เข้าสู่ระบบChristian was still suffocating under a cloud of resentment.The woman who had once claimed to love him above all else, who had been willing to sacrifice everything for him, had moved on to someone else.How was he supposed to accept that?Upon hearing his dismissive tone, Yvonne pouted in protest. "Why can't she be? Nancy is my mommy. As soon as you marry her, she'll be my mommy for real."Christian didn't want to hear another word of it. He snapped, "That's enough. Don't bring this up again."Sensing his brewing temper, Yvonne reached out and hooked her hand around his finger. "Daddy, what's wrong?"Realizing his attitude had been a bit harsh, Christian scooped Yvonne up into his arms and said softly, "Come on. I'm taking you out for burgers."Yvonne didn't refuse, but the spark of excitement wasn't there.At the mall, Christian ordered the food and sat with her, but neither of them cracked a smile.Yvonne didn't finish her burger, and Christian didn't push her. He simply pi
Nancy stood before Julian, but with every word out of her mouth centered on Christian, his mood soured even further.He looked up at her, his gaze sharp and searching, as he demanded, "Is Christian really that incredible in your eyes? Is it simply impossible for anyone else to measure up to him?"Nancy could tell that he was upset. She simply said, "All I know is that he's going to be my husband."Julian bristled at that. "Nancy, how long are you going to keep playing the fool? He's been talking about marrying you for a long time, but has he done it? Until there's a ring on your finger, stop being so delusional."His words cut deep. Nancy stared at him, caught between anger and helplessness. "Julian, you…"Julian knew he had been harsh, but he wasn't about to apologize. He averted his gaze, refusing to look at her.After a heavy silence, he muttered, "Just leave. I don't want to see you."Nancy opened her mouth to say something, but seeing how much he was pushing her away, she j
Nancy's heart stung.Still, she leaned in toward Christian. She didn't kiss him directly. Instead, she pressed her fingers against his lips and kissed the back of her own fingers.Nancy's gaze drifted downward, and she asked in confusion, "Chris, what's wrong?"Christian snapped out of it and shook his head as if to dislodge the lingering images of Talia and Quentin.He leaned over to crush his cigarette into the ashtray before answering, "Nothing."Nancy sank into his embrace. Listening to the steady, heavy thrum of his heart, she asked, "Why did you stop?"Christian offered no answer, choosing silence instead.In the long stretch of quiet that followed, Nancy's emotions began to settle.What was the point in asking?She knew the truth deep down. Christian probably didn't love her nearly as much as he told himself he did.But even knowing that, Nancy never thought of ending things with him. She needed him to maintain the life she wanted.Without Christian, she was just a pr
Christian tore down the road back to Jubilee Manor, pushing his car to its limits. A drive that usually took half an hour was over in 20 minutes.Once inside the gates, his stride was frantic and sharp. He burst into the living room, but Emma was nowhere to be seen.She was likely out grocery shopping at this hour.Glancing around, he didn't see Nancy either, so he called out, "Nancy?"When no one answered, he tried again. "Nancy!"Upon hearing Christian's shout, Nancy emerged from the upstairs room and made her way to the landing of the stairs.As she looked down at him from the top of the stairs, she frowned in confusion. "Chris? What's going on?"Without saying a single word, Christian strode up the stairs toward her.The moment he reached her, he swept her off her feet and into his arms.Nancy hooked her arms around his neck, her eyes wide with shock. "Chris? W-What are you doing?"His face was a mask of cold stone, his sharp features set in a grim line.He carried her s
After a long pause, Christian finally turned back to face William. His eyes were burning with fury as he shouted, "Have you said enough?"William replied, "No, not yet."Christian's patience snapped. "Shut up!"But William continued as if he hadn't heard a single word, "Christian, let's face the truth. It's because of you that everything has come to this point. Talia loved you so much back then, but did you ever once truly look at her?"It's only because she wants a divorce that you've finally decided to look her in the eye. Only now do you remember that there's a woman like her by your side. You don't love her, and you don't love Nancy either."All you've ever loved is the feeling of what you can't have. The easier something comes to you, the less you want it. You—"Before he could finish speaking, Christian stormed off and got into his car. The engine roared to life as the car sped off, disappearing into the distance.William stood motionless, defeated. He knew his words were
Christian's face remained expressionless as he stared at Quentin. "Are you really any better than me? If she stays with you like this, with no status to her name, who's going to be branded as shameless? You? Or her?"The moment the words left his mouth, Quentin's expression turned serious. He instinctively turned to glance at Talia.Seeing the panic on Quentin's face, Christian couldn't help but chuckle. "Ha, you're scared now? Since you've made my life a misery, did you really think I'd let you live yours in bliss?"With those words, Christian shifted his gaze back to Talia. He stared at her for a long time without saying anything.Finally, he made a move, but he still didn't speak. Instead, he turned and left the ward.Once he was gone, the tension in the room lingered.William took a glance at Talia before speaking up. "Ms. Stewart, Chris just doesn't know how to express himself. He doesn't mean to hurt you. Don't take those words to heart."When Talia didn't respond, he sigh
Quentin's words brought more comfort than Christian's ever could. Talia couldn't explain why, but something about Quentin's voice had this strange power to calm her racing heart.After a long silence, she murmured into the phone, "Okay."She wasn't sure if Quentin had even heard her, but she hung
Christian reached his car, but instead of getting in right away, he quietly lit a cigarette.As the smoke rose into the air, he suddenly squinted before replying to Nancy over the phone, "I'm heading to the office."Nancy was taken aback by his response. After a brief silence, she said, "Chris, Yv
Christian looked upset. The sound of wind drifted from his side. He stared at Talia's face on the screen and said, "If I'd known you were pregnant, I would've made sure you kept the baby."Talia was momentarily stunned by his words.The memory of her brush with death from an amniotic fluid embolis
In all their years of marriage, Christian had never called Talia that except when putting on a show in front of Franklin. Hearing the word "honey" now made Talia's heart feel unbearably heavy.Quentin heard Christian's words, too. His face turned dark and vicious at once.At the same time, he shou







