She had always wanted to explain, but he had never given her the chance. Later, it was Josh who told him that she was sick, begging him to visit her and listen to her one last time before she passed. But Duncan hadn't believed it; he thought it was all lies.Now, sitting on the floor, Duncan flipped through Audrey's medical records again, reading each word carefully. Tears fell relentlessly from his eyes, and the papers slipped repeatedly from his trembling hands.She had endured unimaginable suffering before she finally passed, yet she had told him that she had no regrets, leaving this world with a heart full of gratitude. How could such a kind woman be tormented like this? How could fate be so cruel?Two lives lost. Two lives!Duncan sat on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling, calling Audrey's name over and over until daybreak.Heather came knocking on the door.Duncan, his legs stiff from sitting for so long, glanced toward the door with bloodshot eyes. Outside, Heather'
The money still wasn't enough to repay the debt collectors, and they decided to take Heather to a brothel to sell her off. Overcome with despair, Heather's parents jumped from a high-rise in front of her, taking their own lives.Heather watched helplessly as her parents died right before her eyes, unable to do anything. In the end, she still couldn't escape her grim fate of being sold.At Audrey's grave, Duncan sat by the tombstone, reading the news to her. The headline reported how the Leverton family had been driven to bankruptcy, with members committing suicide to escape their debt.The Leverton family had always been ruthless in the business world, driving many competitors to ruin. Now, with the Leverton family destroyed, their rivals took their revenge, settling old scores.The Leverton family would never recover, and Heather, no matter how hard she worked, would never pay off the debt before she grew old and worn. Audrey's vengeance had been exacted.With that thought, Dunca
"Mom, have you forgotten? Quartet Enterprises was built by Audrey and me, together. She put in more effort than anyone else. When my business was failing, it was Audrey who begged people for help, drank with clients until she bled from her stomach, and yet, when she returned, all she did was comfort me and encourage me to keep going. It's not that she wasn't worthy of me—it's me, Duncan Millington, who was never worthy of her!" Duncan's voice grew louder, to the point where he couldn't even hear his own trembling tone.Seamus took advantage of Duncan's emotional state to snatch the pocketknife from his hand and throw it far away. "Duncan, this was your mother's mistake. I'm apologizing to Audrey on her behalf."But Duncan wouldn't accept any apologies. No amount of apologies would bring Audrey back. It wouldn't bring their child back either."Leave," Duncan said, closing his eyes, but tears forced their way through."Son, I'm your mother! You can't abandon me because of Audrey!" Ja
"Duncan, you've forgiven me, right? You have, haven't you?" Janet's eyes were filled with desperate hope as she looked at Duncan."Mom, I need to know—what's the truth behind that video?" Duncan suddenly recalled the footage from a year ago.Janet hesitated but finally spoke the truth. "Heather brought that video to me. I didn't think much of it at the time. I was just in a rush to pin the blame for the missing money on Audrey.""That video must have been fake. Heather poisoned Audrey with thallium. I'm sure she had the video made too. Audrey told me she had only ever been with me. She never betrayed me," Duncan's voice found a new resolve, as if his soul had finally found an anchor."Duncan, get up! We need to get to the bottom of this and clear Audrey's name," Seamus said, his eyes lighting up as he helped Duncan stand. His son had found a reason to live again.After returning from Audrey's grave, Duncan went straight to the strip club where Heather worked.The club was owned b
The syringe never actually contained HIV-infected blood, but that secret would remain forever hidden. Duncan wanted Heather to live in constant fear, anxious and on edge, until her mind finally collapsed, driving her to a point where she’d end her own life out of despair.And that’s exactly what happened. Heather began losing her grip on reality, growing paranoid and delusional, convinced that everyone around her was plotting against her. Even the slightest noise would send her into a panic.On the tenth day, unable to endure the torment any longer, Heather jumped from the rooftop of the nightclub and ended her life.No one came to claim her body. There wasn’t a single person to mourn her passing.When Duncan heard about her death, a faint smile tugged at his lips, but an undeniable sadness lingered in his eyes."Audrey, I avenged you. Heather is dead. Even her family didn’t care enough to give her a proper burial—she died with no place to rest. Audrey, are you happy now? The one
Josh looked at Duncan, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, but he eventually pressed the USB into Duncan's hand."I don’t want you to misunderstand Audrey," he said softly. "She’s gone now, and she deserves to remain perfect in your heart." She never betrayed their love.From beginning to end, Josh and Audrey were innocent—somewhere between friends and family, nothing more.Duncan stared at Josh, and for the first time, he felt a deep sense of respect for the man in front of him. Josh had been open, honest, and selfless, caring for Audrey without expecting anything in return, even supporting Duncan in the end.Before leaving, Duncan embraced Josh—a hug shared between brothers. “Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you for being with Audrey in her most difficult moments, for comforting her when I was the one hurting her. I know you loved her, and I want to say, Josh, Audrey was lucky to have met you during her hardest times.”Josh pushed Duncan away with a soft punch to his chest, a s
Audrey's love for him had become the weapon he used to hurt her.Duncan's eyes burned with unshed tears. Everywhere he looked, he felt her presence, as if she were still there, smiling at him—so bright, so full of joy.The sight brought him to tears, but every time he reached out to hold her, his hands passed right through her. After repeating this futile gesture over and over, Duncan finally understood the true meaning of being separated by life and death.It was agony—an unbearable pain that made him question why he was even still alive.A grown man, Duncan lay sprawled on the floor, crying like a child.He remembered their college days. He had wanted to start his own business, and she had secretly taken on freelance writing jobs online, often staying up all night to earn money to fund his startup.After they graduated, their entrepreneurial journey officially began. While others worked regular hours from nine to five, they worked from five in the morning to nine at night, ofte
No many men could have endured what she did.When they were sophomores, Duncan confessed his feelings to her. She had been wearing a simple white T-shirt and jeans—youthful and full of energy, like a ray of spring sunshine."Audrey, I like you. Can you be my girlfriend?" he said.Back then, his only thought was to win her over and be with her."I’m sorry, I..." Audrey’s face turned bright red as she lowered her head.Fearing rejection, Duncan quickly cut her off before she could finish. "Audrey, take your time. You don’t have to answer right away."For a month after that, he was on edge, constantly worried that her eventual answer would be a rejection.Then one day after class, he followed her to the library. She was trying to reach for a poetry book on a shelf that was too high for her. She stood on her tiptoes and tried several times but couldn’t get it. In her effort, she accidentally knocked over the entire shelf of books.Duncan rushed over and held her tightly in his arms