"Who are you?" Millie asked, furrowing her brow."Mr. Atkinson invited me here," the woman named Sarah Hall proudly answered.Rumors had been going around about how Millie and Pierce were very in love with each other. They even remarried after getting divorced. But now, it looked like that wasn't the case at all. If they really felt so strongly for each other, why would Pierce have invited her over?"Get out!" Millie angrily exclaimed."I don't take orders from you. I only listen to Mr. Atkinson," Sarah replied."Throw her out!" Millie immediately ordered, but no one responded. Instead, the housekeepers and bodyguards all looked at her with disdain. They only obeyed Pierce. He was the one who paid their salaries, after all.In her anger, Millie felt faint. She tightly clenched her fists, and though her fingernails dug into her palms, she couldn't feel the pain."Fine. If you all won't take action, then I'll do it myself." Millie angrily grabbed Sarah and began dragging her out
"Is something the matter, Mr. Atkinson?" Sarah's confused voice came from inside the room."It's nothing. You worked hard just now, so just stay on the bed and rest." Piercy closed the door. Then, he shoved Millie aside and headed toward their master bedroom.Belatedly, Millie realized what Piercy was doing. However, by the time she managed to rush after Piercy, it was too late—she found him exiting their walk-in wardrobe, holding one of her pajama sets."You're giving her my clothes?" Millie asked, incredulous."Why not?" Piercy retorted."You can't! Put it down! Don't sully my clothes!" Millie was emotionally distraught. She wanted to snatch her clothes back, but Piercy raised his arm and held her pajamas high above her reach."Give them back! Don't take my clothes! I don't want them to be sullied!" Tears welled up in Millie's eyes. Her clothes were right in front of her, yet she couldn't get them back. The person in front of her looked just like Pierce. Yet, he was behaving
Sarah felt a rush and became bolder. But it was at this moment a hand ruthlessly grabbed her wrist. The force was so strong she felt as though her bones would break.She screamed, and the lights in the room turned on in a flash. Piercy had sat up and was staring icily at her. "What are you doing?" His voice was chilling."I… I…" Sarah stammered but was unable to say anything. She trembled in fear under his cold, sharp gaze."Please sleep with me, Mr. Atkinson. I don't want a title or riches. I don't want anything at all. My only wish is to spend a night with you. You can have your way with me." She abandoned her dignity and laid herself bare in the end."I have a better figure than Mrs. Atkinson, and I'm skilled in bed. I'll definitely satisfy you and make you feel like you're in heaven!" Sarah intentionally tugged at her clothes to reveal her bountiful breasts to Piercy. Although Sarah indeed had a fuller figure than Millie, who was skinny, Piercy remained unfazed."You think
Unfortunately, Millie couldn't answer him now.She woke up and found that the sheets were soaked, and her whole body was covered in sweat.After the fever subsided, she felt much better.She weakly got up and drank some medicine. Then, she went to the bathroom to freshen up. Her whole body felt refreshed, and her mind became clear.Regardless of whether Pierce would come back later on or whether she would still be with him, the most important thing right now was self-preservation. Piercy was clearly trying to take revenge on her, as he had refused to let anyone take care of her or treat her. If her illness worsened, she might be in grave danger, and in order to survive, all she could do for now was please Piercy. Perhaps then, he would let her go for now.At the moment, Millie was starving, so she planned to eat something first. She intended to go downstairs, but her legs were too weak to move. As she stepped down, her knees suddenly gave out, and she stumbled forward in an a
Millie ate in big mouthfuls, and her tears fell onto the plate as she munched and chomped. She looked incredibly pitiful.Piercy felt a strong urge to step forward and wipe away her tears, but he forcibly stopped himself. There was no way he would feel even the slightest bit of pity for her.Soon, Millie finished eating and even let out a small burp.After eating, she went back to her room and started thinking about what to do next. She planned to climb over the balcony at night. She had experience doing that before. So, she was pretty sure that she would be able to make a better execution this time around.She had a slight fever as the night went on, but it didn't affect her plan to escape. Time ticked by slowly, and finally, it was close to midnight.Piercy had called Sarah over again. The two of them had spent the entire evening getting intimate and making lewd noises. Right now, they were probably resting and about to fall asleep, and this meant that they wouldn't have tim
At this moment, Piercy had only one thought in his mind. Millie snapped back to reality and couldn't help but feel disgusted. Piercy and Sarah had been all over each other, and their lips had explored each other's bodies countless times. And now, he dared to kiss her?Not to mention, even though they looked the same, Piercy and Pierce were two very different people. Piercy was not Pierce!No matter what, Millie couldn't convince herself to accept the truth. She struggled with all her might and slapped Piercy across the face.The slap was so hard that his face turned to one side and blood started seeping from the corner of his mouth.Piercy's gaze darkened and became even more terrifying. Without hesitation, he threw Millie onto the bed and pressed his body hard against her. Millie found it hard to resist the pressure of Piercy's body against her. He kissed her again, this time even more forceful than before. He even bit her lips, as if in revenge for the slap just now."
"You're finally back. Let's have dinner together and have a proper talk," Millie called out to Piercy, trying her best to be calm as she spoke."What do you want to talk about?" Piercy asked."Sit down first. Let's talk while eating," Millie replied.As Piercy finally sat down, Millie breathed a sigh of relief.In front of him sat a glass of water that was already laced with something. Piercy picked up the glass, ready to gulp it down. Millie's heart pounded in her chest as she watched. But to her dismay, he put it down again."So, what do you want to talk about?" Piercy prodded."Either you let me go or kill me. Don't keep me locked up in here like a caged bird. It's just the same as being in prison." She stared at him unwaveringly."And what if I don't agree?" Piercy took a sip of water, and Millie finally felt her heart settle back into her chest. "What if I refuse? What if I choose to keep you here and slowly torment you?""What exactly do you want?" Millie burst out.
Piercy had only taken a sip of water, yet he had been in such agony. If he had drunk the whole thing, the pain would have been unbearable.Perhaps this was for the best. It could be considered as compensation. At least now, they would be together in life and death.After drinking the water, Millie returned to Pierce's room. Then, she sat on the floor and leaned against his bed.Millie started, "Actually, if it weren't for Pierce, I could accept it with anyone else. But when it comes to me, you and Pierce both have your own thoughts. However, the one I fell in love with first was Pierce. He is also the one who I want to grow old with."You refuse to merge with Pierce completely, so I cannot treat you and him as the same person. But there's only one of me. I don't even know whether I'm dating Pierce or someone else anymore. It makes me feel like I'm being unfaithful, being with two men at the same time." She continued, "I know it's not your fault. But in my heart, I've already chos
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