Chapter 5

Linda hesitated for a moment.

Her gaze flicked toward me, a sharp glint of malice flashing in her eyes.

But with the cameras rolling, she had no choice but to keep up appearances, forcing a smile.

"I don’t really remember. I guess our love just kept growing stronger, and now all I recall are the sweet moments."

I glanced at the live comments flashing across the screen behind me.

"So sweet!" and similar remarks flooded the chat.

Setting down my cue cards, I tightened my grip on the microphone and turned to Liam.

"It seems like your perspectives don’t quite match. Could there be more to the story? Maybe you could share how the two of you learned to understand each other?"

I hadn’t expected him to answer.

But after a brief silence, Liam spoke.

"When I first lost my sight, I was a mess. Bitter at the world. And I didn’t like her. She was constantly running around, juggling work and taking care of me.

"One day, she was so exhausted that she completely lost track of time. She had a pot of stew simmering on the stove and stepped out to grab some seasoning… but forgot to turn off the burner."

"By the time she got back, the kitchen was on fire."

Something lodged in my throat.

In a daze, the memory resurfaced.

I could still feel the lingering heat from that evening—the suffocating smoke, the crackling flames.

I dragged Liam out of the room, grabbed him by the collar, and slapped him across the face.

Then, trembling, I had yelled, "Are you trying to die?"

Both my body and my voice had been shaking.

For once, he hadn’t fought back.

But instead, he stayed silent for a long, long time.

Then, in a hoarse voice, he asked, "Wouldn't it be better if I just died? Wouldn’t that be a relief for you too?"

It was in that moment that I suddenly realized the once untouchable heir of the Hughes family was now nothing more than a lost, beaten-down stray, baring his teeth out of habit but too tired to truly fight.

So, still gasping for breath, I shoved him back into the room.

The walls were scorched black from the flames.

One by one, I unbuttoned his shirt, my voice barely above a whisper.

"I didn’t get to eat dinner. You’ll have to make it up to me."

Something flickered in his expression. "Are you sure—"

Before he could finish, I silenced him with a forceful kiss, swallowing his words.

"Liam, you were never a burden to me."

That night, the world felt upside down like nothing existed beyond us.

But now, as he casually brought up the past, his fiancée sat right beside him, the picture of intimacy.

To the rest of the world, those memories belonged to them.

A sharp, suffocating bitterness exploded in my heart.

His closeness enveloped me in a scent both familiar and distant, seeping in before I even realized it.

It was everywhere, overwhelming.

But it no longer belonged to me.

He paused for a moment, letting the applause from the audience settle before speaking one last time.

"I will always remember the moonlight that night—so bright it illuminated everything. I couldn’t see, but I listened to her talk the whole night."

My grip tightened around my pen as I hurriedly lowered my head.

A sharp sting burned in my eyes.

…

Because I had improvised some of my questions, digging up details no one had ever heard before, the interview was a massive success.

By the end of the show, the live stream’s viewership had surpassed ten million.

For the first time, the public had gotten a glimpse into the hidden past of the Hughes family’s powerful heir.

Excitement buzzed through the air.

Backstage, Emma clapped me on the shoulder. "You’ve got some wits for a journalist. That last-minute question? It was brutal enough that he had no choice but to answer."

But as she turned her head, she suddenly froze.

Liam and Linda were walking straight toward us.

She suddenly fell silent.

Liam’s gaze swept over me, cool and unreadable. "Did you come up with today’s questions?"

I nodded.

Linda’s voice was sweet, but her words carried thorns.

"Miss Burns, you certainly know how to hit where it hurts. But let me remind you—basic professional ethics matter. You shouldn’t covet things that are out of your league."

I didn’t say a word.