LUCAS POV I waited for Adeline to reply, but even though I recently completed everything, she has not responded as of yet. She can remember every detail, I have no doubt about that. And just pretending that she was not remembering anything. I first got to know her when we were both in college. She is the type of person who, once I catch her in the act of lying, will not stop until she gets her way. I care so much for her that I find it impossible to let go of my affection for her, despite everything that she has done to me. At the end of the day, I still make an effort to forgive her in the hopes that she will eventually alter her current course of action. "Are you really not going to answer my question? It is now up to you to make a decision. I will not compel you to respond." Even though I will not acknowledge them, I have noticed a lot of strange behaviors and changes in her since the accident. My wife appears to have made significant advances. Her eyes are innocent to begin with
While in the restroom, I made the decision to quickly take a shower for myself. I know full well that my wife, Adeline, will not move until she feels more at ease with me. I can scare her and make her believe that I will do something unpleasant for her, but she will not get out of bed. When I leave the bathroom, I do not want to have another argument with her if she keeps ignoring my requests. For whatever reason, I am just afraid. I adore her unconditionally, and even though I am aware that the things I did to her caused her physical and emotional suffering, I already deeply regret what I did to her in the past. The fact that I forced her to do this was my fault. Although skepticism occupies the other half of my mind, part of it concedes that Adeline might be right and she does not remember anything. My patience would have lasted a very long time for her, but she used it all up, so she had no right to hold me responsible. That was the reason I was always angry. "Adeline, could you
I gave up trying to win her over after that. Adeline did not annoy me at all in the days and weeks that followed. She never mentioned the divorce to me again. Her actions and words seemed completely meaningless, and I could not help but wonder if maybe she was just trying to get my attention. Our son and I have not spent much time outside lately, so this weekend I decided to make the most of our time together. She is someone I know very well. Without me, she is unable to survive. Since we first started dating, I have been her entire universe. Additionally, I used to witness her frequently engaging in this behavior when she was feeling uninspired by her life. Nevertheless, she has never before discussed the divorce publicly until now. Gradually, my complacency increased. Adeline had stopped talking about it. As a married couple, we go back to our old habits of sharing a bed and having sexual relations. All of a sudden, it felt like everything was back to normal for us. Adeline must be
We are just outside the hotel and I am about to lose my mind. My mind was filled with a lot of things and unfavorable ideas. We had stopped for a few minutes, but I could not just get out of the car and do anything I wanted. That would get everyone's attention, I was sure of it. I told my men to go down and speak with the hotel manager so that we could execute our plan without encountering any unneeded difficulties. Considering that I am not from here, I do not want to find myself in an awkward situation out of the blue. Here, I have no authority. Undoubtedly, that would damage my reputation and good name in the eyes of all people. As my career is rapidly expanding, I have an obligation to take good care of it. "Inform them that Santa Monica's mayor is here. I have to find my wife ASAP because she is currently staying in one of their VIP suites. We need to go inside and get Adeline out, so you asked the manager for permission. We must take her to the mansion this evening." "Mayor Rom
"Oh my, Lucas! You are not getting what I am saying. Please just let me go. I beg you to do this! Just let me go, please! For Pete's sake, I don't want to stay with this family any longer. Do you hear me? Allow me to go now!"Adeline was moving in a circle around our room, and as a way of venting her frustration, she was pulling at a few strands of hair. Her appearance was a complete mess because, up until now, she had been crying. Her tears overflowed, resulting in this. On her face, it appears that some makeup was smudged. Adeline's tears continued to fall both of her cheeks, and she was never able to stop them. As if doing so will fulfill her demands. She looks frustrated, and I can see that from where I am standing. She is unaware, though, that I managed to refrain from hitting her. Her words caused a lump to form in my pride. Furthermore, she instigated the notion that I was the antagonist in this situation despite the fact that she was the one who first brought the third party i
While the sense of betrayal persisted after I thought back on what had happened that evening, I noticed that my jaw had relaxed whenever I remembered my wife's expression following the accident. Adeline's body had already been taken to the nearest hospital when I got to the scene of the accident. Her car was still stuck on the cliff where it nearly fell, according to the people who came to her aid, and they are making a lot of effort to get it. A few of my men remained there, anticipating my arrival. And others went to the hospital with them, where my wife's body was taken.They were able to swiftly remove her body from the burning car, which had nearly wholly collapsed, but there was still evidence that the collision had occurred. According to reports from some of my men pursuing her, they tried to finish the mission as quickly as possible to prevent Adeline from passing out.My body shook, and I nearly went to my knees when I saw the blood strewn across the ground, which I knew belo
For a moment, my whole body felt as though my feet were firmly planted on the ground as I watched them move the hospital bed that was carrying my wife toward the operating room. It all still feels like a dream to me. When I regained consciousness, I moved silently and stealthily in their direction. I should push myself. I am making every effort to learn as much as I can about the circumstances and determine why they require immediate surgery. I wanted to know why this operation was really necessary. I see that my composure and reflection are gradually improving. Although there was some blood on her brain, the cause of it could not yet be ascertained. Her head hitting her car's windshield hard while driving is most likely to blame. In the absence of this, it may cause severe damage to her brain, so we need to act quickly to get rid of it and identify its cause. Don't be worried, Mayor Romanov, we—"Although I am not entirely sure what they are talking about or what is happening, I can
A few months passed rapidly following my wife's accident, and she was still unconscious. Despite the doctor's assurances, she did not regain consciousness within the allotted few days. Adeline remained in bed and slept through those months without moving. Not even in my wildest dreams did I anticipate this happening, especially after her doctor told me she was no longer in immediate danger. Thus, we are hoping for a swift recovery."Mayor Romanov, After all those months that she was still sleeping, I regret to notify you that your wife has recently been diagnosed with a coma. I did not know the exact time or day that she was going to wake up, but I hoped it wouldn't be long. We are left with no choice but to wait."Her cosmetic procedure was originally scheduled to happen after she regained consciousness, but due to the current situation, we can not wait any longer. Her face's tissue will sustain more damage the longer we wait, and the damage will worsen with time. It was not easy to u
ANNIKA POVWho would have thought that all the ordeals Lucas and I encountered in the journey we could overcome by moving to another country?“Mom, hurry up!” Luke got my attention as I looked after them from my instance. “We must take some pictures before the increasing snowfall destroys snowmen,” he continued.My lips parted to give them a genuine smile. It almost reached my ear. My parched and cracked lips became painful due to the freezing weather in the country. The season is winter.“Yeah, I'm coming.”“Be careful, Wifey! You might fall. It's slippery!” Lucas yelled, who was there with Iris and Luke.“Instead of worrying, why don't you come here and lend me a hand? It's dangerous, right?” “You need help?”I rolled my eyes heavenwards. Does that even require to be asked? He could see that I was struggling to step closer to them. Why are the snowmen they made so far from o
The next day, I decided to visit Uncle Elias in the prison. His sentence is life imprisonment, and there is no chance of parole, but for me, that's not enough. He deserved more agonizing and severe punishment for him after knowing what he had done to Annika. He never did anything reasonable in his life anyway.“Why did you do that?!” I yelled as soon as I saw him approaching. If I could have broken his bones at this moment, I would have done it. “What's done is done, Lucas,” he answered calmly. To my ears, it sounded like he was proud. Sitting before me, I hit my hands on the table. If there were no police guard in the area, I would have already broken his neck and killed him. “There's no benefit in any regrets—”“How many more innocent girls have you robbed of a chance to live a normal life? Aren't you ashamed of what you did? You are disgusting! Most of them are minors! Didn't your body even tremble after you did that horrible thing to t
LUCAS POV I was heartbroken, and my heart seemed to break into a million pieces as I scrutinized the anguish reflected on my wife's face. I clenched my fist while I couldn't help but tighten my jaw. I was devastated as I assumed we would have no more challenging situations. But look at this: I was dumbfounded to find out that there is more. Heart-wrenching is the best way to describe my feelings towards my wife, not pity. At this moment, I really want to punch Uncle Elias face until it bleeds and see wounded pain so I can get revenge on my wife's behalf. If I can do that now, I will undoubtedly do it without regret.“Don't do anything dangerous that you will wish undone later, Lucas. Let's just let it go. That will also give us precedence over other information about us within the country. I'm embarrassed to ask you this, but I don't wish everything to get major problem of our family.”I didn't make a reply, but at the back of my mind, I wi
In two weeks of our honeymoon, Lucas and I made the most of it. We truly made the most of every moment, indulging in delicious food and intimate moments, taking some rest, and occasionally, taking a dip in the seawater to restore our bodies for long endurance. We are sole, so having intimate moments was not that tough. By reason of that, on the day that we had got to leave the place and return to reality where our two children were waiting. We didn't have anything to regret. Coming to have a vacation in this place is worthwhile and also priceless, to be accurate. It is worth the price: money, ambiance, and precious time with my husband.“Tell me honestly, Wifey, did you enjoy our two-week vacation? Or was it not enough?”I nodded in response. We are packing our things now, putting them back in the traveling bag. Tomorrow, we have an early dawn flight.”Do you want to have an extension period?”“No, this is already enough.”
So proud of myself. I gave back a cheerful and broadened smile at Lucas for his every word of acclaim. Am I mistaken in my response? I am different from other women because I have him. Why did he respond like that? Does he have a twin without me knowing? It might be as cliche as it may sound, but for me, he was the only Lucas Romanov in the world. “Am I incorrect?” I asked him and was almost about to crack up at his surprising and unimaginable reaction. “I have you, Lucas, which made me unable to be typical of another woman. Is it difficult to figure out?”“Yes, sure. You are right, Annika. I'm only only.” Lucas replied, slightly ripping off my cheeks. Despite the fact that the beginning of our love story was not significant in most people's eyes, I can only say one thing. We both felt love that was pure, even though it transpired at the wrong time with the wicked reasons behind it. Lucas and I were wounded in our cores and separated for quite a while. It taught us countless life le
Seizing for air, my eyes darted away while turning red. I'd instead stare out the car window to cover up my face. Lucas surely knows a lot of gibberish things. He kept getting on my nerves even though it was not his intention. As I spoke, my heart pounded with pressure. I felt Lucas motion to my side, probably to continue what he was doing, but I ignored him. My eyes remained outside as if he was not with me. Unhurriedly, I bit my lower lip to reduce the uncertainty that I felt. My body reacted and heated up at Lucas actions. If anyone else saw that, they might think he was out of his mind and a maniac. Lucas cannot close his pointed tongue and does not know the boundaries about speaking such things. I mentally roll my eyes. He cracked up so hard when he saw my response to what he spoke out. He was very pleased with the unexpected retort he got from me. Consistently, I ignored him. I didn't dare to look him in the eye as I learned my whole being was bewildered.“Don't worry, Annika.
As I expected, Luke's nanny Emily still resided in the mansion. Her appearance did mature but she was still the affectionate nanny of Luke. I didn't know if she knew my real identity because she always smiled at me from the day that we met and every time she made eye contact with me. To think about it, that seems impossible. My face is now reversed. I'm in my real appearance. There are no specks that once in the past five years, I pretended to be Adeline. Not unless Luke who is chatty like Iris, will tell her who I am. In that case, the reason was acceptable. “Mom, don't worry about my sister. I can take care of her too. Just enjoy your vacation with Dad. You don't need to think about us.” Luke stole my attention by expressing that as he rubbed his sister's back presumably to comfort her. “I'm a big boy now. I won't leave her alone or behind. You can depend on me right, Mommy?”“Alright Luke, thank you for your concern. I appreciate that.” I replied and
Our honeymoon vacation is organized for two weeks. At first, I did not approve when Lucas told me to decide which country I wished to go to. To be honest, I don't like to go out of the country, especially without our children so Lucas chose to have a honeymoon on one of the well-known beaches within the country. If we ever go and schedule to have a fun vacation in another country, the children must be with us. In my honest opinion, we don't require this. It's not necessary to do this after all we are already old. I believe the honeymoon is only for newly married couples who don't have children yet. And we are not counted among them. “We already have a child, Lucas. Is that still essential for us?” I appealed to him when he opened up about this concern to settle in. “Yes, that's a normal thing Annika to the couple after marriage. Even if we have a child, we can still do it. There is nothing wrong with that.” “But, we won't be required to
Adeline's parents also attended with so much excitement at our wedding. They never criticize me as a replacement for their daughter in Lucas and Luke's life. Lucas was correct. He already dealt with everything before he set a dinner with his entire family. They cannot stop saying gratitude and compliments for the greatness of my soul. At this moment, I feel like they are genuine for saying those words. They're not acting up just to please me. Unlike when I was in the shoes of Adeline, their words were full of bitterness and remorse towards me. I did not expect that their behavior would not as tough and rough as before, especially Lucas's mother. The level was diverse then.“Welcome to our family, Annika!” she exclaimed, she kissed me on both of my cheeks after hugging me.I just emphasize a slight smile. I couldn't halt my lips from trembling as I was frightened of them on the day that Lucas introduced us. Like even if Lucas told me to calm down because h