Axton couldn't believe what he had managed to do in mere seconds until he heard Callie's sobs in his arms.Her body trembled while people began to gather around them.The truck driver rushed out of his vehicle in a panic as Axton lay on the hard asphalt. He couldn’t remember if his head had hit the ground hard or if any part of his body was injured. Honestly, he didn’t care."Are you okay?" the truck driver asked loudly as hospital staff and doctors ran to provide assistance, thinking something serious had happened.Axton took a deep breath, still holding Callie tightly in his arms.Seconds ago, he had run as fast as he could, not caring that he might get hit by the truck if he was even a second too late. But he had managed to pull Callie and protect her. They had fallen together on the side of the road, and Axton used his body to shield her.Now, she was crying in fear in his embrace while Axton remained lying on the road, his breathing labored."I’m fine," he said with difficulty as
Sierra woke up later because she was falling asleep much later than usual. She didn’t remember what time she finally drifted off, but it must have been well past midnight after she saw Axton asleep on the couch a little distance from her. It had been three days since she’d been admitted to the hospital, and Axton had stayed by her side every night. He only left when it was time for work, but he always showed up during her meals and returned at 10 p.m. after a brief stop at home before coming back to sleep in the hospital.Truthfully, this made her uncomfortable. However, the doctor had recommended someone stay with her at night in case she needed assistance.“How are you feeling this morning? Any complaints?” a nurse asked as she entered the room to perform her routine checkup. That was when Axton woke her up.“I think I’m okay.”“You’ll need to see the obstetrician today; after that, you might be allowed to go home. You can walk, right?”Sierra nodded. “Yes, I can.”“Your blood press
Sierra nearly let her heart stop when she saw Axton walking closer. But suddenly, someone called out to Axton, drawing his attention, and they began talking at the far end of the corridor, away from the garden.Axton seemed surprised when he saw who had greeted him, and so did Sierra. Even from a distance, she could see that the person speaking with Axton was... Mr. Smith.Before Mr. Smith could notice her standing in the garden, she quickly turned her back to them. Meanwhile, Andrea scoffed at her reaction but didn’t say anything.Andrea walked over to the gazebo, sat down, and patted the spot beside her. "Come sit here while they talk. I think they’re just as surprised to meet as we were," Andrea said.Sierra stayed rooted to her spot, but Andrea let out another scoff. "They won’t come here because Axton knows you don’t want to meet Mr. Smith. But he can’t stop me since I got to you first." Andrea smirked slightly as she turned to look at her. "Sit down, Sierra. I know you have ques
“Callie, can we talk?”Callie nodded, “Of course we can.” She smiled, and Axton realized how much he missed his wife’s smile after all the chaos that had happened. “I’m glad you made time for dinner with me. It’s been so long since we’ve done this. As I recall, we stopped having dinner together since my last treatment.”Axton held her hand on the table as he gazed at her beautiful smile, which looked so radiant. “I don’t want to ruin all of this. But I realized that this is the only chance I have to talk to you about it because I think you’re calmer now than before.”As if knowing what Axton wanted to discuss, she turned her face away and took a deep breath.“Is it really worth ruining our perfect evening over a problem I decided on three days ago?”“Callie,” Axton shook his head in disagreement. However, he remembered that Sierra had warned him to speak gently with Callie if he wanted to resolve the issue.The only thing he knew was that Sierra couldn’t accept it if their agreement e
“It’s because…”Callie’s sentence was cut off by the sound of Axton’s phone ringing on the table. Before anyone could glance at the screen, he quickly picked it up after reading Sierra’s name displayed. As he looked up, he noticed Callie staring at him, signaling that she knew what was happening.“I think we should head home, Callie. There’s something I need to take care of.” Axton didn’t answer the call, as leaving the table with Callie and Damian there felt too risky. Somehow, he sensed Callie had a plan when she invited Damian to sit with them.“Oh, forgive me, Damian. My husband’s asking me to leave, and I can’t refuse him. Would it be okay if you had dinner alone?” Callie gathered her things and finished the last of her wine as she excused herself.“I always dine alone, Callie. It’s no big deal for me,” Damian replied.“Too bad our conversation is unfinished. Perhaps you can come over to my house next time so we can continue it.”“I’m quite busy this week and will be heading to J
This afternoon, Sierra craved a dish whose name she couldn’t quite recall.Her mother used to prepare it every winter to welcome her home after work. They called it ‘happiness soup’ because Sierra always felt joy whenever she ate it for dinner.But it had been two years since she last dared to make the soup. She knew she wouldn’t be able to enjoy it the same way, knowing her mother wouldn’t be there to share the meal with her. Sitting alone at the dinner table would only bring sadness.Unfortunately, this afternoon, the longing for that soup became overwhelming, even though she had just had pasta for lunch, courtesy of Axton. He had already returned to the office, leaving Sierra alone again. Technically, Callie was also home, but she spent all her time locked in her room.Since Callie had pushed her away four days ago, Sierra found it difficult to face her best friend. Deep down, she acknowledged her mistakes, but Callie’s decision to reject the child after their agreement left her fe
As Axton ordered, Sierra underwent a check-up at the hospital.She stayed there until nightfall, uncertain of what to do. She hadn't brought her phone or money to pay for a taxi if she wanted to leave.The doctor informed her that her shortness of breath was due to the smoke from the fire. There was no cause for concern, so staying overnight at the hospital wasn’t necessary.However, she now found herself stuck. She had arrived by ambulance but couldn’t exactly ask them for a ride home, could she?The only option was to wait until Axton came to pick her up.She didn’t know what time it was or how long she had been waiting, but relief washed over her when she saw Axton entering through the main lobby doors. His presence meant everything was under control—the fire must have been put out.“Sorry I’m late,” Axton said, walking quickly toward her. He went straight to the administration desk to settle Sierra’s medical bill, then returned to her. “What did the doctor say?”“Nothing serious,”
"Where is Sierra? She is not here?"Finally, the question came from his mother’s lips after she had arrived at the apartment and sat down in the living room. Axton didn’t know how to respond."She's staying at a friend's house because this place only has one room," Callie answered calmly while bringing two cups of hot chocolate from the kitchen. She sat down next to Axton, leaning against his arm.Axton reached for Callie and hugged her. He also kissed the top of her head, which felt so comfortable in his embrace."That’s the right solution." His mother immediately took a sip of the hot chocolate on the table. "New York has started snowing recently, and this hot chocolate is just the best." She said with a smile.Callie just smiled when she heard what her mother-in-law said."How’s your house? Is it really bad?""No," Axton shook his head. "Actually, we plan to go back home because we can stay in the left pavilion while the kitchen is being renovated.""Is that okay?" His mother looke
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