LOGINHenry came by several times to reassure Paige. Talia's surgery lasted nearly four hours.Afterward, Talia was moved to the recovery room. She was wheeled out of the operating room after an hour in recovery.Her consciousness flickered. She opened her hazy eyes. Henry, Jerry, Paige, and the nurses surrounded her, but Quentin was nowhere to be seen.Her mind felt foggy, and she quickly fell back asleep. She didn't fully wake until 2:00 pm.The moment she opened her eyes, she felt sharp pain radiating from her leg. She instinctively frowned.Then she heard concerned voices beside her. "Talia, how are you feeling?""Talia, does the incision hurt? If it does, I can increase your pain medication."It was Paige and Henry. Quentin's voice was absent. Talia glanced around again.Disappointment washed over her, but she still managed to smile at them. "Paige, Henry, aside from some pain at the incision, I'm fine."They both exhaled in relief.Paige said, "Then rest, Talia. I'm going to
Nancy studied Christian's expression, trying to read him, searching for any sign of guilt. But Christian stayed silent and turned his face away.Nancy searched his expression but found nothing. Christian seemed lost in thought. She felt like she'd never truly understood him.Nancy stepped forward and took Christian's hand. She spoke softly. "Chris, will you take me home?"Christian finally looked down at her. "Alright."Nancy didn't say anything else. She got into Christian's car and sat in the passenger seat. Christian got in and drove toward Jubilee Manor.Neither of them spoke during the drive.When the car stopped, Nancy opened the door and got out. Christian followed. They stood by the roadside in silence again.Finally, Nancy spoke. "Chris, I should go in."Christian looked at her. "Okay."Nancy turned toward the gate, but after just two steps, she couldn't help turning back. "Chris, have you really decided that you want to marry me?"Christian nodded. "Yes."Nancy fel
Cecilia noticed Connor's reaction and asked curiously, "You know her?"Connor didn't hide it. "Yeah."Cecilia looked between Connor and Nancy.Connor's eyes were fixed on Nancy. In front of everyone, he unconsciously picked up some food and placed it on Nancy's plate.Cecilia leaned in and whispered, "Connor, something's off with you.""What's off?""Since when are you this nice to the ladies?"Connor put some food on Cecilia's plate, too. "Just eat your food. Maybe it'll keep your mouth busy."From beginning to end, Christian never once looked after Nancy. They acted like complete strangers.Cecilia was curious and leaned closer to Connor. "Connor, tell me, are you..."Before she could finish speaking, Connor snapped. "Cecilia, are you annoying or what? Why are you acting like such a nag?"Connor's accusation was blunt, leaving Cecilia stunned.Seeing the two about to argue, Christian slammed his utensils down. He looked up at both of them, then said sharply, "Eat."Neith
William played peacemaker. After a round of toasts, Millie stopped talking.Julian didn't say much either. Once he sat back down, he kept his head down, focused on his phone.William glanced over to see what he was doing, but Julian hid his phone against his chest and scoffed. "Eat your food. Why are you watching me text the ladies?"Although Julian sounded confident, William sensed that he was hiding something. But since Julian clearly didn't want to share, William didn't press.Halfway through the meal, new guests arrived at the Lane residence.A maid escorted the guest to the party and said to Margaret, "Ma'am, another guest has arrived."Margaret was drinking with someone. When she heard the maid, she turned to look and saw a beautiful, gentle-looking young woman.Margaret had never seen her before. The newcomer was none other than Nancy.Christian happened to be sitting facing the entrance. When he heard the maid's voice, he instinctively looked up. The moment he saw Nancy
Before Margaret could refuse, Millie turned to Eliza and called out loudly, "Eliza, you must be thrilled to have me sit next to you, right?"Eliza didn't know whether to smile or not, especially with everyone's eyes on her.Left with no choice, she forced a smile. "Of course. Come sit. I'd be delighted to have you next to me."Millie took a seat anyway, ignoring Eliza's reluctance. She had come uninvited that night with no good intentions.If the people who had looked down on her and bullied her daughter-in-law were miserable, then she was happy.After Millie sat, Margaret went to greet other guests, but before turning away, she shot Eliza a meaningful look. Eliza caught Margaret's signal and nodded.Millie noticed their exchange. Once the meal began, Eliza spoke casually. "Millie, you look beautiful today. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were the birthday girl."Millie wasn't surprised at all. She smiled at Eliza. "That brain surgery really did wonders for you, Eliza. Yo
After Connor sneered at Cecilia, he left.At the entrance of the Lane residence, Julian supported his mother, Eliza, as they slowly made their way inside.Margaret saw Eliza and hurried forward with concern. "Eliza, are you feeling better?"Eliza smiled and placed her hand on Margaret's. "Yes, much better."Margaret said, "Oh, I feel terrible making you come all this way.. How can I accept this?"Eliza turned to look at Julian. "Julian, give Margaret the gift we brought."Julian handed the gift to Margaret. "Happy birthday, Margaret."Margaret's face lit up with a smile. "Thank you, Julian. You and your mother should take your seats. I'll join you both after I finish greeting the guests."Julian nodded. "Margaret, carry on. Mom and I will head inside."Margaret nodded and called a maid to escort them in. William arrived soon after. After exchanging some pleasantries, he also entered the party venue.When Julian helped Eliza to her seat, he deliberately avoided the table where
Garrett stood at the top of the stairs holding his laptop bag, watching as Quentin carried Talia away. The accusatory words on the tip of his tongue died when he saw how flushed Talia's face was.Quentin ran into Paige, who had just come back, as he descended the stairs. Even while carrying Talia,
That evening, Talia worked an extra half hour. When she left the hospital, a colleague asked her to go out for dinner.After eating and returning to the Stewart residence, it was already 11:00 pm. Since leaving the hospital where Yvonne was staying that morning, Christian hadn't called Talia once.
The night wind blew gently. Quentin and Talia were the only ones on the lawn.When she heard his question, she looked back at him. Her voice suddenly turned hoarse as she replied, "I just feel sorry for myself."She had wasted years of her youth on Christian before seeing his true colors.It was
As Talia's feet touched the ground, she finally felt a faint sense of security. She wiped the tears from her face, looked at Quentin, and shook her head. "I'm fine; just a little scared."However, Quentin wasn't reassured. He pressed, "Really?"Talia said, "Yes, really."Quentin watched her looki







