Caroline Whitman lay on Adrian Grant’s chest, her eyelids drooping with exhaustion.

Adrian Grant idly stroked her hair with one hand and checked the time on his phone with the other.

“Ryan will be up soon,” he said.

“Mm,” Caroline Whitman murmured without moving.

“Are you still angry?” she asked again.

“I wasn’t angry in the first place,” Adrian Grant said.

Caroline Whitman just smiled.

‘Such a stoic man.’

“Uh-huh. Next time, don’t use our son as your mouthpiece.”

“He’s the one who wanted to ask.”

Caroline Whitman lifted her head to glance at him, then snuggled back down and poked his chest. “Right, *he’s* the one who wanted to ask. You were silent the whole time and only decided to settle the score with me when we got home.”

Finally, she slid off him, rolled over, and tugged the covers. “I’m going to nap for a while. You can watch Ryan when he wakes up.”

“Okay.”

Adrian Grant waited until her eyes were closed before getting up and quietly leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.

Less than ten minutes later, the shuffle of Ryan Grant’s slippers echoed in the hallway, followed by his small, high-pitched voice. “Daddy, where’s Mommy?”

Adrian Grant said, “She’s still sleeping. Don’t wake her.”

Caroline Whitman slept until four in the afternoon.

Slipping on her slippers, she walked out of the bedroom. As she came downstairs and passed through the living room, she saw the father and son sitting by the coffee table.

Ryan Grant sat cross-legged on the carpet, a pile of LEGO parts spread out before him. Adrian Grant sat on the sofa, a half-read picture book resting beside him.

“Mommy, you’re awake!” Ryan Grant held up his half-finished creation. “Look, it’s a house I’m building.”

Caroline Whitman walked over, glanced at it, and casually praised, “That’s great.”

Then, she went to the kitchen, poured a glass of water, and leaned against the dining table, sipping it slowly.

She watched the heartwarming scene in the living room.

‘Thinking back to the memories that had awakened when she was ten, she suddenly felt that if the “script” didn’t have to follow its original course, if there were no dramatic take-downs and bankrupting rivals, then a simple, peaceful life like this was actually wonderful.’

Another week rolled by.

On Monday, Adrian Grant had an early flight to the Southwest.

There was an energy project that required a field inspection. His schedule was packed—a four-day round trip.

Before he left, Ryan Grant hugged his leg and wouldn’t let go. “Daddy, last time you went on a business trip, you also said you’d be back in three or four days, but you were gone for a long time. You’re not allowed to lie this time.”

Adrian Grant said, “You’re talking nonsense again. How was that a long time? Didn’t I come back a day early last time?”

Ryan Grant pouted. “Coming back a day early is still a long time! Teacher says it’s wrong to lie.”

“I didn’t lie to you.”

“So you’re really coming back in three days this time?”

“Four days.”

“But you said three or four days.”

“…It’s four days.”

“Okay, four days. Then you can’t lie to me this time, Daddy.”

Ryan Grant held out four fingers, then made a pinky promise with Adrian Grant. “Pinky swear. If you lie, you’re a puppy.”

“Mm,” Adrian Grant crouched down, hooked pinkies with him, and replied, “If I lie, I’m a puppy.”

Adrian Grant stood up and casually ruffled Caroline Whitman’s hair. “Call me if anything happens at home.”

“What could happen? Just focus on your trip. Don’t get distracted.”

He leaned down, kissed her on the forehead, and left with his suitcase.

With Adrian Grant on his business trip, Caroline Whitman took their son back to her family’s home. This also saved her the trouble of picking him up from school during the day.

For the first two days, Adrian Grant was at the project site during the day and video-called her and their son at night.

The signal in the Southwest mountain area was unstable, so the video would occasionally freeze, but they were able to talk every day.

Caroline Whitman’s routine continued: work during the day, and time with her son in the evening.

She had so many projects at work recently that she didn’t even have time to go shopping when Lily Young asked her.

She even had to turn down Autumn Lawson, who had called the day before yesterday to thank her and invite her out to dinner.

On Wednesday afternoon, Caroline Whitman was in a meeting at work with her phone on silent.

After the meeting, she checked her phone and saw no messages from Adrian Grant.

The only things from him were a location pin from the mountain area sent in the morning, and a message that just said, “Arrived.”

After that, she received no other messages for the rest of the day.

Over the past two days, Adrian Grant would always ask her what she had for lunch. Today, there was nothing.

She tried calling him, but the call wouldn’t go through.

She waited half an hour and tried again, but it still wouldn’t connect.

‘Strange… Is there no signal in the mountains?’

Caroline Whitman hung up and sent Adrian Grant a message, asking how things were on his end.

Her message went unanswered, like a stone dropped into the ocean.

By the time she got home from working overtime, it was already 8 PM.

The moment she walked in the door, Ryan Grant came running over in his slippers, phone in hand, to complain:

“Mommy, Daddy didn’t answer my call tonight.”

Caroline Whitman was surprised. “You still haven’t been able to talk to him?”

‘Logically, Adrian should be back in the city by now.’

“Yeah, Daddy’s phone is off. I can’t get through on either of his numbers.”

“Daddy lied to me again.”

Caroline Whitman’s heart skipped a beat.

‘He really should have been back in the city by now.’

She took out her phone and called. The status had changed from “unable to connect” to “powered off.”

Suddenly, her heart began to hammer in her chest.

“Don’t worry, Daddy’s phone probably just died,” Caroline Whitman said comfortingly, though she was also trying to convince herself.

She calmed herself and called Jonathan Grant to ask about Adrian.

He couldn’t get in touch with Adrian either.

Even his secretary’s phone was turned off.

Jonathan Grant comforted her, saying the signal was probably just bad out there and that everything was likely fine.

What else could Caroline Whitman say? She could only try to comfort herself with the same thought.

She put her son to bed that night with a heart full of anxiety.

「Eleven o’clock at night.」

Caroline Whitman was still on her phone, endlessly scrolling for news about the region where Adrian Grant was.

Suddenly, a news alert popped up on her phone: Continuous heavy rain in the Southwest, multiple mudslides and collapses.

Caroline Whitman’s heart sank, then began to pound violently. She shot up from the bed.

Her first instinct was to call Jonathan Grant and Grace Lawson to ask about the situation, but it was so late… Her fingers paused, and she dialed Zoe Grant’s number instead.

But before the call could connect, Ryan Grant, who had only just fallen asleep after staying up late with her, suddenly woke up.

In the darkness, Tiny’s voice piped up. “Mommy, I don’t feel good.”

“Mommy…”

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

Caroline Whitman quickly turned on the light and saw Ryan Grant curled up in bed, clutching his chest and saying it hurt.

She frantically touched his little, flushed face. It was burning hot. “Baby, where does it hurt?”

“Here…” Ryan Grant pointed to his heart, his small face crumpled in pain. “It hurts so much.”

Caroline Whitman’s mind went blank. Scrambling frantically, her hands trembling, she scooped up her son and ran out of the room without even stopping to put on shoes, her voice shaking.

“Dad! Mom! We have to get to the hospital! Ryan’s heart hurts!”

Franklin Whitman and Yolanda Young were startled awake by her voice and came running out.

When Yolanda Young saw Ryan Grant curled up in Caroline Whitman’s arms, his face beet red, clutching his chest and whimpering, her legs nearly gave out.

Franklin Whitman grabbed his wife to steady her, already dialing the driver with his other hand.

They all scrambled into the car and quickly reached the hospital.

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