Millie at last snapped to her senses, and tears filled her eyes as the blood drained from her face. She struggled under Pierce's hold and urged, "Let go of me right now, Pierce! Do you even know what you're doing? This is rape!""Rape?" Pierce repeated incredulously. He snorted and pointed out, "You're my wife. No one can fault me for what I'm about to do. This is the price you have to pay for breaking my trust and playing me for a fool!"Millie stared at him in horror, wondering if this was the same man she had fallen in love with. There was nothing kind or human in his eyes; he looked like a monster."Let go of me! Let go—" Her cries were cut off by the sound of ripping cloth, and her shirt came away in shreds.Pierce's gaze roved over the swaths of unblemished, alabaster skin before him. He couldn't help himself. For a moment, he was transported back in time to that fateful night.Millie's face was ashen, and her heart grew cold. She felt like she had just plunged into an icy a
Pierce wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and suddenly chuckled. "You've gotten stronger. You can take an average person in a fight. I guess I've taught you well."Millie couldn't believe he was in a joking mood after what happened. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief."Let's get a divorce." When he opened his eyes, his gaze was clear, and he sounded resolved as he added, "If this is what you want, Millie, then so be it. I'll let you have your way."Millie pursed her lips and said nothing. After that, Pierce drove her home.She ducked into her room and took out her copy of their marriage license. Pierce had a duplicate.As she stared at their names, she recalled how they had been no closer than strangers at the time of registration. Things between them had been awkward and unnatural.She considered divorcing Pierce now. He was dangerous. He could be the sweetest person on earth one moment but terrifying and vicious the next.They hadn't gotten married out o
Pierce impatiently slapped Millie's hand away."Hurry up, my patience is limited. Don't make me change my mind," he said."Change your mind and take all of this back?" Millie asked curiously.Pierce didn't answer; instead, he gazed at her with deep, enigmatic eyes. It was as if they held a black hole that could swallow someone whole.She felt uneasy under his stare and couldn't hold his gaze."Perhaps… I should take this back for now and think it over?" Millie suggested.For some reason, Pierce felt incredibly irritable. Even though he suggested the divorce and was willing to let go and step aside, Millie's uncertainty unsettled him nonetheless. It pulled at his nerves. "Decide right now," Pierce demanded with a domineering look.Millie then stood there, seriously considering it. "Fine, let's just get divorced," she thought. She felt Pierce was more dangerous than anyone else, and this kind of danger made her want to explore his inner thoughts. There was just an inexplicab
Stefan probably hadn't seen it; otherwise, he would've contacted her.Hence, Millie decided to explain everything clearly so they could officially part ways. As she left, she didn't notice a car following her to the city hall.Surprisingly, Stefan was actually waiting there."You're finally here!"Stefan glared at her with a menacing look, as if he wanted to devour her. He was used to others waiting for him, so standing around like this wasn't something he tolerated easily."Why didn't you answer your phone?""My phone broke."Technically speaking, he smashed it himself.Earlier that morning, Wanda called him, telling him she understood his difficulties as a dutiful grandson.She acknowledged his respect toward his family and assured him she wouldn't pressure him, sparing him from a dilemma. She even wished him a happy life with Millie."Ms. Jordan is gentle and beautiful; she'll take great care of you. Ste, once I leave, who knows when we'll meet again. Promise me, be happy.
Wanda began, "Ste, I'm already one month along. I won't terminate this pregnancy. I want to keep the baby. This is my child, and it has nothing to do with you…""What are you talking about? Our child has everything to do with me! If you hadn't fainted at the airport, were you planning to never tell me? You idiot, don't you know how hard it is to be a single mother? How will you manage?" Stefan said. Wanda began to cry when she heard this."I don't have a choice… I'll be satisfied as long as you let me keep this baby. I won't ask for anything more. I'll protect our baby no matter how tough it gets."Millie cleared her throat at the right moment, catching Wanda's attention. Wanda's face turned pale when she saw her, and she immediately got out of bed and knelt on the floor."Ms. Jordan, please let me keep this child. I won't come back or use the child to claim any property. I just want a memento of Ste. Please, let me have this.""Why are you even begging her…" Stefan started to s
It was Wanda who let Millie feel like she had no other options."Just think about how you'll keep Stefan from finding out it was you," Millie said with a smile as she watched Wanda's face turn even paler.Millie stood up and looked deeply at Stefan. "Stefan, could you walk me out?""Sure."Stefan's gaze toward Millie was filled with complex emotions. She really did love him deeply, even willing to humble herself and plead with his grandmother to stop meddling in their relationship.Stefan then followed Millie downstairs.Meanwhile, Millie went into a nearby fruit shop. She carefully picked out a fruit basket and bought a bouquet of flowers."Take these up with you. Even though she's okay now, she's probably scared after taking a fall while pregnant. Make sure you comfort her well.""I never knew… you could be so generous.""People change. I want the best for you too, no?" Millie nearly gagged saying that, but she forced herself to keep it together."Stefan, since you chose he
Pierce's breathing was erratic, quick, and hot against Millie's chest. It was sending tingling sensations like a feather brushing against her skin, lifting and falling.Her face flushed uncontrollably, and her ears slowly turned red. Pierce's gaze was dark and obscure like a wolf watching her, ready to devour her whole."Are you nervous?""Put me down!" She snapped in annoyance."Kiss me, and I'll let you go.""You… Pierce Atkinson, have some sense of shame! Who's the one uncomfortable here?""I can control myself.""You…""Let's just stay like this then."Millie glanced outside the window and noticed quite a few passersby giving them strange looks, probably thinking this scene was too scandalous in broad daylight.She bowed her head, feeling mortified.Pierce's self-control was terrifying; even now, he remained steady as a rock, though the desire in his eyes was turbulent and ready to overflow at any moment. Yet, he held his composure, confident that he would win.Finally,
"It's not even real…" Millie couldn't help but mutter softly under her breath.Pierce's face immediately darkened, and she stuck out her tongue in fear, deciding not to say anything further.Pierce then took Millie home, but he didn't truly ignore Samantha. He sent someone to follow her instead.Samantha had been away from Arbelton for a long time and had no close friends left. The only place she could think of going was the Leach Manor, especially since she had once dated Stefan.But it was all just casual as neither of them had ever taken it seriously."Ste, my brother doesn't want me anymore…""What happened?" Stefan had no romantic feelings for Samantha. When his parents sent Wanda abroad, he'd become reckless and started fooling around, dating whoever came along.He'd been involved with Samantha for over six months but always treated her like a little sister, never crossing any lines. He wasn't cruel enough to truly harm a good friend's sister."My brother… He brought home
Stefan's expression faltered and darkened. For once, he couldn't come up with anything to refute Pierce.It was true that Millie had never come to Leach Manor willingly—it was always forced. So, he didn't exactly have any grounds to argue back.In the end, Pierce grabbed Millie's hand and led her away. After they got inside the car, the atmosphere was so tense that it was almost suffocating. Millie could barely breathe under the pressure.Was Pierce angry? But what did he have to be angry about? She had won the fight, and if it weren't for the potential fallout affecting the Atkinson family, she wouldn't have bowed her head and apologized in the first place.She should be the one to feel wronged. So, why was he the one sulking?Millie cleared her throat, breaking the silence and finding her voice. "Well… you saw it yourself. I'm nothing but trouble. You should divorce me as soon as possible and stay as far away from me as you can. I don't follow the rules, I'm fiery, and I don
Pierce did not have a speck of dust on him. It was an easy fight.Stefan looked mortified."Get a better fighter here!" Stefan demanded. "Mr. Atkinson, it's great that you're here. Your wife was misbehaving, so I just taught her a lesson out of kindness."Upon hearing this, Pierce pulled Millie behind him and stared at Felicity. She did not dare to meet his gaze as it was too intimidating."She's my wife. Who do you think you are to touch her?""She hit me just now!" Felicity yelled."Millie, is that true?" Pierce asked."She started it. Of course, I didn't just stand there and take it. She made things difficult for me, and they even ganged up on me. I was simply returning the favor," Millie replied. Millie didn't know why, but she felt assured in Pierce's presence, and her suppressed emotions began to surface.At that moment, she forgot that they were on bad terms and that she hadn't forgiven him."In that case, my wife was simply defending herself," Pierce said."Defend
Stefan watched Millie's retreating figure with an ambivalent expression. He pondered on how she was willing to lower her pride for Pierce's sake. His hands silently clenched into fists as anger smoldered in his chest.Meanwhile, Millie had returned to the room where the women were. Though they had tidied themselves up, the scene was still chaotic. Felicity had a visible handprint on her face, and Wanda was pitifully clutching her stomach."What now? Are you here to beat us up again?" one of the women whimpered. They all trembled as they huddled together."No… I'm sorry for being impulsive earlier. I shouldn't have acted so recklessly. Felicity, I hope you can overlook my behavior and forgive me," Millie calmly spoke up.The room fell silent. None of them had expected Millie to back down so quickly."A-Are you being serious?" Felicity stammered, her voice shaking."Yes. I was wrong to lash out at you. I didn't consider the consequences. So, I'm sorry," Millie sincerely said w
Millie delivered a swift kick to Felicity's chest and slapped Wanda hard across the face. Then, she pretended to repeatedly hit Wanda by accident. The more Wanda tried to mediate, the more blows she received. On the other hand, Felicity suffered no major injuries despite looking disheveled."What's going on here? What do you take my house for?" The door suddenly burst open. Stefan was standing in the doorway with a thunderous expression.The moment Wanda saw him, she ran toward him like a damsel in distress with tears pitifully streaming down her face."Stefan, she hit me!" she wailed, clinging onto him."Why is it you again, Millie?" Stefan frowned as he stared at her with a complicated gaze.He remembered Millie as a gentle, soft-spoken woman—a timid little lamb who needed his love and protection. But now, she was like a fierce tigress with claws bared.He knew what type of woman he preferred, yet seeing this side of Millie stirred something within him. It irked him that he
Millie shook off Felicity's hand and walked away without looking back. Felicity was unwilling to let it go, so she went after Millie. "Wanda has been too soft on you. That's why you dare to be so audacious and trample all over her! If it were me, I'd skin you alive for your behavior—"As Felicity continued to rant, she reached out to grab Millie's shoulder. To her surprise, Millie grasped her hand and threw her to the floor with a clean over-the-shoulder toss with ease.Felicity cried out in pain, shocking the other three women. None of them could believe that Millie, who looked so slender and delicate, had just tossed the burly Felicity over her shoulder like it was nothing.Millie snapped, "Are you done? You've wasted my entire morning, and I haven't even demanded an apology from you. "Alright, then. Apologize now! You called me here when you had something going on and didn't have time for me. You'd been toying with me! Hurry up and apologize!""I-Is this how your studio tr
Millie refused to believe that a person could change so drastically without reason."Do you know the details of the birthday party kidnapping?" Millie asked."Unfortunately, I don't know anything about that," Julian replied.Millie suppressed her curiosity and picked up her phone. She thought of calling Pierce, but would he even tell her the truth?She rubbed her temples, debating that thought for a moment. In the end, she decided against it.After that, Millie pushed aside all distracting thoughts and focused on her work. She had several custom orders to complete, including one for Felicity Harmon, the daughter-in-law of a real estate tycoon. She had just finished drafting the design sketches and needed to discuss them with Felicity.So, Millie called her to arrange a meeting."I happen to be free today. I'm at Leach Manor. You can come over," Felicity said over the phone."Leach Manor?" Millie repeated."Yes, I'm having coffee with Mrs. Leach. Is there a problem?" Felicity
At the moment when Millie craved for vengeance against Stefan, Pierce had agreed to marry her. When she put herself in danger to lure William into taking action, he had promised to protect her. When Sharon was in peril, she had charged in alone—absolutely unafraid—because she knew Pierce would come for her.He taught her, step by step, how to shoot a gun. He gave her the confidence to stand up to Wanda.At that grand wedding, while everyone's eyes were on the couple kissing on stage, Pierce had secretly kissed her.How could she have been so foolish to miss all the signs? Everything he did had been so obvious, yet Millie had always believed it was purely out of his sense of responsibility. She had chalked it all up to the fact that she was his wife, and nothing more.She had suspected that he loved Samantha and every other person, but never herself.Before she learned the truth, Pierce had been nearly perfect in her eyes—he was flawless.He was a hero to so many. To her, he was
Without Millie, Pierce would have descended into madness a long time ago. If it were possible, he would have hidden his true nature forever. He would have been content to keep up the pretense for a lifetime, as long as it made her happy.It was true that he had deliberately played a role. Even so, his affection for her had always been genuine. Still, Pierce knew that he had committed a grave sin that was unforgivable.He was prepared to spend the rest of his life making amends. He didn't expect Millie to forgive him, nor could he persuade himself to let her go. Though they were both suffering, he couldn't bear to grant Millie the freedom she wanted.If he chose to let go now, there would be no future for them.Millie wasn't a kite tethered by a string that was easily retrieved. She was like a falcon, wild and untamable. Once set free, she would be gone forever."You can just assume that it was all fake," Pierce softly said. He seriously continued, "I won't restrict your freedom. Y
Pierce's husky voice broke the silence as he looked at Millie with deep-set eyes. They were filled with a smoldering intensity that enveloped Millie's whole being. The air was thick with unspoken desire.For a moment, Millie genuinely feared he would devour her whole, right there and then. After all, he had no need to hide anything from her anymore since she had already found out about everything."No… I won't run anymore," she lied, playing along for now. But she knew she would run again in a heartbeat the moment an opportunity presented itself.She couldn't force Pierce to go to prison, but she also couldn't live under the same roof with someone who had violated her. If she accepted and went along with it, what would that say about her principles and her conscience?Millie had tried to rationalize everything by reminding herself that her circumstances had been dire, and she had been drugged. Perhaps being saved by Pierce had been better than falling into someone else's hands.