Lewisâs eyes were filled with urgency.â
When the girl visited the hospital, he was immersed in his pain and grief, not noticing her.
What puzzled him further was why, if Keira was still alive, she wouldnât come to acknowledge himâ¦
But today, he ran into her again here.
Her concern for Mrs. Olsen was beyond ordinary; even if she claimed to have been sent by UncleOlsen, the understanding they shared just now made him suspect
she was Keira!
And then there was the familiar figureâ¦
He didnât want to hear her excuses; he just wanted to
see if that face beneath the mask was the one he
yearned for in his dreams!
Unfortunately, his fingers barely touched her before
perceptive Keira stepped back.
Keiraâs voice was subconsciously cold. âMr. Horton, please show some self-respect!â
That voiceâ¦
Lewisâs eyes suddenly reddened. âKeira!â
Keira paused momentarily.
Had he really suspected her and recognized her?
Before she could speak, Lewis blurted out anxiously, âWhy donât you come home?â
Keira frowned.âMr. Horton, I donât know what youâre talking aboutâ¦â
âYouâ¦â
Just as Lewis wanted to say more, a voice suddenly interrupted him. âKeera!â
Both turned their heads to see Howard holding Amy as they walked down from a nearby car, his gazehostile as he scolded Lewis. âWho is this? What are you pulling
at each other for here?â
Keira raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Lewis looked at him, puzzled.
Howard marched directly in front of Keira. âYou, a married woman, are behaving so intimately with
another man; what kind of behavior is this? Who is he?
You must explain yourself to me today!â
Howardâs mother also approached from the car. âExactly, Keera, you seem like a decent housewifeusually, but who knew youâd be so flirtatious in
private? Your face isnât even healed, and here you are seducing another man. How could you do this tomy
son?â
Lewis was baffled by the coupleâs accusations.
Keira feigned a vulnerable, aggrieved demeanor, âHoward, Mom, I didnâtâ¦â
âHow could you not? We saw everything! You were pulling at each other, nearly embracing! And nowyou say it didnât happen, how shameless can you be!â
Howardâs mother shoved Keira forcefully and snatched Amy from Howardâs arms, scoffing. âDamagedgoods, see? Your mother is so lowly; donât you dare grow up
to be like her!â
Amy, not understanding these words, stared
wide-eyed and reached out to Keira. âMommy, hug, hugâ¦â
Keira stepped forward, snatching Amy from Howardâs mother. âItâs not like that. he said I looked like athief
sneaking around with a mask on, and he told me to
take it offâ¦â
Howard finally asked, âReally?â
Keira, seemingly afraid he wouldnât believe her, immediately nodded, âItâs trueâ¦â
Then, she looked toward Lewis. âMr. Horton, could you please clear this up quickly? Otherwise, myhusband and mother-in-law might misunderstandâ¦â
Lewis gazed at them, dumbfounded.
The woman was wearing the mask and cap, her expression obscured, but Howard and his mother, andeven the two-year-old child, didnât seem to be lying.
So, this woman wasnât Keira?
Of courseâ¦
The DNA matched the body, which was still at home, and he had been the one refusing to believe orface the
truth, forever in denialâ¦
Upon closer inspection, Howard realized that even without speaking, Lewis looked a bit dazed as if hewasnât the sharpest tool in the shed, yet his demeanor was undeniably distinguished.
267 Nete
Moreover, to be able to live in this community, he must belong to the smaller circles of Oceanionâseliteâ¦
Howardâs tone softened slightly. âMy wifeâs face is injured and covered in iodine, which canât be washedoff right now; sheâs not presentable, and thatâs why sheâs wearing a mask. Donât take any offense, sir.â
Lewis looked back at Keira again.
Covered in iodineâ¦
Indeed, there was a hint of yellow on the skin that was
exposed beside her mask.
Was that theason s was wearing it?
A deep
se of
clenc
s fists
he
ettled in Lewisâs heart; he
y and nodded, âMy apologies.â
and walked away.
orn and sad, a heartbreaking sight.
âMaking a fuss over nothing. Donât
he is.â
looked back, he saw Keira watching the y, and he immediately snapped. âWhat are ng at? Sure, theguyâs handsome, but heâs a
rich playboy; he would never be interested in you!â
Knowing Keeraâs personality, Keira knew she would surely beg pitifully and desperately, trying to clarify
that she had no such intentions.
Howard hadnât expected the woman who had just shown weakness in front of him to simply glance athim indifferently and then turn around, holding the child and getting into the car.
Howard felt a chill in the depths of his heart from that glance, and then he sneered.
âThis Keera is always so mysterious. Who knows what
sheâs up to now!â
The group drove to the hotel.
Keira was still pondering how to bring up the topic of sleeping with Amy that night and making Howardleave, when Howard said, âYou take care of Amy tonight. Iâll sleep in Momâs room.â
Keira was surprised.
She had certainly heard when they were checking in
that Howard had booked two double rooms!
Heâs going to share a room with his mom?!
Her hesitant expression made Howardâs mother snicker, and with a slight lift of her chin, she said,
âWhat are you looking at? At home, Howard always sleeps with me. How come at the hotel, he issupposed
to sleep with you?â
Keira was shocked
Howard said with a sneer that didnât quite reach his eyes. âKeera, my father passed away early. Since Iwas a child, Iâve always been sharing a room with my mom. Donât make a scene like you do at home.Otherwise, it would be too embarrassing!â
Keira felt that there was something indefinably amiss
about the mother and son before her.
She picked up Amy and headed straight for the other hotel room.
Having never cared for children before, Keira looked up information online, only to find that Amy wassurprisingly easy to take care of. She was
extraordinarily well-behaved, not crying or fussing, and at the age of two, she could already batheherself
with a towel.
Once her milk was prepared she would take the bottle to bed herself. Then, with a light pat on her ownbottom, she would lull herself to sleep.
Watching her, Keiraâs heart melted.
The more well-behaved Amy was, the clearer it became that she must have suffered a great deal athome before.
It wouldnât happen againâ¦
With her around, she would absolutely not let Amy
suffer any longer!
Keira lay down on the bed and soon started tossing and turning, her thoughts returning to Mrs. Olsenwhom she saw at the Olsen family today. For some reason, she always felt that her motherâs deepsleep was a bit strange this time.
Even her brows were deeply furrowed.
Keira didnât sleep well at all that night, overly worried
about Mrs. Olsen.
Dawn arrived soon, and today was the day Mrs.
Hortonâs remains were to be cremated and laid to rest.
Olsen family.
w
Taylor sent Aunt South away to help Mrs. Olsen pack her things.
Mrs. Olsenâs body was metabolizing the medication, and she was gaining some strength. She watchedTaylor approaching with a syringe, her pupils constricting, âNoâ¦â
âThere, there, Shirley, just take the injection peacefully, and Iâll take you to see Keira,â he said gently,though his tone was devilish, causing Mrs. Olsen to shake her head, her eyes pleadingâ¦
Taylor stood in front of her, looking at her with an expression of reluctance. âJust bear with it a littlelonger⦠After today, Iâll take you away, and we wonât need this medication anymore, alright?â
His eyes were tender but sent a chill down Mrs. Olsenâs spine!
Taylor then mercilessly injected the contents of the syringe into her armâ¦
The cold liquid entered her body, and Mrs. Olsen, already weak, now felt even more powerlessâ¦
Her eyes reddening, she stared fixedly at Taylor.
Taylor touched her face and kissed her lips, âShirley, you are finally completely mineâ¦â
His hand slowly moved down her body, abruptly seizing her legâ¦
Desire burned in the manâs eyes, and his breathing suddenly grew ragged.
A tear slid down Mrs. Olsenâs cheek.
Taylor paused when he saw it, gently wiping away her tears. âYou still donât want to be mine? Shirley,when will you accept meâ¦â
No sooner had these words fallen than his hand
forcefully gripped her chin, forcing her to look up at him. He then fiercely biting her shoulder!
âUgh!â
The pain caused Mrs. Olsen to cry out.
Outside, Aunt Southâs voice suddenly could be heard, âMr. Olsen, Mrs. Olsen, everything has beenplaced in the car.â
Mrs. Olsen looked at Taylor with a pleading gaze.
Taylor smiled, patting her face, âLetâs go see Keira first.
10/
After we come back, Iâll have you tonightâ¦â
Mrs. Olsen trembled all over
Her fists clenched tightly as if she could not bear the indignity.
Seeing this, Taylor just smiled and picked her up to
take her outside.
He didnât notice the piece of paper tightly clenched in Mrs. Olsenâs palm.
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