“Is that true?” Gigi asked her grandmother.Lauren nodded and said, “Of course it is. Has grandma ever lied to you?”“Wow! Grandma, what was Daddy like when he was a kid?” Gigi was excited. She was not sleepy anymore as she pestered Lauren to tell her more. “Whenever I brought him to attend events, he would always cry. I still remember he had wet his pants once in kindergarten.” Gigi covered her mouth and giggled happily. Amanda laughed and looked at Eddie. “Did you really wet your pants?”Eddie palmed his forehead and told his mother, “Stop embarrassing me in front of my daughter, Mom.” Lauren just smiled happily back at her son. At the same time, Maia tugged on the hem of Cedric’s shirt and questioned cheekily, “Did you wet your pants when you were a kid?” Cedric drew her into his arms in response and threatened, “Maia, it seems like you won’t be able to go to bed tonight.” “I’m not afraid of your empty threats,” Maia replied. “Are you sure about that?”Maia nod
Cedric glanced at Baz and asked, “How does it feel to miss someone so much?”Baz’s smile froze as he shook his head quickly. “Now, I can finally understand why you hate being separated from Ms. Maia.”Cedric just looked at Baz coldly. Baz quickly added when he noticed Cedric’s glare, “I’m just saying that you love your wife very much, and that man who’s like you would definitely understand.”“That’s a fact,” Cedric replied as he turned around and walked back into the bedroom. Baz immediately stopped him as he asked. “Mr. Cedric, why don’t you tell Ms. Maia the real reason why you’re so against calling Ms. Lauren your mother? Why didn’t you tell her the scars on your back were inflicted by Ms. Rita?” It was a horrible and unimaginable part of his childhood. “I don’t want to frighten her.”“But it’s difficult for you as well, Mr. Cedric. Calling Ms. Lauren your mother brings back horrible memories for you too.” “It doesn’t matter. I’ll do anything for her.” Cedric replied as he
Cedric just smiled when he saw Maia’s worried reaction. “You sure you’ll keep your promise?” Maia tugged the blanket closer to herself and nodded. Maia would not dare to say no. If Cedric decided to do as he had said, she would just end up in bed the whole morning. “We can register our marriage anytime. You mean it?” She knew that Cedric was just baiting her, but she had no choice. She did not know what he would do next. When she glanced at his handsome face, her heart could not help but skip a beat. Just then, Cedric took out two pieces of paper from the bedside drawer. Maia was taken aback as she saw the document. They were marriage registration forms, and they were already filled in. “T-This was a setup! You’ve already had this all planned out from the beginning!” Maia scanned through the forms and was surprised to see that the only section left empty was the signature. Maia did not know when Cedric had started to prepare all this, but it looked like it had been a whil
Amanda came to sit next to Maia as she said, “I’m glad you’ve noticed this as well. Lauren is usually quite into the drama that she’s watching on TV. Today’s episode was a sad one, so I was wondering why she was still so happy watching it.” Lauren smiled back at them and replied, “I’m just really happy. I’ve never thought that I’d be able to see my eldest son again and that he has such a kind and beautiful wife by his side. “Eddie was also able to find his loved one, and I was lucky enough to be a grandmother. I never thought that I’d be able to go on a family trip with all my sons.” She started to tear up.“Lauren, don’t cry,” Maia said as she handed Lauren a handkerchief to dry her tears. Lauren wiped her tears as she smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry about me. I’m just being dramatic.” She looked around and asked, “Where’s Cedric? Is he with Eddie?”Maia nodded. “Yeah. This new project is a bit of a hassle, so he went over to try to help.” Lauren sighed, “Eddie’s father an
"Mrs. Maia jumped off the building!" The maids cried out.Maia Burgess felt excruciating pain, as if her insides had been torn apart. She saw a woman standing triumphantly at a window—her mother-in-law, Rita!“Cedric, help…”Even in such despair, he was the first person who came to her mind.It was common knowledge that Cedric Larkin had never loved her, and their marriage was purely to forge a business alliance. After her mother’s passing, it became inevitable that Maia would get dumped. That day had finally come. Only Maia knew she had loved Cedric for an entire decade. However, her unconditional love appeared to be over. Her vision blurred as blood soaked her clothes, and she passed out. ...Intense pain jolted Maia awake. She slowly opened her eyes, and a deep voice asked, “You’re awake?”She froze as she recognized the sultry voice. Her memories flooded back, and she clutched her covers.Maia used to love Cedric passionately, even if he had always been cold to her. How
’He thinks I killed the baby? How could I ever do such a thing?’ Maia choked up and realized her entire marriage had been a joke. “You’re right. I should stop pretending to be your wife. I don’t deserve your affection, and I’ve brought this upon myself!”Maia tried to fight back her tears, determined not to let Cedric hurt her again. Her fingers shook as she held on to the blanket. “I won’t let my child’s murderer go unpunished!” Maia declared as she yanked the IV needle from her arm and stormed out of the bedroom.‘Rita Larkin! You’re the one who pushed me out of the window and killed my baby!’Despite the pain, Maia hurried downstairs to the living room. She rushed over when she saw Rita chatting with her adopted daughter, Zera Larkin.Maia snatched a teacup from Rita’s hand and smashed it on the floor before grabbing Rita by the collar. “You fucking killed my baby!” “Help! Help!” Rita screamed in terror. Maia was not being her usual docile self.With tears in her eyes,
"Please believe me,” Maya sobbed. “I saw her push me with my own eyes!" She wanted him to believe her for once. However, Cedric scoffed at her earnest expression and pushed her hands away.‘He doesn’t believe me!’She tried to explain everything to him, but he was not buying it. It was hard to believe that Rita, the philanthropist, could be the villain. Likewise, the gentle and charming Zera was an insincere woman.No one would believe that. People would ultimately see Maia as the villain. She felt her whole body ache, and her legs barely supported her."Maia, I never want to see you again!" Cedric gave her a nasty look and left the house. Maia watched him leave, then collapsed heavily onto the floor. The pain in her lower abdomen was excruciating. With their pretense dropped, Rita and Zera approached Maia. They burst into laughter as they looked down at her."Maia, are you that dumb? Cedric is my son. He’ll always believe me," Rita said as she laughed. "Do you think anyone
Instead of looking ashamed, Rita and Zera responded with sarcastic laughter."Who else is going to have her back after Rosa's death? You?" Rita taunted.Tess tried to help Maia up while clenching her teeth in anger. Maia was in too much pain to stand or even talk. She gradually succumbed to the darkness and could no longer hear her aunt’s cries. "Maia, are you okay? Wake up!” Tess cried out, “Oh, my God, you're bleeding! Hang in there, Maia!" When she saw Maia’s pants soaked in blood, Tess paled as she dialed for an ambulance....Maia had a long dream. She dreamt that she wasn't alone anymore as she waited for the aurora during her honeymoon. She saw him in the darkness, and her face lit up with a sweet and warm smile.However, as wonderful as dreams might be, reality could be cruel. The smell of disinfectant and the constant beeping of equipment brought her back to reality.As she opened her eyes, she felt so much pain that she gasped. Tess quickly called out, "Maia? M