Annabel was never going to know that the perfect future Leon had promised her was all a lie—what with giving her a uterus transplant or bringing Cooper to her.
Sadly, she would never know that she was deceived because she lost all her memories after that.
Everything she knew—Cooper, her children, Leon, Jordan—was going to disappear from her mind.
She would turn into someone that even she, herself, did not recognize. From then on, there was no more Annabel, only Anna Yard!
Once the operation was over, her dear Coop would come and get her with their two children, then they would live happily ever after. All the while, she was completely unaware of the ordeal she was about to go through. Cooper closed the laptop gently and the video got cut off.
He could not bear to watch any more of it. He already knew what happened next.
After the computer shut down, the world became quiet in an instant. Hanging his head down, he realized that his face was already covered in tears—tears that had turned cold and were falling onto his laptop, droplet by droplet.
It’s all my fault, Annabel. It’s my fault. What was I doing the whole time?
Going back to that point in time, he believed that Annabel had died. He was even less aware of the existence of his two children. Gathering up a great amount of strength within him, he swallowed the pain that Annabel’s death brought him bit by bit. He closed himself off and trained himself to become stronger.
Seeing the world again through a pair of stone-cold eyes, he realized that the world had always been callous. Everything true, good, and beautiful was no more than an illusion that people used to fool one another.
Almost overnight, he went from the lighthearted and untroubled young Cooper to the future head of the Mitchell Family. His wisdom, foresight, and extraordinary boldness allowed him to become a perfect leader. He guided the Mitchell Family to conquer one peak after the other, but he stepped down at the prime of his life and faded away.
Henceforth, there was no more Cooper Mitchell in the world, only a Fass Michel.
…
At ten at night, Carmen was fast asleep, but the lights in the living room were still on. Sophia was watching television while petting the new dog and making out with Michael—her hands were full.
Out of nowhere, Cooper rushed into the family’s elevator and headed downstairs. He walked past the living room and out the door as though he did not see the two people who were entangled in each other’s embrace.
Normally, he would have glared at them if he caught them being intimate in front of him.
“Dad!” Jumping up in surprise, Sophia quickly chased after him. “Dad! Where are you going at this hour?”
Cooper did not answer her. After he put on his shoes and opened the door, however, he found Linus already standing outside. It looked like he had been there for quite a while from the snow that had piled up on his hair.
The moment the door opened, their eyes met and Cooper froze momentarily. In a grave tone, Linus asked, “Are you sure, Dad? Are you really going to go look for her?”
Linus had seen that video so he knew what was in it.
Cooper was silent as he stood in the doorway. His eyes shone in the night, but it seemed like he was harboring a great uncertainty in his unwavering body.
He was also aware of what would happen once he revealed himself to Anna.
Meanwhile, Sophia had come running out after putting on her coat. “Dad, what’s wrong?”
She saw the both of them standing at the main entrance with the same grim look on their faces.
Something must have happened, but what could make Dad this serious?
After a brief silence, Cooper turned to Sophia and said, “Darling, bring that corgi to me.”
Sophia was baffled, but she still went to get the corgi. With the corgi in his arms, Cooper forged ahead into the snowy night.
She stared at him from behind for a while before it dawned on her. He’s going to look for her.
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