Third person's POV
Tabitha closed the car door and through the rearview mirror, she saw Gloria standing quietly by the roadside, her gaze following the car with a complex array of emotions—reluctance, helplessness, and something else that Tabitha couldn't quite put her finger on. Seeing Gloria like that caused a pang of pain in Tabitha's heart. She suddenly understood the look of heartache and helplessness that Gloria had given her when she was going through her own emotional turmoil. 'The world of adults is like that. When misfortune strikes, they often have to keep it hidden inside, unable to express their emotions as freely as children, who can cry or laugh at will.' 'As an onlooker, even if one's heart aches, there's nothing that can be done but to watch, which is both helpless and heart-wrenching.' It wasn't until the car had driven so far away that Gloria was out of sight that Tabitha withdrew her gaze.Third person's POVDeep within her heart, she knew that if it weren't for Wilmot's relentless efforts to gather the funds and ransom her from that terrifying predicament, she would have been ruined, cast into an endless abyss of darkness from which she would never emerge."I failed to protect you, Ms. Hartley," Derek's voice was deep and hoarse, tinged with self-reproach.He had been standing there for some time, a thick layer of snow accumulating on his shoulders and hair, making him appear somewhat weary and forlorn.Tabitha walked slowly towards him, each step light and deliberate.Derek watched her approaching figure with an inexplicable sense of unease.His heart was in turmoil, wrestling with uncertainty over whether Tabitha had guessed his true identity and how she might react if she knew everything.Would she be angry and accusatory, or would she leave resolutely, or do something else he c
Third person's POVTabitha returned to her room and saw that Ayla had already fallen asleep. She picked up a warm towel and gently wiped Ayla's face and hands, her eyes filled with affection and tenderness.As she turned to leave, she glanced out the window and saw a figure standing under the streetlight—it was Wilmot.He stood there motionless, like a statue, gazing directly in her direction with a look of desolation and deep affection in his eyes.Tabitha's heart stirred slightly, and she thought to herself, why was he putting himself through this?Lovesickness had always been the most tormenting, the relentless pursuit of something unattainable only leading to heartache and exhaustion.Tabitha only took a quiet look before closing the curtains.She reminded herself that since she couldn't respond to him, she shouldn't leave any hope, not allowing him to fall deeper into this unrequited affection.
Third person's POV"Yes, Aiden is Aiden Greenwood, and I'm Noah Greenwood. Tabitha, don't you think it sounds great?"Noah's eyes sparkled with anticipation. He seemed to care deeply about Tabitha's opinion on the names.A ripple stirred in Tabitha's heart. She nodded and said, "Yes, it sounds nice. How have you been these years?""Great. Alpha Derek knew I liked to draw, so he specially hired a famous teacher to guide me and arranged this school for me. Now I've caught up with the normal students' progress and even got a guaranteed admission spot with a full scholarship."Noah's face was beaming with pride and gratitude, his eyes filled with dreams for the future.Tabitha raised her hand, intending to pat the teenager's hair as she used to, but found she needed to lift her hand a bit to reach. She smiled and said, "I always knew you were amazing. How about Aiden? How is he?""He never had an interest in wr
Third person's POV"Alpha Derek has put in a lot of effort. Now, the people on the island can continue their traditional way of life, fishing if they wish. If not, Alpha Derek has also provided a variety of job opportunities, and everyone feels life has become much better than before," Noah said as he walked with Tabitha, introducing the changes on the island.As soon as Tabitha set foot on the island, several women warmly surrounded her, asking about her well-being and offering Ayla candies, expressing their gratitude to Tabitha.They said that without her, they wouldn't have been able to enjoy the good life they had now.The small bungalow where Tabitha used to live, which was originally the largest building on the island, had been renovated to look like a charming guesthouse.An infinity pool had even been built on the rooftop, offering a breathtaking view of the ocean that was captivating."Aiden and I always
Third person's POV"Julia, I need your help," Tabitha said, her eyes filled with sincerity and anticipation."It's my pleasure. Our little island owes its good life to you. Anything I can do, I'm at your service, no matter what," Julia stopped what she was doing, turned to Tabitha, and looked at her with determination.Her heart was full of gratitude towards Tabitha and she was willing to do anything for her.Tabitha instructed Julia, and then settled down on the island with Ayla.She chose to stay here, firstly, because it was safer, and she could avoid exposure for the time being.She was hiding from an enemy who wanted to kill her as much as Derek did.Secondly, the facilities on the island were now quite complete, and living here was not a problem at all.Every day, Noah would accompany Ayla to play around, and Ayla also loved this beautiful and fun-filled island.Tabitha often s
Third person's POVAt this moment, Gloria finally understood the difficult situation Tabitha had faced before—the helplessness and confusion, as if she were trapped in a dark abyss, unable to find even a glimmer of hope.What puzzled her was that Alpha Leopold must have known about Tabitha's return to the States. Given his relationship with Derek, he couldn't possibly not inform him.If Derek had learned that Tabitha was alive, it should have been a momentous occasion for him. How could he allow Tabitha to drift alone outside?Could it be that he had truly come to terms with it and decided to let go completely?However, Gloria preferred to believe in the saying, "A leopard can't change its spots."She felt that even if Derek seemed inactive now, it was highly likely that he was secretly plotting a larger scheme, merely the calm before the storm.After hanging up the phone, Tabitha's eyes flashed with
Third person's POVAlpha Leopold took out a sapphire necklace from his pocket and placed it around Gloria's neck, his face instantly returning to that tender expression."Look, it suits you so well. Don't worry, whoever harmed our child will never see the sun again. Be good, take care of yourself, and don't think about anything else," he said.Gloria's face was devoid of any color, her back already soaked with cold sweat, chilling her. Cold sweat also beaded on her forehead, trickling down her cheeks.Her body trembled, filled with fear and despair, unsure of how to face this mad and cruel man.As a mother who had experienced the pain of losing a child twice, Tabitha was heartbroken and worried when she learned about what had happened to Gloria.Given Gloria's character, if her relationship with Leopold was normal, she would have informed Tabitha even if she had lost the child.Her silence largely indicated that her relationship with
The next day, Tabitha began to investigate Leopold's movements meticulously.For several days, she did not dare to slack off. Gloria, who had recently suffered a miscarriage, had been recuperating in Leopold's home, not venturing out.A tight-lipped woman handled the daily tasks of shopping, cooking, and cleaning.Despite Tabitha's attempts to get close to her, she couldn't extract any information.As a week passed, it had been half a month since Gloria's miscarriage, and by her nature, she should soon be able to go out.On the sixth day of tracking Leopold, he called Derek out for drinks.He rubbed his temple, looking troubled, "Your mate, doesn't she think she's disguising herself well?"With that, Leopold threw out a stack of photos, all of which were taken while Tabitha was following him.Tabitha's curious little head appeared adorable in the photos."Or do you think I'm so idle that I play house with her every day?"
Misha's eyes welled up the moment she saw Derek awake. She lunged toward him, crying, "I've been so worried!"Derek sidestepped her embrace instinctively and said coolly, "I'm fine. I've delayed you long enough. I need to stay for treatment; you should head back."Misha's jaw dropped in shock.Misha had traveled so far and gone through so much, only to hear Derek tell her to leave as soon as he woke up."I need to care for you—your eyesight's impaired. I've already taken leave," she pleaded."You'll be fine. Rolf and Alvin are here. It's not convenient for you, a young woman, to stay," Derek insisted.Misha stamped her foot in frustration. "What's inconvenient about it? You're not married, and neither am I. Remember when we were on missions together? We took care of each other then, didn't we?"Alma happened to pass by and overhear the conversation, finally realizing that Misha had been the one making advances all along.
Derek jolted awake after an hour of sleep.In a daze, sensing someone beside him, he instinctively pulled them into his arms, exclaiming, "Tabitha, you came for me."Alvin sighed, "Alpha Derek, it's me."Derek fumbled blindly in the air, urgency lacing his voice, "Where's Tabitha? Where did she go?""You were dreaming again," Alvin explained patiently."A dream?" Derek frowned, confusion washing over him.But why did the dream feel so real? So real that he could almost feel the give of Tabitha's skin, recall the touch of her body, and even remember the warmth of her flesh. Her voice still seemed to linger in his ears."Tabitha's probably miles away. She couldn't be here," Alvin added.Derek's heart sank, the joy from moments ago replaced by emptiness. It felt as though he'd found his most precious treasure, only to realize it was just a dream.He bowed his head, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. "Right, how could I rea
At Derek's words, Tabitha was suddenly reminded of his words from years ago, when he had said the person in his dreams was her.She couldn't help but wonder what exactly this scoundrel had done to her in his dreams."Tabitha, hold me," Derek pleaded like a petulant child.Tabitha recalled the early days of their marriage. Back then, Derek was reticent and self-absorbed in bed, rarely showing any emotion or expressing his feelings.She often doubted whether he even liked her, if not for the fact that his actions left her bedridden the next day.Derek had locked all his emotions in an airtight box, allowing no one to peek inside.But over the years, their dynamics had done a complete turnaround.Now, Tabitha buried her feelings deep within, becoming cold and distant, while Derek had transformed into someone unrecognizably vulnerable and open.At this moment, Derek was like an overly affectionate, enthusiastic dog, intimately fami
Tabitha was deeply focused on listening to Derek's heartbeat. Irritated by his question, she simply hushed him with a "Shh" and said, "Don't talk." Her attention was entirely on his heart rate. She had no intention of being distracted by others.After finishing with his heartbeat, Tabitha gently pried open Derek's eyelids for a closer look.His pupils were dull and lifeless, making it impossible to assess the internal damage with the naked eye.It seemed that only after administering the antidote and conducting a professional examination outside could they determine the extent of the eye damage.Tabitha silently resolved that if they could just detoxify him, there would be hope for the gradual recovery of his other organs.At Tabitha's "Shh," Derek obediently fell silent.Despite feeling as though he were in a dream, he cherished this fleeting moment, thinking that even an extra minute with Tabitha would give him more memories to hold onto i
Derek clung to Tabitha like a koala to a tree trunk, refusing to let go.His voice was urgent and filled with longing as he declared, "Tabitha, you have no idea how long I've been searching for you! Every day, every night, your image haunted my thoughts. I was such a fool. If I had known you would vanish completely, I never would have let you go."Tabitha's heart skipped a beat at his words.Recalling her departure, she realized how strange it had been—how smoothly she had left.Back then, Tabitha had barely left when someone came chasing after her. Had Derek known of her plan from the start?If he had wanted to stop her, he could have nipped her plan in the bud."Why did you let me go, then?" she asked.Derek, lost in the joy of their reunion, poured out his feelings unreservedly. "I've always felt guilty for the wrongs I did you. I wanted to make amends."Tabitha gazed into Derek's eyes, noticing the red marks on his face.Despite his usual handsomeness, these marks added an air of
Third person's POVThis was why Tabitha had chosen Alvin over Rolf.She adjusted her waterlogged mask, now nearly peeling off, and swiftly exited the scene.Rolf muttered behind her, "Alpha Derek, don't go around hugging people. What if she gets clingy? Tabitha's still out there—what if she sees this and makes you wait another decade?"Derek remained silent."But seriously," Rolf continued, "the doctor's build and height are identical to Tabitha's. Just the face is different."Derek seized on this. "What did you say?""I said she looks like Tabitha, except for the face. Alpha Derek, don't get carried away—it's not like Tabitha to pop up just because you're poisoned. You've looked for her for three and a half years with no luck."Derek rubbed his temples, chalking it up to longing-induced hallucinations.Tabitha retreated to her room, exhausted from the sleepless night of brewing and changing medicines.
Third person's POVDerek loosened his grip slightly, allowing her to breathe. "Sorry, I can't see. No idea what's going on," he muttered."You're in a tub. No dialysis here—just using heat to sweat out the wolfsbane. I was checking your condition," Tabitha explained, her tone flat.Derek realized his mistake. "Apologies.""Now that you're more lucid, let's do a quick check-up. How do you feel?""Body's burning. Blind as a bat. Hearing's there but muffled, ringing in the ears. Headache, chest tightness, shortness of breath, weak limbs...""Your entire body's under toxin attack. Recovery will take time. Don't stress. You're in good shape—should bounce back faster. Can you stand? Let me see your condition."The tub's dark liquid hid Derek's nudity, so Tabitha didn't push him to move.Derek suddenly realized something. "Wait, I'm naked?""Yep."Silence.His face twisted in discomfort."I'm a
Third person's POV"Are you serious?" Tabitha frowned. "This is life or death. Do you want him to die?""You don't get it," Alvin said quickly. "That woman isn't really Alpha Derek's fiancée. She made it up to convince Mrs. Atkinson to help. Derek's got someone else—someone he loves. If he finds out she fed him the medicine, he'll lose it.""So what? It's just medicine. I can't exactly summon his 'someone else' here," Tabitha muttered."Everything else is negotiable, but Alpha Derek's stubborn about this. He's loved Tabitha his whole life. He won't let another woman touch him intimately. I can't make that call for him. Any other ideas?"Tabitha froze. Tabitha? She hadn't heard that name in years."Since he loves Tabitha so much, where is she? Why isn't she here?""Tabitha left over three years ago. Derek's searched everywhere but couldn't find her. This time, he got distracted because someone hired a Tabitha look-alike. T
Third person's POVAlvin froze, panic rising. "Sorry, Alpha Derek's delirious," he blurted, terrified of offending Doctor Venessa."Get his clothes off and put him in the tub," Tabitha instructed, turning away to sort herbs."Fully?" Alvin asked, unsure."Fully," Tabitha confirmed, her voice flat.Alvin hesitated, then stripped Derek bare.Tabitha's mind flashed with memories of Derek's body—the same one she'd once known intimately.Compared to when she'd left, Derek's physique was more muscular.When she'd gripped his waist earlier, she'd distinctly felt the elasticity and definition of his muscles.Now, with his clothes removed, several new scars were visible across his chest.She'd watched him from afar over the years, always avoiding contact, always ensuring she remained invisible to him.Several times over the years, Derek had nearly crossed paths with Tabitha during missions. Each time, she deli