Millie picked up her phone and dialed 911. "Hello, officer? There are intruders in my house, and things got violent. Please send someone over to handle this."After reporting the incident, she turned to Samantha. "You've trespassed into someone else's house. I'd shown mercy by merely giving you a few slaps. I'll check my belongings later. If anything is missing, I'll press charges for theft.""Are you out of your mind?" Melissa screeched. Then, she fumed righteously, "This is my son's house. I'm his mother. I have every right to be here. All of you are hired by Pierce, so who do you answer to?"The maids spoke in unison. "Mr. Atkinson, of course." "And who did he instruct you to listen to in his absence?""Madam Millie…" one of the maids replied hesitantly."I'll be the one paying your salaries from now on. Get these people out of here immediately!" Melissa ordered.Millie had no intention of trying to stay on good terms with them. Everyone knew about Pierce's strained relati
Millie got up and opened the door. "What is it?""Why the hostility?" Donald queried."I don't like anyone who Pierce doesn't like," she replied flatly."And how do you know he doesn't like us? Every family has its own skeletons in the closet. Nothing is ever absolute."Donald sat down at Pierce's desk—the very spot Millie had just occupied a moment ago.Millie frowned slightly. She had been sitting there simply because she missed Pierce. But Donald sat there as though it were a seat of authority.Folding his hands in front of him, he said, "My son liked you very much and left you quite a lot. Don't worry, the Atkinson family won't try to take it back."His words made Millie realize that he thought of her as the kind of woman who married for money."I admire your courage from earlier, so I'll give you a friendly piece of advice—cut ties with Pierce. This time, he offended many people. The Atkinson family will publicly sever all ties with him and select a new successor to the co
"This is the rest of Pierce's assets. Apart from what he'd given to you before, there's also this. He asked me to manage it over the years. These are his private assets, so it has nothing to do with the Atkinson family," Tobias informed solemnly."Please leave. I'd like to be alone for a while," Millie murmured.Tobias nodded in understanding and left the room.The room was simple. There was only a bed and a desk in it. In silence, Millie began opening the letters one by one, starting with the first one Pierce had ever written.He had served in the force for eight years. By the age of 20, he was already the most outstanding student at the police academy and had been assigned an overseas mission before even graduating.He had started writing to her in his first year of service.Some missions lasted only a month, while others spanned up to two years. Each mission, whether short or long, was incredibly dangerous. Pierce rarely had any time to rest, let alone time for himself.He'd
"I'll see to it, Millie." Tobias assured her."And another thing…" Millie exhaled deeply, fixing a determined gaze on Tobias."I want to meet with Mr. Sommers. Can you help me arrange it?"Though puzzled, Tobias nodded and made the arrangements.Jacob agreed to her request immediately. He even set aside his work to meet her as he felt deeply guilty toward Millie."If you're here to scold me, go ahead. You can even hit me if that makes you feel better," Jacob said apologetically.He felt deep remorse over Pierce's death. But for the greater good of society, he had no other choice."Pierce's identity was exposed, which led to his death in the mission. Will those criminals retaliate against his family?" Millie asked bluntly.Jacob replied, "Well, they wouldn't dare touch the Atkinson family, but you're in real danger. I'm afraid they'll come after you. I've made plans to assign plainclothes officers to protect you. I've also coordinated with the precinct in your area to amp up the
During this time, Millie couldn't afford to dwell on her grief because she had work to do. She was making Pierce's suit for the wedding. With the delays over the past few days, she feared she wouldn't finish it on time. She worked tirelessly and late into the night.The embroidery on the cuffs was her own handiwork. They were stitched carefully by hand using a unique double-sided technique. On the surface were some dark green motifs, but when flipped, the embroidery inside revealed words that reflected Millie's wishes.One side read, "Till death do we part."And the other side read, "Forever united in heart."She had locked herself in the study to focus on her embroidery, but a maid interrupted her solitude."Mrs. Atkinson, Mr. Leach is here and insists on seeing you.""I won't see him.""But… But he's already forced his way in."Millie frowned. "Then call the police!""Come out, Millie! Don't lock yourself away. Get out of the room!" Stefan's anxious voice came from outside t
Millie didn't even stop to check her injury. Instead, she clutched the mannequin tightly, murmuring dazedly, "Thank goodness…"Thankfully, the suit wasn't damaged. She planned to bury this suit alongside the clothes Pierce often wore. If she died as well, she wanted to be buried in the same coffin as him, wearing her wedding dress.Stefan watched as she protected a mere suit so fiercely. If it had been Pierce himself, how much more would she have cared?Once upon a time, this woman had been willing to give up her life for him. But in the end, he lost her completely.Stefan staggered backward, gripping the desk to steady himself. "How… How did we end up like this? I was wrong, Millie. But what about you? How unwavering had your feelings for me been? Perhaps… You never loved me at all."Millie couldn't hear his words clearly. But even if she had, she wouldn't have cared to respond.Stefan left the room in staggered steps. As he reached the door, he paused, still unwilling to give u
The wedding day arrived quickly.Millie had painstakingly worked on Pierce's suit, so she didn't have time to spare for her own dress. She just ordered one for herself—the one Pierce had chosen before. She trusted his taste completely. He never got it wrong.She had always admired Pierce's sense of style, thinking it was on par with hers. Later, she realized it was because he had secretly studied fashion on his own. Over time, his eye for detail became exceptional with all he learned.He had always worked so hard to catch up to her.Millie departed for the castle, which was one of Pierce's properties. It was secluded, with idyllic surroundings, thereby making it the ideal location. The fact that it was far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city also made it perfect for those who were plotting harm to act.She hadn't invited anyone she knew. Instead, the police and CBP officers would pose as the wedding guests. She arranged for an announcer to stand by the entrance to the h
"Stefan, what are you doing?"What if those people heard his threats and didn't dare to take action anymore? Then how could she catch them all in one fell swoop and avenge Pierce?"Can't you see that I'm protecting you? No one will dare to hurt you as long as I'm here today. We live and die together! Millie, I won't give up on you this time!" Stefan looked at her with a rare determination in his eyes.In contrast, Millie was extremely angry. Stefan tried to reach out for her white veil, but she hurriedly stepped back.Who did Stefan think he was to dare lift her veil? "Stefan, I don't need your protection. Leave right now!"But Stefan refused to listen."Stefan!" Millie furiously started. Suddenly, Tobias slipped something into her hand—it was a syringe."It was taken from the tranquilizer gun…" he whispered.Millie immediately understood what he meant. She needed to deal with Stefan quickly to prevent him from ruining the plan. So, she had no choice but to move closer to
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