"I never told Erland that Maelie was still alive and living here," Tommy explained anxiously, unable to lie anymore. "He told me that Maelie and Amanda were still alive... um... I mean, he didn't know who they were, but he knew they were here because he accidentally met them at the airport in Alaska.""And then?""I was very surprised and didn't believe him, especially since he didn't recognize me as his confidant. He told me a lot... I mean, about his feelings for his wife which felt ordinary, and he kept imagining the faces of Maelie and the twins. Fate brought them together in Alaska... He was very curious and thought that Maelie had a connection to his past, so he forced me to explain what he didn't know... At that time, I had no choice but to tell him the truth... Because I felt sorry for him, I felt sorry because he was confused... And at that time, I still thought that Maelie and Amanda were dead. Finally, he insisted on bringing me here... And that's when I knew they were stil
The next dayAt 10.00 pm, Erland and Maelie and their son and daughter arrived in Switzerland, to be precise, in a minimalist house located in a quite beautiful village with beautiful green mountain valleys, close to clear rivers, smooth roads, and beautiful houses. House. lined up without gates. The man invited his wife to put their children to sleep in a special white room, complete with all kinds of toddler equipment, and of course also toys. They were in a large mattress complete with guardrails so their children wouldn't fall.He watched his wife lost in thought while rubbing their son's back while he patted their daughter's buttocks."What are you thinking about?" he asked."I just didn't expect that I would be here now," Maelie answered worriedly, occasionally biting her lower lip. "And I can't stop thinking about Amanda. Even though she's annoying sometimes, I realize that I can't be away from her... I imagine how she would be without me, and how would I start my days without
The next day...Maelie woke up to find Erland still asleep but restless, tossing and turning with his head shifting from side to side."No... Mae... Maelie... Don't leave me!""Please don't take her from me... Please... No!"Erland continued to talk with his eyes closed. Maelie quickly sat up and gently shook him, occasionally patting his cheek."Erland... Erland, wake up!""Erland!""No!" Erland's eyes snapped open, his breath erratic, his gaze empty."What happened? What were you dreaming?" Maelie asked anxiously, while Erland immediately turned to her, looking at her in bewilderment. "What? What happened? Do you remember anything?"Erland remained silent, still staring at Maelie's face, but suddenly images of him with her, constantly swirling in his mind, all seemed blurred and changing, very unclear and making him feel extremely dizzy, his head pounding."Agh..." He immediately grabbed his head, squeezing his eyes shut."Erland..." Maelie grew more worried, unsure of what to do. "
Tommy drove his car at high speed, occasionally glancing at Amanda sitting beside him while tinkering with her phone."There's a flight schedule to Switzerland, but it's tomorrow at eight," Amanda said anxiously."That's good," Tommy replied, focusing on driving. "At least you'll have time to rest," he continued.Amanda sighed heavily. "I don't think I need rest. I want to meet my brother soon!""Amanda... Switzerland isn't a small country... We have to search for them patiently. We don't know which city they're in, or even if they're in the countryside. We don't know," Tommy explained calmly. "We need clues, access to track them down."Amanda immediately glared at Tommy in frustration."You... You surely have Erland's phone number. You must be able to track him!" she exclaimed."The problem is, he has deactivated that phone number... I think he doesn't want to be disturbed," Tommy replied."But I don't intend to disturb him, I just want to find my sister!""I know... I mean, he doesn
"Is it possible that she's looking for her sister?" Teddy asked irritably.Jane, on the other hand, walked towards the wardrobe and opened it, seeing that there were still plenty of Amanda's clothes inside, even though all her belongings were still intact in the room."I don't think she would do that, plus she doesn't have much money," she said as she approached her husband again. "And also, if she went to Switzerland to look for her sister, she has no clues... Switzerland is not a small place... And it takes a lot of money to get there!"Teddy fell silent, speculating what Amanda might be doing now."I think she just wants to go away for a while to calm down," Jane said as she walked towards the chair and sat down, looking at her husband who remained silent with an ambitious gaze. "What do you think?""Did you find her passport?" Teddy asked."Um... I didn't find it," Jane answered anxiously."That means she's really going to Switzerland!""But how? She can't possibly have a lot of m
Maelie sat in silence, her gaze fixed on Erland. They weren't at home but in the emergency room of a clinic not far from their house. Her husband had injuries on his hand and head, caused by his actions during a fit of rage in their room after losing control because he couldn't remember his past."Mae... Mae... Don't leave me... Please, don't!" Erland muttered in his sleep, turning his head from side to side."Erland, Erland, wake up..." Maelie gently patted Erland's cheek. "Erland, I'm here..."Erland opened his eyes, his gaze vacant, and turned to Maelie. He immediately grasped her hand with a fearful look, his breathing heavy."Maelie... My love...""Yes, I'm here," Maelie whispered with a smile."Please don't go!" Erland pleaded."Of course, I won't go... I belong to you!"Erland sighed, then kissed Maelie's hand. He fell silent for a moment until he was completely calm and realized he wasn't at home, noticing the IV drip in his hand."Where am I?" he asked."You're in the clinic,
Two days had passed...Tiffany's moods were dwindling as Erland had truly died; he no longer contacted her nor returned. She also failed to get a response from Franco when she tried reaching out, making her think that this was all because her husband wanted to distance himself from her. It led her to speculate that he had started remembering his past, which would make him hate her just as he did before."This feels like the bomb I've always feared, and it's exploding now," she said despondently, stirring her drink with a long, red-and-white striped straw."And when you know a bomb is going to explode, you should find a way to protect yourself from getting hurt," replied Miranda, who was sitting across from Tiffany."How?""You already tried by getting pregnant... But I guess that wasn't enough to make him pay attention to you.""It seems impossible... I don't even feel any remaining affection or love from him... Everything just seems to pass without leaving any impression..." Tiffany
Maelie frowned, her heart pounding, as she pictured Tiffany’s face."She's pregnant!" Thomas asserted again. "Are you going to let Erland abandon her again?"Maelie remained silent but clenched her fists, remembering how Tiffany had asked Leo to kill her without caring that she was pregnant. This made her think there was no point in pitying her or considering her feelings."She needs Erland right now ... She has never been far from him, she is not as strong as you. So, wouldn’t it be better if you let Erland be with her again? After all, you are used to being without him ... You ...""No!" Maelie shouted before Thomas could finish speaking.Thomas fell silent, staring in astonishment at Maelie, who turned her face away."This time, I won't give in!" Maelie said firmly. "She was so cruel to plan to kill me, forcing me to escape to save myself and my brother, to save my baby ..." She continued, then looked back at Thomas."All this time, I have always given in ... I didn’t let Erland di
Several months passed...The situation improved, and Erland tried to forgive himself, rise from his despair, and was, of course, supported by Maelie, who always understood him, and he also received help from a psychiatrist.Despite this, he still often worried about Tiffany, wondering if she could be happy with the guilt of having aborted their child. And he still often saw Alaina from a distance at school.The man still felt something was missing, but he didn't want to have high expectations and chose to live his life as it was. Naturally, he focused on Maelie, the woman who was always there for him and accepted him despite the suffering he had caused her....Tonight, on their 6th wedding anniversary, the man took his wife to a hotel. He invited her to dine on the terrace balcony, with a view of the night lit by stars and the lights of vehicles and skyscrapers, and of course, the most beautiful sight was his wife, looking stunning in a long red dress with bare shoulders and her hair
At 10:00 PM, Maelie was pacing back and forth on the porch, waiting for Erland who had not come home yet and was ignoring her calls and messages.Amanda felt bored and genuinely sad seeing her sister so worried. Luckily, Teddy and Jane had returned to Sacramento and did not witness this chaos."Why don't you just act normal... Doesn't he usually come home late too?" she asked with a displeased look."For me, this is unusual... I feel like he doesn't want to see me anymore," Maelie replied anxiously, glancing towards the gate and seeing the security guard hurriedly opening it as a black car entered the yard."Tommy..."Realizing it was Tommy's car, Maelie immediately approached him as soon as he stopped in the yard. Amanda also walked over as the man got out of the car."Mae," greeted Tommy."Do you know where Erland is? Did you manage to investigate him today?" Maelie asked eagerly.Tommy nodded with a worried look. "Yes... I was with him all day, but I didn't learn much about what's
Thomas entered Erland's room and saw him sleeping on the sofa, with a lot of files that needed to be reviewed on the table."How could he neglect his work?" he grumbled as he approached his son, intending to wake him up, but his attention was diverted to Tommy, who had just arrived."Mr. Gerald," called Tommy.Thomas turned to Tommy, noticing he was carrying a file."Is there a problem?""No, there's good news," Tommy replied with a smile, handing the file to Thomas. "Carlos' diamond company is willing to collaborate with our company, all the terms are in there," he continued, glancing at the file.Thomas looked at the file with a frown, realizing there was a lot to read, then he remembered Erland and closed the file again."Since yesterday, Erland hasn't done any of his tasks," he said, turning back to Tommy. "And now he's fallen asleep. This is very unusual for him, do you know what he does at home that makes him still need rest at the office?""Um..." Tommy bit his lower lip, glanc
With unsteady steps, Erland climbed the stairs to the upper floor, arriving at the room and finding Maelie standing by the window. She turned towards him as soon as she sensed his presence."Erland..."Maelie immediately greeted Erland with a worried look."You're drunk again!" She grabbed his arm, looking at his dull face, the smell of alcohol from his breath making her wince. "Oh my God ... You stink!"Erland stared deeply at Maelie and then smiled."You are so beautiful!" he exclaimed lazily.Ignoring Erland's compliment, Maelie led him to the bed, laying his body on the edge. She took off his shoes and placed them near the foot of the bed."Why are you always like this? What exactly are you dealing with?" she wondered as she unbuttoned his shirt, which was damp and reeked of alcohol, imagining him spilling drinks on himself.Before she finished unbuttoning his shirt, he suddenly pulled her down onto his chest, then rolled over, making her lie beneath him."Erland...." She gasped i
Erland stopped his car in the driveway of the Billy Johnson family mansion, got out quickly, and saw Alaina just getting out of the car with Tiffany. He smiled at the little girl who was pouting at him from a distance, then took a package from his car."That's not my dad," Alaina muttered with a serious look."Why is he here? I thought everything was over," Tiffany mused, watching Erland walk toward them with a rather large pink paper bag."Hey..." Erland sighed as he reached them. "I... I brought this for her." He lifted the paper bag slightly."This feels strange after what you did," Tiffany said flatly.Erland smiled thinly."This isn't strange... She used to be my daughter, so I still love her and want to see her," he replied casually, then squatted in front of Alaina with a smile. "Sweetie... Daddy missed you so much."Alaina remained silent with a pout, clearly displeased with Erland's presence."Daddy bought LEGO for you; we can build a Barbie house together," Erland said, hand
Leo stood near the gate of an elite school, watching Alaina as she exited the building with her friends, looking around as if searching for someone. He entered the grounds and approached his daughter with a smile."You ..." Alaina squinted at Leo, slowing her small steps."Sweetheart ..." Leo crouched in front of Alaina and briefly touched her cheek. "I've come to pick you up.""Tony is supposed to pick me up," Alaina said, frowning. "Grandma said I'm not allowed to go home with strangers, so I have to wait for Tony here!" she continued, then ran toward a waiting bench near the security post.Leo exhaled sharply, stood back up, and looked at Alaina, who looked so cute and pretty with her long brown hair, wearing pink pants, a white shirt, and a red bag.'I can't waste this opportunity,' he thought, glancing around until his gaze fell on a luxury car stopping in front of the gate."Damn, she's here!" he said, clenching his fists, seeing Tiffany hurriedly exit the car and approach Alain
The next day...Maelie had just woken up after crying herself to sleep the night before. She glanced around the quiet room and saw Erland standing in front of the dresser, getting dressed. She quickly got out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth.When she returned to the bedroom, she saw her husband sitting on the sofa, putting on his shoes. She felt a desire to approach him but felt awkward after their fight last night.Her attention shifted to his injured hand, which was unbandaged and looked terrible. She walked to the small cot, opened the drawer, took out the first aid kit, and approached him.She sat beside him, took his right hand, and placed it on her lap, examining the wound."A wound like this needs to be treated and covered with a bandage," she said."You always know how to heal wounds, but this time, I'm not so sure," Erland replied flatly.Maelie swallowed hard, sensing the deeper meaning behind Erland's words, perhaps referring to the caus
"Why isn't your husband home yet at this hour?" Teddy asked as he saw Maelie and Jane exit the twins' room. "It's already late," he added, glancing at his watch, which showed 10 PM.Maelie swallowed hard and walked to the sofa."Maybe he's busy," she said."But I think it's unusual for a boss to work this late," replied Teddy, frowning and glancing at Jane, who immediately sat next to him."You don't know how busy he is... you don't understand his job, so you should stay quiet," Jane said with a displeased look.Teddy exhaled harshly. "I just don't want him to treat Maelie the way he treated his first wife. I don't want him to get bored, start leaving her often, and then fall in love with a new girl...""Teddy!" Jane interrupted in a soft voice. "You shouldn't say that. You'll ruin your niece's mood!"Teddy remained silent, turning his face away as Maelie quickly stood up."I need to go to my room now," Maelie said.Jane nodded, letting Maelie walk towards the stairs. She then turned
Erland stopped his car at the side of the road, near a bridge where Tiffany was standing with Benjamin. He quickly got out and approached his ex-wife with a serious look."What are you doing here?" he asked."Waiting for you," Tiffany replied flatly.Erland frowned, feeling odd about Tiffany’s attitude. After staying away from him for so long, she suddenly wanted to meet again."He won’t hurt you, no gun or anything dangerous," Benjamin said flatly.Erland stayed silent."We need to talk. I'll be waiting in the car," Tiffany said, then walked towards her car.Curious, Erland followed Tiffany and got into her car, sitting beside her uncomfortably. He looked around, making sure there were no paparazzi or anyone who could take their pictures, which could cause trouble or gossip if their meeting became public."How are you?" Tiffany asked, looking at Erland, who looked dashing in his gray suit but with a beard that was too thick and hair that was too long, unlike his usual self. "You look