’She’s right there, looking this way.’

A chill ran down Yvonne Sutton’s spine. Just then, she heard the security guard say, "I think I see a shadow... Oh, shoot, I don’t have my reading glasses. Miss Sutton, wait a second. I’ll go put them on."

The corner of Yvonne Sutton’s mouth twitched. When she looked across the street again, that ’Hannah Abbott’ had already turned and was walking south.

Yvonne Sutton frowned and sprinted across the street.

"Wait! You’re Candice Yates, aren’t you? What are you doing here?"

Yvonne Sutton chased her for a long way but couldn’t catch up, watching helplessly as she got into a taxi and drove off.

Yvonne Sutton watched the taxi drive away and let out a deep breath. She hadn’t seen Candice Yates since the accident on the island; it was as if the woman had vanished from the face of the earth.

But now that she had reappeared, it felt like an omen of another disaster.

Yvonne Sutton shook her head, trying not to overthink it, and turned back toward the villa.

That night, Yvonne Sutton was sleeping fitfully when she caught a familiar scent. She instinctively reached out and wrapped her arms around Wyatt Shaw’s neck. In the next moment, his lips were on hers, and his hands began to kindle a fire across her body.

"Hubby..." she called out in a sweet, drowsy voice.

"I’m here."

"Mm-hmm."

"Say it again."

"Hubby."

At that, his gentle touch turned fierce as he began to take from her with fervent passion.

When Yvonne Sutton woke up in the morning, her body felt like it had been taken apart and put back together. Wyatt Shaw had already left for work. She went downstairs to eat the breakfast he had left for her, then headed out to clear the weeds in the front and back yards.

After half a year away from home, weeds were sprouting from the cracks between the paving stones.

She spent the whole morning cleaning, and in the afternoon, Yvonne Sutton went to her clinic.

Her clinic had been closed for half a year. Her main task today was to tidy up and clean, then hire a new physician. She would reopen for business once everything was ready.

Seeing that her clinic door was open, many neighbors came over to see her. They asked if anything had happened, chatted with her, and helped her clean.

"By the way, you should check if anything’s missing," the neighbor who ran the corner store advised Yvonne Sutton. "About two months ago, I saw a shifty-looking man wandering around outside. He didn’t look like a good person."

When Yvonne had first arrived, she’d noticed the place was surprisingly tidy and hadn’t thought to check for anything amiss. Now, spurred by her neighbor’s warning, she quickly opened the drawer beneath her desk. She kept some petty cash on hand for elderly patients who weren’t comfortable with mobile payments. Sure enough, when she opened the drawer, not a single cent was left.

"Was it stolen?" her neighbor asked.

Yvonne Sutton gave a wry smile. "Thankfully, it wasn’t much money."

’Looks like I need to install a security camera in the yard,’ she thought. ’Even if it wasn’t much money, it’s dangerous to be targeted by a thief.’

By the time the inside and outside of the clinic were clean, it was getting late, and her neighbors all headed home.

Yvonne Sutton saw them out and turned back to see the pomegranate tree in the courtyard. It was laden with fruit bigger than her fist, all a brilliant red. She figured they’d be ripe in another two or three weeks.

"Hello, excuse me, are you hiring a physician here?"

Hearing the voice, Yvonne Sutton turned to see who it was and froze.

"Sandra Sutton?"

Sandra Sutton was just as surprised to see her. "Miss Sutton, you... what are you doing here?"

Yvonne Sutton was silent for a moment before saying, "This is my clinic."

Understanding dawned on Sandra Sutton’s face, followed by an expression of deep embarrassment.

"I saw the job posting online... I didn’t realize it was you. I should have contacted the number first, then... then I would’ve known."

As Sandra Sutton spoke, her voice trailed off. She looked down, nervously wringing her hands.

Yvonne Sutton glanced behind her and saw that she had a suitcase.

"I’m sorry," she said, rejecting her nonetheless.

Sandra Sutton nodded quickly. "I understand. Well, I... I won’t bother you anymore."

With that, Sandra Sutton quickly turned, grabbed her suitcase, and left.

Yvonne Sutton let out a long breath. ’This was my mother’s and my home. I don’t want anyone from Chester Sutton’s family setting foot in it.’

In the days that followed, Wyatt Shaw was incredibly busy.

With Mr. Rhodes hospitalized, the company was in turmoil, and there were countless problems that required his attention. As a result, he didn’t get home until very late each night.

Yvonne Sutton was usually asleep by the time he arrived, but even in her dreams, she could always feel his return.

One night, Yvonne Sutton was half-asleep when she felt the mattress dip beside her. She instinctively turned and snuggled into his arms. He kissed her gently, then held her close as they drifted off.

They had barely fallen asleep when his phone rang.

He quickly got up and took the call outside.

He came back after a while, but just as he lay down, his phone rang again.

"Ugh... who is it this late?" she murmured, half-asleep.

"It’s Lynch. Company business."

She mumbled an acknowledgment and rolled over to go back to sleep.

Wyatt Shaw took his phone and stepped out again. Yvonne Sutton waited, but when he didn’t return after a few minutes, she found she couldn’t fall back asleep. She was thirsty anyway, so she got up to get a glass of water.

Just as she reached the small sitting room, she heard Wyatt Shaw say, "Don’t call me at night anymore. Yvonne will get suspicious."

Yvonne Sutton’s eyebrows shot up, and she stopped in her tracks.

"It’s a marriage proposal, understand? A proposal! I can understand hiring a symphony orchestra, but what are you doing hiring Chinese opera singers? Have you lost your mind?"

"And all those paper streamers, the big red ’double happiness’ characters, and all that stuff—get rid of it! I don’t want ’festive,’ I want ’romantic’!"

"Do you even know what ’romantic’ means?"

"David Sutton, entrusting this to you was the worst decision I have ever made in my entire life!"

Yvonne Sutton slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from bursting out laughing.

She remembered asking him for a ring on their way back, and he had promised her a surprise.

’So that’s what he’s been up to. Besides dealing with the company, he’s been busy planning this surprise.’

’But leaving it in David Sutton’s hands... I just hope the surprise doesn’t turn into a fright.’

She didn’t go over and reveal herself, instead tiptoeing quietly back to the bedroom.

The next morning, when Yvonne Sutton came downstairs, Wyatt Shaw hadn’t left yet; he was in the kitchen making breakfast.

She did a few lazy stretches and walked over to hug him from behind.

"How come you didn’t rush off to the office this morning?"

Wyatt Shaw turned his head to kiss the top of hers. "It’s Saturday."

"So you’re not going to the office? You can spend the day with me?"

"Sorry, I’m just going in a little later."

Yvonne Sutton sighed, then stood on her tiptoes to kiss Wyatt Shaw. "You work so hard."

Wyatt Shaw pulled her in for another kiss, but just then, his phone rang. As soon as he saw the caller ID, a wary look crossed his face. He handed the spoon to Yvonne Sutton and rushed outside to take the call.

Yvonne Sutton arched an eyebrow. ’If Wyatt Shaw ever had a mistress,’ she thought, ’I’d find out immediately. He’s terrible at being sneaky; it’s written all over his face.’

Meanwhile, Wyatt Shaw’s temper was flaring. "Didn’t he tell you it was for a proposal? A proposal, and you’re getting me white candles? Is that appropriate?"

"What? He didn’t say?"

"Yes, red candles! Ten thousand of them. Don’t worry about whether I can use them all. You’re the shopper—are you sure you’re not overthinking things?"

After hanging up, Wyatt Shaw immediately called David Sutton and gave him another earful.

Once he had handled that, Wyatt Shaw returned to the kitchen to find Yvonne Sutton had already set the breakfast on the table. He sat down, feeling a bit guilty. He figured his frantic dash outside with the phone must have looked suspicious, so he felt he had to explain.

"Er, that was Lynch on the phone."

Yvonne Sutton played along. "Something urgent?"

"Yeah, we need to have a meeting."

"A meeting, huh? But isn’t it Saturday?"

Wyatt Shaw cleared his throat. "We have meetings on Saturdays, too. It’s extremely urgent."

Yvonne Sutton stifled a laugh. ’He would have been better off not explaining at all.’