Whitney and Caleb had postponed their wedding, so Janine no longer felt rushed.She stayed in Hesterfield for a while longer, finishing up work there before heading to a small town in the lower reaches of Karaland.The place was extremely remote—non-staff members weren't even allowed in.In fact, it was so obscure that it was hard to find even on a map.All the facilities were still under construction; calling it desolate would not be an exaggeration.That place was somewhere Zain couldn’t reach—nor would he be able to find it.But that didn’t stop him. He insisted on going with her.“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. There’s no fine wine or gourmet food over there.”Zain leaned close to her. “I’ll eat whatever you eat.”Janine said, “I’ll be eating tree bark.”Zain laughed. “Then I’ll eat that too.”Janine didn’t bother replying. After all, he never listened to anything she said anyway.She figured once they arrived and he was really offered tree bark, he would leave immediatel
Janet said, “That’s right. You can get everything at the supermarket these days. If you run out of money, just let me know. I’ll give you some.”Brody found this a bit overwhelming, so he just nodded obediently.Yvonne said, “I already gave him a bank card. Thank you, Aunt Janet.”Brody mimicked Yvonne and raised his glass. “Congratulations.”Janet said, “Thank you.”The Hilton family had a contagious warmth. At first, Brody was nervous, but gradually, he blended in quite well.Joshua taught him how to play chess.No one gave him strange looks.They truly treated him as one of their own.“Clay is very smart,” Joshua praised without holding back. “He almost beat me on his first game.”Brody felt it was because Joshua was going easy on him.After all, Joshua had played chess his entire life.“You’re flattering me.”Joshua chuckled. “Come over on weekends. I still have a lot to teach you.”At his age, it was indeed time for Brody to start developing some interests.Truthful
“I thought you were normally too busy to even talk to me.”Blake knew what Yvonne was trying to do.She wanted to drain his emotions.So he went along with it.He really needed to let go of some things.Knowing the truth wasn’t always a good thing.Having her, a calm and happy life was enough for him.Yelar had entered a scorching summer.This year was especially hot.After Whitney’s belly began to show, she became even more sensitive to the heat than most people.But she couldn’t stay in air conditioned rooms for too long, since it wouldn’t be good for the baby.If she caught a cold, she couldn’t even take any medicine—she’d just have to deal with it.So Caleb found himself in a daily battle of wits with her over the air conditioner remote.And ever since she became pregnant, she cried easily—her emotions shifted quickly.The only relief was that she hadn’t suffered from morning sickness.But even overeating was a problem.He had specifically consulted with Tanner, and
It would cause him to break down.“Hungry? I’ll have the kitchen make something. What do you feel like eating?”Blake reached for the laptop, but Yvonne grabbed it first and threw it straight into the bathtub.Water poured over it, and the hard drive was ruined.She called housekeeping to disinfect the tub.Then she pulled Blake toward the dining area.After sitting down, Blake asked, “Are you afraid of knowing the truth?”Yvonne asked Brody to order, then looked at him. “What truth do you want? The truth that makes me divorce you?”Blake thought back to his superior’s attitude, to Brody's expression, and to Yvonne’s refusal to let him continue watching the video.He had more or less guessed the answer.The truth must have been brutal and tragic.Brody finished ordering and turned the menu toward them.After hesitating a little, he finally said, “Uncle Blake, Grandpa Joel and your parents didn’t have any feud. It was all done by Tristan.”Blake froze for a moment. “What di
Blake pressed hard on the back of her head.“No matter what the result is, a divorce is not going to happen.”Yvonne asked, “What about your late parents?”Blake didn’t respond.He had something that didn’t really sound filial that he wanted to say.It had been his parents’ choice—it wasn’t a path they had taken for him.He had lost his parents when he was young. Had anyone asked how he felt?He had watched other children living happy lives with their parents...Did he want parents?Of course he did. That was something his grandparents could never replace.He tried to understand his parents’ choices, and he believed they would understand him, too.“Those who are still alive are more important.”Yvonne, on the other hand, had never been raised by her parents.She had little memory of them.Her mother was unknown.She could only to her father as uncle.And her two younger brothers—neither of them shared the same mother as her.Blake, though he had lost his parents, had o
Grandpa Joel had once held him on his lap and let him play on the computer.Maybe he thought the boy was too young to remember anything, so he let his guard down.And he believed that the boy wouldn’t remember all of it.The truth was that he was right. Brody only remembered half of it.At that age, it hadn’t occurred to him that it was something he should try to remember.Yvonne picked up on something. “From what you’re saying... you really want me to be with Blake?”Brody nodded honestly. “You really like him. When you’re with him, you seem to be yourself.”Blake arrived at his unit and went to see his superior, asking to access the case files.This was something he had to get to the bottom of—it had been a wedge between him and Yvonne for too long, damaging their relationship.But his superior still refused.“You’re their son. According to regulations, you have to excuse yourself.”Blake said, “Then tell me, who will be allowed to check the files?”The superior replied,