Madelyn sat at her desk, staring at Jadie's unopened gift. She already knew what it was—a Swarovski crystal hair clip. She never cared for jewelry, feeling like each piece was a burden. With a sigh, she put the gift in her desk drawer.Then, she took out her senior math review booklet. The problems weren't too challenging for her, and the pages were still crisp, hardly ever used. In her previous life, Madelyn had struggled in class, but everything changed when she asked Zach for help. He tutored her outside of regular school hours, even though he had only completed middle school-level education. What amazed Madelyn was that Zach could fluently speak five foreign languages. He taught himself all of them with relentless dedication, which made him seem incredibly intelligent. He even outperformed the top student in Ventropolis. No wonder Hayson liked Zach so much.In contrary, Hayson never showed interest in Madelyn's academic performance. Instead, he focused on her extracurricula
In a messy room, Ethan sat in his wheelchair with hair covering his eyes. He saw a craft knife amidst broken glass on the floor and heard a voice in his head saying, 'Why hesitate? One cut and the pain will be gone. It'd only sting for a moment. Your parents already divorced and remarried. They have their own children now. They've abandoned you. Go on, end it!'Ethan muttered to himself, 'Mom, Dad, if you didn't love each other, why did you marry? Why did you have me? You both have your own families now. What about me? What am I to you?'A determined look crossed Ethan's face. He tried to get up from the wheelchair, but his legs didn't support him, causing him to fall to the floor. His hand got cut by the glass shards, and blood spilled, staining the wooden floor. He reached for the craft knife in the midst of the mess and revealed the sharp blade by sliding the button upward.He thought that a quick cut across his wrist would set him free. As he placed the blade against his wrist,
Madelyn washed her jujubes and put them on the coffee table. She turned on the TV, sat down and enjoyed her favorite treat.After finishing cleaning the kitchen, Rosario saw Madelyn on the couch in dirty clothes. She frowned and playfully scolded, "You little scamp! I just changed the couch cover today, and now it's dirty again. Go to your room, change your clothes, and then come back."Barefoot on the cool floor, Madelyn giggled and dodged Rosario's playful swat, hiding behind the couch. "Can I get changed later, Rosario? I'm so tired. I just want to lie down for a while.""Naughty girl, if Mr. Jardin sees you misbehaving, you'll get punished again. Go to your room," scolded Rosario. "Please, just let me finish this episode. It's only ten more minutes," Madelyn pleaded sweetly. "No way. You have exams coming up, and you're still watching TV. I'm turning it off. Go upstairs and study." At that moment, Zach's voice echoed from behind Madelyn. "Madelyn, Rosario has a weak heart.
Madelyn went to her room, took off her dirty clothes, and stood in front of her wardrobe, trying to decide what to wear. Through the thin wall, she could hear Zach's voice from outside."I have urgent business at the company this time. If I finish early, I'll come back to you," Zach said.Jadie replied understandingly, "I'm okay, Zach. Go take care of your business. I'll wait for you here.""Okay. If you get tired, you can sleep in my room. I just changed the sheets and blankets.""Alright, I'll remember that."After Zach's footsteps faded away, Madelyn thought he had left. But suddenly, the door swung open, and she got startled. Madelyn blushed and held her dress close. Zach stood by the door, briefly looking at her before averting his gaze. Madelyn, who was eighteen, had a nice figure compared to other girls her age.Madelyn felt nervous. In her previous life, they had been married for years, shared countless intimate moments; there was no part of her that Zach had not seen. Bu
One evening, a soft breeze came in through the open window and woke up Madelyn. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and noticed that it was already dark outside.Then, she heard quick footsteps and Jadie saying sorry over and over again in the hallway. Madelyn became fully awake and realized something had happened.Getting out of bed, she felt the cold floor beneath her bare feet as she walked to the door to see what was going on. She squinted in the dim light and was surprised to see Zach standing there."Brother, you finished your work for the day?" Madelyn asked.Zach had come back home an hour before she fell asleep, and he had taken Jadie to the mall. But when he returned, he noticed that something was missing from his room – Madelyn's gift to him, a teddy bear.Jadie stood there, her eyes teary. "Madelyn..."Zach stood in front of Jadie with a serious look in his eyes, but there was also a touch of coldness. "Madelyn, I'm sorry. I accidentally broke the teddy bear you gave me. Jadie
Madelyn was dressed in her high school uniform. The Ventrocloud High School uniform wasn't like the usual baggy uniforms in most schools. Instead, it was a sophisticated black ensemble that looked very authoritative. Even her shoes and backpack were different from the regular ones. They were made of exclusive material to stand out from the common ones.Just across the street from Ventrocloud High School was another school called Ventropolis High School. It was also highly respected. The students at Ventropolis were known for being very smart and were seen as the future leaders of the nation. On the other hand, the students at Ventrocloud often relied on their family's wealth and status. The two schools had different social statuses, and they had a long history of not getting along with each other. They didn't like each other and had a rivalry that had been going on for years.Among the many vehicles, Madelyn caught sight of Zach's Audi. The car halted in front of Ventropolis High Sch
Madelyn was in Class Six at Ventrocloud High School, which was on the sixth floor. Students had a special elevator to use. The classes started at nine in the morning.When Madelyn arrived at her classroom, she saw some familiar faces, but she didn't know most of her classmates. The bell rang, signaling the start of class. Hurrying, she found her seat from memory. As she was about to put down her backpack, she noticed some students looking at her and whispering."That's Forrest Arnold's seat. She's got some guts sitting there.""She was on sick leave for a few days. Did she go mad or something?"'What? Forrest?' Madelyn looked at the clean desk in front of her, immediately standing up. 'How can this be Forrest's seat? I've always been in the second-to-last row. Am I not?'Forrest Arnold, her sworn enemy, was the school bully that no one dared to mess with. Madelyn rarely had any interaction with him. But when she did, it was always because Forrest had a bone to pick with her. No sp
Each class at school lasted for 45 minutes. When the bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson, Madelyn walked to the back of the classroom. She quietly picked up Forrest's desk and put his scattered books neatly back into his drawer. Her classmates were surprised and whispered to each other in astonishment."No way! Madelyn, who always acts high and mighty, is actually picking up books for Forrest? Has something happened to her?""I can't believe my eyes! Madelyn, who never talks to anyone, is now helping Forrest? Am I seeing things?"Someone discreetly took a photo of Madelyn's unexpected act of kindness and anonymously shared it on the school forum.Ignoring the buzz around her, Madelyn focused on tidying Forrest's desk. 'Sure, I'm kind. Way too kind to get bothered by his temper,' she muttered to herself.Meanwhile, in the grimy alley behind the school, Timothy and Adrian were chatting about their plans for the night. Adrian was on his phone when he noticed a hot discussion t
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