Sienna visited Lucy at the hospital at around seven in the evening. She'd brought a packed meal with her."Lucy, how long have you been sleeping? Do you want to get up and walk around?"Lucy had been weeping silently by herself in the ward, and she eventually dozed off. She still seemed quite dazed when she heard Sienna. It took her a while before she came back to her senses."You came, Sienna.""I was worried about you. Taking care of yourself after a miscarriage is just as important as taking care of yourself after childbirth. If you're not properly taken care of during this period, it will be difficult for you to conceive in the future."Lucy zoned out on the slight bulge on Sienna's belly. "Lucy, let me help you sit up for a while.""Alright. Thanks."Sienna produced a container after she helped Lucy up. The aroma of food immediately wafted in the air. "I made chicken soup to nourish your body. Have some, Lucy," Sienna said."Thanks." Lucy took the bowl and had a few sp
Tobias' candor rendered Shaun speechless. Shaun said, "Perhaps… she's always been fed up with me!""Why do you say so?"Normally, Tobias couldn't be bothered about other people's affairs. But Shaun's wife was Lucy's best friend. He felt compelled to lend him a listening ear for Lucy's sake. Shaun smiled bitterly. "This is a family affair, and I shouldn't be sharing it with someone else. But I feel like we get along quite well. I wonder if you're interested in hearing me out?""Sure. Our wives are best friends, so we can be friends too. I'll listen if you're willing to tell me," Tobias said.Shaun was slightly surprised. "It's my honor to be friends with you, Mr. Ripley."Tobias chuckled. "It's all thanks to your wife. You better treat her well when you get home…"Shaun never imagined that Sienna would be the reason he forged a friendship with someone else. But he didn't mind at all. Instead, he felt grateful to her. Before this, he hadn't been able to interact with Tobias.
"Yeah." Shaun looked glum. "Sienna initially planned to confess to her crush at our college graduation ball. There was even a venue set up for it, and everyone in school was talking about it. Naturally, I heard about it too."I was afraid to face reality, so I got wasted at a bar instead. But when I woke up the next morning, Sienna was lying next to me. We…" Shaun's voice trailed off, but Tobias understood his implication nonetheless. "No matter what, you two are already legally married. You should treat her well. After being together for so many years, you should've been able to make her open up to you," Tobias said."I don't expect her to love me back, and I'm more than willing to treat her well. But…" Shaun grew visibly frustrated. "Her crush suddenly came back. And I heard that he's intending to get back together with Sienna."Clicking his tongue, Tobias chided, "So what? Act like a man and tell her crush to fuck off instead! Also, you're not even divorced yet. If that guy int
Tobias' invitation sent Lucy flushing. She dropped her gaze, and her eyes flickered. Recalling Sienna's provocative words, she blushed profusely. She couldn't help but bite her lip.Seeing how bashful she became, Tobias chuckled. "It's not like you haven't kissed me before, right? Why are you so shy? Is it because you're thinking about something you shouldn't be?"He leaned into her and tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. Lucy was embarrassed at first, but she eventually regained her composure. Sternly, she began, "Darling, I've decided. I can't live the rest of my life in grief. I'm going to live my life to the fullest and take care of my health. Then, I'll have another baby with you."Noting that she'd emerged from her misery, Tobias was relieved. "Darling, are you willing to have another baby with me?"Tobias held her in his arms, treating her delicately like a rare jewel. "Silly, I'll always be at your service as long as you're willing."Lucy was reassured.
Tobias emerged from the ward an hour later. Glowering at Brett and Anna, he asked coldly, "What are you guys doing here?""Tobias, can I have a word with you?" Anna asked."I'm here to pay Mrs. Ripley a visit," Brett said, brandishing a bouquet of flowers. Tobias sneered. He would not let Anna meet Lucy in any way possible, but he felt assured with Brett visiting her. He was her biological brother, after all. "Anna, I happen to have something to tell you as well. Come here."With that, Tobias turned around and left. Anna trailed after him while Brett headed to Lucy's ward. …In the corridor, Tobias began blatantly, "Anna, are you going to reveal your identity as the imposter of the daughter of the Eberhard family yourself, or do I have to force you?"Caught off guard by his candor, Anna panicked. She struggled to maintain her composure. "Tobe, I don't understand what you're talking about…" She stepped forward and hugged him. Looking aggrieved, she whimpered, "You're mine
"Ms. Everhart, you look identical to someone I know."Brett thought Lucy's resemblance to his mother was striking. "Oh?" Lucy raised her brows. ""Mr. Eberhard, are you trying to chat me up? This is way too outdated!"Brett chuckled. Clearing his throat, he returned to his usual demeanor and said, "I was just kidding earlier. I came to discuss a serious matter with you."Lucy arched her brows. "Is it about your sister?"What good could come from her love rival's brother visiting her?Brett nodded. "That's right." He produced a check and filled in a number casually. "Take this money and leave Tobias!"Lucy chanced a glance at the amount on the check. It was 20 billion dollars!She clicked her tongue and quipped, "Mr. Eberhard, you're really splurging for your sister's sake!"Others would've been thrilled by the amount, but 20 billion dollars was barely a third of Lucy's savings. "This considerable amount of money is more than enough for you to live comfortably for several lif
Gazing at her, Tobias crooned, "Don't worry, babe. How could I possibly marry someone when we're not even divorced? Bigamy is a crime!"He made a lot of sense, but Lucy still felt uneasy. "But why did you want to publicly announce that you're marrying the daughter of the Eberhard family?""Hush, don't worry. You'll find out in a few days," Tobias said, ruffling her hair. Lucy wanted to trust him, but she felt torn deep down. Sternly, she questioned him, "How many days to be exact?""It's the day after tomorrow. I'll have it taken care of by then."Drawing in a deep breath, Lucy replied, "Fine, I'll trust you…" She really hoped that he wouldn't let her down. She seemed conflicted as she hugged Tobias, but he failed to notice the look in her eyes. Instead, he asked tenderly, "You must be hungry. I'll have someone send dinner over.""Alright."Lucy's phone suddenly rang. "It's my parents. They've finally called…" Lucy murmured, her voice dripping with disappointment and an
"Why, you!"Furious, Howard pointed at Anna and gasped, "How dare you hurt us! Tobe will never let you get away with this!"He clutched onto his chest, his face contorting in agony. Anna scoffed, "I won't let him find out how you died!" Her bloodshot eyes turned crazed. Howard's hands quivered as he tried to retrieve his medicine from his pocket. But his hands shook, and the medication bottle rolled to Anna's feet instead. "Medicine… My medicine…" His breathing grew labored. Anna snickered. She kicked the bottle away and whisked his phone out of his pocket. She dragged his hand forward to unlock the phone. "You… You… What are you doing?""I'm going to end all of you who bullied me!"She texted Lucy with Howard's phone. "Come to Misty Summit at Route 216. Don't tell Tobe. I need to discuss something important with you!"Howard was already unconscious due to his heart attack when Anna had finished all her arrangements. Now, she just had to wait for news from Martin a
Lucy heard what Tobias said and didn't dare to look at him. She lowered her gaze, allowing tufts of hair in front of her forehead to conceal her emotions. "Why would I feel jealous? I don't love you."Tobias heard the last part of her sentence and felt as if countless insects were gnawing on his heart, making him feel itchy and painful. Both of them fell quiet, and things were a little awkward between them."The doctor's here, Prince Toddy.""Let him in."The doctor entered the bedroom and brought with him medical equipment of his own. He did a series of checkups on Lucy and said, "It's the same diagnosis as before, Prince Toddy. Her internal organs remain untouched, but she was wounded severely on the outside. "We need to apply a specialized ointment on her skin. Otherwise, she will have scars."Tobias said, "What are you waiting for, then? Get us the specialized ointment.""I've given you all of them, Prince Toddy. Use it wisely for now. The only person who possessed these sp
It seemed like Tobias was afraid that Lucy might reject him again. He added, "You haven't gone home for an entire night, Greta. Sully and Eli are extremely worried about you. I didn't want to alarm them, so I lied and said you're staying in the castle as a guest."If you insist on going back and letting them see you in this state, the twins would be worried and scared. Wouldn't you say?"Solomon and Elio were Lucy's weak spots. Initially, she was determined to leave. However, she hesitated when she heard what he said. Lucy lowered her head and looked at herself. Her limbs were injured, and her fingers were slightly bent. She was trembling ceaselessly as well. It looked as if her joints were distorted, giving off the impression that she was a disabled person. On top of that, Lucy's skin was cracked open from all the lashes. She looked absolutely terrifying. If she showed up in front of Solomon and Elio, looking like this, she would definitely traumatize them. With that said, Luc
Staying in the castle for the long term? Elio, who was a curious and mischievous kid, thought about the lavishing and magnificent castle, and his eyes sparkled. He responded to Tobias without any hesitation, "I do!"Meanwhile, Solomon wasn't interested in the castle that much. He wanted to spend some time with Tobias. On the other hand, he wouldn't be able to see Noah anymore if he went to the castle. So, he stuttered and said, "I don't."Elio looked at Solomon in confusion. The latter seemed to see through the former's bewilderment, and he asked, "Do you honestly think we can do whatever we want in the castle, just like the way we lived at the farm? "Moreover, we won't be able to see Noah anymore once we move there."Noah might've been a stepfather, but he took a huge place in the twins' hearts. Tobias was disappointed when he heard what Solomon said. "Do you two care about Noah very much?"Solomon responded, "Of course!" He considered his stepfather to be a good father. Tobia
Tobias used the military authority to his advantage and swiftly subdued Killian and all the leaders of his faction. All of them were incarcerated by the royal guards, and the signals were jammed. Not even God himself could help Killian and his ilk now. All they could do was sit on their thumbs in their respective homes. Moreover, Tobias revoked Killian's dukedom and stripped the latter of his military authority over Killian's negligence in Marie's education. After all, she drugged a prince. Now, Killian was nothing but a loser.Killian flew into a rage. "Damn it. King Samson had to show me some respect, but Toddy just disrespected me. How dare he lock me up at my home and make me a laughingstock in front of the entire world?""Marie has been imprisoned in the dungeon for a long time now, Kilian. What if she can't take it?""I'll never let her die!" Killian bellowed. "Did they think I command only the factions in the castle? They have grossly underestimated me."Killian couldn't
Tobias accompanied Lucy and looked after her carefully. News of Marie's arrest quickly made its way to Samson. Once he knew what happened, he was enraged at her actions. Before he had time to comfort Tobias, Marie's father, Killian Lemoine, rushed into the castle in a fit of rage. "King Samson. Prince Toddy actually ordered his men to arrest Marie for the sake of a civilian. Do you have no respect for me as a duke?" Killian ordered angrily, "Release Marie at once. Otherwise, I'll make you regret it."Samson slammed the table. "Are you trying to launch a mutiny, Killian?"Killian responded, "All I want is for my daughter to be safe and sound. If someone so much as touches her hair, I won't mind going up against the throne to the bitter end!""Why, you!" Samson was agitated. "You are feeling heartbroken for what happened to your daughter, but Lucy was also her parent's sweetheart. Why haven't you thought about how poorly you've educated Marie while she did those heinous acts?""I
Lucy cried out, "Get away from me!"The royal guards acted like starving wolves. They pounced at Lucy and tore her clothes to pieces, making her look even more miserable. At the critical moment, a figure flashed past them. A thudding sound could be heard as one of the royal guards was sent flying into the air. Every time Tobias swung his fist, he sent another royal guard flying. He bellowed coldly, "How dare you lay your grubby paws on what belongs to me? Death has come for all of you!""Prince Toddy." The royal guards immediately felt that something was wrong and fell to their knees, their faces drained of color. "Take all of them away!"Lucy was downright miserable. There were filthy liquids and blood all over her body. On top of that, her hands and feet were covered in bloodied welts. Her hair was disheveled, and her face was pale. It felt as if she was one touch away from passing away.Tobias' heart seemingly stopped beating. He was so heartbroken that the veins on his fo
Someone stole Duchess Lemoine's necklace.Tobias felt that this was something fishy, but he couldn't be bothered by it now. His head throbbed as he thought about how he had forced himself on Lucy. He said, "Dante, do you think Greta will hate me?"Dante stuttered, "Ms. Everhart was f-furious when she left and asked you n-not to look for her. Otherwise…"He stopped himself from finishing his sentence.Tobias asked, "Otherwise?"Trembling, Dante said, "Otherwise, s-she would beat you up each time she saw you."Tobias massaged his throbbing temple. "Prepare all the shoes, clothes, and accessories any woman would like. They need to be the best in the world. I'll apologize to her when dawn breaks.""Okay."Tobias stood by the bedside, heavy-hearted.Outside the window, the guards were scouring high and low. When Tobias saw what was happening, his eyes twitched for some unknown reason, as if he had an ominous feeling that something terrible had happened.After finishing breakfast a
At 3:00 am, Lucy felt like her bones were about to shatter.That damned man! How long had he been starving himself? He had come onto her seven times, devouring her completely.Tobias was sound asleep. Lucy lost herself for a second as she stared at his handsome face. At that moment, her heart beat wildly. When she regained her senses, she was so furious that she cursed him out internally.She wanted to help out of kindness but ended up giving herself to him. Lucy didn't want anything to do with him anymore and only wanted to remember this as an unfortunate event.Lucy got up, but her legs were so weak that she collapsed on the floor with a thump. She was even more furious.She turned to look at Tobias, who was fast asleep. She conveniently took her clothes from the bed and left while supporting herself on the wall.The corridor was still empty, but Lucy noticed the guards surrounding the entrance when she arrived on the first floor. Dante was also there. He was dozing off from wa
"Hmm… L-let go."Lucy tried to resist, but Tobias' kiss was like an ever-burning flame. She felt uncontrollably weak in her knees. It was hard for her to breathe, as if her mind was foggy from the lack of oxygen. She even kissed him back fiercely.Her kiss, in return, was like a fuse being lit, igniting the burning passion in Tobias. He aggressively ripped open her clothes, but the intricate design of her gown made it difficult to tear off. Lucy regained her senses and forcefully pushed him away.Tobias was caught off guard. With a loud knock, he collapsed on the floor. He moaned in pain as the back of his head hit the floor hard.His face flushed with an unnatural shade of red. He curled his body up in agony, and his voice sounded gruff. He had the last ounce of rationality in him. "Help me…"Lucy was blushing as well. In shock, she exclaimed, "What's the matter with you?"She walked closer to him and realized something was wrong with Tobias, assuming he had eaten something upse