When Matthew found out that Ethan wasn't Erica's child, he was so thrilled that on the next day, he showered his employees with rewards in the pretense of appreciating them for the company's excellent performance.
Later, when Phoebe had a miscarriage and framed Erica for it, she thought that Matthew had chosen to believe Phoebe over her.
Could he ever do such a thing? Who was Phoebe to Matthew? And how could she ever compare to Erica? How could Matthew ever believe an insignificant woman over the woman he married?
When the foolish girl said that she would compensate for the baby he had lost with another, he agreed because of his own selfish desire and did not bother explaining to her that the baby Phoebe had lost was not his.
And soon after that, he took Erica's virginity.
But Matthew felt guilty for lying to his beloved woman. So, he did everything in his power to make her happy.
After all this, it came as a shock to Matthew when Erica ran away with their babies.
The silly woman was too shocked after realizing how much he loved her, and left him while she was still pregnant.
Matthew felt so wronged. He silently begged in his heart for her to come home. He wondered why she didn't take him with her when she decided to run away.
She would never know how Matthew lived through those lonely years without her.
He didn't dare to go back to their bedroom. He was afraid that he would miss her more because of her lingering smell in the room.
He patiently waited for Erica for more than three years, and finally heard of her whereabouts from his four sons!
Erica was very smart.
In order to stay out of their radar, she had been living in a poor village for three years.
At the airport, his silly son, Boswell, secretly told Adkins that he didn't want his mother and Aunt Tessie to stay in Tow Village forever. The boy thought that Matthew didn't hear.
But, no!
Matthew heard it clearly.
Erica was in Tow Village!
He went to the village and saw her for the first time in more than three years; she had changed so much that his heart ached for the silly woman.
She could not only do housework now, but had also learnt to take care of others.
In order to punish her for leaving him, he pretended to not care about her and didn't mention anything about taking her back to Y City even after sleeping with her.
Erica became anxious and finally returned to Y City on her own accord.
After her return, she accidentally discovered all his secrets, one by one— the bottle of stars which he had asked her to fold as punishment, her teenage photo which he had taken secretly, the lock of her long hair she had left for him, the letter she had written to him, and the two words "My Rika" embroidered on his every shirt.
Matthew was anxious. He wanted to express his love for her; he wanted to tell how much he loved her to her face. But he had hidden his feelings for Erica for too long, so now, he didn't know how to express it.
He struggled for a while, and finally chose to let fate take its course. As time went by, he hoped that she would find out how much he loved her, and her alone.
Another event that Matthew had not expected was when Erica blocked the burning beam of the room to save him.
The moment he saw her spit a mouthful of blood, he collapsed and his heart broke into a million pieces.
She was willing to sacrifice herself for him.
Listening to her words in that painful state, he swore in his heart that he would protect her with his life. He swore that he would find all those who had hurt Erica and make their lives a living hell!
Fortunately, Erica woke up soon after. She had several broken ribs, and couldn't move from the bed. The woman was so anxious about her future because she had always been an active and energetic person.
So, Matthew kept her company all the while and tried his best to keep her in bed so that she would get good rest and recover as soon as possible.
Erica had once vowed that she would give him five sons. Never in his wildest imagination did he expect it to be realized.
In the end, she really did give birth to five sons!
Matthew didn't know how he felt about having five boys in the house! Fortunately, she also gave him a lovely daughter who at least provided him a little comfort.
Their lives returned to being peaceful and happy once Michel and his people were arrested.
Years passed by, and their five sons and daughter were married and had families of their own. Matthew and Erica soon became grandparents.
Sheffield and Evelyn's daughter, Gwyneth, married a senior officer of the navy.
Gwyn was passionate about diving in her teenage years. Whenever she was free, she would go to sea and venture into the mysterious underwater world.
She also met her Prince Charming at sea.
At that time, both of them were diving—Gwyn was doing it for fun, while he was on duty at sea.
Gwyn was like a nimble mermaid in the deep sea. He took her to the ship because the navy was trying to find a suspect in the area.
At first, they thought they were nothing more than passers-by in each other's lives. But as fate would have it, they met for the second time and then again.
Soon, the two fell in love.
That year, Gwyn dived into the sea to see him. But her legs cramped and she started drowning.
Her prince came to her rescue; the man jumped into the sea to save her without any auxiliary tools.
They got married not long after Gwyn woke up from her coma.
A few years after she got married, Godwin, who was then a traditional Chinese doctor, also got married. As he had wished, he married a girl whose name was relevant to Chinese herbs—Violet.
Godfrey became a teacher—a famous professor in a renowned university.
Jeffrey took Terilynn's advice and chose to work at ZL Group. Time went by quickly. Many years later, a grey-haired couple was holding each other's arms as they walked along a mountain path in Y City.
The old man was still very good looking. He asked, "Did you call them?"
The old woman beside him replied, "Of course, I did! Blair said they would be here soon."
Around ten minutes later, a voice came from behind the old couple through the fiery red maple forest. "Carlos, Debbie! We're here!"
Carlos turned around and smiled. "Wesley, you're late! We've been waiting for half an hour."
Blair explained, "It's all because of Rika! She and Matthew are going to M Country. We just saw them off."
"Oh, I see," Debbie replied, greeting her with a hug.
Since their sons were all married, Erica had five daughters-in-law and a bunch of grandchildren! As a woman who couldn't even cook properly, she was so anxious to be in a house full of hungry little kids!
Matthew didn't want his wife to suffer either, so he gave each of his daughters-in-law fifty million a year to hire nannies to take care of their children.
Having done that, they traveled around the world with not a care in the world. If there was something going on in the city that needed their presence, they would stay in Y City for a while before planning their next trip.
Wesley and Blair were staying in Y City for the time being. Today, along with Carlos and Debbie, they were going up the mountain to watch the sunrise. "Let's go! We will stay at the top of the mountain tonight. I had asked Colman to check the time of sunrise tomorrow. It's at six o'clock!" Debbie said in excitement.
After climbing a few steps, Blair started panting slightly. "Ah! I'm not as healthy as I used to be. I'm already out of breath."
Wesley snorted. "You've always been of poor health. If I hadn't made you exercise often for all these years, you would be lying in bed at home now like some weak old woman."
Blair glared at him. "Okay, fine! It's all thanks to you."
Grabbing Blair's hand, Debbie said with a laugh, "Don't argue with him. Save your strength and try to climb to the top in one breath!"
"Okay! Let's do it!"
The two women started climbing together. Wesley looked at Carlos doubtfully and they both shook their heads while laughing. Together, the four of them went up the mountain, stopping now and again to catch their breath. An hour later, they arrived at the top.
Boswell had booked rooms for them at a hotel at the top of the mountain for a few days.
Early the next morning, the old couples showed up at the hotel gate at the appointed time and set out to watch the sunrise together.
The hotel was at a good location. They didn't have to go too far to find the best spot to watch the sunrise.
At six o'clock, the eastern sky began to break, and was dyed in golden and pinkish-purple colors. Soon, the sun rose and lit up the sky in the distance.
Blair sat on a boulder and rested her head on Wesley's shoulder. "We're very lucky to be able to see this colorful blanketed sky again today."
Carlos interrupted, "I'll make a video call to Erma. She has been abroad with her husband for too long. She must be missing this beautiful scenery of her motherland." Carlos loved his granddaughter to bits and couldn't get her out of his mind even while on a trip like this.
Debbie shook her head helplessly. "They are probably sleeping. Don't disturb the kids. Just record a video and send it to her later."
Blair shook her phone. "I've recorded one already. I'll post it in the group chat."
Debbie nodded and said to Carlos, "Blair will post the video in the group chat, so you don't need to send it to Erma separately. Just tell her about it in the group chat."
The Huo and Li families had set up a family group on WeChat, and all the family members were added in it.
Carlos snorted and didn't say anything. After a while, he still sent the video to Erma separately.
Debbie sighed seeing his childish behavior. There was nothing she could do about this stubborn old man.
The sky was bright now. They recorded the beautiful scenery, while also sending voice messages to the family group chat.
Their children and grandchildren were woken up by the messages. No matter how sleepy they were, they still chatted with the four elders one by one.
Only Erma, who was favored by Carlos, had nothing to fear. She put the phone on silent and continued to sleep without checking the messages.
Her husband, Stan, had woken up a long time ago. He had no choice but to greet Carlos for her, and told the old man that she was still fast asleep.
When the sun was high up in the sky, the four stood up from their spot and headed back to the hotel for breakfast.
Blair and Wesley walked in front of Carlos and Debbie. "Debbie, we should go to the other end of the mountain to watch the sunset tomorrow evening," Blair suggested.
"Yes! I've been thinking about it ever since I saw the sunset last year," Debbie replied promptly.
It was colder than usual at the top of the mountain that morning. They were wearing nothing but thin sports coats, which attracted the attention of many youngsters who had just climbed to the top.
They smiled at the old people in admiration. They hoped that if they were also in such good health in their old age, and if they were lucky enough to have a loving partner, then they would love to see this beautiful sunrise at that age as well. It would be the perfect life!
The End.