The topic was a little heavy, and Avery found it hard to clear her thoughts at that moment, so she changed the topic. "Could you please wash an apple for me? Thank you."Elliot immediately washed an apple and passed it to her."Have some too," Avery said awkwardly. She sat up with the apple in her hand."Hmm."It was pouring outside but silent indoors.After Avery finished the apple, she lay in bed. She was still conflicted as to whether she should allow him to share the bed with her. The rain caused the temperature to drop significantly. The room lacked a radiator. If he were to sleep on the desk, he would catch a cold.However, Avery could not find it in her to share her bed with him. A moment later, Elliot came out of the washroom after his shower. He asked her whether she wanted to switch off the lights.Avery responded and Elliot switched off the lights.Instantly, the room was plunged into darkness. Avery waited for him to come over, but… Elliot walked over to the desk

"You're right! You have to observe him until the child is born." Mike was suddenly delighted. "Who knows how long his good-person act can last."Avery watched him take delight in her misfortune. She said, "He is coming over to cook for us tomorrow.""What?" Mike thought he had misheard. "Does he know how to cook? Are you sure he is coming to cook and not to poison us all?"Avery did not know how to respond to Mike. It was Elliot who had insisted on coming over and cooking. He screwed up with the Children's Day dinner, so he wanted to make amends. He felt that he had to cook a meal to express his apology.Once they arrived home, Layla ran to Avery and gave her a hug. Layla had skipped school because she wanted to see Avery. "Baby, I miss you!" Avery did not care that she was pregnant. She bent down and lifted Layla."Avery, watch out!" Mike warned her. "Have you forgotten that you're pregnant?"Avery immediately placed her daughter down. "Layla, do you miss me?""I do! I miss

"If the two of you don't want him in our house, it's fine. I'll just call him later and tell him not to come," Avery immediately added.Judging by their reactions, it was evident that they did not want him there."Is he coming over to do house chores?" Layla suddenly came to her senses. She yelled excitedly, "If so, get him to come over! Make him do all the chores! Let him die of exhaustion!"Avery knew that Layla did not mean that.Layla had been heartbroken when Elliot passed out in front of her. She had cried."Is there anything you two feel like eating? Let me know, and I'll get him to make it for you tomorrow," Avery said gently.Layla was a food lover, and she immediately started thinking about what she wanted to eat.Hayden, on the other hand, had a dark expression on his face. "Mommy, are you back together with him again?""No," Avery patiently explained, "He wanted to make up for his past mistakes. This is the first time he has admitted his mistake to me." In their n

Although Elliot had not done a paternity test, he knew Hayden's character and he saw Hayden. There was no denying that Hayden looked and behaved like him. There was no denying that Hayden was his son. Avery had also said that Layla was her biological daughter. How could she have given birth to both of them in the span of four short years?The only possibility was that the two children were born at the same time.When Elliot was thinking about it last night, he had found himself seized with excitement that he had found it hard to sleep… He truly liked Layla.From the moment he met Avery's children, he preferred Layla.It did not matter who Avery had had Layla with, he had never once hated Layla because Layla looked a lot like Avery. Layla also possessed a very interesting character. Although she was a good child, she was not a child given to blind obedience. She was rather eccentric and quirky. Elliot lacked such characteristics which was part of the reason why he liked her so m

"Elliot the evil man! He kissed me here!" Layla pointed at her plump cheeks. She began to calm down. "My Dirtbag Dad kissed me, does that mean that he likes me?" she wondered. However, she had not decided to forgive him yet!Elliot walked over to Avery and apologized sincerely, "Avery, I'm sorry. I was just entranced by how adorable Layla is— which was why I could not help myself." This was the first time Avery had heard such a self-justified apology."I know my daughter is cute, but I just can't have people kiss her because they find her cute. If everyone who finds her cute kisses her, then how can she be expected to lead a normal life?" Although Avery was reprimanding him, she could not help the conflicted feelings welling up inside her. Elliot was a person who could control his desires. "Did he kiss Layla because of the parental bond that they shared?" she wondered. "Layla, I'm sorry," Elliot apologized to Layla once more. "I'll let you hit me, okay?"Elliot stretched out

Avery's words were ambiguous, but Elliot understood the deeper meaning behind her words.She was warning him not to get any ideas about Hayden and Layla. It did not matter whether or not they were twins, neither did it matter if Hayden was his son or not. The only child that belonged to him was the one she was carrying.In the past, Elliot would have begun shouting at her by this point, but he was more stable now than he was before, and her answer was better than nothing. Avery dabbed on some ointment and picked up the gauze. She had intended to bandage his wound."Just stick a simple plaster on it," Elliot said. He thought that bandaging the wound was going a bit too far, and people might end up thinking that he had suffered a far more serious injury than he had. Avery ignored his request, placed the gauze on the wound, and began to bandage his hand."Keep the wound dry for the next couple of days," she instructed."How am I going to take a shower, then?" Elliot asked."Is t

"Why did you sleep in the same room?" Tammy asked.She was an expert at picking up on key details like that."We were in the middle of a storm," Avery said. "It's not like I could just kick him out.""I see. Did you share a bed? How could you let him into your bed this easily? All it took was a storm for him to get his way?! Where is the effort he needs to put in?!" Avery froze for a moment, then said, "We didn't do anything… Well, he didn't exactly do nothing—""I knew he did something…"Avery had a feeling that the conversation was heading in a strange direction and quickly said, "It's not what you think, Tammy! He just— He washed… my… feet…"She did not want to tell Tammy this, but when she saw Tammy's seething glare, she had no choice. Tammy was an intimidating lady!Tammy chuckled delightfully and said, "Way to go, Mr. Foster! Not only can those noble hands of his earn money, but they can also wash a woman's feet! Is this ability to endure humiliation and roll with the pu

Elliot looked down and saw Layla with adorable puffed-up cheeks. "You should not use my full name like that? It's not very polite," he said in gentle reprimand. Layla huffed, then said, "It's because you're a bad man.""Did your mother say that?" Elliot asked. He looked calm. He was not upset. Layla was just a child. What did she know?She was only aware of the things that she had been taught by the adults around her. "No way! Mommy wouldn't say bad things behind someone's back!" At this point, Layla was worried about snitching on her brother, so she cleverly changed the subject and asked, "What are you making?""Sweet barbecue ribs," Elliot replied as he showed her the marinated ribs. "It's your mother's favorite. What do you want to eat? I'll make it for you."Layla answered without hesitation, "I want chocolate! I also want meat! Could you hide some chocolate in the meat for me? Whatever you do, don't let Mommy find out!"Elliot thought about it, then said, "I can do that

Once Avery was out of the room, Tammy said, "Did I say something wrong?"Ben answered earnestly, "You knew that Elliot had given Zoe three hundred million dollars and yet, you chose to bring up the money anyway. He could have given Avery that much money as well, but the reason behind it would be different." "I would've already forgotten about Zoe Sanford if you didn't mention her.""She's the reason they fought this time," Ben said. "Don't underestimate the destructive power of an ex-girlfriend.""That's true! Besides, Avery's pregnant now, so mood swings are common to begin with… However, I think her allowing Elliot to cook for her is a sign that she is willing to have a relationship with him again!" Tammy could not really understand what Avery was thinking."They are the only ones who know if they are going to get back together," Ben said nonchalantly. "As their friends, all we have to do is sit back quietly and watch!"…Upstairs, Avery pushed open the door to the master b

Avery wanted to say something, but she was shocked by the glistening tears and undisguised vulnerability in Elliot's eyes."Elliot—"She could not help but speak, and it was his name that first escaped her lips. She had wanted to ask him what was wrong.However, Elliot wrapped his large hand around her arm and pulled her into his arms before she could say another word.Avery supported her weight with her arms as she blinked. He watched her eyes framed by long lashes. Their faces were only inches apart.She could see the brokenness in his eyes even more clearly now."What's wrong Elliot?" she asked in an unintentionally gentle voice as her heart clenched tightly in her chest."I dreamt that you left me." Elliot's Adam's apple bobbed in his throat, and his voice was hoarse. "You ran off with another man."Avery felt a lump in her throat. She could not speak.She would not tell him about the recurring nightmares she had back when he was dating Zoe. She had always had dreams a