?


    Carrie flicked her finger on the screen, her face reflecting a motherly glow.


    Hiding behind her, Ryan was crushed. His discolored lips quivered.


    He held Carrie from the back, resting his chin on her shoulder with a lingering snuggle. He fought back the tears.


    "I thought you didn''t want to have children, babe." Ryan''s raspy voice waned as his cold lips stuck to her ear. "Didn''t you want to study art? Didn''t you want to be my only girl?"


    Carrie batted hershes bashfully and wrote on the screen.


    "That''s in the past. I don''t want that anymore." She felt a lump in her throat. "I know my health isn''t doing well now. I need to take medications and shots every day. God knows when I''d ever get out of the hospital. I want a child. Gender doesn''t matter. We can raise them. If I leave the world ahead of my time, at least our child will stay and keep youpany."


    The words were too much for Ryan to bear. In desperation, he forcefully wiped the words off the screen.


    "I won''t allow you to say that, Carrie. We will live a long life together. I don''t need a child. You''re all I need. I don''t like children. I don''t want one."


    "Ah... Ah..."


    Ryan''s sudden fit threw Carrie off, and she clung to his hand and put it to her chest.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    Bearing tears in his eyes, Ryan took her lips.


    Carrie melted in his arms and suckled his tongue. As his breathing grew heavy, Ryan was quickly swept away by desire.


    He had urges. Since Carrie''s hospitalization, they had not engaged in any intimacy.


    Sometimes, he could not hold himself back from hugging Carrie to sleep. He would rather finish the job himself than touch her.


    Ryan went from a life of debauchery to abstinence. He would rather sacrifice himself than let Carrie experience any suffering.


    Momentster, they parted, and Ryan rubbed away the saliva on her lips. He nted another kiss on her cheek.


    Sensing Ryan''s need, Carrie got out of bed and kneeled to unbuckle his pants.


    "Carrie, no." Ryan pressed her hand and shook his head.


    "Uh..." Carrie frowned.


    She could not talk, but her eyes did all the talking.


    It had been a long time since they engaged in intimacy. She wanted to relieve him.


    "We have a lifetime ahead of us. We''ll wait until you get better."


    Ryan locked her in his embrace and closed his eyes, preventing his tears from falling.


    Be was fast asleep in the wee hours of the morning while Justin returned from the study after going through paperwork. He was going to slip under the covers when Ryan''s call came in.


    "Ryan?" Justin took the call.


    "It''s me, Mr. Salvador. I''m Dean."


    Dean''s voice sounded panicked and worried. "I''m sorry to bother you thiste at night. Chairman Hoffman has a lot to drink. He''s crying and throwing up, but I can''t convince him to leave. I have never seen him like this."