Claire was startled by the sudden fiery kiss, and her body stiffened in an instant. Her mind went blank amidst the kiss, and she felt dizzy. Fortunately, Javier's strong hand supported her back firmly, preventing her from falling down. The kiss lasted for a long time, and while Javier was very captivated by the kiss with his eyes shut tight, Claire dared not close her eyes initially. At first, she kept them wide open and watched Javier's thick eyelashes, she could even see the faint mole on his nose that was barely noticeable. Mesmerized by him, Claire slowly closed her eyes without realizing it. Javier finally released her when her lips began to go numb. He rested his wounded forehead against hers and whispered, "Don't worry. Leave everything to me." His tone was gentle and smooth, making her feel at ease. Javier would only be so gentle toward Claire. He hoped that he could be happy and worry-free about this matter. If possible, he wanted Claire to stay by his side, trusting and
Once the adults heard Ollie refusing treatment, they were worried that he would do something reckless. However, this result was inevitable as Ollie only wished to be with his parents."Ollie, what are you talking about? You must receive the treatment from the nurse. Mommy has done so much for you. It’ll all be in vain if you don’t listen." Claire frowned, feeling helpless. "What about Dad? I want Dad. I want him. Once I’m cured, I won’t get to see him anymore. What’s the point of that?" Ollie was upset, and he didn’t take Claire’s words seriously. Finally, Claire understood what Javier meant by seeking euthanasia. It meant not living in the world without any pain. If Ollie felt that something was much more important than being alive, why should they stop him from seeking it?After the realization, Claire’s heart ached, feeling that the world before her was suddenly much clearer. Sometimes it didn’t seem necessary to insist on living. It would probably be better to just let go.
Javier looked happy and confident, as if he was sure they would be a match."We can give it a try." The atmosphere in the ward was warm, and the family of three happily expressed their love for each other. On the contrary, Charles stood outside the ward feeling depressed. He had gone out to buy some drinks and snacks for Ollie, hoping it would make Ollie like him and improve their relationship. When he returned to the ward, he never expected to see such a heartbreaking scene. Moreover, he heard everything that Javier said. If Javier did get tested, the truth would be revealed, and Charles could never let that happen. "Claire—" Charles walked into the room, trying to break up this heartwarming scene. Suddenly, he saw the happiness on Claire’s face and instantly stopped in his tracks. His feet seemed to be nailed to the ground, and he couldn’t take another step. Charles rarely saw such an expression on her face, recalling that Claire was always upset when she was with him an
Charles put his head on the table. He was barely conscious and unsure of what his friend was telling him. He muttered with his brows deeply furrowed and eyes closed, seemingly unhappy. No one could be sure if he was talking to himself or his friend. "Should I continue fighting or not? But I’m so tired."He seemed to be drunk but also sober. These were genuine questions that he had, and that was why he wanted to drink. His friend was helpless. All she could do was comfort him since she knew everything between him and Claire from the start. "Hey, drink some water. It's bad for you to drink so much." She didn't answer his question but gave him a cup of water out of concern instead. Regardless, he was going to have a terrible hangover. Without a second thought, he finished the drink. He couldn't taste anything else after that. "Do you think it's worth it after I've persisted for so long?" Charles looked afar with sadness in his eyes. He was still holding the glass in his hand. The w
The breeze was cold today. The weather matched how Charles was feeling on the inside.After last night, he was much more clear-headed and had come to his senses. He wished for Claire to be happy from now on. Charles wished he could be the one to bring her happiness, but he wasn’t a fool. So, he knew everything he had done was one-sided. As for why Javier had not killed him … It was simply because he thought he was Ollie’s biological father. After Javier had gotten together with Claire, he was less hostile, but that didn’t mean his methods were not ruthless. At the thought of that, Charles finally let go. It was time for the battle between him and Javier to come to an end.He didn't care about winning or losing since he had witnessed Javier's effort for Claire and how much he had changed for her. Charles knew he could never have done that for Claire. Instead, he would overthink the pros and cons, but Javier only cared about Claire wholeheartedly. That itself proved he was the loser.
"Claire is my wife and the woman I love. Don’t ever think about hitting on her. I know you won't just donate your bone marrow without getting anything in return. So, if you agree to donate it to Ollie, you can request anything." Charles’ indifferent expression changed, showing interest. He raised his brows. "Oh? What conditions will you be willing to offer? I’m really curious. Why don’t you tell me about it?" Claire’s face turned pale when she saw that Charles wasn’t concerned for Ollie’s life. She was even more disappointed in him, thinking he wasn’t worthy of being Ollie’s biological father. But now was not the time to think of that. She composed herself and sighed, "Charles, we’ve done all we could, so don’t go over the line." However, Charles ignored her and looked at Javier. "Mr. Marquez, are you really being sincere? I don’t feel anything special about it." Javier’s expression was livid from the start, and it didn’t change when he saw Charles acting in such a way. Instead
Charles could see the doubt in Claire’s eyes, but she didn’t open the document in the end, so he felt relief. Then, he stood up and took one last glance at them before saying, "Since I’m not needed here anymore, I’m leaving. Bye." When Charles saw Javier’s meaningful gaze, he met his eyes and said provocatively, "Javier, we’re not done yet. You have to pay for bullying my subordinates. Just wait. I won’t let this matter slide. After all, it’s not easy to meet such a strong opponent like you these days. How can I let go so easily? Haha." "The same goes for you," Javier said. Then, Charles left, and a strange atmosphere remained. Claire looked at Javier nervously before looking at the document on the table. She wanted to read it but suddenly hesitated, feeling that she might encounter a catastrophe once the truth was revealed. However, they had to face reality sooner or later. Javier noticed Claire’s nervous emotions and patted her hand, comforting her, "Hey, don’t worry. I’m he
After so many twists and turns, they returned to the same point. It turned out they had always been meant for each other. How could he not be happy about this? Ollie was his child, meaning that everything would be easier. On the contrary, Claire was still in shock. She read the details again and again, making sure everything was right. However, she couldn't accept this reality. She didn't know what was wrong. After a while, Claire suddenly cried due to the uncertainty she felt. "Javier, is this real or made up?" Her voice shook with sobs. She was extremely confused, unable to process what was happening. She was even scared that this was just another joke and everything would turn back to normal when she woke up.Javier had processed his thoughts and quickly embraced Claire in his arms. He sounded annoyed. "Claire, don't be sad. Everything is real, and you're not dreaming. I'm Ollie's biological father. All of this is my fault. I should've investigated this earlier. You and Ollie w
Hattie looked extremely sincere in her pleading. However, when Sofia did not answer or even look at her, she began to lose confidence. Sofia's face was impassive. "Hattie, I've known you since you were a baby, but I can't help you with this. Please leave." She did not want to discuss the other stuff with her yet.However, Hattie was obstinate. She looked at her with tears in her eyes. "Aunt Sofia, please, please help me. I know it's not much trouble for you, but it can save our entire family. You've always been so kind to me. I promise that the Snyder family will repay you for your kindness!"Hearing this, Sofia felt uncomfortable. She raised her head and gazed at her coldly. "In this case, Hattie, I'll tell you why I won't help you," she said impatiently. "Do you really not know what you've done? I won't say it, but I know exactly what you've done to Ollie. You deserve everything that's happening to you now."Hattie widened her eyes, partly in shock and partly in disbelief when she h
Javier paused outside the door and waited until Claire left before giving his subordinates a look. They understood perfectly and grabbed Chantelle at once.As Javier had ordered, they were to send this woman abroad as far away as possible and leave her to fend for herself.Outside the hotel, Claire looked up at the sky blankly. She felt like a huge burden had been taken off her shoulders; for the first time in a long time, she felt relieved of all the hurt that she had suffered five years ago. Turning back, she told Javier, "Thank you, Javier, for allowing me to face my fears. I feel so relieved now."Javier's expression fell when he heard her thank him. He tapped her on the nose fondly in exasperation. "What are you talking about? Of course, I won't let those who hurt you get off so easily. They have to pay for what they have done."Claire was touched to see him so protective of her. A surge of warmness spread in her chest as she gazed at him fondly. "I'm lucky to have you, Javier."T
That was all Armand could think of.In just a few minutes, Chantelle admitted to everything she had done to Claire over the past few years.From drugging Claire out of jealousy and getting a stranger to assault her to getting Liam to banish her abroad, she admitted to everything. Claire knew some of them, but not all; only now did she know the extent of her crimes.When she was finished, everyone in the room sported conflicting expressions. Liam looked especially hurt and remorseful. It turned out that his younger daughter had always been evil, and he had wrongfully blamed Claire for all these years.Armand, on the other hand, didn't know how to feel about all this. He glanced at Claire and Javier. He felt that he really didn't deserve Claire, after all he had done. He had thought Chantelle to be kind and naive and had trusted her blindly to the point that he almost married her.Thank goodness the wedding didn't happen. Even so, he had lost Claire thanks to this. It made him regret eve
If Chantelle told Claire the truth about what happened that night, then there would be nothing stopping her from having a happily-ever-after with Javier.Back then, driven by jealousy, she had drugged Claire and put her in Javier's bed without their consent. She had planned all of this out herself meticulously. She had gotten Armand to catch Claire in the act so that he would call off the engagement and be with her instead. Liam banished Claire abroad to fend for herself. However, if she had known that the random stranger she had arranged to assault Claire was Javier, she never would've done it.Even so, it was a perfect plan worthy of a blockbuster film. Claire and Javier never found out the truth, nor did they know that Ollie was actually Javier's son.It took them two years of skirting around each other only to find out that they were meant to be in the first place. Now that the truth was out, Claire would not settle for prison as a punishment for the cause of all her suffering. Sh
After a lot of persuasion, Claire and Sofia finally managed to get Ollie to agree to stay in the hospital for another three days.Of course, three days weren't enough. Sofia and Pedro tried everything they could to convince Ollie to stay in the hospital for as long as possible.However, Ollie was smart enough to see through their ruse. He felt guilty when he saw them trying to cajole him into staying, so one day, after another attempt, he spoke up hesitantly, "Grandma, Grandpa, I'm glad that you're trying to keep me happy, and I'm touched that you're concerned about me, but I've been in the hospital for too long and it's making me sad. I promise that I'll listen to the doctor even when I'm at home, okay?" Under his bright, clear gaze, Sofia's protests died in her throat, leaving only exasperation and wordless sorrow.Ollie was too mature for his age. How could they not love him?Therefore, Ollie got his wish and was discharged three days later. In order to take care of Ollie, Sofia an
Hearing this, Javier narrowed his eyes. He felt like he was on the verge of grasping something, but the feeling passed too quickly for him to register it. Softening his tone, he said, "There's no need to be scared, Ollie. We're all right here with you. We'll protect you no matter what happens. Can you tell me what you remembered?"Ollie might have regained his memories from before he'd been drugged.Buoyed by the encouragement, Ollie thought hard for a moment and said with a frown, "I … I remember a lady beating me. She locked me up and didn't let me eat anything while saying bad things about me and Mommy all the time. I wanted to fight back, but I was too weak. After I tried to run, she caught me and beat me up some more and forced me to eat food off the floor." Toward the end of this, Ollie burst into tears.Claire's heart hurt for him. She wanted to hug him, but Javier got there first."Tell me, Ollie, do you know her name?" Javier's voice was thick with tears as well. "Do you remem
With that, Henry threw a glance at the rest of the employees and hurried them out. He also dragged Raina and Thomas out with him, leaving only Claire and Javier's parents to keep him company.Since it was only a small procedure for Javier, he did not get a lot of anesthesia. He tried to wriggle his body a little. Realizing what he was doing, Claire quickly helped him sit up.Javier did not look like he had just come out of surgery. Thanks to his strong physique, he looked fine.Seeing this, Sofia finally eased up a little on her worries. "How are you feeling, Javier?"Javier shook his head. "I'm fine, Mom. I just need some rest. How about Ollie? Did they say when he'll wake up?" He already knew that the surgery was a success, so he wanted to know when he would be able to see Ollie."Randy said that Ollie will be out for some time, but he's fine," Claire replied. Javier nodded. He, too, finally eased up on the tight knot of worry that was weighing his chest.Once he was sure that Javie
The surgery took three hours.As time went by, Claire got more and more anxious. However, there was nothing she could do but wait.In the end, Sofia was the first to crack. She went up to Claire and said anxiously, "Claire, are you sure that Dr. Xenos is good? It's been three hours, why aren't they out yet? I have a bad feeling about this."Claire wasn't exactly relaxed either, but she didn't show it. She gathered her thoughts and comforted Sofia. "Everything will be fine, Mrs. Marquez. Randy is a well-known surgeon, I'm sure he knows what he's doing. Don't worry." She wanted to reach out to comfort her, but in the end, she just sat there with an awkward expression. This was probably how their relationship would be in the foreseeable future—awkward and distant.Pedro watched their interaction with an air of knowingness. "Stop crying, Sofia," he said. "They're fine, you don't have to cry about them. Claire's still pregnant, don't upset her."Sofia was about to get angry about his admoni
At that, Javier narrowed his eyes dangerously.The Weiss family wasn't in a stable condition right now, so it wouldn't be hard for him to take revenge on Claire's behalf. Now that he knew the truth of what had happened, he had to find a way to punish the perpetrators.The news that Ollie was Javier's biological son quickly spread, especially after Sofia held a party in celebration. In fact, it made headlines the day before Ollie's scheduled surgery.Javier wasn't surprised about it. He had been looking for an opportunity to announce it to the public so that there wouldn't be unsightly rumors that would affect Claire. Claire, on the other hand, felt a little uncomfortable about the announcement. After all, she had always been a private person; she didn't want anyone to disturb her peaceful life.After a while, though, she got used to it.The most important contributor to this was that it benefited Ollie. From now on, he wasn't a fatherless child anymore. He could tell anyone who would l