FlashbackThree Years Ago…“I’m so glad I finally found you, CatLovers,” Axton whispered as he pressed a loving kiss to Callie’s cheek. He couldn’t imagine what his life would have been like if he hadn’t found her. Perhaps he would never have loved her as deeply as he did now, nor would he be preparing for a wedding with the beautiful woman who had agreed to stand by his side forever.“I’m glad you found me too. But could you stop calling me by that name? I’ve told you so many times I don’t like it,” Callie pouted, and Axton couldn’t resist stealing another kiss from her.What started as a simple kiss quickly escalated into something more passionate, as it always did between them. Axton’s obsession with Callie only grew stronger every time she reciprocated his touch with equal fervor.Noticing her acceptance, Axton slid his hand beneath her tank top, reveling in the warmth and softness of her skin. He had already realized she wasn’t wearing a bra the moment he came home and noticed th
Sierra still couldn’t believe it as she sat in the obstetrician’s waiting room, Axton beside her. They had skipped work because Axton insisted on going to the hospital after she showed him a pregnancy test with a faint line suggesting she was pregnant.“Why didn’t you buy another test?” Axton asked.She shook her head. “I couldn’t bring myself to believe what I saw. That’s why I didn’t tell anyone since yesterday.”“Yesterday?” Axton frowned. “When exactly did you find out?”“Yesterday afternoon, before I entered your office,” she said, exhaling deeply.Axton looked at her as though a million questions swirled in his mind. Before he could speak, she interrupted, “I just don’t know what to do. It all feels so unreal.”“Is that why you came to me?”She nodded. “Maybe. And I admit I shouldn’t have done that.”“You didn’t tell Callie?” He asked, shifting the topic as he noticed her discomfort.“I hesitated to tell Callie because I didn’t want to disappoint her again like before. It’s stil
"Why are we here?" Sierra frowned as Axton turned their car into a luxurious restaurant she had never visited before. "Isn’t it too early for lunch?"Axton nodded, "It’s fine if we wait here until lunchtime. We’ll head home once I make sure you’ve eaten."Sierra understood what he meant, so she stayed silent. They walked in together, and a waiter immediately greeted them and showed them to the table Axton had requested.Since it wasn’t lunchtime yet, Axton chose to order some snacks while they waited. At first, he suggested potatoes and bread, but Sierra opted for ice cream, as, for some reason, that was all she could think about.Their order arrived shortly, and she spent her time reflecting on everything that had happened to her."I don’t know what to do now." She sighed deeply while taking a small scoop of her ice cream. "If my mom were still alive, I’d probably ask her how I could handle all of this."Axton looked at her with concern. "I can’t help you with that. But you can see a
FlashbackTwo years ago…Sierra had never seen Callie this happy in her entire life. A radiant smile never left her face, perfectly complemented by her flawlessly applied makeup. Her black hair was styled neatly and crowned with a tiara that made her look like a queen for a day.Callie and Axton’s wedding was held in the grandest hotel in New York, with thousands of guests filling the ballroom. Everything about today’s celebration exuded extraordinary luxury—from the wedding gown, the international cuisine, and the exquisitely decorated venue to the entertainment provided by a famous singer whose concert tickets always sold out within minutes.On this joyous day, Sierra served as one of Callie’s bridesmaids alongside the bride’s other friends. Naturally, she had additional responsibilities, one of which was staying by Callie’s side on the stage to keep her company, as Callie would get bored if left alone.As Callie’s close friend, who loved her as much as she loved herself, Sierra cou
“You… you’re still going to work?” Callie furrowed her brows as she saw Sierra emerging from her room, dressed in her usual work attire.“Of course, I have to work.”“No, Sierra. I think you should stop working and rest at home.”Sierra shook her head. “I want to keep working, of course. You know I love my job.”“Yes, I know. But what about my child?”Sierra exhaled deeply at Callie’s words. “There are plenty of working moms out there who keep working during their pregnancy. I think we’ll be fine as long as I work responsibly. Don’t worry, I’ll stop whenever I feel I can’t handle it anymore.”Callie looked at her disapprovingly, but after a moment, she nodded. “Alright. But remember, you’re carrying my child, Sierra. You can’t act recklessly anymore because that baby is the most important part of my life now.”Sierra blinked, pausing just as she reached the doorway.“Relax, I’ll take care of your baby. But I really need to go now; I’ve got important work to do this morning.”“What?” C
Sierra wasn’t entirely sure how she had been navigating her life over the past three months. All she knew was that she always skipped breakfast at home with Callie and went to a restaurant before heading to the office with Axton. They would have lunch together in Axton’s office and then head home after dinner. In return, Axton had to eat dinner twice—once with her and once with Callie.Every day, guests came to visit Callie. Sometimes Sierra would join them, but other times she opted to retreat to her room early because she was tired. Her pregnancy had reached 15 weeks, and now she needed longer sleeping hours because she felt more easily exhausted after work.“Yes, yes. Of course, this is exciting. I have a workout schedule every morning, and I’m planning to take a parenting class. What do you think?”As usual, Callie was busy with her endless phone calls every morning, which Sierra was grateful for. At least it meant Callie didn’t pay much attention when she deliberately skipped bre
During Sierra's first prenatal check-up, she went with Axton alone. Callie couldn't join them for the second and third months because her schedule conflicted with the appointments.Callie’s illness hadn’t fully healed despite Axton’s efforts to provide her with the best medical care. She still had to visit the hospital on specific days and often felt unwell several days a week if she overexerted herself.Now, it was the fourth month of her pregnancy, just two days before the party Callie was hosting at her house. Today, Callie made time to accompany her to her check-up because she was eager to learn the baby’s gender. Sierra had told her that the results from the first check-up might not be accurate and that gender could only be determined with certainty between five and seven months. Still, Callie was excited and even planned to have a gender reveal at the party tomorrow—an idea that Axton firmly rejected.Sierra was grateful for that. As far as she knew, Callie hoped Sierra was carr
“I don’t understand why you did that!” Sierra burst into Axton’s office without knocking, slamming the door open as she stormed in.Axton looked up from his desk, raising an eyebrow as if he had no idea what Sierra was talking about.Damn, this man always said whatever he wanted but acted innocent within minutes.“I don’t understand why you left the door open if you wanted to discuss something important with me,” he replied.Damn. Sierra spun around and slammed the door shut, the noise startling even her.She couldn’t believe she’d done that.“Why did you say that to Damian?” she demanded. “Can’t you stay out of our business?”“You’re mad because I refused Damian’s food?”“That food was for me, damn it! Why did you have to say something that would make him suspicious about us?” She glared at Axton, her anger boiling over.Right after ensuring Damian entered the elevator and descended to the lobby, the first thing she did was confront Axton. He had walked back into his office without a
Lately, Sierra had grown fond of gardening. She enjoyed planting flowers, and since she had a spacious backyard, she was free to do whatever she pleased there.After returning from their honeymoon across various countries, she had already planned a beautiful concept for her backyard. Her mother used to love gardening, even after coming home tired from work, though they didn’t have an adequate plot of land to do so. Now that Sierra had better opportunities than her mother ever had, she wanted to honor that hobby—bringing something her mother loved into her new home.When Sienna was with her grandmother, Sierra found herself with free time to indulge in something she enjoyed, keeping herself entertained so she wouldn't feel bored. Occasionally, she would step out to purchase gardening tools and thoroughly enjoyed those moments.In the past, she couldn’t afford this kind of relaxed lifestyle because she always had a demanding schedule. Since college, she’d been accustomed to working part
Axton made Sierra leave the United States for a honeymoon in Europe one month after their wedding. He didn’t tell her where they would go or how long they would be on vacation, leaving Sienna with her grandparents. He only said that he had everything planned but wanted it to be a surprise, so the only thing Sierra had to do was to look beautiful every morning and look forward to each surprise he would give.This morning, they woke up in Norway after spending the night watching the beautiful Aurora Borealis. It felt like a dream—a place so beautiful it seemed unreachable by humans. But Sierra was there with Axton, and it was a truly wonderful experience.Then, in the night, they traveled to Switzerland and stayed there for an unknown number of days, visiting places they would explore.“I can’t believe I’m unemployed and traveling the world with you,” she commented while standing near the window of the villa they were staying in.The view of nature there was so soothing to her eyes. Eve
Sierra and Axton had agreed to host a simple wedding celebration attended only by close family and friends. Most of the guests were Axton’s family and friends, as Sierra didn’t have either.Well, she had invited Andrea—if the woman could even be categorized as a friend. And Damian…Actually, Sierra wasn’t the one who invited Damian. It was Axton, which had completely surprised her.“To my daughter-in-law, Sierra Scott, I love you, pretty girl,” Axton’s mother said, blowing an air kiss and smiling warmly. Sierra laughed as she stood next to Axton.After all the formal wedding, it was time for speeches from the couple’s closest people. Sadly, Sierra had to remind herself once again that she had no parents or close friends to speak for her.“I always wished I could have met Sophia, Sierra’s mother because she raised such an incredible woman with all her strength,” Axton’s mother began. “Sierra is a passionate woman with a beautiful perspective on everything in the world. She loves everyo
Sierra stared at her reflection in the mirror, disbelief evident in her eyes.It was hard to accept that all of this was real. But of course, she wasn’t dreaming as she stood there in her wedding gown, her face adorned with flawless makeup. She was almost too afraid to touch her own skin, worried she might ruin the carefully applied look.“You look absolutely stunning,” Axton’s mother said, wiping tears from the corner of her eyes as she admired Sierra standing in front of the mirror. “You are the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.”Sierra smiled and turned her head slightly. “Don’t exaggerate, Mom,” she replied, taking a deep breath. “I feel unsure about walking out there. What if people judge me?”The woman immediately took her hand, looking at her with genuine warmth. “When Callie—the most important person in your life—gives her blessing for what you’re about to do, why should you care about what anyone else thinks?”Sierra had read the letter Callie had given her. She must have
“I’m here,” Sierra said softly.A week after receiving Callie’s letter and all the gifts the woman had sent her, Sierra finally decided to visit Callie.“I also stopped by the store you worked with, just to thank them,” Sierra said, taking a deep breath as she sat down on the damp ground of Callie’s grave, ignoring the possibility of her skirt getting dirty. “They were confused, looking for me at your old house. I don’t live there anymore, Callie. I moved after giving birth because Axton thought it would be better for us to find a new home. Staying there made it hard to move on, constantly reminded of you.”She glanced at Axton, who was walking toward her from a distance.Today, she wasn’t alone. Axton and Sienna had come with her. But when they arrived, Sienna wanted to breastfeed, so Sierra left them in the car. Axton could handle her to help her drink her milk, and it wasn’t an issue for him.“I’m sorry I didn’t realize how much you cared for me and Sienna. I thought you were angry
Sierra couldn’t blink, and it felt like time had stopped for a moment. Her body felt stiff, even though the only thing she desperately wanted to do was run away.What Damian had said entirely left her at a loss for words. If she were honest, those words moved her deeply, making her feel even guiltier toward him.That wasn’t what he should have said. Damian should have angrily cursed at them for causing a scene in front of his apartment in the morning. He should have... He could have said something harsh to her if he truly wanted to show how upset he was with everything.But instead of doing that, Damian chose to say something kind—words that should never have come from someone who had been wronged.Thankfully, Axton could read her mind well enough to step forward, grab her hand, and lead her away from there.“Let’s go home!” he said, walking briskly.Of course, Sierra followed Axton. She walked without turning her head because she didn’t want to see Damian again.“I never knew that Da
This morning, Sierra cooked breakfast for everyone because she knew that the maids in her house must be exhausted after participating in last night's party. She didn't just prepare breakfast for her family but also for the entire staff."This is a simple menu, but I hope you'll like it," she said with a quick smile. "I'm not great at cooking, but I made sure it's safe to eat." She brought the food to the dining table near the kitchen. Usually, the maids and workers gathered there to eat together, which is why Sierra had come in now."You really shouldn't have gone to so much trouble. You must be exhausted after last night's party," said one of the staff.Sierra waved her hand with a playful smile. "Please, don't be so stiff when talking to me. If I'm tired, then you all must be tired too. This is just a small thing I can do. But this afternoon, I'll ask Axton to buy food for us all so you don’t have to cook.""Oh God, looks like this party made you happy," Percy commented casually, un
Sierra felt much more relaxed once she was back with Axton and Sienna. Of course, they were still the center of attention since it was their party, but now she didn’t have to stand alone in the middle of it all.“I don’t know what to give her, but she seems to like everything I give her,” a middle-aged woman, whom Axton introduced as his aunt, handed Sierra a large paper bag with the logo of a luxury brand.Sierra was quite stunned by this, but she quickly nodded and offered a polite smile. “Thank you for taking the time to visit Sienna. I hope you enjoy the party tonight.”“Well, of course, I’m enjoying it,” the woman smiled. “Isn’t Alicia the one who organized all of this? I’ve been to every one of her parties, and I can always tell which ones she’s organized. And I can say this one is definitely hers.”Sierra turned her head toward Axton and smiled again. “She put this together in just three days, and it amazes me.”“She’s a legend when it comes to parties in New York,” the woman c
Sienna’s bedtime routine often started with the family gathering in the living room after dinner. Percy and Bethany would prepare light snacks, and once Sienna fell asleep, Axton’s parents would head back to their home.“I’ve been thinking about this since Sienna was born,” Axton’s mother began with a warm smile, holding Sienna close in her arms. “But things have been quite hectic lately. I just wanted to spend as much time as possible with this beautiful girl. However, all our relatives and acquaintances keep asking about her, and I don’t want us to waste too much time hosting them one by one.”Sierra frowned slightly, resting her head on Axton’s shoulder as he held her hand and played with her fingers.“Some family members managed to visit the hospital, but others haven’t had the chance yet. They keep asking me when they can come, but I don’t know when to let them. I’m worried they’ll take up too much of our time.”Sierra’s frown deepened, but she remained silent.“So, what are you