Willow deliberately kept a distance from Julian during breakfast.

    Mnie could see that Willow looked pale and tired, and she poured thetter a bowl of soup. She asked in a concerned tone, “Did you sleep wellst night? We can hire two more maids if it’s too tiring for you to look after the baby.”

    Gabrie raised her hand up high and cried out in a crisp voice before Willow could say anything.

    Grandma, I know the answer to your question! Dad told me that Mom was tired from readingst night. 30, she slept like a log.

    “Don’t worry. I’ll ask Mom to read fewer books and sleep earlier instead!”

    Landon was busy digging into his food. He thought to himself how hardworking his mom had been, and he had to learn from her and feed his belly.

    Meanwhile, the grown-ups fell silent. Liam, Tyler, and Karen kept their heads lowered and ate their food. Dexter shot Julian a vicious look.

    Mnie was the only one who looked embarrassed and unsure of how she should respond to Gabrie.

    Eventually, she stuffed a piece of oat bread in thetter’s hand and said, “I’ll take you two to school and let your mom take a break.”

    The grown-ups continued to be as quiet as a mouse. Julian gently pushed the bowl of soup to Willo said, “It’s good for you. It nourishes you and replenishes fluids.”

    She lowered her head and finished the entire bowl in silence.

    Julian and Willow had sex almost every single night after they went back to Radiance Manor. Just like before, there was tension in the air, and they were both restricted but desperate.

    Most of the time, she would go to the nursery and sleep there after the passionate momen watching the kids. They very rarely cuddled afterward, and they would never talk to each other the way married couples usually would.

    That said, the hidden, suppressed tension between them made it more addictive to him.

    It was deep in autumn, and the white dewdrops turned into frost.

    A monthter, Willow still wasn’t pregnant, and she couldn’t help but feel anxious.

    They were sitting in the backseat. Julian believed she was getting overly anxious. Holding her hand gently, he said softly, “Don’t give yourself too much pressure. It’s only a matter of time before you’re pregnant.”

    Willow shook his arm away, reached out, and grabbed a book about effective ways to get pregnant. She had gotten too obsessed with the whole deal, but Julian had no idea how to console her.

    The ck limousine cruised along the road. Outside the car window, the busy traffic of the city bustled underneath the gentle glow of the morning sun.

    Julian suddenly told Benjamin to take them to the apartment: Thetter might’ve been surprised, but he did as he was told nheless. Benjamin stepped on the gas pedal and turned the car around.

    Willow was so absorbed in her reading that she didn’t notice they were going in a different direction. She didn’t snap out of her focus until the car pulled over outside the apartment and the huge sycamore tree came into view.

    Turning sideways, she looked at Julian. “What are we doing here?”

    He tapped the back of the driver’s seat, and Benjamin tactfully got out of the car, leaving the former couple alone in the car.

    The light was faint in the car, and the muted glow outlined their blurred features. Julian turned sideways and said softly, “Willow, I know you still hate me. Actually, you don’t have to restrain yourself.

    “You can still hate me when there’s no one around. Take a free shot at me or give me an earful, if that’s what you want.”

    Willow stared at him for a long time. Then, she grinned nonchntly. “Julian, I’m not a naive youngdy anymore, and I no longer have it in me to love or hate someone. What we’re doing is wrong and sinful.”

    She couldn’t bring herself to say the rest of it, but Julian knew what it was. She didn’t dare to enjoy their intimate moments.

    The way she saw it, it was sinful, and that made her repress her desires. The more she did that, the harder it was for her to get pregnant.

    Reaching out, Julian held Willow by the back of her head and drew his face very close to hers. He saitly “Try to forgive me, okay? I don’t care if you have to fake it. It’s better than this.

    Then, he added, “Let’s try to be a married couple for real!”

    Something glistened in Willow’s eyes underneath the faint light. Julian wiped the tears off for her t opening the car door and leading her into the apartment

    The door to their unit swung open. The first thing they saw was a bouquet of white ca lilies.

    The ce remained untouched by time. Everything was just the way she remembered it to be.

    Julian embraced Willow from behind and murmured, “I know you don’t like it at the Ziegler residence or Radiance Manor. So, we’re going to stay here from here on out.

    “You don’t have to feel like you’re doing something wrong, and we don’t have to pretend like a lovely couple in front of the kids. We’re the only ones in this apartment.”

    Willow swept her eyes across her surroundings, and her eyes welled up with tears. “Julian!”

    He tightened his grip on her. The sunlight cast its soothing rays into the apartment, and the white curtains in the bedroom fluttered gently.

    Everything happened naturally as if it were meant to be Julian and Willow’s figures were entwined in the most intense and tantalizing ways possible.

    Their love, hatred, yearning, and regrets were poured out in this passionate moment as they let their desires and emotions overwhelm them.