Ever since Courtney left home, she had been living a privileged life and had not seen any hardship, so her resume was rather empty with only a description of her educational history and a remark at the end that stated she had no bad habits."I don't really know what to put in it. I didn't get any certificates during my time at university because my parents said I didn't need to worry about that. They told me to work for our family business after I graduated so I wouldn't have to suffer out there. I thought they meant it, but they turned around to set me up for an arranged marriage as soon as I graduate!" Courtney sighed."Why don't we swap places, then?" Shelly stood from the bed.Courtney shook her head. "Forget it! I will go home once I have spent all the money I have left.""Have you thought things through?""After seeing how little you end up with despite how hard you try, I've realized it's best for me to go home."Courtney's words left Shelly feeling conflicted. "You are ri
A week later, Hayden's holiday in Aryadelle ended, and Avery and Elliot sent him off to the airport."Hayden, if you want a girlfriend, try your best to look around you when you are back in Bridgedale. Be more proactive," Avery reminded him. "Love doesn't just fall into your lap. You need to look for it.""Are you really not going to move your company to Aryadelle? At least open a branch here," Elliot said.Avery wanted Hayden to find a partner, while Elliot wanted him to stay by their sides."I will consider what you two have said. Go home! I will call you when I arrive," Hayden said."Yeah. If you can't really hold your liquor, don't drink so much next time," Avery added thoughtfully.Hayden's mind was instantly brought back to how he had been tricked at Layla's wedding.Though it was now in the past, he would never forget what had happened that night when he had given his first time to a stranger.At this point, he could no longer remember what the woman had looked like beca
Shea lay in bed, expressionless.She was drifting off to sleep more frequently, and as it became harder to wake her, her memories slipped through her fingers.She could sense that she was about to leave the world.She thought back to how she had begged Wesley to take her away years ago out of fear that Elliot would be devastated.This time, she was braver and wanted to bid her farewell to her family.By the time Elliot and Avery arrived at the hospital, Shea had drifted off to sleep again.She had tried her best to wait for them, but she could not control her brain.Wesley handed Shea's medical record to Avery. "Her situation is severe, and all possible treatments have been used, but there's been little to no effect. The treatment process can be painful, and she wants to stop." Wesley sat down next to the bed. "The doctors don't recommend that we keep up with the treatment either."Avery glanced through the medical record and said, "If she doesn't intend to get any further trea
Another week went by, and Shea's funeral took place in a certain five-star hotel.According to her dying wish, her family had only invited their closest family members and friends.Hayden had hurried back three days ago and had been devastated that he had not had the chance to say goodbye to Shea.The last time he had spoken to Shea had been during the New Year's celebration.Shea had come up to him and had talked to him about his career, marriage, and family.Hayden had not known that that was to be his last conversation with Shea.Though he had seen Shea during Layla's wedding, he had been too preoccupied with entertaining the guests and had not been able to say much to Shea.After the ceremony, Shea's body was to be sent for cremation.Hayden pressed his hands against the coffin, refusing to let them take her away.Avery tapped him on the shoulder and signaled for him to let go."Let her rest in peace, Hayden," Wesley said. "She said that she had already said her goodbyes
"Alright! Try the pregnancy test. There are instructions written inside. Just follow the steps." The staff scanned the pregnancy test and helped her with the payment.After the payment, Shelly immediately shoved the pregnancy test into her bag and hurried back to her apartment.Courtney had just spent the last bit of her savings and was packing to go home."Shelly, my tenancy contract doesn't expire until a month after today, so I might come by anytime," Courtney said to Shelly. "Pray for me. I don't want to get into another big fight with my family. Living with no money sucks.""Just apologize to them first. I'm sure they don't want to see you suffer." Shelly set her bag down to walk Courtney out of the apartment."What medicine did you buy?" Courtney glanced at the bag."Oh... My period is late by a few days. It's not a big deal.""Oh, that's normal, isn't it? It's not like it's a few months late. I once went on an extreme diet, and I didn't get my period for two months straig
Shelly laid on the couch and felt as though she had lost all hope.Her family was still in debt, and she was barely making ends meet. If she was indeed pregnant, she would have another mouth to feed.'Oh, God! This is a disaster! If anything can go wrong, it will!' she thought.She lay still for a while before sitting up.Feeling thirsty, she poured herself a glass of water and regained her composure.She started to research what people did when they found out they were pregnant without a partner, and the comments on the internet seemed to be divided into two situations.If the person in concern was a student:[Tell your family, and get an abortion! Don't be afraid that your parents will be mad at you. Your parents are the only people who will help!][Tell your boyfriend, and see what he thinks. If he wants the baby, you can keep it. An abortion can severely damage your health!]If the person in concern had graduated:[If your boyfriend is willing to bear the responsibility,
The hospital was not open at this hour.She sat down on the couch as the image of Hayden's face filled her mind.Hayden might not remember her, but she remembered everything about him.Though Hayden's company was not based in Aryadelle, he was born and raised in Aryadelle so news about him had never been far from Shelly's ears.He was an extremely talented businessman with great looks and a powerful family background, so he tended to draw more attention to himself than actors in the entertainment business did.Shelly unlocked her phone and searched for Hayden's name on the internet and was instantly greeted by countless articles about him.The latest news reported that Hayden had returned to Aryadelle to be at a family member's funeral.Shelly clicked on the article and realized that Hayden's aunt had passed away.Since the funeral had taken place the day before, Hayden should still be in Avonsville.'So what if he is in Avonsville? Am I supposed to just go and tell him that I
"Are you married? If you don't want the child, we will need the signature of the father to proceed with an abortion," the doctor said.Shelly could not possibly get Hayden to sign the paperwork for her because she had no means of reaching him."Can't I just sign it myself?" Shelly asked. "I'm not married, nor do I have a boyfriend.""You must be really careless, then! You can get a family member to sign it for you. You won't be able to proceed with the procedures today, so you will need to make an appointment," the doctor continued. "Why don't you go home and consider your options?""Do I have to get my family to sign it? They aren't in the same city." Shelly was reluctant to inform her family about this as her parents would be devastated.The doctor shot her a look. "Get the father of the child to sign it, then. Without anyone to sign the consent paper, who's going to take responsibility if something goes wrong during the surgery?"Shelly knew that the doctor was merely advising