At ten that night, Hayden drove his car into the yard, and Shelly, who had stayed awake, immediately got up to turn on the lights in her room. Hayden noticed the lights in the bedroom on the third floor turn on as he got out of the car. "That's my bedroom," he thought. "Is Shelly still awake? Are the kids still awake, too? It's bad for kids to stay up." Hayden hurried into the house and entered the elevator to reach the third floor. As he entered the bedroom, he noticed that the bed was empty and heard noises coming from the bathroom. "Shelly, where are the children?" Hayden walked to the bathroom door and saw that Shelly had already prepared the bathwater for him. "Today, Aunty Avery told the nanny to take care of Audrey." Shelly's blushed slightly. "Do you always work this late? It must be exhausting!" Hayden entered the bathroom. "In the past, when I was busy, I sometimes came home even later than this. From now on, I'll try to come back earlier." "I see. You must be
Hayden finally realized that Shelly was not joking. "Who told you to do this?" Hayden's voice grew colder. Shelly had always been obedient and compliant, so Hayden believed that someone must have influenced her to break up with him. "No one. I just realized that the gap between us is too big. Even if we're together now, we won't be happy in the long run," Shelly explained. "Hayden, I'm sure there are many women better than me around you. Try to interact with others more, and you'll see that I'm just an ordinary person who isn't fit to be by your side." "Nonsense!" Hayden shouted in anger. "Where are you now? We can't discuss this over the phone. Come back, and we'll talk face to face." "I'm not coming back," Shelly immediately refused without a second thought. "I plan to study abroad and won't be coming back for a while. You are all outstanding, and I want to improve myself." "Can't you study and improve yourself while being with me?" Hayden retorted. "Even if I improve,
Mrs. Taylor immediately spoke up. "I'll call her right away and find out!" She dialed Shelly's phone number, and after a few seconds, the call was answered. "Shelly, what's wrong?" Mrs. Taylor walked toward the adjacent restroom, holding her phone. "Why are you breaking up with Hayden all of a sudden? Did he do something to you? Tell Mom. I'll definitely stand by your side." Shelly choked on her tears. "Mom, Hayden didn't do anything wrong. I just realized that we're not compatible. He doesn't depend on me. The only reason he stays with me is because I gave birth to our two children. If another woman had children with him, he could marry her as well." Mrs. Taylor's expression was filled with disappointment. "But didn't you say you really liked him? Didn't you want to fight for this opportunity?" "I did think that way before, but I regret it now. I'm scared. I don't deserve him at all, so why should I hold him back?" Shelly wiped away her tears. "Mom, I'm sorry. I've let you d
Over an hour later, a new name was given to Aiden: Austin. When everyone struggled to come up with a nice-sounding name, Mr. Taylor suggested, "Why not call him Aid? It's easy to remember and sounds good." Elliot and Avery were startled, knowing that Aiden would definitely be teased by his classmates when he grew up and went to school. In the end, they settled for Austin instead. After lunch, Hayden drove Shelly's family to the villa in the city center. "When Shelly comes back, I will transfer this villa to her name. This will be your home from now on," Hayden said. Hayden thought it was only fair to give Shelly a villa as compensation for giving birth to their two children. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor did not dare accept it. "Let's talk about it when Shelly comes back. We'll rest for the night and leave," they said. Meanwhile, on the way back to Elliot's mansion, Ivy noticed the serious look on her parents' faces and broke the silence. "Mom, should I go find Shelly?" "Even y
Ivy looked backward. "Shelly!" Ivy immediately walked over to Shelly. Shelly was surprised to see Ivy. "Ivy, why are you here?" "I'm here to look for you!" Ivy held Shelly's hand. "I begged Courtney to give me your address." Shelly blushed. "Does your family know you're here? Are you here alone?" "Yeah! My parents didn't want me to come alone, but they couldn't stop me." Just then, the receptionist called Ivy's name. Ivy grabbed her room card, while Shelly carried her suitcase for her as the two walked toward the elevator. "Shelly, have you eaten? I'm starving. Let's go eat after I set my suitcase into my room!" Ivy did not have an appetite on the flight and was now starving. "Sure. Let's not eat here in the hotel. I know a restaurant nearby that serves great food." "Okay." After settling Ivy's luggage, the two of them went to the restaurant that Shelly knew. Ivy did not know what to order, so she let Shelly decide. After ordering and handing the menu back to
Hayden instantly fell silent, and Shelly bowed her head. Ivy immediately said to Hayden, "Since the trouble in your company has been resolved, why don't you come over here and spend a few relaxing days with Shelly? Shelly never really meant to break up with you. She was just informed that your company is in trouble, and she felt guilty for not being able to help. I understand how she feels. She only feels this way because she loves you, or she wouldn't care at all!" "Hand her your phone," he said. Ivy immediately handed her phone to Shelly, who accepted it after a moment's hesitation. Worried that she might get in the way, Ivy said, "I will go to the bathroom." Once Ivy left, Shelly took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry, Hayden." "Why didn't you tell me the truth? Why did you tell my sister instead when she came to see you?" Hayden was utterly confused. "Because Ivy has experienced hardships before, she might be more empathetic toward me." "But what if my sister didn'
"My brother has been upset as well. He only feels a little happier when he sees the children," Ivy said. "Ivy, I feel like I'm not brave enough. I struggle internally every day. On the one hand, I feel like I did the right thing by breaking up with him, but on the other hand, I regret it. I can't tell anyone I regret it." "Shelly, I understand how you feel. My brother is a really great man, so don't give up on him. If he thought you weren't good enough for him, he wouldn't have chosen to marry you." Shelly took a deep breath. "I know. When we get back, I'll talk to him properly." "Communication is key in a relationship!" Ivy said while taking a bite of her food. "When my parents were young, they used to argue a lot. Even though I haven't been in a romantic relationship, I feel like when people are young, their capacity for understanding one another isn't strong. A relationship is strengthened by staying together despite all the arguments. Look at my parents: they don't argue an
Shelly was both shocked and deeply moved. Hayden continued, "I understand that the difference in our backgrounds may make you feel insecure and sensitive, but I don't want similar incidents to happen in the future. If you feel inadequate, you can always study and improve yourself. Escaping is the least useful method to deal with insecurities." Tears of remorse filled Shelly's eyes. "Yes, I will never do that again. Whatever happens in the future, I will talk to you about it." "If there's anything you don't want to discuss with me, you can talk to my sister," Hayden said, glancing at Ivy. "Ivy, thank you for helping us clear up this misunderstanding." Ivy blushed. "We are a family, Hayden. You don't have to thank me!" "What are your plans after graduation? Have you decided on anything?" Hayden asked. After giving it some thought, Ivy decided to share her plans with everyone, while they were all present, to dismiss any lingering concerns. "I want to visit Taronia first. My