Billionaire’s Runaway Bride

“There used to be a lot of expensive roses and peonies, but you didn’t like the former and the latter had bad symbolism, so I thought about it and had them all replaced with Chinese medicinal flowers.” Penn’s voice sounded in my ear.

I looked up and saw Penn standing directly across from me, on the other side of a pathway, walking towards me with a deliberate pace. As he approached, I couldn’t help but feel nervous and even had the urge to run away.

The three little ones seemed to sense my thoughts and held onto my hand tightly, not letting me take a step back. I could only watch as Penn stopped in front of me.

His deep eyes were filled with affection. “Six years ago, it was my failure to recognize my own heart in time that made you so upset, even to the point of wanting to run away from me at all costs. After losing you, I realized that I couldn’t live without you.”

He looked at me intensely as he lowered himself down, and at the same time, took out a ring from behind him. “During this time, I’ve been too hasty and haven’t considered things carefully enough, causing you to suffer a lot. I don’t know if you’re willing, but please give me another chance, to marry me again.”

As I watched him sink to one knee in front of me, I was stunned. Was I dreaming? Was Penn proposing to me? Why was he doing this?

Our previous marriage six years ago had never gone through this kind of process. I was so overwhelmed that I felt dizzy, and couldn’t believe what was happening in front of me.

My instinct was to run away, but as I took a step back, the three little ones tugged at my hand.

“Mommy! Please say yes to Uncle! He’s sincere!”

“Cyrus said loudly, ‘Uncle has been preparing for a long time! We saw him preparing in the afternoon!'” Hearing the little one’s words, I felt a little shaken.

The little ones only saw what happened in the afternoon, but I knew that transplanting all of these flowers into Chinese medicinal ones would take quite some time. I wondered how long Penn had been preparing for.

Lundy was also urging me anxiously, “Just agree with daddy! Lundy wants us to be a family!”

I was being persuaded by the little ones one after another.

In front of me, Penn looked at me with deep eyes, his gaze firm and determined.

“In the six years that you were gone, I thought a lot, and now that you’re standing in front of me again, I won’t disappoint you. I’ll protect you and the children. Aimee, please believe in me again!”

As he spoke, he held up the ring without a hint of hesitation.

“Mommy, we just want Uncle to be our daddy!” Aviva and Cyrus said in unison.

My eyes trembled, and the scales of my heart began to tip towards Penn.

But I still had concerns – was this proposal just to make up for our failed marriage six years ago? Even though I wanted to forget that painful marriage, the damage was too profound for me to erase from my mind. Even mentioning the word “marriage” made me shy away.

Especially now, with the person who had hurt me kneeling in front of me, I wanted to believe him. After all, since we reunited, Penn had been nothing but good to me.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

But the hurt from six years ago was still festering in my heart, making me too weak to reach out and accept the ring. It was too heavy.

However, the calling of the little ones made me have to consider their feelings. They really needed a dad, and their biological father was right in front of us. After so many years of deceiving them, now they finally had a chance to call someone “daddy”. How could I bear to take that away from them?

Moreover, the little ones expressed their fondness for Penn so openly… weighing the pain of the past love against the guilt towards the children, the latter won out.

My arm moved slightly as if to reach for the ring.

Suddenly, a clear and distinct cough sounded from the corner. My arm froze and I looked over to see Janet, who had been there for who knows how long, looking at me, Aviva and Cyrus with displeasure. Penn’s father Latham also looked disapprovingly over.

My outstretched arm slowly retracted.

No, it wasn’t the right time yet.

Back then, I had selfishly taken the unborn children away, disregarding their feelings. Even if we were to send them back to the Carter family now, it should only be when everyone was ready to accept them.

As I started to hesitate again, Penn’s gaze swept over to Lundy. He looked at me and said, “Are you really willing to reject me? Lundy calls you mommy in his dreams. Do you have the heart to let him continue like this? You’ve already missed him for six years!”

I was stunned when I heard this and looked at Lundy at my feet. I regained my composure and looked at Penn, pretending to be calm. “What are you talking about? What do you mean by saying I’ve missed Lundy for six years? I’m just…”

To Lundy, I was just an outsider, so how could I have missed him for six years? It should be his birth mother who missed him, right?

“Penn! You’re confused!” Janet walked over to Penn in anger, trying to stop him from continuing.

Just as Janet walked a few steps away, Bill stopped her.

“Lundy is your biological son. Six years ago, someone left him at the doorstep of the Carter family and disappeared without a word. I did a DNA test, and he is your child with me!” Penn’s words left me standing in shock.

Lundy was my child?

Images of me spending time with Lundy after returning to the country flooded my mind. Tears welled up in my eyes.

No wonder I felt a connection with Lundy the first time I saw him. No wonder he relied on me so much!

Lundy was my child! The child I had always thought had died!

My heart was full of mixed emotions. I was too overwhelmed by this sudden revelation and unable to snap back to reality.

Lundy held my hand, also in a daze. It wasn’t until Aviva and Cyrus asked for confirmation, “Really? Lundy is Mommy’s child, our little brother?” that Penn nodded and turned to us.

“Sorry, I kept this a secret all this time. I was afraid that if you couldn’t accept me in the end, both you and Lundy would be disappointed.”

“Lundy, I’m sorry that your dad kept this secret from you for so long. Aunt Aimee, whom you like so much, is your long-lost mommy. You don’t have to call her aunt anymore. It’s time to start calling her Mommy.”