Millie screamed out loud and jolted awake. It was just a dream. But why did it feel so real?Millie couldn't forget the last part of the dream—Stefan's face was covered in blood, as if he had come from hell, a grim smile on his face.Stefan killed someone. He killed Pierce.Millie was drenched in cold sweat. She couldn't stay here any longer—she had to find Pierce for answers. She didn't know why. Stefan was the closest person to her, yet she didn't trust him at all. Instead, she believed in Officer Atkinson, someone she barely knew.Maybe it was because of his profession. Maybe it was the inexplicable feelings that he had toward her, or maybe it was because both Stefan and Pierce had grabbed her at the restaurant that day, but only Pierce released his grip when she was in pain.Millie knew she had to see Pierce! Millie was familiar with Leach Manor. She knew where the surveillance room was, the housekeepers' routines, and exactly when Stefan would return.She chose a night
"You... You better not do anything reckless. My family will be here any minute!" Millie warned.She got up from the ground, but her foot hurt so much that she limped as she walked."There's no one here. It's just the two of us. You're so pretty..." the man said while reaching out, trying to touch her face. Millie was so terrified that she quickly stepped back."Come on, let me hold you. I haven't hugged a woman in so long," the man insisted. He lunged at Millie, and the stench of alcohol hit her face. Millie's stomach churned. She limped forward, desperate to get away from him.However, the drunkard relentlessly chased after her while spewing obscene words without restraint. Millie was absolutely terrified.Finally, a light appeared ahead. The car's high beams were so bright that she could barely keep her eyes open. So, she raised her hand to shield her eyes. Just then, someone stepped out of the car. When the person saw that Millie was dressed lightly, they immediat
Millie was in a deep sleep when unfamiliar yet familiar memories invaded her dreams.She rushed into a clubhouse and saw Stefan celebrating some other woman's birthday. She had a flash marriage with Officer Atkinson. That woman then committed suicide, and Stefan came looking for trouble. She attended Stefan's wedding, and Officer Atkinson secretly kissed her.Officer Atkinson... It was all Officer Atkinson...Millie's eyes flew open, her forehead drenched in sweat. For a moment, she couldn't tell what was real and what was a dream."You're awake, Mills.""Where is this? Why am I here?""Don't be afraid. You're my wife, Millie Jordan. Look." Pierce took out their marriage certificate. Sure enough, her details were written on it. He then pulled out his phone and quickly searched their names on Google. News articles about the two of them were all over the internet.Millie held the phone with trembling fingers. Soon, the device slipped from her grasp, and she clutched her temple
Tobias hadn't expected Millie to behave like this. He exclaimed, "How could you do this to Pierce?""Let Stefan go!" Millie ordered.Tobias didn't move."Let him go."It wasn't until Pierce spoke that Tobias finally released his grip. Stefan looked at Millie with satisfaction before taking her hand. He then turned to Pierce and said, "We've been out all night. Sorry for troubling you, Mr. Atkinson, but we should be heading back now."Pierce remained silent, his gaze dark and unreadable as he watched them leave. No one knew what was going through his mind.Millie didn't dare to look back. She was afraid that Pierce might see the tears which had slid down her cheeks.Mechanically, she followed Stefan out and left the hospital. But the moment she was inside the car, she finally broke down. Feeling torn, she bent over and covered her face as she sobbed uncontrollably.Upon hearing her cries, Stefan frowned in displeasure. "You shouldn't have sneaked out to meet him.""Are you
Millie heard his words and instinctively took several steps back in fear."Don't be afraid. As long as you forget Pierce and stay by my side, I'll treat you well for the rest of my life," Stefan said reassuringly.Then, he strode toward her."Don't come any closer! Stay away… Stay away!" Millie screamed.Angered by her defiance, Stefan forcefully pinned her down and injected the needle into her arm.Very soon, Millie's breathing calmed, and her gaze became vacant as she stared at him in confusion."What's my name?" Stefan questioned."Stef… Stefan…" Millie replied."And what is the name of the man you love the most?"Upon hearing this, Millie hesitated before sluggishly responding, "Pier—""No! The man you love the most should be Stefan. Remember, the person you love the most is me," Stefan emphasized in a nearly hysterical tone.Millie blankly stared at him and mumbled, "The man I love the most is Stefan… The man I love the most is Stefan…" She repeated the words over and o
After Mark left, Millie let go of Stefan right away. Her gaze was icy cold as she stared at him.Just then, Stefan's phone rang.He was completely drunk and slumped over. The incessant ringing was too loud, so Millie instinctively reached over to silence it.But the number flashing on the screen was an international one, and Stefan had even named the caller "Golden Triangle".Millie knew exactly what that meant. The Golden Triangle was a lawless zone in the open waters of Solandra. It was at the borders of Nebron, Lyza, and Droland, where crime and evil thrived daily.Acting on impulse, Millie pressed the answer button.A hoarse voice came from the other end, "Mr. Leach, you're not keeping your end of the bargain. We had an agreement to work together to eliminate Pierce. So why did you go back on your word? "Lately, Atkinson Group has been putting a lot of pressure on us, but I'm willing to give you one more chance to work with us. But if you betray us again, we won't just ki
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
"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 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