Dexter gritted his teeth. “Julian, are you nning to keep me under your thumb for the rest of my life?”

    Julian smiled, his tone calm andposed. “Wasn” it your choice, Dexter? Who was it that came to my bedside, begging and crying, promising to serve me for life and dedicate themselves to Neb? What’s this? Are you regretting it now?”

    Dexter ground his teeth. “Fine, I’ll go to Yarrowmee!”

    Once Dexter left, Julian’s mood improved significantly. On one hand, he had both children by his side, and on the other, he felt an overwhelming sense of anticipation.

    He didn’t think Willow would like Patrick. Patrick’s appearance was a bit rough, which didn’t align

    with Willow’s tastes.

    Julian thought to himself, “If I focus on my recovery, maybe I can get back to normal.”

    It was just a matter of being a little less attractive.

    1

    In the afternoon, Julian had an inspection to conduct. He left the office with Esther. He didn’t expect to run into Willow, nor did he expect it to shatter the confidence he had just built.

    The autumn sun zed in the sky.

    In the afternoon, Willow went out to buy a birthday gift for Rowena. She carefully selected a limited edition set of garage kits that the store clerk said were hard toe by–even money couldn’t guarantee a purchase.

    After paying for the gift, Willow checked the time–round 3:00 pm. Gabrie and Landon finished school at 4:00 pm, so she nned to grab a coffee before heading to pick them up.

    She had just received a message from Julian asking her to pick up the kids, as he was caught up in a meeting.

    Willow was happy to do it.

    She was about to get in the car when a voice called out to her, “Ms. Harper.”

    Willow looked over and frozei. /i“Mr. Sherman?”

    Dressed in a sleek ck hunting jacket, he clearly had just returned to the city. He walked over and nced at the gift in her hands, quickly deducing it was for Rowena. a

    However, what he wanted to talk to her about was something more personal.

    Patrick had always been respectful, never crossing any lines, but today he couldn’t hold back.

    Thalia had been crying at home, saying how good–looking Landon’s father was, and that Willow couldn’t be her mother anymore.

    1/22

    Step by step, Patrick moved closer to Willow.

    She leaned back against her car, knowing exactly what Patrick was about to ask. She was ready to turn him down, but before she could speak, his lips were already on hers.

    Patrick’s neatlybed hair framed a face that, though rugged, still held a certain handsomeness. His gaze toward Willow was gentle, far from harsh,

    He liked Willow for her gentleness, her tender nature. He was willing to spoil and indulge her.

    He leaned in, his voice low and seductive. “How long are you going to keep running from this? When are you going to stop pretending? You know what I feel.”

    Willow didn’t pretend to be oblivious. Her slender body pressed against the car, her hands gently resting on Patrick’s arm.

    She tilted her head back to meet his gaze. There was a hint of affection in her eyes–Patrick had always treated her so well.

    But still, she rejected him. “Mr. Sherman, don’t wait for me.”

    She understood the pain of waiting for someone and the agony of longing. With Landon now in her life, she knew it was best not to keep Patrick waiting.

    A rtionship took time to build, and that just wasn’t something she had right now.

    After she spoke, she tried to pull away, but Patrick held on. His eyes were filled with deep affection, and he wasn’t about to give up on her.

    A ck RV was parked by the roadside for quite some time.

    Julian happened to pass by.

    He was pleasantly surprised to run into Willow, but the hug she shared with Patrick took him off guard even more. As a man, Julian could easily tell that Willow wasn’t indifferent toward Patrick. There was a trace of regret in her eyes.

    It reminded him of the way she once looked at Jeffrey, caught between affection and friendship.

    Julian sat quietly in the car, observing them. It was as though something inside him had cracked wide open.

    He was no longer the same Julian. His physical and emotional state had both changed.

    His phone buzzed. It was Mnie,

    Mnie’s voice came through the line, saying that the Cantrells had reached out. If he wasn’t interested in Sacha, they would start arranging other blind dates for her.

    She had thought that this matter would be resolved

    But just as she was about to hang up, Julian spoke softly, “I’m going to give it a try with Sacha.”