Madelyn didn't find the eatery unpleasant. She thought it was difficult to spot in a place like this.After only a little bit of time eating, the other people at the other tables were done with their food and left. Now, only Madelyn and Forrest were still in the restaurant.The person who owned the restaurant was an old man in his sixties. He had on reading glasses and seemed to be sewing something. He was having a hard time getting the thread through the needle. He went over to Forrest and asked, "Forry, could you help me? My eyesight isn't as good as it used to be."Forrest had just finished eating, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and got up, saying, "What do you need to sew? Let me check it out.""It's a piece of clothing. It got a hole from a nail last time, but it can still be fixed.""What about your wife?""She went out to walk the dog. She won't be back for a bit."Forrest took the place where the owner had been sitting, picked up an old, blue piece of clothing.Madelyn
Madelyn felt like Forrest had a point. She hadn't really planned on buying so many street snacks all at once. After thinking it over, she decided to hold off on getting more and focus on enjoying the ones she already had. She realized she might have gone a bit overboard with her shopping.In the midst of the bustling crowd, Madelyn couldn't shake the feeling that there were intense gazes fixed on her. But whenever she looked around, there was nothing there. She must have been imagining things.As the day started to turn into evening, the sky slowly got darker. Madelyn and Forrest left the market, feeling a bit disappointed that they hadn't been able to explore everything.Originally, Madelyn was supposed to head home, but she didn't really want to go back just yet. They found a spot outside a closed café in the park, finishing up the remaining snacks while watching the fireworks overhead.She turned her head slightly and glanced at Forrest, who was completely absorbed in the firewo
Forrest stayed quiet, his response already clear.Madelyn explained, "I went to the Arnold residence because I thought the Arnolds' influence might protect me."She pondered, 'The day Ethan brings his ex-girlfriend back from abroad will be my cue to leave the Arnold residence. At that point, Father will probably still believe there's a connection between Ethan and me, so he won't act against me immediately. But later, when he realizes I can't be a pawn to win favor with the Arnold family, he'll sacrifice me to benefit the Jent family.'Forrest gazed at her thoughtfully and remarked, "You're only half right!" He knew that Ethan genuinely cared for Madelyn. Otherwise, Ethan wouldn't have pushed him out of the Arnold residence.Forrest smirked slightly, thinking, 'Looks like George didn't spill all the beans about what happened between Ethan and his ex. There's no chance of them getting back together.'Madelyn looked at him quizzically, asking, "What do you mean?""You'll figure it
Madelyn replied with a hint of mockery, "Is there anyone who wouldn't be scared sitting next to a murderer?"Zach thought, 'So she does know fear. But if she truly knew fear, she wouldn't have been so defiant, going out on dates with other guys.'Madelyn contemplated, 'He's not defending himself. It seems like he did it. Well, what can't he do? Even if it's killing someone, he's capable of it, flawlessly.'She pressed on, "She was with you for a year. Aren't you sad? How could you do that to her? She genuinely cared about you.""Cared? Are you jealous?" He spoke in an even tone.Madelyn's gaze remained fixed on him, as if she was looking at an emotionless entity. With that question, she wasn't just inquiring about Julia; she was asking for herself too. She wanted to know how it felt to have taken the life of someone he once had feelings for. 'Did he ever regret it? Did he feel remorse for his actions? Did he ever truly care about Julia?'Madelyn took a deep breath. 'Never mind, h
Suddenly, a metal lighter extended from her side, causing Madelyn to jump and accidentally drop the sky lantern she was holding. She looked at Zach, who had appeared out of nowhere. Instinctively, she took a step back to create some space between them."Don't you make any noise when you move? What are you doing here?" she asked cautiously."Use this," Zach said, offering the lighter in one hand, while his other hand remained in his pocket.Madelyn hesitantly reached out to accept the lighter from his hand.But then, he suddenly caught her hand in a firm grip. With a swift motion, he pulled her back against him, her back against his warm chest.She struggled, "What are you doing? Someone might see us!"Zach's tall figure almost entirely shielded Madelyn, making it seem like he was protecting her. As he leaned in, his warm breath tickled her neck, sending a shiver down her spine as if an electric current had passed through that sensitive area."Let them see," Zach spoke from behin
Jasmine was on the verge of breaking down, seeing Zach's silence."Don't you know how many lives he's taken? Don't you also want him dead?"She continued, "Why are you hesitating? Is it because of Madelyn?"Jasmine laughed sadly."Hah. I should've guessed! Zach, you've fallen for Madelyn!" she said.Zach's eyes turned cold."I won't let your matters disrupt my plans. It isn't just about the Jent family now. If you really want Hayson Jent dead, let your wounds heal first, then come and talk to me!"Zach walked out and slammed the door shut.He returned to his room next door. Standing at his door, he immediately noticed a slight noise coming from his room.He opened the door and walked in. The noise was coming from his bathroom.Zach narrowed his eyes.A few minutes later, the shower sounds stopped, and someone opened the bathroom door. Jadie walked out in a white towel, with her long hair draped over her shoulders. Her skin was flushed, and her eyes glistened, making her look
Madelyn had her hair casually pinned up with a few strands loosely falling by her ears. She wore a white cashmere nightgown and a hoodie with two long rabbit ears on the hood.Zach looked at her with a dark and unreadable gaze.Madelyn had drunk a lot of water. She set the cup down and prepared to go back to her room. As she turned around, she saw him looking at her. She was worried that he would lose his temper and do horrible things to her again.Zach stared at Madelyn.A voice in his head reminded him, "That's what Hayson did to Noelle back then! He's a piece of scum!"The voices rang in his mind."How many lives has he taken? He's a monster!""Is it because of Madelyn Jent?""Hah! I should've guessed!""Zach, you've fallen for Madelyn!"'Fallen for her? Never. She's just a disposable pawn to me,' he thought.Madelyn swallowed hard. Just as she tried to quickly walk past him, he suddenly grabbed her wrist.His gaze on Madelyn was totally different from the usual.Before
Zach drove Madelyn to the hospital. Then, he registered for her and escorted her to the emergency room.By the time Madelyn was done, it was nearly three o'clock in the morning.After Zach escorted Madelyn inside, he went outside to answer a call and still had not returned. The nurse removed the IV from Madelyn's arm and said, "Watch what you eat in the future. Your stomach can't handle overly stimulating food, especially spicy ones.""Alright. Thanks."Madelyn did not see Zach in the ward.'It seems like he isn't back yet. He left after picking up the call just now,' she thought.Madelyn left the ward and saw a woman walk out of the washroom. The woman stopped at the ward opposite Madelyn's. Just as she was about to open the door, she suddenly fainted.Madelyn quickly caught the woman before she hit the ground, "Ma'am?! What's wrong?"The woman was beautiful and had soft facial features. She also smelled faintly of jasmine flowers. However, she seemed weak and frail.The woma
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