"What happened between us already constitutes me taking advantage of you. I always thought we were referring to the same thing."Millie closed her eyes, nearly passing out again. This truly was one heck of a misunderstanding! "Forget it. The misunderstanding has been cleared now. Let's consider this chapter over.""Mills, you're also taking the initiative to get closer to me, right? You got the drug for yourself, yes?""That's a secret!""Can I hold you, Mills?" With that, Pierce gathered her back into his arms. Even though the action brought lustful ideas to the forefront of his brain again, he still wanted to hold her tightly.Kisses and embraces were important to women, especially when they were provided after sex. His chest was broad, warm, and exuded strength. To be held by him tightly gave her the sense that she was needed by him. It was a wondrous feeling. Eventually, Millie dozed off again. By the time she woke up next, night had already fallen, and Pierce was no lon
Wanda had no choice but to bribe this driver. As long as she was successful in getting back her position tonight, then Stefan would not do anything to him on her account.The driver had also profited a lot. After all, money could move even mountains, and he was only human. He definitely did not have it in him to refuse. "I've brought Mr. Leach. When he sobers up tomorrow, please speak up on my behalf, ma'am." "Don't worry."After the driver had left, only the two of them were left inside the house. Wanda started removing Stefan's clothing, like how she had done many times before.Stefan became aware of the movements and groggily opened his eyes. He fixed his gaze on the person in front of him."M-Millie?" he murmured gently. This drove Wanda nuts. She wanted to stop everything right then. After all, she had her pride too. But, this was a rare opportunity. If she didn't go through with it tonight, who knew how long she would have to wait again. The most important thing she had
This time, Wanda was truly panicking. She had always managed to manipulate him, but Stefan was not having any of it now.After all, threatening to end one's own life could only work so many times.At that moment, the only feeling Stefan was left with was annoyance.Soon enough, the divorce papers were delivered.Wanda read through them and discovered that she was not leaving the marriage empty-handed. In fact, she would even receive a small fortune. She would still be able to lead a life of luxury even without Stefan. He had gone above and beyond with his terms.But Wanda was still unsatisfied. "Stefan, must you be so cruel? Have you forgotten our vows from before? You said you would love me forever. Have you forgotten all that?" she cried."But are you still the same Wanda from before? Or maybe you've always been this person, and I've just never truly known you. Wanda, sign these papers right now, and you can still receive everything listed in there. If you don't, then I'll dr
The surgery went on for three hours, and Stefan was finally pulled back from the brink of death. A lack of oxygen supply to the heart had caused his body to go into shock. The doctors also managed to clear up a large amount of blood clots in his lungs.But what happened next was crucial. As he was still in a coma, they needed to get him to wake up as soon as possible.The longer he stayed in a coma, the more irreversible damage it could cause to his brain. In short, Stefan needed to wake up, and he needed to wake up fast.Agnes wiped the tears from the corner of her eye as she stared at the unconscious Stefan. This was not the time to cry. She had already experienced the pain of losing a daughter. She could not afford to lose him too.Agnes held his hand and said many things to him.As a child, Stefan had always been cheerful and smart. That was the reason why other family members liked him. As he aged, he slowly became more dependable."You have always been your parents' pride
Agnes had always been healthy and strong. However, after all that had happened lately, it felt like she had gotten much older all of a sudden. Her back was hunching more. Now, she had to rely on her walking stick.Robin left the room with them. When he noticed Pierce was still in the room, he didn't know what to do. After all, Millie and Pierce were currently a couple."Mr. Atkinson…" Robin decided to ask Pierce to step outside after a moment of hesitation. His priority at the moment was to save Stefan."Why don't you step outside?" Millie suggested first."Will you still be mine when you leave this room later?" Pierce asked.Millie replied somewhat exasperatedly, "Of course I'll still be yours. Go on. I will be out shortly."Upon hearing that, Pierce nodded and left the room. However, he was still worried. He could not tell whether this was Stefan's plan. After all, Pierce himself had pulled the same move before.Back then, Pierce would always use Bill as an excuse. Now, Agne
Millie took a deep look at Stefan, who was lying on the hospital bed. Even though he was in a sorry state, she didn't feel an ounce of pity for him.The only kindness that she could muster at the moment was to hold back her emotions and not say anything hurtful. Whatever happened to him next would have nothing to do with her.However, the thought of pouring her heart out to recount the past in an attempt to wake him up disgusted her."Stefan."She gently brushed her hand over his oxygen mask. "If you end up not waking up, I will take care of Mrs. Leach Senior for you, so there's no need to worry about her. I will make sure she's cared for until the very end."She stared at him from above, and her gaze had zero hint of warmth.She talked to him for almost half an hour, but nothing changed. Finally, she left the room."Mrs. Leach Senior, I'm sorry. I tried talking to him about the past, but he's still…"She put on a sad face when she said that. But before she could finish, the do
"Are you jealous?""Yes, I am. I know you two have been through a lot. Stefan is like a thorn in my side. Every time he appears, it reminds me of how you put yourself in danger for him, over and over again. You don't even care about your own safety!"When you were inside talking to him, I was out here praying that he would never wake up again, that he would just die. I know it's a terrible thought, but I couldn't help myself. "What game is he playing at now? Is he pretending to have lost his memory and that he's gone back to the time he loved you most? What is he trying to do? Is he trying to take you away from me?"If he could get Mrs. Leach Senior to find you once, he could easily do that again. The thought of my fiancée repeatedly appearing in front of her ex just because of a call or a text is unbearable."Millie was taken aback by his outburst. It was rare for the usually reserved Pierce to say so much at one go. Normally, he would just bottle things up."Why aren't you kee
Millie and Pierce sat at the dining table in silence. She ate quietly with her head lowered. After taking a bite, she noticed that the dish was bland.She quickly picked up the plate."This tastes a little off. Let me reheat it and add some salt to it.""There's no need for that. It tastes fine.""No! It's not!"Millie stubbornly took the dish back into the kitchen.She added a pinch of salt and reheated it."The plating doesn't look good. Let me use a different plate," she later said.And again, she added, "This doesn't taste right. It's too sweet. I'll add some water to it."Suddenly, Millie was bustling around the kitchen.If this were just an ordinary meal, and there were countless more to come, Millie wouldn't have cared as much.But this time, she knew he was about to go on a mission with no clear return date. Judging by the serious look on his face, she could tell it was a dangerous mission. She was terrified. That's why she wanted to make this last meal as perfec
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