Hunter glanced at his wife in despair and closed his eyes. He was in immense pain. Belinda was not angry at Hunter for not looking at her. She walked to the windows again and stared outside. Her mind wandered off. If Patrick had been willing to be with her, help her, and marry her back then, her life would have been complete and filled with happiness. Unfortunately, he was only loyal to Tiara. Even if Tiara had gotten married to someone else, had children, and eventually passed away, Patrick would refuse to follow her and choose to disappear instead. Decades had passed, and Belinda was already seventy years old. Patrick was probably dead by now. Why was she still worried?At that moment, Belinda’s phone rang. It was Caroline. Belinda answered the call after a silent pause. “Mom.”Caroline said, “Are you okay, Mom?”She asked about her mother first instead of Hunter’s injury. Belinda said calmly, “It can’t get any worse. What’s there to not be okay about? You all
Caroline turned her gaze away from Hunter and followed Belinda to a small lounge. She placed the lunch box on the table and opened it. She told her mother, “I even brought you some fruits.”Belinda sat and stared at the sandwiches and cut fruits Caroline had brought. After some time, she said, “You’re the only one who’ll actually prepare sandwiches for me.”Her sons and Celine would not have followed her request because they opined that those foods were not worthy of her. “Have the sandwiches while they’re fresh, Mom.”Back when Caroline was still with her abusive adoptive family, she could not even have sandwiches. A sandwich was a luxury for when she was young. Having experienced a tough childhood, Caroline never wasted money once she was an adult and earning money herself. She maintained a low profile and spent money wisely. Her personality, which was shaped by her environment, did not change with her increasing savings. Belinda ate the sandwiches while recalling a scen
Caroline said, “I don’t have one, Mom. I was just asking. But will she be recognized by the family? “She’ll be acknowledged as long as she’s your blood. The Fishers will be with you throughout your pregnancy and birth. Once the child is born, they’ll accept her.”Caroline replied, “If so, why do I have to get married? If I don’t wed, then I won’t have to worry about scumbags getting a share of the family’s assets.”Belinda was speechless. She must be out of her mind. Why was she suddenly talking to Caroline about this?Maybe her husband’s betrayal had ruined her mood and she could not resist nagging her daughter about marriage. Caroline continued, “There might still be flaws even if everything is planned out well. The best solution is to give birth to a daughter without marrying the man. Without getting a marriage license and becoming husband and wife legally, the man won’t be able to take any assets. There won’t even be any shared assets between us from the start.”Belinda s
Belinda raised her head to look at Caroline, and her expression relaxed. She said, “I know you’re good at hiding your true abilities. You have a hint of ruthlessness like me, but you’re still too kind. You have to know that there’s nothing fair in this world. It’s every man for themselves.”Caroline was silent. “You should go back.”Belinda knew Caroline was much stronger than Celine, yet she would not listen to her every time. Caroline had a mind of her own. Belinda feared that everything she had painstakingly gained would return to the hands of Tiara’s lineage. If so, her efforts would have been for naught. Decades of hard work would go to someone else just like that. Even if she were dead, she would be so angry that she would tear her coffin open.Caroline told her mother to take care of her health before leaving the ward. Belinda only withdrew her gaze after Caroline left. Then, she returned to sit by the bed and said, “Carol went back.”Hunter replied, “Okay.”However
“Mom…”“Don’t call me that. I’m not your mom. If I hear you calling me that again, I’ll cut your tongue off too. Your mom is still waiting for you in the countryside.”After speaking, Belinda shut the door again. Tears flowed down Celine’s face, yet she dared not cry out loud anymore. She was the perfect example of someone fallen from grace.Hunter heard Celine’s cries from the bed. Although he felt sorry for her, he stayed quiet. When he heard footsteps approaching, he closed his eyes. He did not look at Belinda as he was scared that she would see the sympathy in his eyes.He knew that he and Celine were done for. Although he was not chased out, his life in the Fisher household would be a living hell. However, he had to tolerate it for the sake of the Clark family. If Hunter wanted his days to get better, his sons had to inherit the head of the family position. Caroline becoming the matriarch would not benefit him at all. He swore to himself that he would help his
“Thanks, but I’m fine,” Duncan said politely. He had stayed in Fortress Hotel before this, albeit seldom. None of the employees remembered him, the young master of the Lewises. Well, even if Zachary was here, they probably could not even recognize the CEO of York Corporation as well. The person in charge of all hotels owned by York Corporation was Kevin. Most employees were familiar with him. Kevin bumped into Duncan while seeing Hayden off as Duncan entered the hotel. “Duncan.”Kevin was somewhat surprised to see him. He had heard from Liberty that Duncan would be coming over. However, Duncan’s arrival was supposed to be around two in the afternoon. Kevin thought he had yet to arrive as Liberty had just returned and had not gone to fetch him from the airport. That was why he was surprised to see Duncan being wheeled into the hotel by his bodyguard. Kevin smiled and went to Duncan, asking, “Here by yourself?”“Yeah. The plane was left in the airport. I rented a car
Duncan said, “It was a last-minute decision, so Sonny doesn’t know. His friend was visiting. He’s having so much fun that he forgets that I exist. There’s no way he’ll care about where I go.”Liberty smiled. “He doesn’t even miss me that much, let alone you.”“Sonny is close to Serenity. That’s why you can leave so easily.”“You’re right. Seren has been helping me take care of Sonny since he was born. She was the one who cared for me and Sonny during my postpartum. Sonny’s father had to work. He only took a few days' leave when I gave birth in the hospital. As for my former in-laws, they disappeared after visiting Sonny in the hospital. “They were even urging me to try for a second baby before my divorce. It was lucky that I got a divorce. Otherwise, my whole life would’ve been ruined by that family.”Liberty pushed Duncan into the elevator. When they reached the third floor, she picked a private room and helped Duncan to sit on a chair. She asked, “What do you want to eat?”“
On the day Liberty left Wiltspoon, Duncan did not follow her to the airport because he was angry at her. He also did not answer her calls or reply to her messages and made her go to Jensburg worried. On the contrary, Liberty was still thinking about Duncan in Jensburg. She even asked Zachary and Serenity to take Sonny to Duncan’s house and console him to help him regain his confidence. Upon thinking of that day’s incident, Duncan’s face flushed. “I’m not angry.”Liberty poured some coffee for him. “Don’t ever have those thoughts again. If I’m tired of you dragging me down, I would’ve distanced myself from you long ago. Why would I get closer to you and have more trust in you?”She had rejected Duncan firmly the last time he confessed to her. Their love was not explosive or intense. Instead, it had built up gradually through their daily interactions and mutual support, and their hearts grew closer. Duncan no longer expressed his love openly, and Liberty did not talk about ac
“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.