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
Tears welled up in Samantha's eyes, looking pitiful as she reluctantly glanced at Millie."I'm sorry," she said loudly, her voice full of resentment. She then stormed upstairs, slamming her door shut behind her.Millie gave Pierce a helpless look. "Was that really necessary? I don't need a fake apology; it'll just make her resent me even more.""She needs discipline, or she'll become uncontrollable. I'm sorry you have to endure this now, but she'll come around eventually.""I'm going to rest…" Millie said as she turned to head upstairs, but Pierce stopped her."I moved your things to my room.""What?""Sammy will probably report to Grandpa. Don't worry, I've set up a folding bed; it won't be a problem.""Alright, that works."Millie didn't say much else and went to the master bedroom. She noticed her belongings neatly arranged.Meanwhile, the bed was made with perfect corners like a military cot. It almost made her burst into laughter.As she was working on her laptop, she h
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