“I do like someone, but he’s not just some random guy,” said Rain.Before Gale could process what she meant, he burst into tears. “So, you really have fallen for someone else!”Rain was rendered speechless. How could he not catch what she was trying to say even when she was trying to be sentimental for once? “Gale, I swear, if you get this drunk again, I’ll chop you into pieces!” Rain threatened harshly. “You’re such a mess right now. If I recorded you and posted the video online, you’d go viral.”His crying stopped abruptly. He looked at her with widened eyes. “What did you just say?”Rain was at a loss for words. How could someone be so clear-headed one moment and so out of it the next?“Rain, I’m drunk, so my hearing’s a bit off and my memory’s not great either. Could you repeat what you said?” Gale continued to mumble.Rain had no choice but to say, “Fine, listen carefully. I do like someone, but he’s not some random guy.”Gale blinked. Not some random guy. He suddenly sat
Luca had just dropped Tommy off at the competition and was planning to wait at a nearby café until it was over when she got a call from Gale.“Dr. Craw, do you have time now?” His voice sounded a little rushed, like he was out of breath. Luca was puzzled. Gale rarely contacted her out of the blue. Could there be something wrong with the plans she drew up yesterday?“Yes, I’m available. Is something wrong?” asked Luca.“I have some personal stuff I wanted to ask you about, but I’m…” Gale paused for a moment, clearly hesitant to continue.Normally, he and Rain were seen as nothing more than close friends. They were always hanging out with their arms around each other, and no one ever read into it. Gale thought Luca saw them that way too, which made it awkward to bring up his feelings for Rain.“You’re too embarrassed to ask, right?” Luca chuckled. She pointed at Blue Mountain coffee on the menu for the waiter to get her order and continued, “Is this about you and Rain?”Gale
“Yay! You're the best, Ms. Luca!” Tommy’s face lit up with joy when he heard there was ice cream. His eyes narrowed into little crescents as he grinned. “It was so hot in the exam room! I just wanted to finish quickly and come home!”Luca smiled and gently patted his head. “You worked hard today, Tommy. Is there anything else you want to eat? I'll make it for you.”Tommy's eyes widened in surprise. This was an unexpected treat for him! He quickly listed off a few of his favorite foods and then looked up at Luca, asking, “Ms. Luca, do you think I’m being too greedy?”“Not at all!” Luca shook her head. “You just finished your competition. You deserve a treat!”“Aww, Ms. Luca, you're so kind to me.” Tommy smiled and hugged her arm. “From now on, I promise I’ll be good. You won’t have to worry about my schoolwork!”“That’s great. You just need to be good, grow up healthy, and stay happy.” Luca gave him a gentle smile. It was the best blessing a mother could give her child. There was
“Yes,” replied Luke helplessly. “She’s had several surgeries abroad, but they couldn’t fully fix her skin. Now, she’s planning to come back and continue treatment here.”“She still thinks her face can be restored…” Luca was rendered speechless. While the standards of cosmetic and reconstructive surgery in the country were considered good, Allison’s condition was not something that could be fully healed anywhere.Luca walked over, pulled a chair, and sat beside him. “Is she planning to bring Ms. Thomas back with her too?”“I’m not sure.” Luke suddenly chuckled. His eyes carried a hint of tease as he looked at Luca. “Are you getting jealous?”“Why would I be jealous?” Luca felt helpless, her face flushing at his playful comment. “Even if Ms. Thomas comes back, it doesn’t matter. You’re not interested in her at all, so what’s there to be jealous of?”“As long as you trust me,” replied Luke with a smile on his face. “You used to get jealous all the time.”“I still do, but I’ve learne
Tommy wrapped his arms around Luca’s waist and mumbled, “But we want to live with Dad and Ms. Luca.”“Be good. After you finish your finals, and after Lanie's grade-skipping evaluation, we'll bring you back,” replied Luca. She did not want to be apart from the kids either, but she did not want the adults' issues to affect their studies.The three kids were very smart.Luca did not want them to perform poorly or let the situation with Allison leave a negative impact on them. When kids experienced trauma, it could be harmful to their development.Some people thought kids were young and forgot things easily, that if something bad happened, they would move on quickly. The truth was, kids had excellent memories, especially with negative experiences. That was why Luca did not want them to be affected.“Tommy, listen to Ms. Luca. This is also what Daddy wants,” Lanie chimed in.He was not afraid of their grandmother. Even though her face was disfigured, it did not bother him. It did
The blender roared to life as it whirred away. In no time, Vivian had turned all the fruits into juice, and Luca mixed it with cream before putting it in the fridge to chill.“Why don't we sit in the living room for a bit?” invited Luca.Vivian shook her head. “Something came up, and I need to get back to finish some assignments. I should head out now. Sorry for bothering you today.”Luca gently linked arms with her. “Let me walk you out.”“It’s okay. It's too hot outside, and I already called a ride online. You should stay here and spend time with the kids,” replied Vivian. She had spent the day with Lanie and Rainie, and they had talked a lot about Luca.She could not help but marvel at how much the kids really adored Luca.She did not want to trouble Luca and preferred to let her spend more time with the kids.“Okay, just be careful on your way back, and call me when you get to the campus,” said Luca as she walked Vivian to the door.“Will do. Bye!” Vivian waved as she lef
Luke knew he had a lot of responsibilities weighing on his shoulders. The most important one was that the matter with Luca still had not been resolved. He could not afford to rest just yet. Only when he was certain that his wife and kids were safe could he take a breather.Luca looked at him tenderly, her eyes filled with affection. “For me, no one is as special as you.”Luke smiled and gently ruffled her hair.Luca sat up and gave him a light kiss on the forehead. “Luke, I love you. It’s been amazing meeting you, knowing you, and loving you in this life. We’re a team, partners for life. So whatever comes our way, don’t try to carry the weight by yourself, okay? You’ve got me and the kids. We’ll always be here for you.”She knew how exhausted Luke was from dealing with both work and her situation. Luca only wanted to help him, to lighten his load.“Alright, I promise.” Luke's voice was hoarse, and a deep desire for her flickered in his eyes.The room grew warmer as their lips
“Let’s keep going!” Tommy said. “I’m determined to stick a strip of paper on Lanie's face today!"Then, they started another round of chess. Once again, Lanie won, and this time, Rainie came in last. She took the initiative to stick a paper strip on her own face.“Lanie is just too good. Even if we play until tonight, we’re never going to beat him…” said Tommy, feeling a little defeated.“Yeah, Lanie’s way too good,” Rainie agreed, puffing out her cheeks and blowing upward. However, she was not that competitive, so she still looked cheerful even after losing.Luke came downstairs and saw Luca and the two kids with paper strips stuck on their faces. He paused for a moment before looking at Lanie, whose face was clean. He quickly understood what was going on.“Daddy! Come help me. You’ve got to help me beat Lanie!” Tommy spotted his father and immediately saw him as his savior. He bounced over and tried to pull him to sit down. “Daddy, Lanie is too good. I can’t beat him at all.