"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
As Duncan stepped out of the house, he realized he'd forgotten his phone. Desperate, he approached a store assistant at the supermarket and asked to borrow her phone. The elderly woman, seeing his youthful face contrasted with his snow-white hair, teared up."Son, don't worry, take my phone and make your call," she said gently.Duncan dialed Audrey's number, but it came up as an invalid number. Frustrated, he tried dialing again, changing a few digits, convinced that he had simply remembered it incorrectly.This time, the phone connected, but a man's voice answered, informing him that he'd dialed the wrong number.Panic gripped him, and Duncan started pacing in circles, unsure of what to do next. At that moment, a woman approached him."Excuse me, sir, could you please step aside?" Her voice was soft and pleasant, and as Duncan turned to look at her, his heart nearly stopped—she looked exactly like his Audrey.Overcome with emotion, Duncan pulled her into his arms, tears of joy s
That night, Duncan led Lucy upstairs, and she willingly followed. After spending the day with him, Lucy felt as though she had hit the jackpot. Despite Duncan's prematurely white hair, it did not detract from his good looks. In fact, she couldn't think of a single man in the city who could match Duncan's combination of handsomeness and wealth.Audrey had been truly lucky. To have Duncan's love, even in death, was more than anyone could ask for.As Lucy lay beside Duncan, she listened to him recount memories of a past she didn't know. Duncan had completely convinced himself that she was Audrey.Lucy had seen photos of Audrey before. They did look somewhat alike, but Audrey possessed a beauty that was both elegant and playful—an intriguing contradiction that was undeniably stunning. Lucy knew she couldn't compete with Audrey's natural grace, but she also knew how to play her cards right.If possible, Lucy hoped this man would never wake up from his delusion. If she could stay in Audr
In psychology, it's often noted that people who experience extreme trauma may subconsciously block out their most painful memories, retaining only the happier ones. However, certain triggers can bring those painful memories rushing back. It seems that Duncan was experiencing this very phenomenon.Josh patted Duncan on the shoulder. "You're not well. I'll arrange for a therapist to see you tomorrow."Duncan still hadn’t moved on from Audrey's death. He was stuck in that moment, and if this continued, it would destroy him.Duncan rubbed his temples and waved Josh off. "No need; I'm fine. I want to go see Audrey."Josh wanted to insist, but Duncan had already turned and was heading out the door.When Duncan arrived at the cemetery and saw that there were no flowers left at Audrey's grave, he felt a deep sense of guilt. He had failed in his responsibilities as her husband. For months, he had forgotten her, leaving her to rest here all alone.The more he thought about it, the more he
"Audrey..." Duncan’s voice was faint, as if he could collapse at any moment.Lucy had been raped by over ten men before Duncan arrived, and now she could barely stand. Blood was still flowing between her legs, and though she wanted to reach out to him, her body simply wouldn’t obey.Outside, the sound of sirens wailed closer, but Duncan didn’t seem to hear them. His cold, deathly gaze was locked on Peter’s lifeless body, eyes wide open in eternal shock. Just as Duncan was about to strike again, a police officer grabbed his arm, and Duncan collapsed against him, exhausted.Lucy let out a sigh of relief and, with what little strength she had left, managed to whisper to the officers, "It was them... they tried to extort us... it was all them..." She knew that if she didn’t explain now, Duncan could be blamed for everything.The police, taking in the scene, quickly called for an ambulance.Duncan, struggling to move, made his way to Lucy’s side and held her close. "I’m sorry, I’m so s
Duncan’s eyes suddenly darkened. "You want the money? Hand her over first."Even though he was deeply worried, Duncan maintained a calm and composed appearance.Brian hesitated, regretting that he had listened to Peter’s suggestion. The woman they had wasn’t of much use. But the name "Audrey"—where had he heard that before?One of Brian’s men leaned in and whispered, “Audrey’s been dead for a long time. The guy must be out of his mind, mistaking any woman for Audrey.”Realization hit Brian like a wave, instantly restoring his confidence. Right! How could he have forgotten? Audrey was dead. Duncan had turned pale overnight after her death and even held a wedding at her funeral. His love for Audrey had crossed into madness. Otherwise, why would he refuse to marry a living woman like Heather from the Leverton family and insist on marrying a corpse?With this knowledge, Brian felt as if he had Duncan in the palm of his hand. He lifted his head and stared Duncan down, enunciating each
Escaping the police’s attention wasn't difficult. The nightclub had plenty of its own people, and all it took was a word from Brian to create chaos, allowing them to slip away unnoticed.With that thought in mind, Brian swung his fist and landed a brutal punch on Lucy, sending her crashing to the floor. The women in the room were so terrified that they didn’t dare make a sound.Meanwhile, Duncan awoke in the middle of the night to find the bed empty. He searched the bathroom and scoured the entire villa, but Lucy was nowhere to be found.His first thought was that Audrey had rejected his proposal and left him again, just as she had a year ago.Standing alone in the empty living room, Duncan's mind was filled with nothing but thoughts of Audrey. His heart, entirely consumed by her, was in turmoil.Audrey had long since become intertwined with his soul, so deeply that without her, he felt like a shell of a man. Without her, there was only one path for him—despair.Running a hand ro
Though Duncan never directly asked about what happened last time, he knew Peter would return sooner or later. He had been waiting—waiting for Peter to show himself again.This time, when Peter called, he demanded a hefty sum: ten million.Lucy made up her mind: this time, she would fight Peter to the bitter end. She wouldn't let him continue to take advantage of her.Peter arranged for them to meet at the nightclub where Lucy used to work.Lucy agreed.At eight in the evening, Lucy quietly slipped out of the house while Duncan was fast asleep and went to meet Peter.When she arrived, Peter had already summoned a few women to join him—some of whom Lucy even recognized."What do you want this time?" Lucy barely held back the urge to tear Peter apart.Peter, grinning, grabbed one of the women next to him and shamelessly squeezed her chest. "What else could I want? Money, of course. You’ve got it easy now, Lucy. Don’t think you can just leave me behind."Lucy knew all too well tha
As Duncan watched Lucy walk away, he couldn't help but wonder how many secrets she was keeping from him. Yet, faced with Audrey in this state, he found himself unable to utter a single word of reproach.Lucy, afraid of Duncan's questioning, left on her own, with Duncan following close behind. He had always felt guilty about how he had treated Audrey before, so now he didn't want to press her further.From that point on, Duncan was practically inseparable from Lucy. She didn’t receive any more strange phone calls and didn’t even step out of the house. But the incident lingered in Duncan's mind, an obstacle he couldn't overcome.He felt that although they were physically close, their hearts were worlds apart. He didn’t know what she was thinking. Aside from some deliberate attempts to please him, most of the time she seemed uneasy, as if she were afraid of something.Duncan brought up the topic of marriage multiple times, only to be rejected each time. Audrey didn’t want to marry him
However, Lucy showed up alone, with the money in hand. Seeing how easily she got the cash, Peter’s mood soared. It seemed Duncan was treating her well, and he figured there might be even more to gain from her in the future.Feeling smug, Peter stepped out from behind a large rock and slowly approached Lucy, wrapping his arms around her from behind. “Did you miss me, baby?” he whispered, nuzzling his face against hers.The scent of Lucy’s perfume stirred something in Peter, and his hands began roaming over her body. But after experiencing a man like Duncan, Lucy now found Peter utterly repulsive. She pushed him away forcefully, her voice cold and detached, “Peter, take the money, and we’re done. Don’t come looking for me again.”Peter smirked and, undeterred, reached out to touch her again, but Lucy recoiled as if she had just touched something filthy.“Keep your hands to yourself!” she snapped.Peter chuckled, bending down to unzip the bag. When he saw it was filled with cash, his
Peter, even after being kicked, wasn't angry. Instead, he grinned slyly and said, "Fine, if you don't want to give me the money, I'll go tell him that Lucy Clark is an escort and has been far from innocent for a long time. Let's see if he'll still want you after that."Lucy was so furious she almost strangled Peter. She had met him through her line of work, and Peter had known all along what she did for a living. He also knew that she had stayed with him because she thought he had money. What she hadn't realized at the time was that Peter not only didn't have any money but was also in deep debt.Peter used this to blackmail her, saying that if she didn't give him money, he would tell everyone, including her family, about her work. Left with no other choice, Lucy had given in.But she hadn't expected Peter to demand half a million dollars today.She didn't have that kind of money, and she certainly couldn't ask Duncan for it right away—he would get suspicious.Seeing Lucy's trouble
Audrey had forgotten that he was allergic to eggs.She had also forgotten that he never drank milk.A bitter smile appeared on Duncan's face. Was this a sign that her illness had worsened? Her memory was beginning to fade. Soon, Audrey might forget all the little things he loved, and eventually, she might even forget him.Meanwhile, Lucy continued eating her breakfast without a care, reminding Duncan to eat as well.After they finished breakfast, Duncan finally mentioned taking Lucy to the doctor. Lucy had thought she might get through the day without him bringing it up, but there it was—unavoidable.She couldn’t escape it. All she could do now was face it.Pushing her empty plate toward Duncan, Lucy said cheerfully, "Duncan, look, I finished everything! I can eat, drink, and sleep just fine. I’m all better. I don’t need to go to the hospital."Duncan pushed the plate aside, his eyes fixed on her. Her face did look healthy, but her memory was slipping. That was why he had to tak