As Mark and Cassie returned to the Willowbrook Estate, the atmosphere was thick with anticipation.The guests, who had gathered for Cassie's belated baby shower, were waiting for their arrival with tense expressions.The moment they stepped into the main hall, Romera came running towards them and asked,"What happened? Is everything alright? What did they say?"Mark volunteered;"It was just a false alarm, Mom. Cassie and the babies are perfectly fine."Mark said in a reassuring tone as he tried to ease Romera's concerns, choosing to hide the concerning news for later, when they were alone. Romera was visibly relieved, but couldn't completely shake off the worry. "You rushed out so urgently that we were all so concerned. That's it, I'm asking for a team of nurses to stay in the annexed cottage so that poor Cassie doesn't have to go all the way to the hospital in case anything like this happens again.""Okay, mom, whatever puts you at ease. But really, I'm feeling much better now."C
The morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow in the bedroom, even though the drapes on the bed were drawn. The light stung Cassie's eyes, and she was faintly aware of some rustling sounds in the room.But since they had gone to bed well past midnight, she tossed and turned, trying to go back to sleep and did not get out of bed yet. She just clutched her eyes shut, thinking that Mark must just be preparing to leave for office. So he quietly moved about the room, while she lay nestled in the sheets, her eyes blinking open slowly.In a daze, she watched him gather a few items in both his hands while balancing them carefully. Perplexed, she rubbed her eyes, still half-asleep, and mumbled, "Are you off to work early today?"He turned towards her with a mischievous glint in his eyes, and grinned broadly. "Honey! You're awake already?!"She sat up, pulling the covers tighter around her to make a blanket burrito. With some elevation, she could see that he was putti
Sensing Violet's frantic desperation, George suggested;"I think sour licorice candy might work?" Although Violet had to drive out to the store again, she did so without complaining.She was on the extreme level of panic as if Cassie might explode if her craving was not satisfied right this moment! Marcus and Alex were at the office, and the Rovers and Denvers had already left for Lancaster, as the four younger ones were supposed to join their families during the weekend. Although Romera and Maxwell had been quite reluctant to leave Cassie behind, Alex and Mark had barely managed to convince them that they would handle everything for the next few days. For this afternoon, had the responsibility that everything should be alright with Cassie and the babies was on Violet's shoulders, so she couldn't take it lightly at all. In her confusion and panic, she even forgot that there were tens of servants and drivers available to fetch anything on a single command, and dashed back inside t
Early the next morning, a row of cars lined up at the Rover Mansion as Mark, Cassie, Alex, and Violet arrived back at Lancaster. The welcoming sight of Romera, Mark's mom, awaited them as soon as they entered. She greeted them with a playful smirk, having heard about the storm caused by Cassie's sudden craving.She mockingly scolded them;"Well, well! What have you four been up to? I hear you all kicked up quite a storm just because of a simple sour craving?"Violet stepped forward and jumped to hug her, then said teasingly;"Oh, you know, just a typical day! But I have to say, auntie, your daughter- in- law is too spoiled, she keeps us all on our toes!"Romera chuckled, her eyes twinkling with mischief as she stepped forward and brought Cassie on her side.Placing one arm around her back in a protective gesture, she spoke;"I knew you wouldn't be able to handle it, that's why I didn't want to leave my Cassie behind with your troublesome trio."Grinning, Violet stood on the other si
To Cassie's surprise, Romera's eyes also held the presence of tears as she said softly, "I am the one who should be thanking you, not the other way round. After Matteo's death, Marcus left home and insisted on keeping no contact with us at all.I had never even dared to imagine that I would ever get the chance to be a part of this tradition, and to pass these down to someone. So thank you, for bringing happiness into our family home again…"Cassie responded warmly, "Life has a way of surprising us, doesn't it? Even after marrying Mark, I had never imagined that I would ever get to have such a wholesome family. In fact, he never told me anything about you all for the first few years, and I was always afraid to approach the topic.Although now, we all know why… I just, I never thought I would be so happily accepted and even cherished."As she said this, Romera pulled her in for a heartfelt hug as Cassie wiped away a tear, grateful for the unexpected moments of joy that life had best
And finally, she pulled out the actual gems of the attic, which were the photo albums and diaries that chronicled the milestones of Mark's early years. Romera handed Cassie a weathered album, its pages filled with snapshots capturing Mark's infectious smiles. "Oh, look at this one!" Romera exclaimed, pointing to a photo of a young Mark in a superhero cape, his eyes filled with determination as he seemed ready to embark on a quest to save the imaginary world. Cassie couldn't help but giggle at the adorable sight, and then turned the page to find a large photograph of Matteo and Mark together.The signature and date at the bottom of the photograph indicated that it was taken in the summer of 1998.The photograph showed the two boys standing in a rose grove. Matteo, aged almost five, stood with curiosity, wearing a neat sailor suit and sporting sandy blond hair. His eyes reflected his amusement as he posed with a sincere smile.Beside him, one and a half year old Marcus was dressed
They only realized that it was almost afternoon when one of the servants peeked in to remind them that the lunch had already been served.The mother and daughter in- law descended the stairs as the clock struck two, and the aroma of a sumptuous lunch wafted through the air as the kitchen staff had already spread out the delicacies on the dining table. Just as they had finished eating the delicious meal Romera spoke up;"You know, during my pregnancy, what relaxed me the most was a soothing spa session. It's the perfect way to unwind, don't you think?"Cassie smiled coyly in response as she replied;"Actually, I barely made time to go to the spa before, for a quick manicure or pedicure session. But since the doctor advised not to get my nails painted for a little while, I haven't been to the spa since the pregnancy."A spark of enthusiasm ignited in Romera's eyes as she proposed, "What! That's unacceptable! Cassie, how about we make it into a spa day? Let me take you to my usual spot
The meeting that was supposed to end in an hour, somehow finished up early, giving Mark the greatest joy of the day.As the days for the delivery were coming near, he was becoming more and more anxious about Cassie’s health as well he was feeling more and more homesick without her presence.It was just like she had become his entire home, and he had started to feel homeless in her absence!Thinking this, he quickly wrapped up everything that was still left to be monitored by him, and asked his secretary to clear up the rest of his schedule and cancel all his other plans for today, if he had any.And with that, in the hope of giving Cassie a pleasant surprise, he rushed back to the Rover mansion.But it seems that the surprise he wanted to give Cassie, was already ready with a return gift. Because after arriving there, he found out that his wife and mother had gone to a spa.The uneasiness in his heart started to grow, even though he knew that his mother would definitely be taking grea