เข้าสู่ระบบSitting on the plane, Francesco held his phone in his hand, occasionally opening his chat window with Adriana.He typed several times in the message box, only to slowly delete everything again.He glanced at Bianca beside him, then finally locked the screen and slipped the phone back into his pocket—sending nothing at all.Leaning back against the seat, he closed his eyes.It was already his usual sleeping time, yet he felt no drowsiness whatsoever. His mind replayed his past with Adriana like a flickering film reel.The longest pause lingered on the night they broke up.Now, thinking back, he found he could not feel even a trace of hatred.This time, it was he who had wronged her. If anything, she should be the one who hated him.Time seemed to stretch endlessly. When he opened his eyes to check his watch, only one or two hours had passed. It was still far from landing.He turned his head toward the window. Outside, a stretch of silver-lit clouds drifted past.If Adriana wer
That had once been an ordinary, unremarkable daily routine—yet now, it had become something Chris could only revisit in memory, again and again, like an unattainable luxury.Adriana had been reading for a while when she grew tired. She lifted her head to reach for some water, only to unexpectedly meet Chris's gaze fixed on her.His eyes were gentle, like the first light of a spring morning—bright, but never piercing.Feeling a sudden playful impulse, she adopted a serious tone."Chris, were you even paying attention while I was reading?"Chris scratched his head, looking like a student caught daydreaming in class."Of course I was. I'm not like someone else who listens halfway and falls asleep."Adriana defended herself immediately."That was because you were reading bedtime stories to me. Weren't you trying to make me fall asleep?""You fell asleep too quickly. It took you almost a year to get through a single storybook."As they talked about the past, their tones were light
Before entering the ward, Adriana closed her eyes for a moment, forcing the turbulent emotions back down into her chest.When she pushed the door open again, she was already wearing a faint, composed smile."Chris, are you feeling better today?"Chris set down the book in his hands and looked up at her, his eyes curved with a gentle smile."Much better. What were you busy with last night?"He had called her several times from last night until this morning. Worried, he hadn't slept the entire night.Adriana answered truthfully, "It was Grandpa Scott's birthday yesterday. I accidentally drank too much and slept until noon."With Chris's connections, he should already have known about it.He lowered his eyes, his fingertips lightly tracing the spine of the book."Since you've already divorced Francesco, try to avoid the Stanley family events in the future if you can. It'll only upset you.""Mm," Adriana responded softly.There was a hint of probing concern hidden in his words,
Adriana didn't refuse. She slid straight into the back seat and snatched her phone back from Francesco's hand, teasing lightly, "Your service is pretty thorough. I'll look for you again next time I need it."Francesco's face darkened further and further. His hands tightened on the steering wheel so hard it looked like he might crush it.Adriana, on the other hand, felt inexplicably pleased.She absentmindedly rested a hand over her lower abdomen, thinking that with how many times it had happened last night, she wondered if she might actually get pregnant.Francesco was handsome, intelligent, and—more importantly—he was the man she liked. He was the perfect candidate to be the child's father.No matter where their relationship went in the future, she found herself strangely looking forward to that possibility.The car remained silent all the way.Francesco said nothing, his face dark and stormy, as if he were the one being wronged.The familiar, cold scent in the car lingered ar
"Adriana, let go."Francesco's voice was hoarse, strained. One hand pressed against the bed as the other tried to pull at the already disheveled bath towel around his waist.Beneath him, one of Adriana's dress straps had slipped down her arm, exposing pale skin.She made no attempt to cover herself. Instead, she hooked an arm around his neck and pulled herself up, meeting his tightly pressed lips in a kiss.In that brief moment of stunned hesitation, she tugged him down with her.As his burning body came crashing down onto hers, she yanked the bath towel from his waist and tossed it aside without a second thought.Her initiative was almost aggressively intense.Francesco's mind went blank for a heartbeat.When he finally reacted, he shoved her away, his voice low and rough."Adriana, you're drunk. I'll take you to Bianca's room."He tried to get up, but she clung to him like a gecko."I'm not drunk. Just a little tipsy."Her hands were anything but obedient, boldly teasing
"The surgery was a success, but the recovery afterward is slow. I've been running back and forth from the lab and taking so many leaves. Sorry for the trouble.""It's my honor that you're even willing to come to the lab. Even if you only show up once or twice a month, that's more than enough."Oliver seemed to think of something and added, "By the way, it's Scarlet's birthday the day after tomorrow. She asked me to invite you to her birthday banquet."Adriana smiled and gently declined. "I'm sorry, I still need to take care of Chris. I probably won't be able to make it. Please help me explain it to your sister."She wasn't close enough to Scarlet to warrant attending her birthday banquet.Moreover, after the last dinner, she felt a strong aversion to the way Scarlet looked at her—measuring, probing, as if she were being evaluated. So she used Chris as a convenient excuse and declined the invitation.Oliver lowered his eyes and smiled softly. "I'll explain it. You don't need to fe
"What do you think?"Joan let out a haughty snort, stepping back half a pace—right onto his polished leather shoes."When we were abroad, we could still meet often. But now that we're back, it's nearly impossible to see each other."Dean's usual calm, composed demeanor shifted; a playful, almost
"Where did you go today?"Chris's gaze was soft, his tone carrying a casual intimacy. He wheeled himself up to Adriana, gesturing for her to push him to the dining table."I went to Bella's place to help out—her shop opened today." Adriana's voice was calm as she guided the wheelchair. It wasn't a
In the blink of an eye, the day of Grandma Rosie's memorial arrived. Adriana got to the cemetery early, confirming the arrangements with the staff.Dew clung to the grass beside the graves, soaking her pant legs as she walked. She settled on a bench to dry off, lifting her gaze to a sea of headston
Of course it wasn't fine. Even a man who kept a mistress wouldn't bring her to an occasion this respectable.Chris was a well-known figure in their circle, and Joan came from a good family herself. Back then, the prospect of a marriage alliance between the Slater and Hill families had been common k







