Gloria had no time to dodge. Because of Damon's slap, half of her face swelled up immediately.
She put on a sarcastic smile. "Why are you still laughing? If not for you, how could I injure the pitiful Gabrielle accidentally and kill her?" Damon's tone became even more emotional. Gloria almost burst into tears from laughing. "Did I instigate you or threaten you to kill her? You killed Gabrielle out of selfishness. It's a fact!" Gloria said. "Shut up! I had no choice but to do that! If not for the incident that night, I wouldn't have hurt Gabrielle at all. Only now do I know that she is my biological sister. It is all your fault! You caused the tragedy!" Damon roared hysterically. Someone had swapped the two children deliberately to give the Carter family a warning. Damon didn't know the person had brought his sister back later and misunderstood for so many years. What was worse, he had just figured out the truth. Gloria could not belSitting in the passenger seat, Gloria could no longer keep calm. Her face was ashen, and the pain in her eyes was obvious. She once felt strange about her grandpa's inconsistent behavior. Now, everything could be explained. He cherished her so much, but after all, he chose to support Harry and said that everything in the Carter family belonged to Harry. He said that he was afraid of Gloria being hurt again, so he kept her with him. However, it was just because he was threatened by Alex. He taught her patiently and made her much more outstanding than the girls around her so that she could attract the attention of the heir of the Hammond family. Gloria's mind was a mess. She couldn't tell what was true and what was fake. She had once lived a happy life with her grandpa, yet she couldn't figure out when he was sincere and when he was scheming against her. Perhaps everything was fake. The trees outside the window rushed backward.
Patrick chased after Gloria and hugged her. "Don't be afraid. It's me, Patrick." Gloria seemed to be in shock and struggled with both her hands and feet. "Let go! I want to go back! Let go! Don't touch me! I want to go back!" "Alright, let's go back. I'll take you back." Patrick picked Gloria. "I'll take you back now. It's alright. Let's go home." Gloria shook her head desperately. "Let go of me. I want to go back!" "Okay, I know. I will take you back now. Gloria, be good." Patrick walked to the police and said, "My wife was frightened and unstable. I have to take her away first. When she calms down, I will take her to make a statement." Hank drove over. Patrick held Gloria tightly and got into the car. Perhaps because Gloria had used up her strength, she fainted. In the apartment, Sean was packing up his medical kit. "It's fine. She just fainted. But she is quite weak. When she wakes up, she should pay attention to he
Sean listened quietly. As an outsider, he felt sorry for Patrick. Patrick said he knew he was wrong, which meant that he was on the verge of desperation. "If so, we would have kids by now, and they would be at the age of attending school." Patrick looked into the distance. Sean felt as if Patrick's words were boiling oil that was poured onto his heart, upsetting him inexplicably. "Let's have a drink." "No. She will get hungry when she wakes up." After saying that, Patrick stood up and took out some vegetables from the fridge. "I'll make some soup. She has a delicate stomach." Just as he placed the vegetables on the counter, he suddenly paused, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the stuffed trash can. After looking at it for a while, Patrick squatted down and took things out of the trash can one by one. Sean looked at Patrick, who was quietly washing the couple's mugs behind the sink, and sighed silently that fate always
The sound of keys turning came from outside the door. Gloria quickly packed everything up, wiped his tears, and turned to walk out of the bedroom. Patrick walked to the bar counter with a shopping bag in his hands. "The beef is so good today. I picked some and brought you breakfast. Gloria, go wash up and sit down to eat." As he spoke, he placed the bag next to the sink, which was filled with many kinds of food. Patrick rolled up his sleeves in front of the sink and started to wash the vegetables. Gloria's hands were hanging by her side, behind her back. She clenched her fists so hard that the nails sank deep into her tender palms. She raised her head only to see that outside the balcony, the windows had already been equipped with bars, enveloping the large room. There was wind blowing, but she felt suffocating. Gloria did as she was told silently. He asked her to go wash up and then have breakfast. She went to wash up and then sat
Patrick paused. The next second, he reached out to cover her eyes and then kissed the back of his hand over them. "You mean a lot to me," he said silently. "Gloria, don't think about running away again. For the rest of your life, you're bound to be with me. You can't get away without my permission." He had already lost his mind. He felt bad for her, yet such a feeling was surpassed by his longing to keep her with him. After everything was over, she said, "I hate you." He closed his eyes. When he opened them, he suppressed the pain in them and said, pretending that he didn't care, "Whatever." He thought, 'You can hate me. Even though you want to hate me, I'm the only one you are going to hate. I don't care about anything else, as long as I'm the only one in your world. You may choose to love me or hate me as you want.' It was just that the moment she said she hated him, he felt his heartache killing him. The day of Harr
In the ward, Patrick took a chair and sat down. Opposite him was Harry. "She lied to me and came to donate her bone marrow to you." Patrick said, breaking the silence. Harry turned pale and gradually despaired. He said, "I'll go find her! I won't force her to donate her bone marrow!" He stood up and was about to leave. "Gloria was injecting G-CSF. I took her home." Harry calmed down after hearing that. "The donor?" Harry was puzzled. "Your brother." Harry did not know what to say for a moment. "Your brother's match result was a fake. I've known this for a long time. But Gloria doesn't care about it, so I do nothing." Harry wanted to say something. He found that Patrick was so indifferent. Patrick knew the truth, yet he chose to stand aside and watch the farce. "You know Gloria went to the bone marrow bank. Ever since she found out about your condition, she's been asking around to find a suitable donor. I
Smoke came out from the gap in the door. Instantly, Hank's expression changed. He shook off Mandy, who was pulling him, took out his key, and opened the door. "Luna Gloria! What is going on?" Before he finished speaking, he choked on the thick smoke and coughed violently. Mandy rushed in. "Gloria, don't scare me! Don't tell me that you want to kill yourself!" Unfortunately, the smoke was too thick, and the flames were everywhere. Hank immediately called the police and tried to rush in. A figure passed him quickly and rushed in. In the blink of an eye, the figure had already rushed into the thick smoke. "Alpha Patrick! You can't go inside! "It's too dangerous!" Hank shouted, but Patrick turned a deaf ear. He looked around the room through the smoke, but Gloria was nowhere to be seen. He immediately rushed to the bedroom door, but the door could not be opened. "Gloria! Open the door! Gloria! Open the
Half a month had passed. Patrick didn't appear in front of her again. Occasionally, Hank would come back to take a change of clothes and then leave in a hurry. Apart from being confused, the guards in the pack became increasingly serious. Gloria didn't know what had happened. One day, the dark iron gate of Alpha's villa opened again. She saw the familiar Bentley driving in from the second floor from a distance. She looked at the car and fell into a daze. Finally, he came back. She retracted her gaze and did not know how to face him. Just as she was lost in thought, Kevin went to her door and invited her to meet Alpha respectfully. She wanted to ask if she could refuse. However, Kevin turned around and left directly. It was no use delaying. She still went downstairs. Gloria gave a self-mockery chuckle. However, her smile faded quickly. As she got thinner, her face seemed to be sunken. She noticed a
He didn't blame her. He only hated himself for not cherishing her while she was still by his side.Clenching the letter in his hand, he stumbled and slowly turned to leave.His once-proud figure now seemed frail, as if a gust of wind could knock him down."Cline…" Just as he leaned on the car door, preparing to leave, her familiar, tranquil voice called out to him.Hearing his name, he turned slowly, his gaze locking onto her slender, fragile figure under the streetlight.This was the person he'd missed for three years. Just her soft voice was enough to make him want to run to her and hold her tight.But reality was a cold shower, dousing his fervor.He took a step forward, but she retreated three steps, panic in her eyes, as if he were a monster."Don't come closer," she said calmly, her voice clear and unrippled."I've said all I need to. Please don't disturb me again."Cline had hoped she'd called him ba
Cline released Luana with a hint of despair, staggering back a step.His bloodshot eyes locked onto hers as he asked, "Never at all?"Luana's lashes fluttered, her composure unwavering as she shook her head again.The smile on Cline's lips deepened with bitterness. "What about these, then?"He pulled out a letter he'd carried always, holding it before her. His voice cracked, his eyes red as he repeated, "What do these mean?"Luana's gaze fell on the perfectly preserved letter, and her expression froze—a chord struck deep within.She wondered when exactly she'd lost all hope in him.Her thoughts drifted back to that night when he held her close, their intimacy shattered by his cold words, "Don't delude yourself into thinking I'll love you."She'd felt like ice, realizing she was nothing to him but a vessel for his emotions. Yet now...Luana slowly lifted her eyes to Cline, his composure completely undone.Whe
Luana fought with all her might, her slender hands clawing at Cline's arms.Her nails bit through his skin, drawing blood, yet he held on relentlessly."Cline!" Luana roared in fury, finally dropping her Dorothy act and staring him down as Luana.Hearing his name from her lips, Cline's eyes reddened further. "You finally admit it..."Luana sneered. "So what if I do?"Cline froze, his bloodshot eyes slowly meeting hers.Her face was an icy mask, devoid of emotion, filled only with contempt.This cold Luana left him at a loss.As he opened his mouth to speak, Luana turned her head, her calm eyes reflecting Cline's pale face."Did you really mean it when you said you loved me?""Yes..." Cline's heart leaped at the chance to connect, and he nodded eagerly, about to confess a decade-old truth.But Luana cut him off, her voice ice-cold, "If you loved me, why wouldn't you wait until our contract ended before break
"Does it hurt?" Luana silently asked herself.Once, she had known pain—excruciating, soul-crushing agony that had left her curled on a cold floor, voiceless and desperate.It had been a pain that stripped away all hope in this man before her, eroding her very will to live. It had been so severe that even in her final moments, when she'd longed for a glimpse of him, he'd refused even a phone call.That pain was no mere physical wound. It was a despair that seeped into her very being.It was after enduring such torment that she had finally seen Cline for what he truly was—a man utterly ruthless toward her.Yet now, here he was, holding her and asking if she hurt. The irony was bitter, almost laughable.With a cold, expressionless face, she said, "The five minutes are up. Let me go."But Cline, who had finally held the person he'd obsessed over, had no intention of releasing her so easily.He held her tight and said, "
Cline held tight to her arm, as if he'd never let go unless Luana gave him a chance to speak.Luana, brows furrowed, sighed and relented, "Five minutes, right here."Cline's cold gaze shifted to Dorian, who shot him a glare before turning to Luana."Five minutes, then home," Dorian warned.Luana nodded meekly, "Okay."Only after Dorian strode into the villa did Luana turn to Cline, her voice cool and impatient."Well?"In Dorian's presence, Luana had been the picture of obedience, just as she used to be with him.Now, though, Cline saw a change in her—calm, distant, and edged with impatience.This new version of Luana only deepened the ache in his chest.He longed to reach out, to brush his fingers against her face, but as his hand rose, she flinched violently, stepping back as if struck.Luana stared at Cline's right hand, her pupils suddenly clouded with fear, as if the ghosts of past trauma had res
Luana nodded in agreement and turned toward the stairs.But after just two steps, she froze, her fingers brushing the banister.Slowly, she turned back, her voice hesitant. "Clarissa, I came back as Dorothy... What about Gehrmann?"Clarissa had guessed that Luana had returned as her sister Dorothy the moment she heard Dorian call her by that name.Clarissa's smile was warm, reassuring. "I won't say a word to him or Cline. Your secret's safe."Relief flickered in Luana's eyes. "Thank you," she whispered, the word soft as a feather.As Luana walked away, Clarissa watched her retreating figure, worry knotting her brow."Is this luck or a curse?" she thought, "Leaving Cline only to be trapped by Dorian."At the car, Luana opened the passenger door and slid in."Home at ten seems early," she ventured, her tone tentative.Dorian glanced over, his indifference palpable. "Make it eight, then."Luana's lips twitched
Clarissa watched Luana's fingers tighten around the phone until her knuckles whitened. "When I first saw those messages flooding in, I tried luring him out myself—posed as you, planned to bring the cops. But instead of catching a creep, I got..."She trailed off, the memory of the man in the café still prickling her nerves.A man as cold and heartless as Cline—why would he cling to memories of Luana like this?"Anyway," she shrugged, "he never showed. Guess some ghosts stay buried."Luana's voice was a whisper. "These things... they should've been my fight. Not yours."Clarissa cut her off, "If it were me in this mess, you'd do the same. So quit with the thanks already."Luana nodded meekly, her lashes drooping as she glanced back at the phone screen.The mystery gnawed at her—Mr. Night's messages reeked of obsession, yet he hid in plain sight. Why?She couldn't fathom it, and frankly, didn't care
"I had no choice but to pull a dumb move—I seduced Gehrmann and took Naomi's spot as his bedwarmer," Clarissa said flatly, her voice echoing off the brick walls."I thought I could use him to get back at Cline. Turns out I was dumber than a bag of hammers—Gehrmann wouldn't lift a finger against Cline for any woman." She kicked at a pebble, watching it skitter into the shadows. "By the time I figured that out, he wouldn't let me walk away."Clarissa shifted her weight, catching Luana's profile in the dim light."But don't you worry, Luana. I ain't falling for Gehrmann's charm. This world's got exactly one good man left—Albion. And he's six feet under."So, I won't be that girl anymore—the one who pours her heart out for every little kindness, even when it's not worth it."Mentioning Albion again made Luana's eyes dim as if the light behind them had been switched off.She lowered her lashes, hiding the sorrow pooling th
Third Person's POVLuana tightly embraced Clarissa, hoping to alleviate her pain.Clarissa, however, patted her back with a smile and said, "It's alright. After finding out the truth, I was devastated for a while, but then I pulled myself together. I installed surveillance cameras and recorded every moment of their infidelity, which I sent to my lawyer."I won the lawsuit, but I couldn't get the house back. I could only recover the mortgage payments, the money I spent on him, and compensation for emotional distress..."However, what I didn't expect was that someone would expose Albert's bigamy online, ruining his reputation. His company fired him, and no other major firms would hire him. As far as I know, his current salary isn't even enough to cover the mortgage. Plus, his mother has cancer, which is why he keeps begging at my door."Clarissa's voice turned cold as she continued, "He thinks I'm still the naive woman I once was, that if he kneels a