After the family recognized each other, Charlotte, Alexander, and Noah returned to Chelsea Creek.
Elliot and Grandpa Miller stayed at home.
After a bit of fussing, the three kids finally fell asleep.
Samantha sat by the bedside, gently stroking their little heads, her heart filled to the brim with an unprecedented sense of contentment.
After watching for a while, Samantha bent down and kissed each of them on the forehead before reluctantly leaving the room.
Ethan leaned against the corridor wall, his long legs elegantly crossed, his eyes fixed on her without blinking.
Seeing her coming out, he strode over.
"Wanna talk?" he asked.
Samantha nodded in agreement.
The two returned to the room.
Ethan hugged her from behind, resting his chin on her neck, and said hoarsely, "Samantha, let's get married!"
The sudden proposal left Samantha somewhat bewildered. She stiffened and asked, "Why do you want to marry me? Because I'm the mother of your three children?"
If it was just because of this, she couldn't marry him. She didn't want to live in a loveless marriage for the rest of her life.
Although she no longer loved Justin, Justin loved her. That's why she was moved and agreed to marry him.
Similarly.
If Ethan didn't love her, she wouldn't agree to marry him either.
Ethan curled his lips and earnestly said, "It's not just because of that. If it were just to give the children a complete home, I would have married Suzy four years ago."
Samantha was taken aback. Before she could ask, Ethan continued, "I want to marry you because I love you."
A boundless joy surged towards Samantha, engulfing her.
She incredulously asked, "You love me? What about Jessica?"
"I never truly loved her," Ethan confessed. "I thought I did, but meeting you made me realize she was just a fixture, a habit of comfort. Growing up alongside Nick, Oliver, and Jessica, she was always there, and I mistook familiarity for love. It was more like a familial bond, a routine. She knew it too, which is why she faked her death five years ago."
The bombshell of this confession knocked Samantha off balance, her mind racing to process the implications.
"But she's not dead," Ethan continued, his voice tinged with a mix of relief and disbelief. "On the anniversary of her supposed death, she showed up at my door. She confessed everything—how she took my mother's money to leave me and disappeared abroad with my parents' assistance. She's been living in hiding, consumed by guilt toward me and all of us. Learning the truth was like a weight lifted off my chest. I no longer carry the burden of guilt for her supposed death."
Ethan's words washed over Samantha, bringing clarity to the murky waters of confusion.
"Now, I can love you freely," Ethan declared, his eyes earnest and filled with sincerity. "It's you that I truly love. Without you, my heart aches. When I thought Jessica was gone, I blamed myself for not protecting her. But my feelings for you are different."
With Ethan's confession, Samantha's understanding crystallized, his words stirring a profound emotional response within her. She was moved by his honesty and the depth of his affection.
"What about you? Do you want to..." Before he could finish the sentence, Samantha turned around and took the initiative to seal his lips with hers.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Ethan pressed the back of her head and took control.
The two kissed passionately.
Until they were out of breath, they let go of each other.
Samantha hung exhaustedly on Ethan's body, her hands around his neck, panting heavily, "I promise you, we'll get married!"
Ethan was ecstatic.
He lifted her up around the waist, walked to the bed, gently placed her down, and stared deeply into her eyes, saying, "Tomorrow, let's talk to Albert and make things clear."
If they didn't make things clear, Albert would be his future trouble.
Samantha readily agreed.
Ethan kissed her.
...
The next day.
Samantha and Albert met in a private room at the coffee shop.
Samantha took the initiative to thank him and then got straight to the point. "I appreciate your help recently, but I have to tell you, I am not the person you're looking for."
Albert didn't believe it. "You are the person I'm looking for, you've just lost your memory, and I'll find a way to help you remember."
Samantha sighed helplessly, "Last time you said the person you were looking for had a red birthmark above their collarbone, right?"
Albert nodded, looking at her collarbone, "Yes, a red birthmark."
Samantha unbuttoned the top button of her shirt and pulled down the collar, revealing her collarbone, "There's no red birthmark here at all. This is a scar from a burn I got when I was a child."
"No, it's impossible. This must be your excuse to deny who you are..."
Albert thought she was lying to him. He leaned in close to her, vigorously rubbing the scar.
However, the scar remained unchanged, just slightly darker in color.
Samantha's words were confirmed, and Albert seemed to lose all his strength, slumping in the chair.
Samantha immediately buttoned up her shirt collar and fastened the button.
"I didn't mean to hurt you, but I don't want you to waste your time on me. You're about to marry Ellena, she's a good girl, and you shouldn't let her down for a girl from the past. I hope you'll treat Ellena well and not make her sad."
With that, she got up and left.
Albert leaned back in his chair, his eyes hollow, lips murmuring incessantly. “No, it's not possible, it can't be, where is Samara if she's not Samara? Where could she be?”
Listening to him, Samantha knew he hadn't really listened to her words.
His mind and eyes were still filled with his childhood playmate Samara, and there was no trace of his fiancée Ellena.
Unfortunately, she had said what she needed to say.
After all, she was an outsider and it wasn't appropriate for her to meddle in other people's affairs, so she didn't say anything more.
...
After leaving the coffee shop, Samantha got into the Maybach parked across the street.
Once in the car, she hugged Ethan's neck and gave him a big hug and a kiss, "Everything's been perfectly resolved..."
Ethan pursed his sharp lips, looking displeased.
Samantha didn't understand why he was suddenly angry and asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"
Ethan took out a pack of wet wipes from the glove compartment, unbuttoned Samantha's shirt collar, and repeatedly wiped the spot where Albert had touched.
The strong smell of alcohol permeated the cramped car.
Samantha understood what was happening and burst into laughter.
"Ethan, you're being too exaggerated. He just touched it lightly, there's no need to disinfect, right?"
Ethan domineeringly declared, "No man except me is allowed to touch you. You even let another man see such an intimate place..."
If Albert wasn't about to become his brother-in-law, he really wanted to gouge out his eyes.
Samantha was speechless at his jealousy, "Boss, I just wanted to explain. If I didn't explain, what if he kept bothering me in the future? Would you be happy then?"
Ethan pursed his lips and said nothing.
Clearly, he was still upset.
Samantha hugged his neck and kissed his face all over, leaving drool all over him before asking, "How about now? Are you happy?"
Ethan finally showed a hint of a smile after his gloominess, nodding. “Happy.”
“So, let's hurry to the City Hall! If we're any later, they'll close.” Samantha teased.
Receiving the order, Ethan immediately stepped on the accelerator and headed towards the City Hall.
Samantha looked out at the street scene and smiled contentedly.
With her beloved children and man, she had no regrets in this lifetime.
She was sure she and Ethan would grow old together, never to be separated.
***