"Pierce… Pierce…" Samantha murmured weakly in her final moments as her vacant eyes stared up at the blinding ceiling lights. "Do you want to see him?" Stefan asked in a low voice."I… I'm dying. Can he… Can he come and see me one last time?" Her voice was barely a whisper. It was so faint that it was almost inaudible.Stefan couldn't bring himself to refuse her. He immediately called Pierce and told him about Samantha's condition."What did you just say?" Pierce couldn't believe what he was hearing. For a moment, he thought he had misheard."If you come now, you might still get to see her one last time." Stefan deadpanned.Pierce opened his mouth, but no sound came out.Just then, Millie took the phone from him. "We'll be there right away."No matter how deep their grudges had been, what was left to hold onto now that Samantha was on her deathbed? If Pierce didn't see her one last time, he would regret it for the rest of his life.Throughout the entire drive to the hospital,
Pierce saw Stefan standing alone outside the operating room with the doors wide open.A feeling of doom crept into his heart."Where is she?" His emotions surged uncontrollably as he grabbed Stefan by the collar."She's inside," Stefan said.The moment Pierce heard that, he strode toward the room. But just as he reached the doorway, Stefan spoke again, saying, "She's already dead."As his words fell, Pierce's steps froze, and his entire body started shaking.Not too far away, Millie heard Stefan's words too. Her chest tightened upon learning of Samantha's departure. They had rushed over as fast as they could. Yet, they still hadn't made it in time.Pierce moved forward with heavy steps.Inside the room, Samantha had already been tidied up. The blood-soaked sheets had been changed, and she was now dressed in her favorite outfit. Ironically, Pierce himself had bought that outfit for her. After she married Stefan, she took it with her and held on to it dearly.As Pierce looked
Millie was stunned and unable to speak for a long time. She could hardly believe that the man who had once been so gentle had now become someone who manipulated hearts and lives so effortlessly."Am I a terrible person now?" Stefan's lips curved into a bitter smile."Take care of yourself. That's your business, so I have no right to comment. I'm going to check on Pierce," Millie replied. She had already called Rachel to come and take care of Stefan.Stefan watched as Millie walked away. He knew that from this moment on, they would only grow further apart. There would be no second chances.Nevertheless, he didn't regret it. If he could do it all over again, he still would have made the same choices.…Millie returned to the hospital room and saw Pierce sitting at the bedside. He was staring at Samantha without saying a word.When he heard her footsteps, he finally said, "You're back, Mills. I've already arranged for her funeral.""Where will she be buried?" Millie inquired."Sh
Millie Jordan was about to experience what a woman would go through if she were abducted by a group of perverted kidnappers.A dark cloth was tied over her eyes and her mouth was taped shut. She shivered in a corner like a frightened animal. Her body was littered with cuts and bruises all over. The rope around her neck was only less than three feet long. If she moved any further forward, the rope would tighten around her neck, making her unable to breathe.She'd tried struggling many times before, but she always ended up breathless and blue in the face. Her voice was hoarse, and her throat hurt. She simply couldn't get away.She could hear the abductors angrily cursing at her outside the door. They had tried forcing themselves on her just now, but she fought back and bit one of them harshly in the throat. She'd bitten him so hard that his laryngeal bone nearly broke and she nearly killed him.That was the reason why she was beaten half to death and tied up in a corner like this.
Verdier Club was a place Stefan often frequented to drink and hang out with his friends. Millie's conscience told her that the abductor had been lying to her, so she shouldn't be believing what he said. However, she just couldn't stop herself from coming over to have a look for herself.She had been with Stefan for three years and knew the private room he was often in. She rushed there at once."You lost, Ste! So, truth, or dare?""Truth.""Alright then. Who is the woman you love the most?""How's that even a question? Of course, it's Wanda.""Ooh!"Everyone in the private room started to laugh and riot.Millie stood outside the door, her face turning more pale with every second. Her legs felt like lead, and her hand hung mechanically in the air. She couldn't bring herself to knock on the door.A while later, the people in the room seemed to have played another round of "Truth or Dare", and the "Wanda" from before seemed to have lost."You lost, Wanda! So, truth, or dare?"
Pierce extended his hand toward Millie. His fingers were long and slender, and he had a large palm.Millie was frozen in place when she heard his voice again. She was shocked. However, the drunk man rushed up to them just then. Still under the influence of alcohol, he yelled, "Are you fucking blind? Did you not see me standing there? I'm going to skin you…"Pierce said nothing. He handed the umbrella over to Millie and grabbed the drunk man, forcing his arms behind his back.Then, he pulled out his phone and called someone. A while later, the police officers from the nearby station showed up."This man harassed a young woman on the street. He should be a repeat offender. Take him back to the station as a fair warning to him.""Alright, we'll take care of him," the police officers said politely before taking the drunk man away.Millie should have grabbed the opportunity to run while Pierce was busy talking to the police. However, her legs refused to budge. She was still rooted t
Pierce was on the phone with someone and didn't notice Millie coming out."Alright, I'll go shopping with you this weekend. I'm driving now, so I'm hanging up. Okay, I'll do whatever you say."Pierce gave off the impression that he was a tough guy who spoke his mind in an assertive way. However, he was now speaking gently into the phone with a ghost of a smile on his lips. Suddenly, he didn't look too intimidating anymore.He was most probably talking to someone he liked on the phone. Since he used to work with the law, he upheld it and didn't drive while talking on the phone.Millie looked like she'd just seen her savior. She hurriedly knocked on the driver's door.Pierce frowned and rolled the windows down. "What?" His voice was tinted with suspicion."I'm hanging up now. Something just came up. You can do whatever you want to me next time."Pierce seemed like he was trying to pacify the other person on the line before he hung up. Then, he stayed inside the car while looking a
Millie was shocked. She hurriedly called for the nurses at once.Bill had just been eating a second ago, but now, he was being wheeled into the emergency ward. Meanwhile, the sanatorium also hurriedly called Bill's relatives to inform them of the matter.Millie waited anxiously outside the ward. About an hour later, someone arrived in a hurry."Officer Atkinson?""What are you doing here?"Pierce frowned when he saw Millie. Bianca hurriedly explained, "She's a regular volunteer here, and Bill loves her the most. He's been complaining of shallow breathing lately and often wakes up in the middle of the night. We never thought his condition would suddenly relapse…"Pierce didn't bother chatting with Millie and continued asking about his grandfather's condition instead. It was only then that Millie finally learned of Bill's full name—Bill Atkinson.Bill was later wheeled into the operating theater for an emergency operation. He was only wheeled out four hours later.By the time B
Millie was stunned and unable to speak for a long time. She could hardly believe that the man who had once been so gentle had now become someone who manipulated hearts and lives so effortlessly."Am I a terrible person now?" Stefan's lips curved into a bitter smile."Take care of yourself. That's your business, so I have no right to comment. I'm going to check on Pierce," Millie replied. She had already called Rachel to come and take care of Stefan.Stefan watched as Millie walked away. He knew that from this moment on, they would only grow further apart. There would be no second chances.Nevertheless, he didn't regret it. If he could do it all over again, he still would have made the same choices.…Millie returned to the hospital room and saw Pierce sitting at the bedside. He was staring at Samantha without saying a word.When he heard her footsteps, he finally said, "You're back, Mills. I've already arranged for her funeral.""Where will she be buried?" Millie inquired."Sh
Pierce saw Stefan standing alone outside the operating room with the doors wide open.A feeling of doom crept into his heart."Where is she?" His emotions surged uncontrollably as he grabbed Stefan by the collar."She's inside," Stefan said.The moment Pierce heard that, he strode toward the room. But just as he reached the doorway, Stefan spoke again, saying, "She's already dead."As his words fell, Pierce's steps froze, and his entire body started shaking.Not too far away, Millie heard Stefan's words too. Her chest tightened upon learning of Samantha's departure. They had rushed over as fast as they could. Yet, they still hadn't made it in time.Pierce moved forward with heavy steps.Inside the room, Samantha had already been tidied up. The blood-soaked sheets had been changed, and she was now dressed in her favorite outfit. Ironically, Pierce himself had bought that outfit for her. After she married Stefan, she took it with her and held on to it dearly.As Pierce looked
"Pierce… Pierce…" Samantha murmured weakly in her final moments as her vacant eyes stared up at the blinding ceiling lights. "Do you want to see him?" Stefan asked in a low voice."I… I'm dying. Can he… Can he come and see me one last time?" Her voice was barely a whisper. It was so faint that it was almost inaudible.Stefan couldn't bring himself to refuse her. He immediately called Pierce and told him about Samantha's condition."What did you just say?" Pierce couldn't believe what he was hearing. For a moment, he thought he had misheard."If you come now, you might still get to see her one last time." Stefan deadpanned.Pierce opened his mouth, but no sound came out.Just then, Millie took the phone from him. "We'll be there right away."No matter how deep their grudges had been, what was left to hold onto now that Samantha was on her deathbed? If Pierce didn't see her one last time, he would regret it for the rest of his life.Throughout the entire drive to the hospital,
At that moment, Samantha felt a searing pain in her abdomen. It was so painful that her face paled dramatically, and cold sweat drenched her body."Stefan… Stefan…" Samantha called out for help.Since she was already at the hospital, the medical staff quickly rushed over. A group of onlookers surrounded her too. She frantically scanned the faces around her, but Stefan was nowhere to be seen."It hurts…" She could feel something hot gushing down her legs."Why won't the bleeding stop?" one of the medical staff frantically asked."I have… a blood coagulation… disorder…" Samantha summoned all her remaining strength and managed to utter those words before losing consciousness completely."This is bad! What's her blood type? Where are her family members? Do they know about this?"It was then that Stefan finally arrived. Without hesitation, he provided Samantha's blood type so that the doctors could begin treatment immediately. The doctors immediately made it clear that the baby c
"You… You must be hungry. I'll heat the stew," Wanda said and went to prepare the food.To prevent miscarriage, Samantha had opted to have as little contact with the outside world as possible. She even had her doctor conduct the blood tests for antenatal care within her home.How was Wanda supposed to create the opportunity to get at Samantha now?"Samantha will visit the hospital for her first pregnancy check-up in a few days. I'll be accompanying her," Stefan said. Samantha needed a B-scan ultrasound done to look at the baby. In this way, Stefan intentionally divulged a way for Wanda to cause trouble."Is… Is that so? Then, it's better to prioritize your child. I won't get jealous," Wanda said."I knew you wouldn't. If you bore my child, I would cherish it much more than Samantha's. I wouldn't miss any of your pregnancy check-ups. You know this, Wanda. I would like for you to give birth to my heir. The baby's gender wouldn't even matter, as long as it's ours."Stefan placed g
"Alright then," Millie replied.Stefan had gotten injured because of her, and besides, she had promised to visit too. And since Stefan had personally asked, she decided to stay a little longer.Meanwhile outside, everything had quieted down. Millie assumed that Wanda had already left and thought nothing of it. But two hours later, when she stepped out, she was surprised to find Wanda still there.For once, Wanda seemed to know her place. Knowing that she had no status or title now, she didn't dare to throw a tantrum.If this were in the past, she would have already stirred up quite a scene at the hospital.Wanda shot Millie a venomous look, like a snake poised to strike. She looked as though she wanted nothing more than to sink her fangs into Millie and deliver a deadly dose of poison.Not long ago, Wanda still looked in the pink of health. But now, she was visibly thinner. No matter how good the supplements were, consuming so much of them would only end up wearing her body dow
The next day, Millie slept until the sun was high up in the sky. Yet, she still felt sleepy.She turned over and adjusted herself into a more comfortable position to continue sleeping. However, it was only for her to bump into a wall of flesh. Half-asleep, Millie instinctively reached out and felt around. The sensation was oddly satisfying.Millie did not think much of it. She had thought that it was only just a dream."This isn't fun," she murmured and tried to pull away.Unexpectedly, a strong and well-defined hand grasped hers, holding it firmly in place. "You get me all worked up, and now you're trying to escape, huh?"Millie suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from beside her. Her heart clenched, and she immediately realized that this wasn't just a dream. She quickly opened her eyes and met Pierce's intense gaze, filled with desire."We… We need to restrain ourselves," Millie muttered. "I'm at the peak of my youth. Why should I hold back? I should be indulging in
Pierce had been passive at first while Millie had her way with him. But now, he had turned the tables and was on top of her. He dominated their kiss, not giving Millie a chance to catch her breath. Millie felt as though the air in her lungs had been stolen, and her lips were numb and bruised too.Pierce was in the prime of his youth. Moreover, he had worked out regularly when he was a member of the police force. He had maintained this habit post-retirement, so his body was very fit.He had boundless energy but no outlet. As someone who was almost 30 years old, he had only done it once. Later on, he could only observe and wasn't able to participate due to various reasons. Hence, he had long since been driven to the brink.He didn't know if it would eventually be harmful to his health should he continue to hold back.Right now, Pierce felt that Millie's body was exceptionally delicate. It seemed as though her limbs would break from just a light squeeze.He extended his arm and tur
Millie became worried when she recalled the previous incident with Yulia.Just then, a girl timidly handed Pierce a bottle of water. "I-I can't unscrew the cap. Could you help me?" The girl bashfully peered at him. Her cheeks were flushed, but her gaze was bold and seductive.Millie wondered if young girls were so forward nowadays whenever they encountered someone they liked."I can help you open the bottle. But would you also believe that I could crack open your skull?" Pierce's expression was fierce and intimidating.The girl was so frightened that she nearly burst into tears. In her panic, she blindly ran away.Millie was amused as she observed the scene from the sidelines. After that, Pierce brought her along everywhere and didn't dare walk alone.It was then that things finally quieted down.Millie and Pierce leisurely cycled, taking in the natural beauty of the day. They were like a normal couple instead of Mr. and Mrs. Atkinson of Atkinson Group. They had been by themse