They were all small matters. So small, in fact, that he couldn't even remember most of them. But surprisingly, Calista still remembered them. Some of her most vivid memories were of the early days of their marriage.She remembered when he returned and the words he had spoken to her, though they weren't the most pleasant words. She also remembered how he led her through the chaotic underground boxing gym to confront her debt collectors to settle the debts that were suffocating her. She also mentioned that during that time, to her, he was glowing. During that time, Calista was still new to it all and not yet desensitized to everything. The slap from Zachary left her deeply upset. How could she be aware of someone following her? "Are you crazy? It was the middle of the night and you watched me cry instead of going back to sleep." Lucian's tone was nonchalant, having no intention of boasting. "It was midnight and the amusement park was in a remote area. It wasn't safe for a girl."
Calista looked at Lucian's pursed lips. He was staring up at the roller coaster's tracks. Although she couldn't see his facial expressions clearly from where she stood, she felt his grip tightening around her hand. "Are you scared?""No."Calista tiptoed and stretched her neck to see his face. "Really?"He answered so quickly that it seemed evasive. Lucian pulled her back gently with one arm around her waist to prevent her from falling. "Really."The queue started to move forward as the previous batch of riders came down from the ride. They walked forward with Lucian half hugging her. "Stand still. Don't fall." The roller coaster could only accommodate about 20 riders at once. There were still a lot of people queuing in front of them even though they bought VIP tickets.He couldn't recall if he had ridden this ride before. He had only come here once, but that was a very long time ago.The roller coaster had height requirements, so he probably didn't get to ride it back then. Be
Calista suspected that Lucian had pretended to be scared to make her worry. But as she observed him, she noticed that his legs had really turned to jelly. She stifled a laugh and helped him unbuckle his seatbelt. "Can you manage if I hold you?"The question seemed to hit a nerve. He looked at her sadly with his lips pursed. His Adam's apple bobbed. After a moment, a small sound escaped his lips. "Yeah."The rest of the riders had already left their seats. The pair were ushered toward the exit by the staff under the amused gaze of the onlookers. Calista walked out in embarrassment while Lucian maintained his cool and calm demeanor. He paid no attention to the stares of others. The staff locked the exit once they had left. As they descended the stairs, Lucian stumbled on his feet and almost fell.She quickly supported him with one hand and held onto the railing with the other. Despite how panicked Lucian looked, Calista burst into laughter. She hadn't expected that Lucian would
Calista was still in awe with the fireworks show even as she got into the car. The parking lot was congested as everyone was trying to clear out at the same time. Lucian looked at the sea of bright brake lights in front of him."I thought you didn't like to be so high profile. You could've just included our initials. Nobody would know that it was us then."The thought crossed his mind while he was designing it. However, he dropped the idea once he saw Calista's name placed in front of his.He spared her the embarrassing details, but a look of uneasiness flashed across his face. "I'm sorry. I overlooked it." But Calista didn't care whether there were names or not. She had just casually mentioned it. Back home, Calista threw her bag onto the coffee table and collapsed onto the couch. She had woken up early and spent most of the day at the amusement park. She had no desire to even budge once she touched the couch. Lucian went into his study to answer a call. "Officer Young."It
Lucian reached over from behind Calista and grabbed her phone out of her hands. "I'll do that for you. Go to sleep."He had been woken up by her alarm and saw her forcing herself to stay awake to send Augustus a text."It's fine." She no longer felt sleepy after the fuss he kicked up, especially when she noticed how his hand had begun to wander inappropriately again. Calista bounced up from the bed in a flurry of excitement. "I'm not sleepy anymore. Besides, I want to save some leave days for our honeymoon."Before Lucian could even react, he realized that the hand that had, until moments ago, been caressing her smooth flesh, was now hanging in mid-air. He chuckled as he watched Calista rush into the bathroom."I just wanted to give you a massage because you said your back was aching. What did you think I was going to do?"Calista didn't respond. By the time she came out from the bathroom, Lucian had gotten changed and was standing in front of a mirror fastening his cuffs. Seein
Calista had told Lucian that their seats were in a corner. She hadn't lied to him about that. She must've said "Sorry, excuse me" countless times before they finally reached their seats.Yara watched the stage in front of her. The staff were doing their final inspections. Because of the distance, all she could make out were the vague silhouettes of people. She couldn't distinguish any of their features. She let out a deep sigh. She looked dispirited."I'm never joining in on the fun again. It's more exciting to watch him on screen when the camera switches between distant and close-up shots. We have his face pictured in high definition. You can even count the wrinkles he has.""Didn't you say it was more exciting to see his abs in person?" Calista asked."All I can see is a mess of flesh-colored blobs from here. I can't even tell the differences between abs, pecs, and beer bellies. What's the point?"The concert started soon after with the main act taking the stage. The audience'
However, before Yara could leave the restaurant, Timothy caught her in the act. "Why are you in such a hurry? Where are you going?"Yara felt as if she was being strangled as she stood stiffly in place. After a brief pause, she spun around and forced a smile. "I'm done eating, so I'm going home. You guys can take your time.""I'm also done. Let's go," Timothy said."You're just going to leave? Shouldn't you say something to them before you go?" Yara asked. Although she was facing him, she was already slowly backing away. She looked ready to make a run for it."Do you think he cares if I go over there and tell him I'm leaving?" Timothy asked.Yara glanced at the couple chatting between themselves softly a short distance away. It didn't take a genius to know that they wouldn't care at all.She pointed to her car parked at the entrance of the restaurant. "My car is parked out there. We'll just walk out together."Yara had turned her nose up in the air as smug pride flashed in her e
The next day, Lucian headed to the address Hannah had provided. The door swung open the moment he knocked on it. It was as if someone had been waiting for him. A little girl hurriedly handed him a letter and shut the door.Although it was summer, Hannah was dressed in long sleeves. Lucian had caught a fleeting glimpse of the injuries hidden beneath her dirtied cuffs. There was a large red patch that looked swollen. The blisters dotting it made it look like a burn.After getting into the car, Lucian didn't get the driver to drive off immediately. Instead, he opened the letter first.They had caught the mystery man who killed Cailyn at the Gordon's residence. The kidnapping case had also been solved. He was the one behind it all. The police had all the evidence they needed to connect him to several other criminal cases. Although Fletcher had yet to be implicated, it was only a matter of time. The police had already found out that the two of them knew each other and were in contact.