جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 8

I turned to leave but was blocked by several people."Garrett, don't go. You still haven't done the striptease you promised.""Yeah, we're still waiting to see it."I turned to look at Lucy Sloan. Without a word from her, there was absolutely no way I'd be walking out of here today.She sat on the couch with Oscar Reilly in her arms and urged me patiently, "Hurry up and strip! Or I'll have the hospital stop your mother's treatment right now!"Thinking of Mom lying in the hospital, I raised my trembling hands and unbuttoned my shirt, revealing my toned abs.Everyone's eyes fell on me, and some even whistled teasingly.The next second, a jacket still warm with body heat fell over my shoulders, enveloping me completely.Lucy glared at me angrily. "Garrett Mueller, you've certainly got some nerve!"I looked up at her with reddened eyes. "Isn't this what you asked for?"A complex emotion flickered through Lucy's eyes, and she spat out coldly, "Get out!"I clutched the jacket tigh

I knelt beside Mom's bed, clutching her hand tightly."Mom, it's me. Please, just open your eyes and look at me."But no matter how I called out to her, her eyes remained shut tight.A long time passed. Only when my tears had run dry did I shakily pull myself to my feet and make the arrangements to have Mom cremated.I carried her urn to the cemetery, ready to lay her to rest.Mom loved the sea more than anything, so I'd planned to bury her by the shore. But before I could do so, a car pulled up in front of me. Several bodyguards descended on me and dragged me before Lucy.Lucy fixed me with a steely glare. "Garrett, you've grown some nerve! How dare you try to run?"I looked back at her with pure hatred. "What gives you the right to lock me up?"Because of her, the last family I had in this world was gone too.My words only stoked her rage further. She seized my chin and hissed, "Garrett, this is what you owe me!"I laughed through the tears spilling down my cheeks. "Lucy, I

That dead body wasn't really me. So, to avoid any further complications and prevent Lucy from seeing through the ruse, Mr. Sloan had swiftly disposed of the body while she was still unconscious.Now, the fact that I had perished in the fire was ironclad.Lucy became so emotionally agitated that she shoved Mr. Sloan away."Garrett is my husband! Who gave you the right to cremate him without my consent? Give him back to me!"Mr. Sloan was knocked to the ground. But he ignored the pain and got up again, wrapping his arms around her."Lucy, I know you're heartbroken, but the dead cannot be brought back to life. You need to move on. In a few days, I'll set you up on a blind date with the heir of the Crawford fam—"Before Mr. Sloan could finish his sentence, Lucy had already cast him aside and run outside.She arrived at the cemetery and, seeing the serene smile of mine on the tombstone, could not help but kneel before my grave and wept bitterly. "Garrett, I'm sorry. I'm the one who g

In the morning, I made chicken soup and knocked on the door of my neighbor.Abigail Reese opened the door, and her eyes lit up noticeably when she saw me."Garrett, what can I do for you?"My gaze fell upon her bandaged right arm."With your arm out of commission, let me take care of your meals until the cast comes off," I said apologetically.Three months ago, Mr. Sloan had sent me to this remote border town, far from the bustling city. I had rented a room at the local guesthouse, intending to stay long-term.Abigail was a local and two years younger than me. After we'd only met a handful of times, she suddenly confessed to me, saying she had fallen for me at first sight.It really caught me off guard. Once I recovered, I turned her down flat.My three-year ordeal with Lucy had drained any hope I had for love, much less any belief in the idea of love at first sight.Fortunately, after being rejected, Abigail was quite gracious about it and didn't pester me excessively. Our in