Suddenly, a voice rang beside Willow’s ear. “Willow”

    She turned around to look and saw that it was Dexter.

    After the incident back then, Dexter had been in prison. By the time he was released, Willow had already gone abroad.

    Thus, they hadn’t seen each other in bfive /byears.

    Dexter walked over slowly as he looked at Willow’s face. Though she looked a little tired, she was still as gentle and lovely as ever, a far cry from the aggressive figure he remembered.

    Perhaps, he had never really hated her. He had only resented her for not choosing him.

    But those kinds of thoughts could only be buried deep in his heart.

    She had children with Julian, so she was destined to be tied to him for life.

    Dexter’s voice was low and deep. “It’s been so long, and I still haven’t had the chance to apologize to you in person. Willow, I’m sorry for everything. If you ever need anything from me, just say the word and don’t hold back.”

    Willow was filled with mixed feelings. After a long pause, she replied calmly, “Dexter, I’m not used to seeing this side of you.”

    Dexter gave a big grin and replied, “You’ll get used to it.”

    Upstairs, on the balcony of the master bedroom, Julian had a light coat draped over his shoulders, quietly smoking as he stood in ce.

    The thin mist of smoke slowly curled upward. A gust of wind swept through, dispersing the haze and clearing his view of the scene downstairs.

    As a grown man, Julian could easily read the intent behind Dexter’s eyes. There was a pathetic trace of regret.

    He didn’t interfere, as there was no point in meddling with something that would have no oue anyway. Still, he couldn’t deny the jealousy he felt inside.

    Now, even Dexter could show a smile to Willow, and yet he, Julian, could not!

    In the days that followed, Julian continued going on blind dates, but none of them worked out.

    He knew the problem was him, that he just couldn’t let go of Willow. Every time he saw her, something inside of him stirred. He couldn’t stop his thoughts from running wild.

    As autumn deepened, Willow’s life settled into a steady rhythm. With two children by her side, her heart was full and content.

    However, she slowly distanced herself from Julian, only asionally catching a glimpse of him when picking up or dropping off Landon.

    12

    She’d heard that Julian was still going on blind dates, seeing four in a month. What energy!

    Willow didn’t pay it any mind and just focused on raising the kids. After school, she’d take them out for delicious food before sending Landon back to Radiance Manor.

    Julian rarely workedte these days, so Willow could tell he genuinely cared for Landon.

    On Friday, the sky was shrouded in a light mist, looking like it was about to rain.

    Willow left early to avoid the traffic. At 4:00 pm, she arrived at the kindergarten. To her surprise, Gabrie was waiting alone. The teacher said that Julian had picked up Landon earlier.

    Willow was taken aback. Julian would never pick Landon up and leave Gabrie behind. She assumed Landon must’ve gotten hurt and decided to swing by Radiance Manor to have a look.

    Inside the car, Gabrie was quiet and sullen the whole time. When Willow was about to start the car, she asked carefully, “Mommy, what’s an autoimmune disease?”

    Willow turned to look at Gabrie and asked, “Who told you that?”

    Gabrie’s little face carried a hint of sadness. She bit her rosy lips and said, “This afternoon, Landon had a nosebleed. Daddy rushed over to take him to the hospital. He and the teacher were talking softly, but I was hiding nearby and overheard them.”

    Tears welled up in Gabrie’s eyes. “The teacher said that if Landon’s condition gets worse, he’ll have to take a break from school.”

    All the color drained from Willow’s face.

    But she still maintained reason, not wanting to scare Gabrie. She forced a smile and said, “That won’t happen. Landon will be fine. Landon’s Daddy will protect him. He’ll be fine.”

    Gabrie didn’t look convinced. Willow first dropped Gabrie home. Heather took one look at Willow and could tell something was wrong.

    X