Ivy could endure all the pain by herself, but she could not bring herself to terms with Aurum's kindness. There might have been a future between them, but it felt impossible given what had happened. She fantasized that perhaps Aurum's regretful gaze stemmed from his belief that she was no longer pure.Ivy took a deep breath. "I don't blame you or Gale. I only hate the person behind all this manipulation, and even more... Paul!"Paul was clearly sober, yet he claimed she had seduced him, unable to resist. Was that not just an excuse he came up with? He could have called the police, left, or taken her to the hospital. There were so many options, yet he chose to have sex with her."It's already happened. We can't change it; we can only accept reality. Ivy, I hope we can still be friends. I don't look down on you. You're a victim, and I will find out the truth and help you get justice. I'll handle Paul. You can ignore him; just focus on playing your role."He lifted his hand, gently re
What a good child, what a harmonious family. It seemed like she was about to lose it all. Gale felt ashamed to face Joshua and Nicole.Gale nodded. "You pick first. I'll give you whatever star you want, okay?"Joshua breathed a sigh of relief.His passion for astronomy, aviation, and the universe was ingrained in his bones.Last weekend, Lucas took him to the space station, where he saw astronauts. They even took a photo together, which he framed and put on his bedside table. He treated it as his treasure and looked at it every day when he woke up and before he went to bed.When the servants came to clean, he would not let them touch it. He wiped it gently by himself."Let me have it first; I'm younger. Mommy, you have everything already; you don't need to name a plain old star. Besides, what's mine is yours, right?"She had everything? Yes, she used to think so too, but now she feels differently. She had been robbed of something important to her. Gale suppressed her thoughts, u
He had clearly underestimated Aurum too much, which led to this series of events.Gale stood under the shower. The warm water washed over her body as she closed her eyes, tilting her head back, letting the water cleanse her from head to toe, over and over again.As her hair stuck to her shoulders and face, Gale felt so dirty. She scrubbed her skin vigorously, rubbing it until it turned red and sore, almost washing away her skin. Her skin was wrinkled and swollen from being in the water for too long, but still, she did not stop.She felt it was not enough. She was not clean enough.Outside the door, Shawn checked the time. Gale had been in there for an hour already. He knocked on the door with his fingers. "Gale."No response.He knocked harder. "Gale! Answer me!"The sound of rushing water accompanied Gale's voice. "I'm still showering.""You've been in there long enough.""Not enough.""Enough!" Shawn's voice rose. "Come out, or I'm coming in."Gale fell silent again. Shawn
"Do you know what you're doing? How much does it hurt me?" Shawn said with a tinge of sorrow in his voice.Gale's body trembled."Gale, stop punishing yourself like this; stop abusing your body. It pains me to see you like this. I don't want you to continue like this..." he said.She turned away."What you're doing is pointless; it won't help at all! What you and I need to do is find the person behind this, find the truth, find evidence, and not punish yourself!" Shawn said. Gale murmured, "Truth? What is the truth? Even if everything comes to light, what happened between me and Aurum is a fact, something that can't be changed.""Even if it's a fact, so what! Gale, I won't blame you; I don't care!""But I do! I can't face you. I'm not worthy of you. I have no right to stay by your side!" she shouted.Seeing Joshua and Nicole, Gale felt even sadder. Their faces gleamed with innocence. They did not know what had happened. So much could change in just one night! A tear in their p
"Shawn..." "Yeah, I'm here," he replied immediately as she spoke."Don't you despise me? Not even a little?" Gale asked."How could I despise you, Galey?""But I despise myself."Shawn sighed, reaching out to embrace her, but she resisted, pressing against his chest, unwilling to be intimate with him."Shawn... I feel dirty. Even after showering, even after I've changed and I'm technically all clean from head to toe, I still feel an invisible dirt," Gale said.Her eyes moistened slightly, she blinked quickly, retracting the tears. She lifted her head, locking eyes with Shawn."I know what you're thinking. You don't blame me, and you think it's not my fault. I also know. I'm not at fault, I'm the victim, but I can't change what has happened."Shawn, I'm not worthy of you, and I've let down this marriage."This matter will become the deepest thorn in both our hearts. Even if you don't mention it, I don't think about it, but it will always be there, the elephant in the room."
"I know, but we have to divorce; it's the only option..." Gale's voice choked up more as she spoke. She lowered her head, looking at the hems of their clothes. Once they were so intimate, they were now so distant. She even felt that it was not right for her clothes to touch his, so she reached out and separated their hems.Shawn's heart clenched painfully. What could he do to her? Hurt her? Scold her? Lock her up and let her calm down for a few days? Shawn could not bring himself to do any of those things! If she suffered a little, he felt tenfold the pain."I won't agree to a divorce, never. Gale, every step we've taken to get to this point has been so difficult. How could I possibly let go and let you leave me?" Shawn said. Without Gale, Shawn was just a walking corpse. He had no soul. Living meant nothing without her."Do you remember the last time you jumped into the sea and left me? Four years went by in a flash. Gale, every day and every night of those four years was torture
"I really can't remember anything..." Gale cried bitterly in Shawn's arms. She vented her emotions, crying and fussing, while Shawn held her quietly. Instead of bottling it up inside, he wished to see her let out her sadness, pretending to be calm and composed while silently digesting those negative emotions.He thought her emotional release was better.This was the first time Shawn did not wipe away Gale's tears. He let her cry. Maybe if she cried enough, she might feel better. Truth be told, Shawn could not bear to hear her cry; his eyes were slowly turning red, too.A man does not shed tears easily.At this point, he knew he could not be weak or cowardly. He had to be the pillar of strength for Gale and be her safe haven.With closed eyes, Shawn rested his chin on her head, gently patting her back.Gradually, Gale's crying subsided."Gale, things haven't been clarified yet, so don't jump to conclusions. It's impossible for anything to happen between two unconscious people.
They were entangled."Go to sleep first, rest well, and regain your strength." Shawn tucked her in. "Gale, you do not want Joshua and Nicole to come back and see you like this. They'll worry about you."Gale's resolve returned. She is a mother. If they divorced, what would happen to Joshua and Nicole? Would they have to choose between their father and mother?"Okay, do not overthink it. Come to the study if you need anything." Shawn saw through her thoughts.Gale nodded. Shawn squeezed her hand again. He noticed it was cold. After warming it up, he left the master bedroom.Gale lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The familiar bedroom was comforting to her. It carried a comforting scent. However, she could not sleep. She dared not. She was afraid that she would be somewhere else again when she opened her eyes.Gale wondered if she did really have sex with Aurum.All signs indicated that she and Aurum were no longer just ordinary friends, but Shawn made sense. If both she and Auru