In the end, it was my father, leisurely fishing by the river, who stopped him.He put down his fishing rod and looked at him seriously."Mike, stop pursuing her. The opportunity was right in front of you, but you didn't cherish it. You pushed her and her daughter further and further away."My father shook his head slightly, his tone full of regret. "Now you regret it and want to pursue her, but it's too late."Later, Mike somehow found out that the real reason I made the decision to leave for a foreign country was because of the video that Jennifer had purposely sent me.He urgently came to find me, his face as pale as paper, and explained through tears, "Shannon, it’s not what you think! It was a misunderstanding. We were just playing a game of truth or dare. The content of the video wasn’t real..."He repeatedly emphasized that while abroad, he had only helped Jennifer and her child out of moral duty, and there was nothing else.But I just looked at him with an indifferent fac
18When Mike heard my words, he became immediately flustered. He scrambled toward me on his knees, his eyes filled with anxiety and fear."No, Shannon, it's all a misunderstanding!"His voice trembled, beads of sweat the size of beans rolling down his forehead, soaking his collar.He urgently explained, saying that his relationship with Jennifer was not what I imagined, that there was nothing ambiguous between them."I admit, I couldn't bear to see Jennifer raising her child alone, so I helped take care of the child out of pity. Maybe, at some point in the past, I did have a moment of sympathy for her, but that was only for a brief moment."He slightly raised his head, his eyes full of regret,"But now, I've seen through her true colors. All those reporters were hired by her, and she had been scheming to marry me, only coveting my wealth!"He took a breath, staring at me with a burning gaze, the longing and determination mixed in his eyes. "Shannon, I now know my true feelings.
Time passed day by day, and two months slipped away in the blink of an eye.That day, the sun was still bright, and as usual, I walked hand in hand with Melanie on the street, enjoying this rare moment of leisure.Suddenly, a familiar yet strange figure appeared before my eyes. I looked closely, and it was Mike.He was wearing a slightly disheveled trench coat, his hair flying in the wind, his face showing signs of travel fatigue, appearing before Melanie and me, looking worn and haggard."Shannon, Melanie, I’m so sorry..."His voice was hoarse, as if it had traveled across thousands of mountains and rivers to reach our ears.Only a few months had passed since we last met, but Mike seemed like he had shed a layer of skin. He looked much older and more weary, with no trace of his former energetic self.His gaze was intense as he looked at me, full of regret and longing. The next moment, he unexpectedly dropped to his knees in front of everyone and apologized to me, desperately pl
His thoughts involuntarily drifted far away, and Melanie's pitiful figure instantly entered his mind.When Olive was in his arms, what was Melanie doing?Was she hiding alone in a corner, silently crying, or waiting anxiously for her father to appear and give her a little love?Melanie’s tearful face, eyes filled with unshed tears, trying hard to hold them back, played in Mike's mind like a scene from a movie, repeating again and again."I'm such a damn jerk!"Mike suddenly raised his hand and struck his head violently, his eyes full of regret and self-blame.At that moment, guilt surged over him like a tidal wave, completely engulfing him, reaching an unprecedented peak."No, I can’t just sit here and do nothing."He muttered to himself, his eyes filled with determination. "I’ve already deeply hurt Shannon and Melanie. I must find them, no matter what it takes."Jennifer, seeing this, immediately burst into tears, opening her arms to try and stop him."Mike, wake up! Since S
She lightly shook her head, seemingly very disdainful of Mike's actions, and then said, "Melanie transferred schools a long time ago. According to her mother, she plans to settle abroad. I think she left about a week ago, and there’s been no trace of her since."Mike was struck like a bolt from the blue, his entire body frozen in place, as though his feet were nailed to the ground, unable to move.He widened his eyes, disbelief written all over his face, and his voice trembled as he blurted out, "What? Settling abroad?"His body shook slightly, as if being pulled by an invisible force. "This... this can't be possible."In the depths of his memory, for all these years, Shannon had been like a resilient reed, always rooted in their domestic villa, quietly waiting for him.Even though he had been abroad for three years, just because he told her not to come find him, Shannon had obediently stayed in place, never stepping outside the country.She had struggled alone, raising their dau
My father smiled with relief and said that now that I was here, he could finally retire in peace and live the leisurely fishing life he had always dreamed of.Time flew by, and two weeks passed in the blink of an eye.While I was busy handling various work tasks, I suddenly received a new email in my inbox, sent by Carl, Mike’s assistant.I paused for a moment, feeling a bit puzzled, and opened the email. The beginning read, "Madam, I don't know if you'll be able to see this email. Over the past days, I’ve tried every possible way to contact you, but all my efforts have been in vain. I was thinking, since you’ve canceled your identity, you must no longer be in the country."As I continued reading, my heart skipped a beat. "You don’t know, but Mr. Ashton has been nearly driven mad these days."I read through the email carefully as Carl detailed everything that had been happening back in the country.It turned out that after Mike accompanied Oliver to complete her discharge procedu