Stefan and Millie would have probably ended up getting married, right? Since Stefan had already treated Millie as a substitute, and she was even better than the original, why couldn't they just continue like this forever?Stefan suddenly recalled the first time he met Millie. She was dressed in revealing clothes, trembling like a helpless lamb awaiting to be slaughtered. When he first saw her, he was captivated—not only because she resembled Wanda so closely but also because she was genuinely beautiful—more beautiful than Wanda, and she was stunning. He couldn't help but feel empathy for her.In the beginning, he hadn't thought much of it. Millie was just a substitute, a cure for the heartache Wanda had left behind. But over time, Millie proved herself. She was thoughtful, considerate, and kind. Her presence gradually eased the pain left by his breakup with Wanda.In reality, Stefan had broken up with Wanda years ago and spent several years living recklessly. Meeting Millie agai
Stefan felt his stomach churn violently. The smell alone was nauseating, and all Wanda had done was add a pinch of salt for flavor. How could she possibly eat the placenta stew with an overpowering fishy smell?Wanda ate happily, enjoying every bite. For a moment, Stefan had an unsettling thought—it didn't seem like she was eating a placenta, but a child.He waited until she finished before heading downstairs, acting as if nothing had happened."I'm leaving now," he said calmly."Wait, Stefan," Wanda said, stopping him."Is there anything else?""Are you really just going to forget about the incident? If Millie hadn't argued with me and pushed me, the accident wouldn't have happened. Even if she wasn't the mastermind, she should still bear some responsibility. "She's an accomplice to killing our child, Stefan. Are you really not going to seek justice for our baby?" Wanda asked while shedding a few tears. Her crying made her act look sincere and convincing.When it came to cryi
"Stefan, I've already ended up this way, yet you're still going to see your ex?" Wanda asked as tears streamed down her face."Wanda, it's not what you think. Grandma is back and wants to host a family gathering. She wanted Millie to come as well," Stefan explained."Family gathering? And you're inviting an outsider?""Wanda, Millie was with me for three years. When Grandma was ill, it was Millie who took care of her and kept her company."Wanda scoffed. "I could've done that too. Do you think I didn't want to? Why is my life so miserable? My family went bankrupt, and before my parents passed, they left me with your family. Your parents looked down on me, so they sent me overseas and married me off to an abusive drunkard!"My life after marriage was hell on Earth. It was a nightmare! Your family owes me more than anything Millie ever did for you in those three years. I am your wife now, and yet your grandmother is still thinking about someone else?"Is it because your grandmothe
"Mrs. Leach Senior, I won't go. After all, it's your family gathering. How about I treat you to dinner alone some other time?" Millie suggested."You're part of my family too," Agnes insisted."I know you care about me, but Stefan is married to Wanda. If I attend, how do you think Wanda will feel? I don't want to stir up unnecessary trouble," Millie replied.She wasn't afraid of Wanda, but she had no desire to see her again. Wanda had already lost everything, especially after losing the baby. Her real goal wasn't to fight Millie to the bitter end—it was to secure Stefan's affection.Unfortunately, she had lost the ability to conceive children. The Leach family's vast fortune would eventually require an heir. No matter how much Stefan loved her, Wanda was destined to be abandoned.Millie found herself pitying Wanda. As always, her schemes had spectacularly backfired against herself."But I invited several exceptional young men to meet you. It's a chance for you to meet potential s
Pierce said, "Yes, I wanted to marry her. So, the fact that you were pretending to be sick wasn't really a threat to me. You just provided me with a valid reason to do so."He continued, "I've transferred you to a different sanatorium these three years instead of letting you stay alone because of her too.""I see. No wonder you insisted that I stay here despite how much I dislike Mrs. Leach Senior. You're certain I'd see Millie here often and like her, huh?" Bill asked in curiosity."Not really."Pierce hadn't expected things to turn out this way. All he wanted was to see Millie more often. After finding out that Millie was taking care of Agnes in this sanatorium, he decided to visit Bill frequently to increase his chances of seeing her.Even a quick glance was more than enough for him. "Well, why did you agree to a divorce then? I don't understand at all. You care about her so much," Bill said.Bill knew that they were going to get a divorce. In fact, he wanted to stop them.
"Why are you here?" Pierce asked, despite knowing the answer."Grandpa must have been confused and called me in his disoriented state. Is he doing alright now?" Millie asked urgently. "I don't know what's going on inside." Pierce shook his head. "They're still performing emergency treatment on him. But the doctor did mention that his condition was quite severe this time. Grandpa might not be able to…" He drifted off, not finishing the rest of his sentence.Millie staggered on her feet, almost falling to the ground. She knew it was only a matter of time before Bill would have to say goodbye to the world, but she didn't expect it to be so soon. It had barely been a year!Bill had always looked after her. Ever since she married Pierce, Bill treated Millie even better than before. Despite the gossip about her, Bill always empathized with her, feeling her pain as if it were his own.Although she didn't have blood ties to Bill or Agnes, they still showed her the utmost love and c
Pierce asked Millie that question with determination.Millie fell silent. Technically, she should treat Pierce and Stefan similarly and steer clear of Pierce.But her heart always swayed when it came to Pierce for some reason. It was probably because Pierce was always there for her whenever she had a hard time. Whether it was before or after their marriage, he never disappointed her. He wasn't like Stefan, who kept breaking her heart to the extent that she had gotten used to it. Stefan was constantly deliberating the pros and cons and picking the side that benefited him the most. To him, Millie was always the one who could be discarded as the other option.On the contrary, Pierce had never made her his second option. There was an awkward silence in the room. Millie didn't know how to respond to Pierce's question. As she was pondering her answer, she saw the corner of Bill's eye twitch. Was he regaining consciousness now?"Grandpa… Grandpa's eyes twitched just now," she sa
Nero was also a Caledynian. He was called "Nero" because he was slightly more tanned than the others.Both Nero and William worked in the Golden Triangle area. They mostly made smuggling trades in Solandra's black market, especially in places like Moanelay and Lyza. "Who are you, and why did you take me here?" Nero asked.If the police had arrested Nero, he would have been sent away to be interrogated. So, why was he secretly brought here?"You're here, Pierce," Tobias said, ignoring Nero. He walked over to Pierce when he heard the footsteps. Nero was flabbergasted the moment he saw Pierce. "You… You're Pierce Atkinson?"Pierce was a legendary customs officer with a lengthy list of achievements at a young age. Besides, he had arrested a large number of underground dealers, including Nero's accomplices.People like Nero swore an oath to kill Pierce if they ever came across him whenever they were out there dealing in the black market. Everyone was desperate to kill him to as
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