LOGINThe seatbelt clicked into place, and Carter let out a quiet breath.Meanwhile, Arielle and Adrian watched as Lauren's figure faded into the distance. A dull ache rose in their chests.They couldn't help wondering why every mother they had ever had eventually left."Dad?" Adrian's voice was barely ab
Lauren let out a laugh right after.Perhaps some people just weren't meant to be together.So, after the family event, she invited Carter and the kids out to dinner. The restaurant she chose was on the pricier end, and she'd planned to spend half a month's salary on that one meal.At dinner, Arielle
Resting her chin on one hand, Lauren continued to tutor Adrian and Arielle, her tone patient but firm. "Look, this one's a grammatical error."The kids were bright, and they picked things up fast. Lauren nodded, pleased with their progress. "Not bad. You two definitely take after your dad.""Were yo
"Make sure you save it for me, okay? Don't sneak any for yourself. I'm saving up for a house," Lauren said.Affording a mansion was out of the question in this lifetime, but an apartment in an upscale neighborhood might be possible. Still, in a city like Draventh, even that wasn't easy.Lauren wasn'
A dull ache stabbed through Lauren's chest. All of a sudden, she sprang up from the ground, threw herself into Carter's arms, and let out a raw, anguished cry.She broke down completely. Her wails were hoarse and filled with grief as they tore through the air.Carter, Arielle, and Adrian were all sp
On the drive to Colburn, Carter watched the streets and buildings roll past outside the window.This was the city where he had spent most of his life. He'd grown up here, and every street seemed to hold a piece of his past.Out of nowhere, Lauren asked, "You must've shared a lot of memories here wit
Aiden was just about to head home after a long night shift when Peter dragged him to a coffee shop."Have a coffee. Wake yourself up a bit," Peter said.Aiden frowned. "If you've got something to say, just spit it out.""I heard a few things about the banquet Carter threw last night. I also asked De
Peter said nothing.Lauren turned to leave. This time, she still didn't hear Peter's questions or calls to stop her.She gritted her teeth, her usual calm and composure on the verge of shattering.She didn't know what was wrong with everyone. Why wasn't anyone stopping her? Lauren wondered if she ha
Carter wanted to show everyone who had been laughing behind his back that he wasn't going down."By the way, send invitations to some of our previous partners in Draventh, too. After this banquet, we'll move the company there and rebuild the factory from scratch," Carter told his secretary, Ethan Bl
"Since you two like Rhea so much, why don't you just tell your dad to let you go live with her?" Lauren snapped, her anger boiling over.She thought darkly to herself that if Adrian and Arielle weren't going to help her, they might as well disappear. This would prevent a rift between her and Carter







