Julian watched as Millie's pupils contracted and her face turned pale. He couldn't help but find it a little amusing. She was so slow to react that she hadn't noticed his feelings for her at all."Julian, are… are you drunk?" she asked shakily."I haven't been drinking. I'm completely sober," he replied."T-Then, why are you t-talking nonsense?" Millie stuttered. How had this happened so suddenly? It caught her completely off guard—she hadn't been prepared for this at all.Julian confessed, "Millie, my feelings for you didn't just start now. I've liked you for a long time. Back in college, I already had feelings for you. But then, I had to go abroad for my studies, and I was afraid you couldn't accept being in a long-distance relationship. "I was also too much of a coward to take that first step. If I had, we might have already been together back then."Then your family ran into trouble, and I found out too late. By the time I came back, you were already with Stefan. I thought
Millie was grateful that she hadn't given her life to a man who didn't deserve it. She was grateful she had only wasted three years and not more.So, when she realized that her relationship with Stefan was nothing but a joke, she forced herself to suppress her feelings and never held out hope for him again.But Pierce… Her feelings for Pierce were far more complicated. She had always regarded him as her savior. In her moments of crisis, he was the first person she thought of. He was someone she had put on a pedestal and thought was invincible—he had given her courage and security.But suddenly, her savior turned into her enemy and nightmare. While it was true that he had violated her, the fact that he had treated her well in every possible way was equally true. This contradiction tormented Millie, making it impossible for her to accept or reconcile what had happened between them.They had separated amicably, but she couldn't adjust her feelings as quickly.Pierce hadn't betrayed h
Just then, the car door on the other side opened, and a handsome man stepped out. He was Millie's date, Tristan Urban, and she had only spoken to him ten minutes ago.He approached her and took her arm. Then, he lifted the hem of her dress as they made their way up the steps together.Millie ignored the curious and judgmental stares of those around her and walked straight toward the entrance. Before she could get inside, a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her off to the side.Tristan quickly followed.Millie looked at Stefan, bewildered. "Why did you pull me aside?""Who is he?" Stefan asked coldly, glaring at Tristan."An escort I hired. He's my date for today," Millie replied casually."Nice to meet you, Mr. Leach. I've heard so much about you," Tristan greeted politely."An escort you hired to be your date? Do you know what you're doing by bringing someone like him to an event like this? Are you crazy?" Stefan hissed."Who else should I bring? I didn't have anyone suitable
Eager to mock Millie, Wanda continued, "You losing to me is only a matter of time. If I were you, I'd kneel and beg for mercy now. Maybe I'd let you off the hook."Millie ignored her completely."I'll keep my eyes peeled and see just how long you can keep up this act," Wanda snapped, clearly infuriated.Just then, Pierce approached them with Charlotte by his side."Millie, you really came. I made a bet with Pierce that you wouldn't show up. Looks like I lost!" Charlotte said cheerfully."Well, you should honor your bet then," Pierce replied."What reward do you want?" Charlotte asked, looking at him with curiosity.The next second, Pierce leaned down and kissed her cheek.The surrounding guests erupted into cheers. They glanced at Millie, trying to gauge her reaction and wondering if the ex-wife would break down on the spot.However, Millie remained calm with a faint smile on her face. Her relationship with Pierce was in the past. Now, Pierce and Charlotte were getting engaged
Charlotte took a jibe at Pierce mercilessly. Her sarcastic words drew a dark, brooding look from him.However, she stared back at him fearlessly. "What? Did I say something wrong? Come on, we still have to go downstairs and toast the guests. We need to finish playing the part."Pierce suppressed his emotions and followed Charlotte back downstairs. When Pierce saw Julian, an unexplainable anger flared up inside him. He called Julian over to a quiet corner."I thought you'd already succeeded in winning her over," Pierce said with a hint of mockery in his tone.Julian couldn't say a word to refute him. Instead, he silently downed two glasses of wine."If she really settles for someone, I hope that person is you," Pierce added.Julian frowned. "What do you mean by that?""I trust your character. If she's with you, she'll have a happy life," Pierce said humorlessly."Then what about you? Why did you get divorced? Weren't you determined to win her over back then?" Julian demanded, hi
Millie somehow managed to muster the strength to kick the man hard. He tumbled off the bed and fell onto the floor unceremoniously.She rushed to turn on the light, but it wouldn't turn on no matter how she flicked the switch. Was the switch broken? Or was there a power outage?"What's wrong? Are you unhappy with my service?" The man's voice was particularly hoarse, as if he were deliberately lowering it.Millie wasn't very familiar with Tristan and couldn't tell if it was his voice. Now that the effects of the alcohol were wearing off, her mind felt tightly strung. This was a disaster!"I told you to go to my friend's room, didn't I? She's the one who you should spend the night with," Millie said nervously."Oh? Is that so?" The man's tone lifted slightly.Millie suddenly felt as if the atmosphere in the room had shifted. The initial tension and sense of danger seemed to relax a bit. Was she imagining things because of the alcohol?"So, you don't need me? You hired the top esco
Sharon stared at Tristan blankly, unable to believe that such words had come from a male escort."Then why are you doing this job? Is life too hard for you?" she asked curiously."No, I went down this path willingly. I just didn't feel like working hard anymore. I'd rather live off women. Sweet-talking women is the easiest thing to do in the world. I can make young women like you fall for me by the dozens."Alright, it's getting late. You should rest. If you ever need my services in the future, feel free to book me again," Tristan said.With that, he left with a smile on his face.Sharon saw him off and watched him disappear at the end of the hallway. She only snapped back to her senses after he was out of her sight.When she stepped out of her room, Millie noticed Tristan was gone. "Is he gone?" she asked."He… He said that since it's my first time, I shouldn't give it away to someone who doesn't deserve it. He's kind of strange," Sharon replied, still processing his words."D
"What exactly do you mean?" Millie asked."What do you mean by that?" Pierce retorted."Why did you sneak into my house in the middle of the night, pretending to be Tristan?" Millie probed."In the middle of the night? Which night?" Pierce responded."Last night!" Millie yelled."Last night was my engagement banquet. I didn't leave early," Pierce argued. Millie almost burst out laughing in frustration. Sure, Pierce didn't leave early, but he used the excuse of being drunk to stay out of sight the entire time. Wasn't that the same thing?"Pierce, when did you become so shameless and act so pretentious? Where's your sense of decency? You even admitted to what you did on the ship. What else are you afraid to admit?" Millie thundered. Pierce stayed silent in the face of her rage.Millie ranted, "Since you're now engaged, go live your life with Charlotte as you should. We're already divorced, so stop interfering with my life! And as for this order, I'm not taking it. However, I'l
Millie gently closed the box.Suddenly, a single tear slipped down, landing silently on the surface. Only then did Millie realize that she had been crying. She wasn't sure if she was mourning the love she once had or if her tears were for something else entirely.No wonder Pierce had told her to look at it in private. He didn't want to see her shedding tears for another man."It's all in the past. Why send this now?" Millie murmured.She wiped away her tears and picked up her phone. "Tobias, do me a favor. Auction something for me. Donate every last cent of the proceeds to charity. Not a single penny should be kept."She then ended the call and looked at the small box again. At least this way, it would be put to good use…Afterward, Millie headed to the study to check on Pierce. He watched her closely, his deep eyes unreadable.Millie pretended not to notice and said, "You keep working. I'm just going to sketch for a while."Pierce pressed his lips together as if he wante
Millie followed Pierce back home. As she stepped into the familiar space that belonged to just the two of them, her heart felt heavy with emotions.It had been two months since she had last been here, yet everything remained unchanged. Even the wardrobe had been stocked with new seasonal outfits.In those two months, Millie had lost a lot of weight. So, Pierce instructed the kitchen to prepare nourishing meals for her. He was determined to bring her back to full health.Pierce remained bedridden for another half month before he could finally use a cane to walk around a bit. His right leg was still severely injured, and every step sent searing pain through his body, making his face go pale and his forehead damp with cold sweat.Millie couldn't bear to watch him suffer and urged him to rest. But Pierce was stubborn and walked until his legs trembled, and he could no longer stand. Only then would he sit down."Does it hurt?" Millie worriedly asked."It doesn't. I just need to pr
With that, Millie turned around and left without hesitation. But just as she was about to step out of the room, Stefan's voice called out behind her once more, "Millie, I owe you an apology for everything. I never really said it before. It's late… but at least I'm finally saying it. "Millie, I'm sorry. I was the one in the wrong." Stefan's voice was soft, weakened by his injuries. It sounded as though those few words had drained all the strength from his body.Millie's body stiffened, and her hands were tightly clenched into fists at her sides.Stefan was apologizing at long last.Millie wanted to turn around to see if he was truly sincere or if this was just another one of his manipulations. However, she held herself back. Unimportant people didn't deserve even a second glance.Millie didn't say anything. She didn't say whether she would or would not forgive him. She just walked away.Stefan's face turned even paler. He knew that after everything he had done, he would never
Millie didn't want to see Pierce struggling alone, bottling up all his pain like a wounded lion licking its wounds in solitude.Upon hearing her words, Pierce simply tightened his embrace around her. "Mills… I'm scared…""I know. I understand," Millie whispered, gently patting his back."I'm afraid I won't be able to lift you anymore, and I'm afraid I won't be able to run or jump. I'm scared I won't be able to fight the bad guys and protect you anymore." Pierce's voice was soft and barely above a whisper. His sorrow was almost imperceptible, but it could be because he still hadn't fully released his emotions.Millie started, "You still have me. If you can't carry me, then don't. If you can't run fast or jump high, then I'll slow down and walk beside you. I can be your crutch and your support for a lifetime, okay?"And listen, Pierce, you may not be able to fight on the front lines anymore, but you're still there in spirit. We can move to the back lines to provide funding and strat
Pierce didn't tell Millie everything—such as the fact that Stefan had initially wanted to kill him. He spared Stefan some dignity, not wanting Millie to hate him forever.Millie stayed in the hospital to care for Pierce for two days when there was finally a change in Stefan's condition.Before he even regained consciousness, he was already calling her name. Robin anxiously rushed in to find Millie, and she hurried over."The patient's wound has gotten infected, leading to complications. We need to start emergency treatment immediately!""How could this have happened? Wasn't he supposed to wake up?" Robin was beside himself with worry."Millie… Millie…" Even in his fevered delirium, Stefan kept murmuring her name.Millie went over to him. His hand, which had been weakly grasping at the air, finally caught hold of something—her fingers. He clung to her tightly."I'm here, Stefan," she softly uttered.It was as if her words held some kind of magic, as Stefan immediately calmed d
Every word Pierce spoke was firm and impactful. Each word hammered on Stefan's heart mercilessly.Pierce owned up to his mistakes. But what about him? Could he do the same?All this while, he had been shifting the blame to everyone else. He blamed Pierce for stealing Millie away. Then, he blamed Millie for not forgiving him. He even blamed Wanda for seducing him, and the list went on…He had blamed so many people, holding onto their faults while conveniently brushing aside his own. When it came to himself, he always found a way to justify his actions. He completely ignored that he was the true cause of everything.Stefan's grip on Pierce's collar loosened. He took a few steps back in a daze and stumbled on his own feet, causing him to nearly fall to the ground."Those criminals… They're planning to strike again. I agreed to help them," Stefan said."Why are you telling me this?" Pierce responded."She said… She said that if you died, she wouldn't live either." Stefan's voice was
Millie gave Pierce a profound look that contained a myriad of emotions. Pierce could have been selfish and not tell her any of Stefan's good deeds. He could've even stopped her from visiting Stefan. Yet, he didn't do that.After giving Pierce one heavy nod, Millie went over to the adjacent hospital room.Stefan was seriously injured too. His health wasn't as good as Pierce's to begin with, so he still hadn't woken up yet.Robin was in his room, sitting beside him. He kept silently wiping away tears at one side."This is my only nephew. If anything were to happen to him, how would I face his late parents?" Robin mournfully said."Does Grandma know about this?" Millie inquired."I don't have the heart to tell Mom about this. She's old and frail. I don't want her to have a breakdown," Robin replied."I'll keep him company, Robin," Millie said.Robin hesitated for a moment and ultimately nodded. He believed that Stefan would want to see Millie upon waking up. So, Millie staye
"Don't move around. You're still very weak. The doctor said to give you some oatmeal porridge when you wake up. Your digestive system is still quite weak, so you need to eat something that goes down easily."A familiar voice sounded in Millie's ears."G-Grandpa? Why are you here? Where's Pierce? Pierce? Pierce…" After a moment of silence, Millie mumbled, "I forgot… Pierce is dead. Not even his body remains.""What nonsense are you speaking, child? Isn't he lying right beside you?" Bill interjected.Millie visibly froze for a second. Then, she whipped her head around to look. As Bill had said, Pierce was indeed right beside her. Layers of gauze were wrapped around his body, and he seemed to be heavily injured. However, his vital signs were steady, and his heartbeat was rhythmic—he was no longer in a critical condition."Pierce…" Millie tumbled out of bed without a care for the pain in her limbs.Bill quickly went over to support her and combined their beds together."H-How is t
Millie broke down emotionally. She was done with Stefan's constant self-righteous justification. He always blamed everyone else and deemed himself free of any wrongdoing. He acted as if the whole world had wronged him, while he had never wronged anyone.He painted himself as the pitiful and innocent victim, twisting logic to justify everything he did.Millie was done acting her part. She would let things play out however they should. There was no longer anything tying her to this world. If anything happened to Pierce, she wouldn't live either. Just the thought of being imprisoned by Stefan for three years was worse than death.And so, she locked herself in her room and refused to come out. Every day, the housekeepers delivered her meals. She had no appetite but still ate well.Millie also no longer cared whether Stefan had drugged her food or not. If she turned into a mindless lunatic, maybe that would be better than this painful clarity.…Days passed one after another.One