Millie told Stefan the truth about what had happened.Subsequently, Stefan's face turned white as a sheet as he stared at her in disbelief.He had heard the whole story but couldn't quite come back to his senses. Stefan just kept shaking his head as if he was possessed. "This can't be… This can't be…"Stefan kept repeating these three words.The Leaches arrived soon enough. Agnes was not present amongst them, most likely due to her age. The trip would have been too taxing on her body.The ones who showed up were Robin and Rachel."Stefan, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Robin asked.Stefan didn't respond to him. His eyes were glazed over as he continued to repeat those three words.Bewildered, Rachel asked, "Millie, what happened?""I told Stefan the truth.""What?"Rachel's bewilderment immediately turned into panic. "The doctor said that his brain had been starved of oxygen for a long time. He hasn't fully recovered yet, so we shouldn't cause him unnecessary stress. What
"I know it's a hard pill to swallow, but it's the truth," Agnes said sadly. "Could you tell me again one more time, Grandma? There must have been some sort of miscommunication. Millie must have misunderstood me."Stefan's complexion was pallid. Even though Agnes had verified the truth behind Millie's words, he still couldn't bring himself to accept it.He clutched Agnes' hand in a death grip.Agnes told him the entire story again, telling him everything that she knew.She even included more details—like how Stefan betrayed Millie for Wanda, how he caused a scene during the family dinner, and how he tried to frame Millie to get her thrown in jail using his own child.Stefan's heart sank to the bottom of his gut after hearing it all.He stayed as still as a statue for a long while."I… I want to see Wanda," Stefan said finally, breaking the silence."You want to see her?""Just from afar. I want to know… just what sort of person would make me act like such a fool!""You can't
Millie was a fast learner. She would forego eating and sleeping when she became immersed. So, she would frequently skip meals and stay up late into the night.Seeing her work so hard, Tobias felt bad for her. He reminded, "Millie, you should take better care of your health. Otherwise, Pierce will be heartbroken when he returns.""Ask him to come back and do that himself. You can tell him all about this by then," Millie retorted.Millie had her own ulterior intentions. If Pierce knew she'd suffered and had to shoulder so much when he was away, would he come back faster next time?Of course, Millie knew she was being childish by having this kind of mentality. Still, she couldn't help it.She had been immensely curious about what lay behind that locked door. When Pierce came back, she decided that she would ask him what kind of treasures he'd been keeping locked up in there.Time flew by. To most people, one month went by in the blink of an eye. But to Millie, one month had been ago
"Quit giving me that regretful look of lost love, Stefan. It's not like I've ever done you any wrong. We can have one last meal together, but I hope you'll keep your word and never appear before me again. Let's get on with life as if we never knew each other," Millie said resolutely.Stefan opened his mouth to speak. His throat felt dry and full of bitterness. He seemed to suddenly realize why he kept going back on his word and pestered Millie with ulterior motives before he lost his memory.Stefan would be heartbroken if they were to never come into contact again after this meal. Nevertheless, this was all his own doing.With this thought in mind, he no longer felt like having this meal.However, the words had already been spoken. He had wronged Millie far too many times. Letting go completely now was the best thing for both of them.And so, the two went to the restaurant. True to her word, Millie was there to eat. She was uninterested in reminiscing or discussing anything else.
The look of innocence on Stefan's face faded. It was immediately replaced by a dark, ruthless expression. Narrowing his eyes dangerously, he decided to see what tricks Wanda was trying to pull.He got into the car and asked Mark, "Have you called for a doctor to examine her? What did the doctor say?""No doctor has been called yet, Mr. Leach. Ms. Lytle said her period was a week late, and she tested positive with two lines," Mark reported."Then take her to the hospital," Stefan responded."But Ms. Lytle insists on seeing you first. She won't go anywhere until she sees you.""Fine. Let's go see her," Stefan said grimly.Mark couldn't help but feel that Wanda was going to end up in a miserable state. Right now, Stefan was more in love with Millie than ever. If it weren't for Wanda, he and Millie would probably be living happily together.Subconsciously, Mark found Stefan terrifying at the moment.Wanda had been eagerly looking forward to getting pregnant again. Those folk remedi
"Hand her the divorce agreement," Stefan ordered.He couldn't be bothered to talk to her, so he instructed Mark to give her the divorce papers straightaway.However, Wanda didn't even glance at it. She thought that since she was pregnant now, her position was secure and unshakeable. Of course, she wouldn't agree to the divorce. Wanda appealed to him. "Stefan, I know I've made many mistakes, but the child is innocent. Can you bear to see this child being born to divorced parents and a broken home? "We're both unlucky people who have been orphaned. We once promised that if we ever had a child, we would give them the best life possible."Stefan finally understood why he had lost his mind and insisted on marrying Wanda. She knew exactly how deeply the loss of his parents had affected him. The two people closest to him were gone. The idea of having a child who shared his blood gave him a sense of belonging.Wanda had constantly reminded him that they were the same as they both lost
"Then let the media take a good look. They'll see your vanity and greed for the Leach family's fortune and how I kicked you out after I saw through your ugly lies. Who knows whose side they'll take then?" Stefan interrupted her sharply.It was true that giving Wanda nothing made the Leach family look bad and could invite criticism.But Stefan didn't care anymore. He had been humiliated so many times before. Something this minuscule hardly mattered now.Besides, the thought of giving Wanda money and letting her squander it to live a comfortable life was more unbearable to him than anything else."What happened to you, Stefan? You weren't like this before," Wanda lamented pitifully."I forgot to tell you that I've forgotten everything about us. I only know what others have told me. So, your usual tricks won't work on me anymore!""So that's what happened…" Wanda felt a small sense of relief at his words.If it was just temporary memory loss, everything could go back to the way it w
"Why aren't you saying anything? Was the battle really brutal and you lost some men? Are you grieving now?" Millie made guesses while gently stroking his back in an attempt to comfort him.She wondered if that would make him feel better."Pierce? Can you say something, please? You're scaring me…"It was too quiet. Even his breathing was hard to detect.Although she was holding him, she couldn't feel his warmth. "Pierce, please talk to me. What's going on? What's wrong?"Still, Pierce didn't say a single word.Panic surged through her, and she quickly pushed him away. Suddenly, Pierce changed drastically. His face turned deathly pale, and his entire body was soaking wet. His fingers seemed to be swollen—as if they'd been submerged in water for too long. Drops of water slid from his fingertips and dripped down to the floor.Millie's gaze traveled down to his chest, where there were three gaping bullet wounds. They bled profusely, soaking his shirt.Pierce stared at her with lif
Millie swiftly took some photos and handed the phone back to the guy."The photos you took look great, miss," one of them couldn't help but praise."Thanks for the compliment," Millie said with a smile.That person was so mesmerized that they stood there in a daze, unsure of what to do. Even when Millie had already walked away, he still hadn't snapped out of it."What's wrong? Do you like her?"Nathaniel Yates finally came to his senses. "N-No. Cut the nonsense. I just appreciate her photography skills."Meanwhile, Millie had gone over to sit by the water and noticed some fish in the lake. It reminded her of the last time she went fishing with Piercy. She was so lost in thought and didn't even notice that Nathaniel was secretly taking a photo of her from behind.He was using an instant camera, so the photo developed quickly.As Nathaniel stepped forward, Millie suddenly heard the noise behind her. She immediately turned around and saw an unfamiliar man, which startled her.
Millie quietly left the room so that Pierce could bid his gun a proper farewell. Then, she went downstairs for breakfast. However, breakfast felt tasteless.Pierce went downstairs after half an hour.Though he didn't have work that day, he dressed in formal attire to make the handover look more proper.The gun was wrapped in a paper bag. He casually set it aside as if nothing was wrong and began eating breakfast."It tastes delicious, you should try some," he casually uttered, serving Millie some food.Millie saw through Pierce's act but chose not to say anything.After that, Pierce remained silent the entire way to the CBP. The atmosphere in the car was heavy.Soon, they arrived at the police station, and Jason came out."Pierce…" Jason whispered, his voice slightly choked. He knew what it meant for Pierce to return the gun this time.Pierce looked at Jason's uniform and couldn't help but give him a firm pat on the shoulder. "Do your best. I have high hopes for you."Jas
Millie had once loved Stefan wholeheartedly, leaving herself no way out. But now, her love for Pierce was only six or seven on a scale of ten. She kept reminding herself that she shouldn't give anyone the chance to hurt her deeply again.Millie had even planned her retreat. If they broke up, she would be the one to walk away the most effortlessly.Once bitten, twice shy.Millie was well aware of her problems. Both she and Pierce had their fair share of flaws, and nobody was perfect. That was human nature."Pierce, you're way too extreme," Millie said."I know," Pierce answered.The most terrifying part was that he knew his flaws too well, yet he had no desire or intention to change.Pierce had suffered for his whole life. As an illegitimate child of the Atkinson family, he'd lost his mother at birth, and his father never loved him. The only place he ever felt a sense of belonging was with his grandfather. He was inherently a cold and unfeeling person, and the first time he bec
The call was quickly answered."Where are you?" Millie asked."I'm still on a business trip," Pierce replied."Then turn on the video. I want to see your face."There was a brief silence on the other end of the call. Millie knew Pierce was lying. "Are you still not willing to tell me the truth? Jason came to the house, asking to take back your gun. What's going on? What happened in the days you were away?""I'll tell you when I get back home." Pierce's voice was a bit muffled.He then hung up the call and removed the bandage from the corner of his eye.The wound was right beside his eyebrow. Since he had dark eyebrows, the scar shouldn't be that noticeable. He could only cling on to this wishful thinking.With that, Pierce returned to the villa.Millie hadn't seen him for days. She felt that he had lost a lot of weight and looked even more exhausted after the trip."How did you get injured again?" she asked.Pierce initially thought it would take her a long time to notic
Jacob eventually calmed down and said, "Do you still insist on doing this when you know it doesn't exactly benefit us?"Pierce replied, "I wouldn't dare to deceive you, neither do I dare to contact you in private. But this doesn't affect our operations, which was why I dared to do so. I want to find someone, but I can't no matter how hard I've tried, so I had no choice but to ask for their favor.""You… Are you still doing it even though we won't get anything good out of this?" Jacob asked.Pierce fell silent and clenched his fists. "Yes. I will resolve whatever problems I've caused. After that, I'll kill them in my own way."Jacob threw his cup at Pierce upon hearing this.With Pierce's skill, he could have dodged it. However, he chose to stand straight.The cup hit him right at the corner of his eye, causing him to bleed."You…" Jacob angrily stood up. "W-Why didn't you dodge?" he asked in a shaky voice."I did something wrong. It's right for you to punish me," Pierce simply
Gideon really admired Pierce's calm and composed demeanor."What's the matter?" he asked."I need you to help me find a lady who went missing. I have to know if she's still alive or not," Pierce answered. "I need her, dead or alive. I can't do this on my own, but with your help, it'll be much easier."He had used every legal method he could think of. But desperate times called for desperate measures, and there was only one option left—to enter the underworld."You're making such a big scene just to look for this one person? What? Is she like your lover or something?" Gideon asked."She's an enemy, the kind that I want dead more than anything."The way Pierce paused after each word made him sound eerily intimidating."Is she also like us, from the underworld?""No, she's just a nobody."Gideon felt chills running down his spine. Having dealt with Pierce for this long, he thought he knew his true nature well enough—a righteous police officer who always played by the book. But ri
Pierce felt like he was drowning, but if someone were to pull him out of the water right now, he would survive.Sometimes, Millie couldn't imagine what would happen if she left Pierce one day because of her disappointment in him. Would he still be able to move on?Pierce survived by clinging onto his sheer will. At first, it was the fixation on avenging his sister's death. But now, it was all because of Millie."What are you going to do now?" she asked."I can't tell you just yet, but I promise it won't take longer than three months."Since Pierce wasn't planning to elaborate, Millie didn't bother to keep on asking either.For the past few days, Millie had been carefully taking care of the wound on Pierce's neck. Even though a small patch of new pink flesh had grown over his wound, it still looked pretty hideous. Fortunately, Pierce always wore suits with collars that were high enough to cover his neck. Millie would always start tearing up whenever she saw his scar.She said,
Pierce was aghast. Mills! His poor Mills!Everyone around Pierce had accused him of committing a crime, but he didn't do it. He had been trying so hard to find out the truth, but in the end, he still got nothing.Did he really betray Millie? Did he really taint himself by sleeping with Sarah?Even if he truly believed that Piercy didn't do anything, he still couldn't find any evidence to prove it.Sarah and Piercy were nowhere to be found either.How was he supposed to prove his innocence? He felt like a trapped beast that couldn't find its way out.Just then, Millie made a subtle twitch. It startled Pierce, and he immediately withdrew his arm around her and pretended to remain unconscious.Millie didn't sleep well at all. The first thing she did after waking up was to check on Pierce. The monitor showed that Pierce's heart was racing.She then brought out a warm towel and gently wiped his face.She began, "Your hair has grown so much longer, but you didn't even properly
Millie rushed forward and saw the disconcerting look in Pierce's eyes.Pierce hadn't rested for two days, so his nerves were stretched to their absolute limit. His eyes were completely bloodshot too.The moment he saw Millie, he grabbed her like he was a drowning man who finally got his hands on a life buoy. His large hands clamped down on her arm with such force that it felt like he was going to crush her bones.Pierce howled, "Tell him to come out, please! He listens to you. Ask him to come out, Millie. I don't care if he takes over this body. I just need him to tell me the truth! Did I betray you? Did I mess around with another woman? I'm begging you…""Pierce, calm down please." Millie tried to soothe him."How can I calm down? I want to be with you, but if I really did betray you, then at least let me die knowing the truth! What am I supposed to do now? How long does he plan to torture me?"Pierce shoved Millie aside, frantically searching around the room. He even lunged at