Mason couldn’t sleep. The blood in the bedroom had been cleaned up a long time ago, but he could smell the coppery stench in the air, reminding him of the tragedy that took place a mere few hours ago.He and Zoe had finally come to the end of the line.Yanni cried for hours. He couldn't calm her down until past midnight. Then, he passed her to Deborah to take care of her.The night was dark and quiet when he went into the study. He was smoking on the couch and wisps of light green smoke lingered in the air. It was all around him, giving him a hazy, surreal look.It seemed, incidentally, that there were a lot of painful memories for Zoe here in the study. He had done some unspeakable, humiliating things to her when he forced himself on her. Then, there was the time when he slapped her because of the vinyl. She grew cold to him after that.If there was a specific time he would point at and say, “This is where it started going downhill,” it would be that slap.He tried to salvage th

Mason started having insomnia again ever since Zoe left.He kept seeing her in his dreams. They loved each other back then. He’d much rather hold on to their happy memories. That would make him feel slightly better about himself.However, he didn’t visit her.The doctors told him that Zoe was cooperating with the treatment very much. She read books and wrote diaries in the villa. Her emotions were much more stable and she was on the road to recovery.All’s well that ends well, he thought to himself.…Yanni kept crying at the top of her lungs. Perhaps she missed her mother after not seeing her for a long time.Mason looked after her in the night and took her with him to the office in the day. Ava helped him with the baby. At this moment, she was carrying Yanni in her arms and comforting her patiently. Feeding the baby with formula, she said softly, “A baby needs her mother! It’s going to affect her health if you keep letting her cry like this.” She sobbed a little before conti

Mason had asked the doctor at the rehabilitation center about Zoe multiple times. He kept asking if Zoe changed her mind about returning to his side, but the doctor would always reply that Zoe was adamant about the divorce and that she didn’t want to see him.His heart sank every time he heard the doctor’s answer.After that, New Year was right around the corner in the blink of an eye. It was New Year’s Eve now. He made the point for the servants to prepare some homemade pizza for Zoe. He even sent some of Yanni’s pictures to her.She was going to be delighted to receive these, he thought.Then, he had a family dinner at Lockwood Manor, as he always did every year. However, it was going to be exceptionally dull this year. After all, his grandma had passed away and his wife was sent away to the suburbs.With that said, Lisa was in high spirits.The place was also decorated festively. As a matter of fact, it looked even more extravagant than it did in the past years, as if they wer

The Wright family and Eira were invited to Mason’s manor that night.All of them felt uneasy. They weren’t sure what his intention was. Carly, on the other hand, felt pretty good about it. She said, “Mason must’ve remembered how happy Lilith made him and wanted to repay us for it. Perhaps he’s going to give us a check! Whatever it is, we’ll take it.”The joy in her voice made it hard to believe that she had just lost her daughter not six months ago. Eric barked at her, “Greed has clouded your judgment!”She was about to retort when Ava came downstairs. She put on a smile immediately and said, “I appreciate that Mr. Mason thought of us during this festive season, Ms. Ava!”Different from before, Ava sounded very cold and aloof when she said, “Mr. Mason is waiting for you in his study.”Their hearts dropped to their stomach collectively at the tone of her voice. Even Carly wasn’t so sure of herself anymore. She gave Eira a push when they were climbing the stairs, and said softly,

Mason took off his coat and put it on Zoe when they were on their way home. He could touch every single bone in her ribs when he was putting it on for her. She was so weak that she didn’t fight back. All she did was lean back on the passenger seat. The black coat had covered half her face, but he could see enough to tell that her cheeks were sunken in a sickly manner. The sight was enough to send a chill down his spine.Throughout the entire journey, she kept quiet and stared out the car window. She watched as the crescent moon set and the sun rose above the horizon. She said ever so softly, “Happy New Year, Mason!”He wasn’t delighted by her wishes. He knew this was farewell. This was the last New Year they’d spend together. He was reluctant to let her go and set her free. He wanted her by his side again. The car stopped at the intersection. Silence hung in the car. All he could hear was Zoe’s frail breathing. He said in a husky voice, “I’m sorry, Zoe.” He tried to hold her