LOGINMaria put on the dress Cameron had prepared for her long ago and got in the car to the venue.The engagement party was especially grand.Cameron was the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the area, and he had kept away from women all these years. His sudden decision to get engaged to a woman who had been married before and even had a son stirred up a lot of talk.Yet, no reporter has said anything bad about Maria.Maria knew how hungry for gossip the media were. With how they are always trying to chase the next big scoop, there was no way they would let even a bit of negative news go without using it to snatch the world's attention. Yet, they had done exactly that.That could only mean Cameron had spoken to them in advance and warned them not to make up nonsense.Moved by Cameron's thoughtfulness, Maria headed backstage at the venue and then touched up her makeup one last time. She looked at the guests who were already arriving outside.Not only had Cameron's mother come,
Jonathan frowned a little before nodding hesitantly, not exactly understanding what Richard meant. "I think I get it, Dad. Basically, you mean there's no way you and Mom can ever make up again, right?"Richard looked at him for a long moment, then nodded without pause. "Yes. I can only stay near her and quietly look out for her. I can't get close to your mom anymore, so you mustn't try to put us back together. That would be disrespectful to her. Do you understand?"Jonathan did not answer, and he did not react at all.Seeing him acting that way, Richard thought the boy was hurt by what he said. He was about to comfort him a little more when Jonathan finally nodded.He looked serious as he said, "I understand what you mean, Dad. From now on, I'll stay by Mom's side. Even if you and Mom can never be together again, I believe you'll both be happy in your own lives. Isn't that right?"Richard nodded with relief and patted Jonathan's head. "Yes. You don't need to think about or try
Maria raised her hand to straighten Jonathan's sleeves and collar. "Once you're there, listen to your dad, alright? If he tells you not to eat something or not to go somewhere, then don't. Got it? And don't say anything random that might upset him...""Alright, alright. I know." Jonathan covered his head, helpless. He clearly didn't want to keep listening. "Mom, that's enough. You don't need to worry about me. I'm not going to talk nonsense in front of Dad, and I'm not going to eat or play where I shouldn't."Maria raised a brow, half amused. "What's this? Am I not even allowed to say a few words?"Jonathan gave a sheepish smile. "It's not like that. I just know he's in a bad mood, so I won't bother him. You can relax."Maria looked at Jonathan for a long moment before finally nodding.She and Richard had reached a point where they had no reason to see each other again. Jonathan, however, could be a bridge between them for now. If anything happened to Richard, Jonathan could c
Cameron sounded like he didn't care at all.Maria, however, felt something inside her chest that she wasn't sure of.If Cameron really didn't care, he wouldn't have paused for a short moment before every answer. Yet, he had still chosen to invite Richard.It wasn't that he was unconcerned. He just didn't want Jonathan to see him as petty. Cameron had said before that he wanted to get along with Jonathan.As she thought about all this, Maria had mixed feelings. She couldn't even tell what she was exactly feeling. She pressed her lips and quietly listened while Jonathan and Cameron exchanged a few more words. Then she took the phone, stood up, and went upstairs.As soon as she reached the upper floor, Maria said, "If you don't feel comfortable about it, I can tell Jonny no. Don't worry. He won't blame you or anything like that.""It's fine," Cameron cut her off with a light, easy tone. "No matter what Jonny thinks, I know he simply wants to invite Richard to the engagement. There
Maria froze for a moment. She had never really thought about that question.Technically, she wasn't going to invite Richard to the engagement party. At a time like this, it was better if they saw less of each other. However, the fact that Jonathan asked meant that the boy was still hoping Richard could be there.With that in mind, Maria didn't shut Jonathan down too harshly. She answered casually, "Alright, I'll talk it over with Cameron. You know this isn't just my engagement party. If Cameron doesn't want to see your dad, then I can't invite him."Jonathan listened carefully, nodding like a little gentleman. Then, he burst into a grin. "Okay! Mom, don't take what I said so seriously. I was just asking. I don't really want Dad to come to the engagement party, anyway."He tried to cover what he really wanted by turning it into a joke. Hearing that, Maria reached out and patted his head.He was still so young, and he wasn't that good at playing pretend yet. His thoughts were wr
Once Cameron had driven Maria home, she went straight upstairs.Jonathan was in his room, taking an online class. On the laptop screen, a middle-aged female teacher was speaking in a gentle voice. She sounded a lot like Maria.This was the class where Jonathan behaved the best. He listened with total focus and kept taking careful notes.When the class ended and he looked up to see Maria, surprise and joy flashed across his face. He rushed over at once. "Mom!"Maria pulled him into her arms and patted his head. "Why are you doing so well in class today? You didn't drift off at all. I was watching from the side. Well done!"Full of curiosity, Jonathan raised his head and asked, "What about you, Mom? Have you and Cameron already set the date for your engagement party?"Maria paused. She didn't expect him to bring that up. She answered softly, "The engagement party will go as planned. Jonny, your dad has his memory back now, and you haven't gone to see him yet. Do you want to? I ca







