[Day 14: Today, Samantha came to our house again. At first, I was really scared, but I knew I couldn’t let fear control me. As long as I stay firm, she won’t be able to push me around, right? She said it was your mom who sent her and that she wanted to help take care of the babies. I didn’t agree and didn’t let her in. My brother’s been helping me. Without him, I don’t know what I’d do.]…[Day 23: Mark said your condition has improved, and all we had to do was sign for the surgery. Of course, we agreed right away, and the operation was done. The next day, you actually woke up, but then you fell into a deep sleep again shortly after. The doctor said you were just too weak, so we had to wait some more. But today, I’m truly happy—you finally woke up.]…As Matthew read the words that filled his phone screen, he felt tormented. This was clearly Lucy! What had he been doing these past few days? Determined, Matthew decided to go back and find Lucy. His heart surged with a burning desi
"Lucy, don't joke about things like this in the future. Spades is ruthless. What would we do if you were really taken away?" Matthew held Lucy tightly, seriously advising her.Lucy closed her eyes, quietly listening to Matthew’s words, nodding from time to time."Why do you suddenly believe me now? It’s a bit unsettling," Lucy teased as she gently pushed Matthew away, studying his face earnestly.Matthew did not reply. He looked at his wife, weathered by life, and felt as if his heart was being cut to pieces."Let’s not talk about it now. I’ll tell you more slowly over time. Right now, I just want to look at you," Matthew said, his eyes full of Lucy. He did not want to talk about anything else.Lucy smiled and nodded, linking arms with Matthew as they got into the car to head home.Matthew looked at his home—it was still the same, nothing had changed. He held Lucy’s hand as they went to their children. Each of them cradled a child in their arms.Their Golden Retriever, upon seei
After dinner, Lucy was still busy putting the children to sleep. Just as she laid little Lila down, Matthew came up from behind and lifted her into his arms."You're always holding others—perhaps you'd like someone to hold you too?" Matthew teased with a mischievous smile. Before Lucy could respond, he kissed her and carried her princess-style straight to the bedroom.…Meanwhile, Koven did not have it so easy. Alone at home, he sat in the empty house, staring at a picture of Selena. He felt utterly lonely."Matthew should be doing better by now," he muttered to himself, his heart feeling empty.That day, he was sure he heard Selena’s voice, and the person who took him to the hospital never left their name. The nurse said it was a beautiful woman who brought him. Koven was convinced it had been Selena, but he could not find her.His cough still had not improved, and he continued to cough sporadically. He was too stubborn to take his medication.Nights were always unbearably lone
"Hey, Mark!" Selena had been ready to sleep; she felt a bit weak today as she had not gotten any sunlight."Hello! What’s up?" Selena repeated herself after hearing nothing from the other end of the call.Mark was usually straightforward. Whenever something came up, he would get right to the point without any hesitation. His silence this time suggested that the topic was not easy to talk about.Selena lay tired on her bed, staring at the ceiling as the silence on the phone dragged on, boring her. Just as she was about to hang up, Mark finally spoke."Do you have enough medicine? I’ll be back tomorrow!" Mark's voice was low. "And make sure to be careful by yourself. Don’t go wandering around!"Selena paused for a moment. She did not respond right away, her fingers fiddling with the edge of her shirt as she thought about what to say next.Mark did not wait for her reply before hanging up. Selena knew that he had found out she had gone outside. Guilt gnawed at her because Mark had
Lucy knew that Mark did not care much about money, so she was not particularly surprised.“Mark, in that case, we truly owe you a big thanks! I hope our late-night visit hasn’t disturbed your rest,” Lucy said as she linked arms with Matthew. It was already quite late, and the two were preparing to head home.Winter had arrived, and the night was cold and biting. The usual hustle and bustle of the city quickly quieted down, and even the busy streets were starting to feel heavy with stillness.Walking side by side down the street, Lucy and Matthew had little to say to each other. To some people, money might seem all-powerful, while to others, it held no more value than dirt. Mark had once thought money was important, but over time, he realized it was not all that significant after all.In the south, winter always came with overcast skies. There were no stars, no moon, no sun, no blue skies. Even the chirping birds at the treetops had gone silent, preparing themselves for the cold sea
Mark was not planning to sleep. He went to his office to prepare further medicinal ingredients for Selena. Based on her description over the phone, he already knew what medicine to use.Selena’s condition had improved. The time she spent aging each day had decreased, her skin had started to regain elasticity, her blood vessels were functioning normally, and her blood circulation was now vigorous.This was undoubtedly good news for both of them. However, Mark was not that happy because once Selena was cured, she would leave, and he did not want her to go.The only way to keep her was to make her continue to be ill. Mark felt conflicted—he wanted Selena to get better, but he also wanted her to stay.Holding the medicine, he felt a bit uneasy. After all, she was his friend’s girlfriend, and they were engaged. Was this not wrong? 'Well, Koven has already cheated. Going back would only bring Selena more heartbreak and pain,' Mark thought.Just then, someone knocked on the door. Mark kn
Charlotte stood in the courtyard, the cold wind blowing her clothes into disarray, her hair flying wildly. The trees had already lost all their leaves, giving the scene a pitiful look. Charlotte released the bird and held onto the note in her hand, slowly reading it before burning it and smiling smugly.Her delicate face, deep-set eyes, and prominent nose made it hard to believe that she was such a ruthless person.The note read: [We’ve already found Lucy Quinn’s weakness. Next time, just make your move. There’s no need to worry.]The insignia at the top was the exclusive mark of Spades, a powerful group known for their evil deeds. Even the police could not deal with them.This was precisely what had caught Charlotte’s attention. She wanted to use Spades to get rid of Lucy so that she could become the sole princess.Even if she was not the princess, she would not let Lucy have the upper hand. If she could not have something, she would destroy it—that was the kind of person she w
Charlotte stormed off, completely disregarding Joan. In her eyes, Joan was just someone she knew and was relatively familiar with, nothing more. No one could stop her thirst for revenge. As for Matthew, he should just wait. He was the one who sent her to this monastery. She would make sure he paid for that in blood. …Lucy had to comply with Juliana's request to visit Charlotte at the monastery to help strengthen their bond. At first, Lucy resisted. She did not want to see Charlotte. She remembered every time Charlotte had hurt her, especially the child she lost. She outright refused Juliana, insisting that she just wanted to focus on her family, taking care of her husband and children, and avoiding further complications. Lucy knew how hard it had been to reach this point with Matthew. She could not afford any more problems. She had already tasted the pain of losing loved ones. However, Juliana insisted that Charlotte had turned over a new leaf. At her last birthday