"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
Duncan wanted to imprint her image deep into his mind, as if afraid he might one day forget her. Lucy felt his gaze and fluttered her eyelashes as she woke up. She wrapped her arms around Duncan's neck and planted a kiss on his lips. "Up so early?""Yeah," Duncan smiled warmly and playfully pinched her cheek. "Go wash up. I made something delicious for you.""Alright, I'll go freshen up," Lucy pouted playfully as she got up.As Duncan watched Lucy head to the bathroom, his expression darkened. Audrey seemed… different somehow. But he couldn't quite pinpoint what had changed.When Duncan went downstairs, he found Seamus sitting on the couch. "Dad, you're up early. What's going on?"Seamus studied his son carefully. He noticed a shift in Duncan—something had changed. The overwhelming sadness that used to cling to him like a shadow seemed to have lifted. There was life in his son's eyes again.This was a good sign."Duncan, it's time for you to get back to work. The company can't r