Madelyn said, "Not everything will go according to your wishes, even if you've achieved your current status!"If you want to have a kept woman, there are plenty of girls who'd be happy to be with you. Lots of them are even prettier and younger than me, and they'd love to spend time with you."Stop using me for your fun. I can't do it. And don't think for a second that I'll just be your plaything!"I genuinely wish you all the best with Yvonne. I hope you two have a great life together, have kids soon, and build a big, happy family."After that, she returned to the room and slammed the door closed before locking it. She could not bear the intense headache anymore. She grabbed a few pills from the bedside table and swallowed them.Her breathing suddenly became rapid. For a moment, her vision suddenly blacked out.She slumped to the ground and clutched her head enduring the pain as she waited for it to fade away.On the balcony in the living room, Zach picked up the phone call from
That night was the only time Zach kept his word. However, his hands were roaming Madelyn's torso, arousing her.The next morning when Madelyn was still deep in sleep, she suddenly felt him entering her. Trying hard not to moan, she bit her lip, waiting for him to finish.Madelyn felt completely drained. Zach gently carried her to the bathroom to clean her before bringing her back to bed. She was so exhausted that she fell asleep again. When she woke up, the spot next to her was empty.She got up after a while, put on her clothes, and unsteadily walked out of the room.Zach had already prepared a meal for her and put it on the dining table.Madelyn just took a few bites. At twelve in the afternoon, when the housekeeper came to clean, she told Madelyn, "Mr. Jardin has an urgent matter to attend to. You can go out and enjoy yourself. Here's the cash he left for you."The housekeeper took out a stack of money. There were at least several tens of thousands of dollars.Madelyn lowered
The bodyguards were worried. They believed that if Madelyn kept going like this, her legs might give out, even if they weren't hurt.When Madelyn finally reached the mountaintop, it had taken her nearly three hours. The place was buzzing with tourists and believers alike. She bought a bouquet of fresh flowers from a young girl and went into the prayer building.Madelyn found a seat, closed her eyes, and folded her hands, but her mind was empty. She didn't have any more wishes like she used to. Or to be exact, she didn't know what to wish for anymore.Safety for her family? Her one and only father had already abandoned her.Friends? Her friends always seemed to have their own hidden agendas.As for love, Madelyn had already decided she wouldn't get married in this lifetime.'I'm all by myself. What else is there to wish for? Good health? Can I even live a long life? I have very limited time.'"We meet again, Ms. Jent," the abbot, who had been quietly standing there, suddenly gree
The top of Mistral Mountain was incredibly high, and it offered a breathtaking view of the sunset. The setting sun's rays bathed Madelyn in a warm glow. A bodyguard received a call from Zach and approached her. "Ms. Jent, Mr. Jardin would like to speak with you."Madelyn took over the phone and asked, "Is something wrong?""Get home soon. Don't let me worry about you. It's dangerous when you go down the mountain, so behave and take the cable car, okay?" Zach demanded.Yvonne's voice came not long after, "Zach, I've changed into another gown. Let's take another set of photos."Madelyn hung the phone up and passed it to the bodyguard. She then said, "Let's go back."The bodyguard pointed out to Madelyn, "Ms. Jent, the cable car is this way."Madelyn didn't reply, just kept on walking. By the time she reached the mountain's base, the sky had darkened. The path ahead was barely visible, and her accompanying bodyguards, filled with trepidation, had their flashlights beaming to light t
"He is fine now," Yvonne said.Due to Zach's presence, Yvonne dared not speak of the incident. However, she was secretly delighted. If Madelyn asked about Ethan, it would mean she still cared for him. It was the same for Ethan. He was in a coma while still holding to his last breath. It was all to wait for her return.'Glad to hear that he's okay,' Madelyn thought. She could finally let go of the burden she had all those years.Zach sent Yvonne back. Yvonne originally wanted to let Zach stay at her house tonight. However, she would rather not make him mad."Madelyn, come visit me next time." said Yvonne.Madelyn nodded.As soon as the car doors shut, Zach lifted Madelyn's chin and said, "After all these years, you still can't put him out of your mind. Have I been too good to you, Madelyn? Is that why you'd even dare to bring him up in front of me again?" There was anger in his voice.Madelyn met Zach's furious gaze. In comparison, her expression was calm."What do you plan to d
But Yvonne was okay with it. In a short while, she and Zach would be getting their marriage certificate at the Clerk of Court's office. She believed that after today, she would be Mrs. Jardin officially; the one and only wife of Zach, and nobody could challenge her status.Everybody had their own self-centered side, and Yvonne was no different. She wasn't willing to put up with their relationship for long. Once she and Zach got married, she secretly planned to send Madelyn overseas.Yvonne sidled up to Madelyn, lowering her voice to say, "Ethan never really planned on marrying Donna, you know.""He'd made up his mind before you left. If you weren't okay with the kid, he was going to give the child back to Donna and ask her to move out of the Arnold residence. He'd find someone else to raise the child," Yvonne confided quietly.She continued, "Remember that news about Ethan getting married two years ago? All a sham. He did the interview to put on a show because Donna was threatening
"Push back all unnecessary meetings in the afternoon," Zach ordered."Yes, Mr. Jardin," Kelvin answered.Zach then glanced at Madelyn. His voice was cold, "The bodyguard will send you back later."Madelyn obliged, "Mmm." Madelyn lowered her gaze.After a long time, the bodyguard walked over and said, "Ms. Jent, Mr. Jardin has already left. We still have two hours to visit the hospital."For safety reasons, Madelyn left in another car. The other vehicle had a GPS tracker, allowing Zach to track her location using his phone.In the car, the bodyguard gave her a gray orderly's uniform and a face mask. He passed it to Madelyn and said, "There are many people who work for Mr. Jardin in the hospital. You must disguise yourself and pretend to be a hospital orderly to enter. This is your identification card, and you need to hang it on your neck.""Okay," Madelyn answered.The bodyguard turned around to give Madelyn some privacy to change her clothes. Madelyn just put the uniform over h
Madelyn's emotions were a tangle of confusion and dread as she pushed through the door into the sterile hospital room. The sharp scent of disinfectant assailed her senses, heightening her unease.The moment the door swung open, she saw a man lying on the hospital bed, his face obscured by a respiratory mask. He was emaciated, still in a coma. His hand bore a large, discolored patch of burned skin. He seemed devoid of any signs of healthy flesh.If Madelyn hadn't known that the man before her was Ethan, she might not have recognized him at all. She clamped a hand over her mouth, unable to hold back her silent tears.'How did things get to this point?' she thought. Her legs felt like they were made of lead; she wanted to approach him but couldn't summon the strength.'Is all of this my fault?' swirled through her mind.A voice inside her resonated with guilt: 'This happened because of you. He was in that accident searching for you. If you hadn't run away, he wouldn't be in this cond
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