It had been one month since Zachary married Serenity and there were five months left before they would get a divorce and go their separate ways. They would have nothing to do with each other then.Josh and Duncan looked at each other.Duncan said, “I thought all the men in the York family can’t get a divorce?”“I’m an exception.” Zachary added coldly, “You know why I got married to Serenity. Even if I want a divorce, my nana can’t say anything about me, let alone other people. All of them know that I’ve suffered.”Yes, he had suffered.To repay the favor of saving his nana’s life, Zachary married Serenity, who was a complete stranger. After marriage, he was generous and tolerant of her, but what did she do?Serenity lied about going to her sister’s house when she was actually having lunch with Shawn.Zachary, who refused to admit that he was jealous, automatically ignored Jasmine’s presence. He also forgot that Jasmine and Shawn were cousins who were close to each other.Josh a
There was no reply from Zachary, so Serenity said to her sister, “Zachary’s probably having a good time with his friends. He didn’t reply to my message yet.”“You don’t have to come here tomorrow. Spend some quality time with Zachary.”Liberty had a failed marriage, so she hoped her sister’s marriage would be better and longer than her own.She approved of Zachary as her brother-in-law because he was genuinely kind to her sister and was more generous than Hank. Although Liberty had known Hank for a long time, Hank was reluctant to buy her a scooter even when he had ample savings.Serenity was the one who bought her the e-bike.“Alright,” Serenity said.“By the way, are the Hunts still looking for trouble with you?” Liberty asked about her money-hungry relatives. “I wonder what happened to them. Grandmom had probably undergone the surgery by now.” “They wanted to reconcile the last time they came over but didn’t return after that. They’re probably embarrassed. Besides, that tren
Zachary was seething.Serenity was rendered speechless.Did he think she wanted to find out?Serenity was only concerned because he was her husband on paper.She turned around and left.When Zachary saw that Serenity walked away from him without a tinge of care for him, he became more upset.“In the future, don’t open the door in your pajamas!”Serenity walked toward the kitchen.“I’m wearing underwear.”Now that she was living with Zachary, she only took off her underwear before turning in lest she encountered a similar situation and had to open the door for him again.“Mr. York, how I dress is none of your business. I remember the agreement you wrote stating that the two of us should not interfere in each other’s private affairs.”Zachary said nothing. His face was glum.The agreement Zachary drew up back then was completely in his favor. Every clause was restraining her, but why did Zachary feel that he was being restrained instead?Serenity went into the kitchen and po
Zachary grabbed Serenity’s hands and pinned them down next to her head. He swooped in for a kiss to seal her lips shut.The kiss was everything but gentle.He seemed to be venting his anger.Zachary forcibly bit Serenity.Serenity was agitated by his behavior and angrily bit his lips back until he was bleeding. Finally, Zachary let go of her when he felt the pain.While he was dumbstruck, Serenity quickly pushed him to the floor. She sprung up to retreat a few steps before looking at him defensively.Zachary got up slowly and wiped the blood from his lips.His expression was dismal.“Zachary, what the hell is wrong with you? You went crazy after a few glasses of wine!”Zachary stared at her gloomily.He said coldly, “Serenity, let me ask you again. Were you really at your sister’s house today?”“I was at my sister’s house…” Serenity suddenly stopped mid-sentence.Zachary sneered. “What, you remember now? You and Shawn were eating lunch at Grace’s Diner, talking and laughing
Serenity could not care less even if Zachary smashed everything at home since the house belonged to him anyway. He would be the one suffering if his house was wrecked.Zachary swept aside the glass of honey water and went into his room. He then rushed into the bathroom to draw a bath of cold water to sober himself up from the chill.He drank heavily today, but he was not completely drunk. He was still aware of his actions, but he was easily agitated after drinking too much.Serenity turned off the lights in the hall later to save on the electricity bills.That night, Zachary and Serenity tossed and turned around in bed. Neither of them could sleep because they were mad at each other.Serenity was angry at Zachary for questioning her.Zachary was mad that Serenity was with Shawn. He firmly believed what he saw was the truth. She said that she and Shawn had known each other for more than ten years and that she grew up with Shawn. She and Jasmine were good friends, and Shawn was Jas
Regent Residences was a high-class villa neighborhood in Wiltspoon. The residents were either rich or nobles.Before Zachary got his marriage license with Serenity, he lived here almost every day and only occasionally returned to the old residence to accompany his elders.The villa he lived in used to be made up of several small villas, but he demolished them and rebuilt a large villa when he bought the land. The large villa had both front and back gardens. Although it was not as large as the old residence, he lived alone, so it was spacious.Sam knew Zachary was coming back before he had anything to eat, so Sam told the kitchen to prepare lunch in advance.Zachary got up late and had brunch at one go.After he finished eating at a home he was familiar with, his bad mood improved marginally.He sat on the sofa and called Josh.Josh had not woken up yet. Yesterday, Duncan and he went drinking with Zachary. Zachary could hold his liquor, so he was not drunk. On the contrary, Josh
As Serenity viewed the night sky, she gradually grew tired. She leaned back on the swing and thought of napping for a few minutes. Little did she know, she slept until five in the morning. It was almost dawn when she woke up.She had slept outside on the balcony the whole night.When she woke up, she knew Zachary had not returned last night. Otherwise, he would have woken her up.Although that man was cold and seemed to have a heart made of stone, he was kind to her. He gave her everything that she should have as his wife.Serenity got up from the swing and went into the hall to turn on the lights. The two handicrafts were still on the coffee table. She was silent for a moment before she went to Zachary’s room.The door was locked. She did not have the keys, so she could not open the door.He most likely did not come home.It was Monday, a new week.Although Zachary did not return during the night, Serenity did not call him. He was still angry at her, so why should she approach
Hank turned his head to look in the house. He returned by himself last night.He only made his way back home because he was persuaded by his parents and sister. Otherwise, he would have chosen to stay at his parents’ house for a few more days and go out with Jessica unscrupulously.Liberty would usually not go to her in-laws’ house since she would be nitpicked by her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. She grew annoyed after so many times, so she refused to visit her in-laws unless absolutely necessary. That was the only reason Hank was audacious to shamelessly go out with Jessica.During the few days he took leaves of absence to recuperate at home, Jessica would come over to take care of him when she got off work. She bought him plenty of supplements and delicious food, and their relationship improved by leaps and bounds. If Jessica were to insist on him divorcing Liberty because she wanted to be with him officially, they would have rolled around in the sheets already.Although Hank
“A baby’s face changes almost every day. We’ll only know who he takes after when he’s a little older.”Serenity agreed. “I should call Elisa and share this news with her.”Jasmine probably did not have time to tell her friends about her newborn. Serenity also forgot to inform Elisa because she was too worried about Jasmine. Zachary told her to call Elisa only after they were inside the car. There were too many people in the hospital. Serenity held back her excitement and immediately called Elisa when she got in the car. Elisa was extremely busy at the company. She was the only one who could manage their joint company at that moment because Serenity and Jasmine were pregnant. Even if they wanted to return to the company to work, Elisa would not allow them. Rest was of utmost importance for pregnant women. Elisa was unmarried and not pregnant. She did not mind being busier. She only picked up Serenity’s call after some time.“Seren.”Elisa held the phone in her left h
“All that matters is that you’re okay, honey. Let’s not have more children. We’ll just have this one son.”Josh spoke while holding Jasmine’s hand.Women had to experience immense pain when giving birth. It came with many risks as well. Josh had heard other people saying that a woman usually had one foot in the grave during childbirth.He was genuinely shocked after accompanying Jasmine through her labor. He had been terrified and worried that something would happen to Jasmine.Luckily, everything ended well. Jasmine and their son were safe. However, Josh did not want to experience something like that again. Having one child was enough. There was no need for a second or third child. The Buchams were a big family anyway. He did not have to bear the responsibility of expanding the family alone.“Okay. We shall not have another baby.”Although Jasmine was brimming with motherly love and recovery from a vaginal delivery was quicker, she still thought childbirth was too
It was not just Camila. The rest of the people there also had the same thought. Josh and Jasmine had a great relationship. If something happened to Jasmine, Josh would be devastated and lose all hope of living.“Congratulations. The mother has given birth to a boy safely. The baby boy is six pounds and three ounces.”The people who brought Josh out were the anesthetist and nurse.The nurse instinctively reported the good news when she saw the crowd.Then, she explained, “The father probably fainted from shock after the baby was born. Come over and help bring him to the side to rest. The mother won’t be out that quickly.”Upon hearing her words, everyone’s mood brightened up.Camila, whose legs felt weak just now, was immediately filled with strength and stood up. Without Drake's help, she went to the nurse and asked, “Does the baby need to be in the incubator since he was born prematurely?”The nurse replied, “We’ll put the baby in the incubator and observe him for a while. If
Zachary was also worried that Serenity would go into premature labor out of shock. He also persuaded her to go for her checkup in a gentle voice. They could not do anything but wait anyway.Serenity finally decided to conduct her prenatal checkup first. Zachary accompanied her. Just moments after they left, the door to the delivery suite opened. A nurse stood there and shouted, “Is Jasmine Sox’s husband here?”“Yes. I’m her husband,” replied Josh quickly. He dashed to the nurse. “You must save Jas, doctor. Save the mother no matter what.”His family members behind him also echoed, “That’s right. No matter what happens, you have to save Jasmine.”The nurse said, “The mother is fine. It’s just that she wants her husband to accompany her as she’s in a lot of pain.”Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.Josh was about to rush inside but was stopped by the nurse.She asked him to change his clothes before taking him inside the delivery suite.Jasmine was wailing in pain. When
With advanced medical technology, a premature baby could still be healthy if taken good care of in the incubator. Serenity said, “Jasmine should be at thirty-five weeks. I just don’t understand why she would suddenly go into labor. Did she fall at home?“Or did she eat something that made her go into labor?”Zachary said, “That’s most likely not the case. Josh’s cousin is Jasmine’s dietician and keeps an eye on her food every day. There’s no way Jasmine would’ve eaten something bad unless she ate it secretly.”Serenity and Zachary suddenly went silent. Pregnant women had weird appetites. Once they had a craving, they could not go unsatisfied. Sometimes, they would even crave fruits that were not in season. Serenity herself was one of them. Once, she woke up in the middle of the night craving mac and cheese. Of course, Zachary, the ever-doting husband, had to satisfy her request. However, where could he find mac and cheese at that hour?Ultimately, he had to drive to the
People would reap what they had sown. They would have to bear the consequences of their actions. Sometimes, interfering in another person’s fate would backfire. After chatting for some time, Serenity said, “I have to go for my checkup now, Liberty. Let’s talk again when you’re free another day.“By the way, I’ll get someone to bring Sonny to you this weekend. He misses you.”“Okay,” said Liberty. After the call ended, Serenity put her phone into her bag and stood up. She told the man behind the office desk, “It’s almost time, babe. Let’s go.”“Okay. I’m almost done.”Zachary quickly signed and stamped a document before closing it. He walked over with the document in hand. Serenity and Zachary left the office together. He handed the document to his secretary. The secretary did not expect him to pass the document to him personally. He had thought of entering Zachary’s office to request it later. The secretary watched Zachary and Serenity leave. He could not believe
Lilian often messed with the medicinal herbs her master cultivated, which led to her being chased and scolded by him.It seemed her son had inherited her restless nature.“How’s Sonny been lately?”Liberty had been on edge these past few days because Caroline had been preparing to lure her three brothers into a trap and had not had time to call her son.“Same as usual, but it seems like things have soured again with the Browns.”Serenity added, “Sonny still answers when Hank calls him, but he doesn’t seem happy when his grandparents visit. He doesn’t like going to the Browns’ place, and he doesn’t want to take their calls either.“Hank’s mother and sister are truly incorrigible. They must have been badmouthing you and Duncan in front of Sonny again, which is why he’s upset with them.”During the holidays, Sonny had stayed with the Browns for a few days and started to warm up to them.However, who would have thought that the mother and daughter would start spouting nonsense in f
Once the baby was born, he would apply the knowledge he had learned over the past few months to care for the baby. He was determined to be a competent and responsible father.Serenity released her arms from around him and shifted to her side.Zachary let go, too, allowing her to turn.Then, she planted countless gentle kisses on his face.“Babe, with you here, the baby and I will be just fine. Don’t worry too much,” Serenity comforted softly after kissing him.“You are my rock. If even you are nervous, I’ll start feeling anxious too, and that won’t be good.”Hearing this, Zachary immediately said, “Seren, don’t worry. I’ll protect both of you. Alright, I won’t be so nervous anymore.”He gently touched her rounded belly again. “Lil’ Bun should be a calm kid. He’s not that mischievous.”He felt that the baby’s movements were not too intense.Serenity wanted to tell him that there were times when the baby kicked more vigorously, but she decided against it, knowing it would only m
“Just hit the gym a few more times. Lately, you’ve been spending less time there.”Every day after work, he would come home and orbit around her. As a result, he had less time to work out.It was normal to gain a few pounds eating well and exercising less. Did he really think he could eat anything without gaining weight?The reason he could maintain a model-like physique before was that he exercised daily.“Ow.” Serenity suddenly cried out in pain.This startled Zachary so much that he nearly jumped up, asking anxiously, “Is it stomach pain? Are you going into labor? Let’s go to the hospital right away.”He was about to pick her up, but Serenity stopped him by pressing his hand.“Don’t be so nervous, Zachary. It's not time yet. It’s not happening so soon. It’s just the baby kicking again. His kicks are getting stronger.”As she entered the later stages of pregnancy, the little one inside her was growing stronger. Sometimes, a couple of kicks from the baby could actually hurt.