جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 9

"Tyler, talk some sense into Mimi."When I didn't say a word, Julia Morse immediately turned to my husband, Tyler West."That child had a rough life. His parents are gone, and he even got bullied by the older kids in the orphanage. I saw his photo. He seems like he'd fit in well with the two of you. As long as you agree, I'll start the adoption process right away.""Julia, drop it. Don't bring this up again."Tyler put down his glass and cut her off.Julia was visibly surprised. Clearly, she hadn't expected Tyler to refuse on my behalf.Tyler grabbed my hand, the warmth of his palm seeping into mine. He looked straight at Julia and said, "Michelle and I have decided that we're not having kids. Even if it's a relative's child, we won't raise them."Julia's smile stiffened, but she quickly pressed on awkwardly, "T-There's no need to be so set on it, right? What if you regret it later?"I balled my fist but said nothing.The biggest regret of my life was becoming her friend.Jul

After we rejected Julia that day, she backed off for a few days.Tyler and I contacted a real estate agent about selling the house as we wanted to move out as soon as possible.Three days later, we had just returned from a meeting with the agent when we bumped into Julia and Howard at the entrance of our apartment complex.We immediately put our guard up, thinking she was back to push the boy on us again.Julia pulled Howard over with a relieved smile on her face. "Michelle, Tyler, I've figured it out."She patted Howard's head, looking every bit the picture of doting affection. "Since you don't like kids, I won't force you anymore. I've completed the adoption paperwork, so Howie's now my son. I'll raise him myself."Hearing that, Tyler and I exchanged glances.At this point in our previous life, Alex's wife, Catalina Tassi, was already tracking down his mistress. It was odd that she would choose this time to adopt Howard. Something just didn't add up."Oh? You're going to rais

Howard flinched hard, his tears abruptly stopping out of fear.It was clear that, as an illegitimate child, he not only knew his own background, but also recognized the woman standing before him.Howard grabbed onto my pant leg, his nails digging into my skin."Mrs. West, no! I don't want to go with her! I want to go to your house. I'll be good. I'll help with the laundry and cooking. I won't ask to eat peppers anymore. Please don't let me leave with her!"Looking at Howard, now terrified out of his wits, I felt no sympathy at all.Catalina turned to look at me, her lips curved into a smile. "Ms. Butler, you told me over the phone that this child looks exactly like Alex. I hate being made a fool of, so I hope you're not wasting my time."She deliberately stressed the last few words, her tone icy and sharp enough to send a chill down everyone's spine.I met her gaze calmly. "Mrs. Sagesse, there's no need to worry. A DNA test will settle the matter. Howard is an orphan now, and I

As Julia's secret was laid bare, her face turned pale."H-How did you find out?"Clearly, she had no idea we'd figure it out.As humiliation and anger consumed her, her expression twisted even more viciously. "Enough talk. Get Howie back now! Otherwise, I won't let this go!""Catalina has him now. If you dare, go get him from her!" Tyler roared, pointing at the door. "Get out of my house now. If you don't, I'll call the police and tell them there's a fraudster who faked her death to escape! Do you want to go to jail or get captured by Catalina?"When Tyler mentioned calling the police and Catalina, Julia shrank back in fear.Once her identity was exposed, she would definitely be charged with fraud. And Catalina would make her life a living hell.She shot us a venomous look."Fine. You win! You've ruined my plan, and my son suffered because of you. Just you wait. I won't let you off easily. I'll make sure you pay for this!"After throwing out one last threat, she pulled her cap

Because of the incident, I was consumed by guilt and couldn't sleep all night.Tyler spent the entire night comforting me.The following day, more details were released.The deceased was a woman. Through DNA testing, her identity was confirmed to be Julia Morse, who was believed to have died in a car accident previously.Tyler was delighted to learn of this, while I was relieved.Police reported that Julia previously staged her death in a car accident to avoid paying her debts.This time, she got into a dispute with her creditor and accidentally fell off a cliff while attempting to flee. The creditor's identity was never clearly disclosed in the reports and was eventually left unaddressed.Tyler and I immediately knew that Catalina was behind this. She not only dealt with Julia but also handled the matter flawlessly without leaving any loose ends.Julia had wanted to make our deaths look like an accident, but in the end, she became the one who met an accidental end. She had rea