom wearing a suit had striking facial features, and Bryce recognized him as Abelin. Meanwhile, the woman was dressed in a fitted floor-length gown and wore a white veil. Under the thin veil, Bryce could make out her defined features. The woman was none other than Holly.Bryce felt like he had been struck by lightning. His mind went blank, and the hand holding the phone turned cold.He could feel his heart sinking and his blood going cold. Instantly, he felt he got toyed and betrayed
Michelle was gravely ill, with her vision and hearing failing. Thus, they should be able to deceive her.While Abelin let out a sigh of relief, Merope threw daggers at him. She couldn't believe he was stupid enough to let go of such a good opportunity. She wondered why someone as smart as her would have such a dumb son.As it was almost time for the wedding ceremony, Merope wheeled the sickly Michelle out. Michelle's complexion seemed better than a few days back, perhaps due to the joyful event or the effects of terminal lucidity. Her dull eyes were shining when she saw Abelin and the fake bride on the red carpet.Michelle pursed her lips and asked Merope, "Is he really getting married to Holly?"Merope replied unwillingly, "Yes.""Bring me over to have a look," Michelle ordered. When Merope wheeled her over to the fake bride, Michelle took her reading glasses from her pocket with trembling hands.Abelin held his breath as Michelle eyed the fake bride up and down. He was fear
Merope pleaded earnestly, "Abel, your grandmother is on her last breath. Please try to fulfill her last wish for her."Abelin didn't seem to reject this plan as much as before. "Wedding arrangements are already in place, and I've notified a couple of cousins. I'll try to make the entire wedding as genuine as possible."Merope was overjoyed. "Why did you suddenly change your mind? Is Holly the bride?""No. I found a woman who looks quite similar to her. Grandma is old and has blurry eyesight. I doubt she'll recognize her."Merope rebuked, "Your grandma isn't blind!""Well, that's all." Abelin then hung up the call.…Three days later, many relatives gathered at the Gabelman residence. The brightly decorated courtyard was filled with people. Abelin hired a professional wedding team in advance, making sure the officiant, red carpet, circular arch, fresh flowers, and bridal bouquet were all in place. A professional violin team was also playing the wedding march.Although it was a
Abelin called Priscilla's bodyguards, and they arrived at the Calria police station together.The bodies were stored in the morgue. Since they weren't Calrians, the police couldn't find any information on them or confirm their identities.However, they were sure that the two bodies had something to do with Priscilla because one of the bodyguards left a long scratch mark on one of the culprit's arms. At that moment, the mark was rotten due to being submerged in the water. The skin was peeling, and it was a horrifying sight.Clearly, the person behind the culprits was worried they might get caught and expose their employer's identity. So, someone was sent to silence them right away. It was easy for someone like them to kill a person.After giving a statement, the police told Abelin that they were going to do an autopsy on the bodies. Once they had news, they would call him again.After coming out of the police station, Abelin got into his car and called Bryce. "The two guys who hu