Often, 1 would be cadrulating accounts at the front desk while he sat in the momer reading. When mealitmes came, he would cook, claiming it was his rent
out il–after all, this had been his shop, and he had transferred it to me
What’s more, he even cooked for me every day, coming up with different dishes all the time. Having said that, he was really good at cooking
Whenever I asked if he needed to return to work, he would smile and say:||
My brother is in charge of the family company, and I can work remotely. Besides, I don’t dare go back: My brother says a grown man like me still being single embarrassing. He threatened to kick me out if I don’t take a good wife home. 1
“Therefore, obviously. I’m trying
I could hear the hidden meaning in his words, and I felt my face flush with hest
Bat from that day on, our relationship seemed to grow much closer.
A few months later, two young girls came to the shop, gossiping excitedly together:||
“Hey, did you hear? Mr. Hayes’s chairman had a baby boy–so adorable! But poor Mrs. Hayes. She had some kind of mental breakdown after giving birth and got admitted to a psychiatric hospital-
“It was probably a postpartum depression. But compared to that, Mr. Hayes’s mother had a stroke the other day. She can’t even speak and lost mobility. Now she confined to a nursing home.
My hand trembled, spilling hot water directly onto my skin. I let out a pained hiss.]}
rihan quickly rushed over to help me rinse with cold water. The concern in his eyes made it seem as if he was the one who’d been hurt
www
1 forced a smile and said, “It’s fine. I’m not that pampered”
Ethan gently
y examined my finger and insisted. “No, you need to be pampered: Otherwise, what am I here for?”
I smiled shyly without pushing him away. Some things I’d already accepted in my heart.[]
The next moment, an angry familiar voice suddenly rang out:
“What are you two doing?
Chapter 10
After more than a year without seeing him. Tyler had become even more mature. ||
His youthful looks were gone, his features now sharp and defined, though there was something heavy about his demeanor that made people feel uncomfortabile
The two young girls clamped their mouths shat, their eyes widening with excitement.||
“Isn1 isn’t that Mr. Hayes?! So handsome in person!!
Tyler gave them a cold glance
“GET OUT
The intimidating wara around him frightened the young girls, who scurried away immedtimely
I raised my eyebrows at him.
Tyler, you scared away my customers. –
Tyler stared coldly M Chan’s and my intertwined hands, forcing out a few words through clenched teeth:
тулет
“Tihan, I’m giving you three minutes. Let go, or I won’t be polite about it. ||
But than held on even tighter, smiling provocatively.
“Why should 1 let go of my girlfriend’s hand? What are you going to do with me? ||
“Are you trying to drive me crazy too, to get me locked up in a psychiatric hospital? Or a nursing home? Tyler, you’re becoming less human by the day.”
I stared in shock, not expecting those things had been Tyler’s doing
But didn’t he love olivia deeply? Why would he do thi
Tyler seemed triggered by the “girlfriend longing forward and striking Ethan across the face
Than quickly shielded me behind him, the corner of his mouth bleeding Tyler was about to hit him again when I jumped in front of Ethan.
“Tyler, have you lost your damn mind?!”
Tyler’s fist froze in midair, looking at me with disbelier]
“Emms, you’re protecting him?“[]
“Mr. Hayes, don’t be so funny. If I’m not protecting my own boyfriend, am I supposed to protect you?“]
Tyler’s face turned a sickly white as he desperately grabbed my wrist
“No, impossible. I’M your boyfriend! You love Mr. the most, don’t you?”
Emma, I know you’re angry with me. I add that at first, I didn’t forget Olivia and my promise to her, so I deceived you. I was wrong about that, and I apologize. []
But we were together for five years, and later I truly fell in love with your
I told my mother, but she wouldn’t approve of you coming Into our family.
The used the position of the Hayes heir to pressure me, forcing me to abandon you and merry Olivia. []
Only under those car dirions would the agree with our relationship. I had no choice but to comply with her request and sleep with olivia, hoping she’d get pregnant sprickly [
If I lost my position as the Hayes heir. I would have nothing left, and I could never give you a happy life. ||
uver now. I got the Hayes fortune, Olivia gave birth to my son, and I’ve already had her committed to a psychiatrie institution and filed for divorce. My mother can’t bad por back anymor
We can be together forever now. I did I ALL. FOR YOU,
YOU, EMMAT]]
si amusement.
I pulled back my hand and said motionlessly
But Tyler, when we were together, you had nothing either. Yet I felt like the luckiest women alive
during that time
I never expected you to give me fancy cars, diamond rings, or any luxury things. 1 ninly wanted to be with the person I loved, to love each other sincerely and treat each other honestly, without betrayal or deception.
Even if we lived in a rented apartment for the rest of our lives, I would have been content.
But you played with and trampled on my genuine feelings.”
You keep saying it was for me, but actually, it was all for yourself. Someone like you might enjoy playing prince–turned–frog for a while, but you’ll never accept becoming an ordinary person. I was just an excuse you used to rationalize your actions.
Tyler was struck by my words. His body swayed slightly as he said filled with reluctance.
Tut I do love you. Emma. Can’t you forgive me just this once?“]
I gave a bitter smile ||
“Tyler, you probably don’t realize that I’ve forgiven you many times already.”
That stay out of the escape room, I thought if you just denied being Olivia’s boyfriend, I would forgive you
T
That evening at the humi, I was outside your door calling you, thinking if you just rushed back to my side, I would start over with you]
But you didn’t
“Do you know how much I loathe myself for being so despicable like that? And now. I no longer want to abandon my dignity and self–respect for anyone.
Go back and take good care of Olivia and raise your sun.
You’ve already trampled on one woman’s genuine feelings–don 1 di
destroy another woman s life.“[]
Tyler eventually left, but before going, he left a property transfer agreement on the table. I knew he was trying to compensate me.
Ethan tore the agreement to pieces and threw it into the trash can:
“What nonsense. I don’t need anyone else to provide for my wife.
I looked at him and tacitly approved of his behavior
The genuine feelings once given–no amount of money could ever buy them back
Later, Ethan and I got married. We had children and lived happily into our old age
As for Tyler, he never went back to Olivia, the raised that boy alone and even bought the small complex where we had once rented an apartment.]
After transferring all his business to his son, he moved into that small, rented apartment
Tyler became a recluse, shutting out the world.
Day after day, he sat alone, his only company a stack of yellowed photographs- whispering to the fading past ||
Then, on some forgotten evening, they found him–white–haired and still in his rocking chair
No one knew when he breathed his last.
