"Sweetness!" I open the door to the pantry and face to face with Helen.

"Sweet Jesus! Ethan! Are you planning to make me get a heart attack?" She literally jump.

"Grandma, I'm sorry. Where is Madeline?"

"Madeline? She is in LA, of course."

"LA? No, she came here to visit dad." I gesture in the cemetery direction.

"She came here this morning to visit your parents. And she went back to LA. The last time I checked on her, she was in the house, preparing the dinner for you."

I feel my heart beat so fast; she is there. In the house waiting for me. God! I need to see her now. I kiss my grandma's cheek. "Thanks Grandma! See you on New Year." I run to the door.

"Jesus, Ethan!" She follows me. "Drive safe, okay!" She says, throttling behind me.

I'm already at the front door. I stop and look back and her. "Grandma..." I inhale. I need to do this. Madeline is right. I want to make dad proud of me. I will make him proud of me. I will let go all the past. If Madeline is right, that means mom and dad held the photo until I came. Because there is no way in this windy weather the letter and bouquet can sit still waiting for me to come.

That means... Dad wants me to let go.

I smile at Helen. "Grandma, you haven't said happy birthday to me." My voice sounds shaky, but I can hear a relief in it.

My grandma's eyes widen. "Oh, god!" She runs (yes, she still can run, guys) to me and hugs me tightly. "Happy birthday, Ethan! I wish you all the best. Be happy, Ethan... be happy." Her voice shaky. She hugs me so tight, and I realize Grandma is crying. And I can't help the tears leaking down from my eyes, too. I hug her tightly. "I love you, Grandma."

She pulls back and we smile so widely despite our tears. "I love you Ethan. Now, go! Get your woman." I nod and wipe her tears and go. I wipe my own tears and look in the cemetery's direction.

Mom, Dad, thank you...

***

Despite my intentions to drive as fast as I can to the love of my life. I was stuck in the road. Damn LA traffic! And damn, that drunk guy who broke my phone!

I arrive at home and run to our room in record time. "Sweetness!" I call her, but she's nowhere to be seen. "Sweetness, baby." I go to the dining room, pantry. Where is she?

"Consuela!" I call her. "Consuela!"

She runs to me, with Paulo on her tail. "Jesus, Ethan.. where is the fire?"

"Where is Madeline?" I ask instead.

"At her home," Consuela tells me nonchalantly.

I frown. "This is her home. Where is she?"

"No Ethan. By home, I mean her own apartment."

My heart falls to my feet. "Why?" I complain, "This is her house. She should've stayed here."

Consuela narrows her eyes at me. "You were incommunicado, Ethan!"

Fuck!!!

"My phone is broken. When... when she left here?"

"At 10." Paulo answers. "She is driving her own car."

I check my watch. It's 10.10. Damn it!

"I'm going to her apartment." I walk to the hall

"Ethan, she made the birthday noodle for you. Do you want to bring it?" Consuela calls.

I turn around. There is a lump in my throat. Birthday noodle. My mom's food for us when we are having a birthday. "Just..." my voice cracks, I clear my throat. "Just leave it there, Consuela. I will eat it later after I bring Madeline back here.. to her home."

Consuela nods with her smile, and I can see glassy in her eyes.

"Drive safe, sir," Paulo says. And I run to the front door. Jack is already there with the Bentley. "Let me drive you." He opens the door and I nod. It's faster with him driving the car. I don't need to waste my time park the car.

***

10.45 pm and I'm still stuck in LA traffic. I'm still thinking, should I run to Madeline's apartment? But if Jack arrived first, it would be a fucking idiot of me.

I call Madeline again with Jack's phone. Why her phone is off? I don't think her phone is broken like mine.

"Easy. She is in her apartment. I just checked her car's GPS. She just arrived." Jack says.

I stare at him in disbelief. "You... you put the GPS on her car?" I say, scandalized.

He just shrugs. "It's needed, like today. Or else you would think she was having an accident because her phone is off."

I just can't win Jack's logic.

I glance outside, the Christmas season is so beautiful. I just realized the last time I really looked at this was when my father was still alive. I wasted so many years mourning for my parents' death. Madeline is right. My parents wouldn't want to see me sad. They want to see me happy, with the woman I love. Have a family of my own.

Jack clears his throat. "Ethan... there is something I want to tell you."

I raise an eyebrow at him. It's not him. He never said the preamble if he wanted to say anything to anyone, including me.

"It's about your father's accident 10 years ago..."

Jack never says a word about the accident. He was driving the car that day.

"I owe you an apology. I'm so sorry I couldn't avoid the accident that day." His voice is full of emotion, which is rare comes from Jack (or never).

"I'm sorry for your loss, Ethan. The accident left me a visible cut in my eyebrow. But.." he doesn't continue, but I can hear the rest of his words. It left an invisible scar in the family. And finally, I know where that cut in his eyebrow came from.

"I'm sorry I failed in avoiding the accident."

"Stop, Jack. It's not your fault. No one can predict there would be a drunk guy driving the car over the limit in the night like that Jack. He is the one who killed my father and killed himself. Not you."

He nods stiffly. "Did you know after the accident I was planning to resign?"

I stare at him. "No... you did?"

"Yes, but your granddad rejected my resignation. He knows I feel guilty about the accident. He told me I have to stay with you. For your dad. I think he knows that's the only way to keep me here."

There is a lump in my throat. The accident didn't just haunted me and my family, but it also haunted Jack.

"The day of your father's funeral, I promised him I will protect you with my life. I will help you be the head of The Hall. I did and still do the background check to every employee at The Hall."

My eyes widened. We have thousands of employees...

"I checked on them one by one. Starting from the highest position to the lowest. Including Ben Sanders. I checked him the day after your father's funeral. He hadn't fucked with The Hall at that time, that's why he pass my screening."

"Ben started stealing from the Hall because Granddad chose me as his heir instead of him."

"That man doesn't realize his own capability."

I chuckle and look at Jack from the rearview mirror. "Stop blaming yourself, Jack. Let it go. Stop punishing yourself by checking on every employee in Hall. It's crazy. We have thousands. And the employees keep coming and going. They can fuck with us, but I'm sure I can end them and make them regret for even thinking about it."

Jack takes a glance at me.

"Promise me, Jack. You will stop blaming yourself for the accident. It's not your fault. I won't let you do this anymore. Stop blaming yourself.... stop blaming ourselves," I say to him and me.

He sighs and nods, giving me his rare genuine smile. "Mei said the same."

I smile at the mention of Madeline's name. "She did this to us, huh?"

He nods. "She is a good girl, Ethan. You are so lucky to have her. Don't let her go."

I nod "I won't..." and suddenly it occurred to me.. he knows about our childhood. "You realized Madeline and I have a story in the past?"

"Yes. I realized that even before she came to HQ. Consuela and Paulo realized it's her on the day she came to the house."

"That's why all of you are always nice to her?"

"No. Because she makes you happy, Ethan."

***

Finally! I run to Madeline's apartment. Thank God I have access to let myself in. Jack is still looking for a parking spot.

I stop in front of her door. Why is the door ajar? Madeline never does this...

"What do you want, Thomas? What else do you want from me?" Madeline's voice is shaky.

I walk slowly to take a peek. Madeline standing near the windows, Thomas standing in front of her... with a gun. Fuck! I don't have my phone with me. My phone has the panic button to go straight to Jack's phone.

I observe around. If I startle him right now, there is a possibility for him to pull the trigger on Madeline. No... it's too dangerous.

Wait.. what is that? A stick on the top of a small box on the floor. Isn't that a pregnancy test? Madeline is pregnant? She... My eyes snap at Madeline's tummy. It's still flat. But.. I can't see the result of the pregnancy test from here. But if Madeline—

"You are so lucky, Mads. LA treats you well, huh?" Hudson says nastily. It brings back my focus on him. "You have a filthy rich boyfriend, you have your job, everyone likes you..." he laughs, but the sound is so nasty. "That should be me! That should be me! I'm just a step away from marrying Cam. And I will be rich! But Cam won't marry me even though she is pregnant with my baby! She prefers to kill the baby."

"What?" Madeline sounds surprised.

"Yes Mads. She said she doesn't want to be with me anymore. She kicked me from our apartment, and she killed the baby! Cam went to the fucking clinic for the abortion."

"I'm so sorry, Thomas" Madeline's voice is shaky.

"You are sorry? You better sorry, Mads! It's all because of you!"

"How come it's my fault, Thomas?" Her voice is rising.

"Cam is jealous of you. You have everything now. She doesn't. Your boyfriend kicked her and her father from The Hall. And still asked them to pay for the embezzlement—"

"Are you fucking kidding with me, Thomas? That's the least they could do! They should go to the jail!"

God, I love this woman...

"Shut up, Mads! And you know what! Ben filled the report to the police. He said I'm the mastermind of this embezzlement. And now the polices are looking for me."

"So, why are you here?" Madeline asks warily. Me too. Why Hudson came here?

"Because I have nowhere else to go. I need money, Mads! I need money to go from here. I don't want to live in the jail." Hudson's voice panicked.

"But, I don't have money."

"Don't lie! Your boyfriend has a lot." Now he is back to his anger.

"It's Ethan's. Not mine. I'm not like you, Thomas. I'm with Ethan because I love him. Not because of his money. I would still love him even though he doesn't have money." My heart swells. I always knew Madeline never into my money... but hearing her saying this... it means much a lot for me.

"Fuck! Stop being an angel, Mads." He points the gun at Madeline, his hand shaky. "Give me the money, or I'll shoot you."

"Sweetness..." My voice is low. I don't want to startle Hudson. I step inside the apartment slowly. Hudson turns to me and points his gun at me. Thank God, at least he's not pointing his gun at Madeline anymore.

My eyes glance at the pregnancy test. It's positive. I can't breathe. Madeline is pregnant with our baby. I push myself to focus on Hudson and his gun.

"Ethan..." Madeline's voice is shaky. I can see the tears on her cheeks. I will protect you, Madeline. You and our baby. Even with my life...