Madelyn's mouth stung with the bitter taste of cigarette smoke, and she hated itShe was then brought to the examination room.As she lay on the adjustable bed. Kai's charming and devilish expression leaned over her and smirked. "Long time no see, Madelyn!""What the hell are you doing here?!" She immediately propped herself up with her hands. After seeing him, she resisted and did not want to do the checkup anymore.Kai smiled mischievously, "What's wrong, Madelyn? Afraid that I might see something?"'No shit, Sherlock!' Madelyn thought before saying, "I don't want to undergo the medical checkup anymore."Kai clenched his right hand to cover his mouth and laughed. He squinted, "Don't worry. I'm not the one who'll be doing the checkup on you. I swear I won't peek!" Suddenly, the voice of a woman in her forties spoke, "Don't be scared, young lady. I'll be the one conducting your checkup! Dr. Stewart, stop scaring the young lady. You can leave now!"Upon seeing it was a woman, M
The gynecologist said to Zach, "What's your opinion?"He gloomily looked at Madelyn. At this moment, he would rather her act unreasonably toward him than be calm as if nothing had happened like she was now."Up to her!" Zach responded. After that, he agitatedly turned around and left.Kai knew what Zach was thinking. He smiled as he quietly watched Zach leave.He thought, 'I told him he'd regret it. Madelyn is the most beautiful woman in Ventropolis. With such a pretty girl around, anyone would be attracted to her. Not to mention, he's the illustrious Zach Jardin, but he still hasn't managed to win over her even after so many years!'The sun was setting as the two of them left the hospital.Madelyn had long thrown the milk into the trash can. After learning that Zach had drugged her milk, she vowed to never drink anything related to milk ever again.On the way back, Zach remained silent, but the atmosphere in the car was tense. Madelyn rolled down the car window a little to get
The location was Murglor in Roshya.Other than pictures of the northern lights, there was also a selfie of Forrest with an elk. He was wearing a black jacket and a hoodie, his hair wet with snow.Madelyn smiled slightly as she replied: [Beautiful pictures. Thank you.]She thought, 'Thank you for looking at these beautiful sceneries on my behalf.'Forrest had gone to Murglor alone. Smoke rose from the tent behind him.The time difference between here and back home was fifteen hours. Forrest had made friends with a group of other tourists during this solo trip.A voice in Roshyian could be heard from behind, "Forrest, it's time to eat."After seeing Madelyn's text, Forrest did not reply. He put his phone away and walked out of the tent.The next day, Zach took a day off from work and went to buy groceries with Jadie.Although Rosario had injured her waist, she returned to the Jent residence from the hospital. She did not know how long she would be staying there, however.It was
Madelyn smiled. She was touched and her heart felt a warmth that she had never experienced.In the video, Forrest's berth on the train was by the window. There was the most beautiful scenery along the way. The fleeting scenes that the train passed by had been edited by Forrest into slow-motion frames for her to see...After watching Forrest's video, Madelyn wished she could video call him right now so that she could see the scene live.By the time she finished watching, it was already around three in the afternoon.After she walked out of the library, she called Forrest's phone number.He accepted the call after just a few seconds, "What's up, Ms. Jent? Do you need something?"Madelyn, "Forrest, I've received them. Thank you! I've seen all the photos and the video. They're very beautiful."Forrest lazily took a deep breath. His voice sounded like he had just woken up as he coldly replied, "Okay. Got it. Anything else? I want to sleep."Madelyn, "Can I see the original video? Th
Madelyn was in high spirits. She went to the kitchen and put on an apron before taking out the ingredients from the fridge to personally make the cake.Rosario walked to her, "Do you need my help?"Madelyn refused, "No. I've done it several times, so I've got the hang of it. You can go and do something else, Rosario.""Alright, then. If you need anything, just ask for me.""Sure." Madelyn replied.A walnut cake was not difficult to make. Jadie walked into the kitchen and looked at Madelyn, who was busy, and curiously asked, "Madelyn, since when did you know how to make walnut cake? Can you teach me?"Madelyn, "I learned from Rosario. If you want to learn how, I can send you a tutorial video and the recipe! It's not that difficult."Jadie replied, "Sure! I'll watch you make it now. Zach is talking with the others and I have no idea what they're talking about, so I came to see what you're doing. Do you need my help?"Madelyn, "You can help me wash these dishes. I'm halfway throug
Ethan took a bite and said, "Not bad."Most of the time at the Arnold residence, Ethan usually went along with Madelyn's wishes. This was all just to impress Hayson.Ethan spoke up, "Back at home, I never saw you treat me this well. Why are you being so kind today?" His gaze was fixed on her, intense and unwavering, making it hard to look away. To others, his look seemed far from innocent.By 'home,' Ethan was clearly referring to the Arnold residence. Madelyn found herself in an unfamiliar situation, unsure of how to respond. Gathering her courage, she replied, "Here, you're a guest, so naturally, we treat you well. Come on, eat before it cools down and loses its flavor."This meal turned out to be the longest one Madelyn had ever experienced, stretching on for a full two hours. People got pretty drunk; Hayson brought out his prized red wine, worth tens of thousands of dollars, as well as white wine. Three of them managed to empty the bottles.Hayson was helped back to his room t
"But you didn't really need to do all this... Even if you didn't give us anything, you'd still be my best..." She couldn't finish the last word, "friend", because a big firework popped in the night sky, making it all golden and bright. Right when it started, one after another, families everywhere started lighting up fireworks. The fireworks were so colorful and pretty, and they lit up Ethan's face. He looked out the window at the fireworks, like he was lost in thinking.Madelyn turned around, holding the hangover soup in her hands. She remembered what George had said and decided to wait until he felt better before talking about it."Finish the hangover soup first, then we can go see the fireworks?"Ethan smiled. "Sure."At the Jent residence, they sat on a swing under a tree in the backyard, watching the fireworks light up the sky at night."During special times like this, my favorite thing is sitting here, swinging on this swing, and watching the fireworks. I used to wish I cou
Ethan chuckled. "Yep, awesome." In Ventropolis, the Arnold family was in charge, and he did not want to mess up again. "Will you stay with me, Madelyn?" He looked at Madelyn with his deep amber eyes, making her feel like she was being pulled in.Madelyn felt a little panic. "Haven't I always been around?""You know what I'm asking."Madelyn pretended not to understand. "What do you mean?"Ethan touched Madelyn's curly hair, looking into her eyes with care. His fingers moved down her face and gently lifted her chin. As he leaned closer, he suddenly covered her eyes with his hand. Everything turned black for her, but then she felt a soft touch on her lips.Madelyn was startled, her eyes wide open. She felt a gentle kiss on her lips. They were close, both of their hearts beating fast. On the ground, their shadows looked like they were dancing together.That night, the moon seemed extra bright and kind.Leyton drove Ethan home. Ethan had sobered up, but it was not safe for him to
Liam was standing in the rain, and though it hadn't been long, he was thoroughly drenched.Blake quickly pulled him close, her voice laced with concern. "Are you crazy? It's pouring rain! What if you catch a cold?"Liam's look was subdued, his face showing signs of fatigue. "I'm okay. This is for you; I didn't want you to have to come out in this weather."As Blake took in his forlorn appearance, her heart softened suddenly. 'Am I losing my mind?' she thought."Now you'll have to pay more attention to me, Blake... I was just so scared of losing you. I've put everything I have into getting you to agree to marry me; the idea of you walking away is unbearable."Overwhelmed with emotion, Blake locked eyes with him. "Did she teach you to say that too?" she asked, her hand moving on its own to brush away the raindrops from his hair.A maid nearby, observing the scene, rushed over with a blanket and an umbrella. However, Grace, fully grasping the gravity of the moment, halted her. Ackno
Cecilia said, "It's fine. Let's give them a week. Rearrange the flight and all the plans for the trip. This is Blake's first time getting married and going abroad for honeymoon. I want to make sure she has a good time."Susan nodded. "Okay, Ms. Samford."Not long after Cecilia left, three editors who used to work for Olivia's company entered her office. All of them spoke in panic, "Ms. Blue, what should we do? Ms. Samford already knows everything. If the legal department finds out about it, will we go to jail?"Olivia remained calm as she said, "Don't panic. Just focus on your work.""But we got into this company through you. What if they say we got into this company through the back door and then fired us?"Olivia sat at her desk, supporting her forehead with her hands. She was obviously panicking. "Don't worry, I'll handle this."You guys can leave now."Olivia did not expect this matter to be exposed so soon. She wondered how Cecilia found out about it. 'Could it be that she'
StartReading Literary was the last place Cecilia wanted to be. But she made an exception this time.Olivia had just finalized a cooperative copyright deal with another website company. Several editors from her own company were there at StartReading Literary. As she entered the office, she saw all the editors from StartReading Literary sitting upright, not daring to make a sound.She also saw her office door was wide open. She frowned as she walked into her office and was surprised to see an unexpected gust.Olivia put down the documents in her hand. "Ms. Samford, what brings you here?"With her legs crossed and Susan standing behind her, Cecilia stared at Olivia, who was in front of her.Cecilia sneered and stood up. She ran her fingers along the desk. "StartReading is actually the last place I want to be. I came here because I found out that you enjoy meddling in other people's affairs. Otherwise, you wouldn't even qualify to see me."Olivia instantly looked wary. She remained s
Liam stood up. He watched as Blake, who looked weary, walked away. "Blake, what do you want me to do so you'll like me?"Blake did not stop walking. Instead, she took even bigger steps and left.She went to the Harper residence, which surprised everyone.Grace asked, "Blake? Why did you come back here? Where's Liam? Why didn't he come back with you?"Blake stuttered, unable to find the words. She just made up an excuse, saying, "It's nothing. I just wanted to come back."After Hannah and Yael left the wedding last night, they went back to the research institute.As for Simon, he went to the farm to manage the business.After Blake went to her room, Grace became worried. She followed her and saw her sitting with a blank expression in the room, not knowing what to do.When Blake saw Grace, she quickly adjusted her mood. "Grace, why are you here?""I came to check on you. Blake, what's wrong? Did you have a fight with Liam? You just had your wedding yesterday, and you're already
The pregnancy test report came out fifteen minutes after Blake did the test. She was indeed pregnant. She was even seven weeks pregnant.Blake had indeed been involved with Kevin while in Northern Myanmar over a month ago.She held the medical report while standing bewildered in the cold hospital corridor. Lights shone through the floor-to-ceiling window onto her body, but all Blake felt was the cold, which made her hands and feet numb.She was lost in her thoughts. 'I'm really pregnant. What should I do with this baby? I want it to be born more than anyone else. But now, everything has changed. This child shouldn't come into this world.'She wandered in the corridor. Suddenly, she saw someone coming out of another gynecological room.She thought, 'Some things are just destined by fate. When I long to see him, even catching a glimpse of him in a dream feels like a luxury, an unattainable wish. But now, when I don't want to see him, it seems he appears everywhere I go.'Kevin supp
Blake wondered, 'I'm now pregnant with Kevin's child. What should I do?'She woke up groggily when she felt someone carry her. She opened her heavy eyelids and asked, "What time is it now?"Liam responded, "It's four-thirty in the morning. It's still early; go back to sleep for a while more."Blake said in a hoarse voice, "I've made an appointment for an abortion at eight o'clock. Regardless of whether I'm really pregnant or not, I don't want to keep this child."She had thought about it all night and believed this was the best decision.Kevin was going to get engaged. Blake believed he would get married and Audrey would give birth to his children. There was simply no need for her to complicate things further.She thought, 'If I choose to be selfish and decide to keep this baby, and if people find out about it, my child will be treated as an illegitimate child. I don't even dare to imagine how badly the child will be treated.'If giving birth to the baby will bring it a lifetime
Blake continued, "What about you, Liam? Do you mind?"If you do, you can choose to divorce me. After all, I've wronged you. No one wants to marry a woman who's carrying someone else's child."Liam stepped forward on the shattered cup and hugged her tightly. "I don't mind. Blake, I love you, including everything about you. I don't mind your past. I just want to start over with you. I didn't tell you about the pregnancy because I was selfish; I wanted to keep you by my side."Blake, your child is my child. I want to raise the baby with you."Don't leave me, okay?"Blake did not know why, but she was not surprised by her pregnancy. However, she felt that there were still some things that she could not let go of, though she was unsure what those were.She was not as calm as she had imagined.She thought about her past events. Then, she indifferently said, "Liam, I don't want this child. Since I'm prepared to be with you, I won't keep this child. It wouldn't be fair to you."Liam di
On this romantic night, the moon was obscured by the clouds.Breathing heavily, Blake felt some pain in her abdomen. She asked to stop. "Liam, my stomach hurts. I think I'm going to have my period soon."Liam sobered up instantly. "I'll go get you some medicine."She peeked out from under the blanket as the bedside lamp turned on. She could clearly see Liam's naked upper body. Her face flushed as she averted her gaze. "It's fine. Just help me call the front desk and ask them to bring up a pack of sanitary pads. I'll go to the bathroom to deal with it."Liam replied, "Let's go to the hospital tomorrow for a check-up."Blake picked up her clothes from the floor and went to the bathroom. "It's okay. It's probably just my period."However, judging by the blood flowing out, it did not seem like menstrual blood to Blake. It looked like something else.Blake's voice came from the bathroom again. "I think we should go to the hospital."She sat on the toilet and watched the tall, slende
Blake had no bridesmaids, so she returned to the hotel room alone. As she stepped out of the elevator and was ready to use the room key card in her hand to swipe and enter the room, she suddenly saw a figure appear from the corner of her eye.She stopped her action and looked at the person who had left the wedding earlier.At that moment, Blake felt her breath catch, but it was only fleeting. She then quickly regained her composure and averted her gaze. She asked, "Didn't you leave? Why are you still here?"Kevin replied, "Congratulations."Upon hearing his congratulations, Blake felt a mix of amusement and discomfort. "There's nothing to congratulate. If anything, I should congratulate you. You're soon to be the mayor's son-in-law. In the future, we won't belong in the same social class anymore."I'm tired and came back to rest. You should leave now before Liam comes up and sees you here."Don't look for me again. I don't want him to misunderstand."Kevin responded, "Audrey and