LOGIN"You..."Serena’s breath caught, stolen by the weight of William’s gaze. That sharp, unblinking stare locked her in place as their faces hovered dangerously close. Their noses were mere centimeters apart, his breath brushing against her lips like a warning.Burning, caged anger radiated off his body like a storm on the edge of breaking. Her heart raced wildly.William had guessed exactly what she was going through. But why? Why now, of all times? When she had no choice and no strength to fight back.This was no longer the William she knew. The change in him was unsettling, sharper, darker, and full of contradictions she couldn’t explain."I would never let my children suffer for this!" Serena breathed out, her voice trembling but determined.William’s low laugh was humorless and dark. He leaned in, his lips nearly brushing her cheek. "Funny… because I can’t help thinking you would!""You—""Ssh!"The soft whisper against her skin sent shivers streaming down Serena's spine. His presenc
William’s eyes narrowed as he stared at yet another photo sent by his most trusted man. A document stamped with his company’s logo was clearly visible.But that wasn’t what bothered him.A partially revealed financial report made his brows knit together. He tried to recall its date, but too many documents had passed through his hands lately. His memory offered him nothing.Who was pulling the strings behind his back?His fists tightened as he fought the urge to explode. He glanced toward Caelric, Caelia, and Caelen, happily enjoying their meal. They were too innocent to witness his rage. He inhaled deeply, again and again, until he managed to rub the tension off his face."Uncle Will, are you coming home with us later?" Caelric suddenly asked, making him turn"Uncle Will doesn’t live with us, Caelric," Caelen replied flatly. "He’s going home to his house!""But Uncle Will can at least drive us home, right?"Hearing Caelen and Caelia join in only made things harder. William scrambled m
"Mommy!""Caelen?"The hurried sound of tiny footsteps made the figure who had been observing Serena and William suddenly turn around. Dark sunglasses covered part of his face, but the gaze behind them was sharp and piercing.Caelen froze. The gray-eyed boy looked up, spellbound by the thin smile that felt like... a subtle threat."Where are Caelric and Caelia, sweetheart? Why are you alone?" Serena’s voice echoed from afar.The man quickly walked away without a sound. In an instant, Caelen felt the air around him grow colder. He clenched his little fists, trying to hold back the sudden discomfort stabbing at his chest."Why are you just standing here, sweetheart?" Serena finally reached him.Caelen didn’t answer. His eyes continued searching for the man in the hat and sunglasses who had vanished like a ghost. Somehow he felt a strange familiarity with that man, but couldn’t recognize him at all."Mommy... What if we just go home now?" he whispered hesitantly. Caelen wrapped his arms
Hearing his twin’s words, Caelric turned to William again. Once more, it was as if he was waiting for the adult man’s response. William eventually nodded, prompting Caelric to let out a quiet sigh."Caelen probably needs to calm down first," William said, pulling Caelric into a brief side hug. "It’s alright, boy. For now, why don’t you sit here and stay with Caelia?"After that, William lowered himself again and focused on Caelia. He gently stroked the top of her head with affection. He wanted to make sure the injury on the little girl’s leg hadn’t gotten worse."How did it start, hmm? Does that boy bother you often?"Without William realizing it, Serena was watching all his actions from behind the window of the teachers’ office. Her concentration shattered when she saw how genuinely attentive the man was toward her children. Her heart tightened again. Tears began to pool in her eyes, especially as she realized that things would only get more complicated from here on out.Yes... terr
Serena and William snapped back to their senses the moment they accidentally blurted out the same word. They stared at each other, and Caelric glanced back and forth between them."Mommy? Daddy?"The moment that small voice reached them, Serena and William froze. Their mouths hung open, as if words were ready to spill out. But nothing came. Everything felt caught in their throats as their hearts thudded faster.Mommy and Daddy...For some reason, that simple address stirred a mess of emotions in both of them. Their breaths tightened, as though they weren’t ready for any of this. Memories from their grim past flickered in and out, but disappeared the second Caelric’s tiny hands reached out and curled around their index fingers."Caelen is fighting with the boy who was teasing Caelia! Please help them! Caelia keeps crying because that boy won’t stop!"Before the sentence fully registered, William was already moving, heading exactly where Caelric pointed. His steps quickened. Serena caug
Cassandra was utterly stunned by what William had just done. Once again, the words she wanted to say failed to escape her lips. Everything felt stuck in her throat, especially when the fake tears she had forced out earlier now flowed freely, completely beyond her control.Her original intention in coming to see William had only been to scare him a little. Cassandra wanted him to stop ignoring her. She wanted the old William back, the William who was always by her side and treated her as his home. She wanted him to always look her way, even though she had always known he wasn’t fond of the idea of marriage in the first place.Yes, that was William. That was why he had once been forced to marry Selena by his mother, especially since his mother had never liked Cassandra at all."This is where our relationship ends, Cassandra. Once again, I’m sorry!"William’s firm declaration snapped her back into reality. When she realized he had taken a step back, Cassandra quickly grabbed his arm, her






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