Irvin had just tucked in a sleeping Julianne. He was preparing to leave when I arrived.He came face to face with me when he turned around. Different emotions flashed so quickly across his face that I couldn't describe them. I smiled patronizingly at him. "Let's talk elsewhere. We shouldn't disturb your beloved Julianne's sleep."With that, I turned and walked away.Irvin's expression was so ugly when he heard what I said. But I didn't care.He wanted me to stop bringing up his relationship with Julianne. But at the same time, he was also afraid I would. This was because if I no longer cared about their relationship, it also meant I no longer cared about him.Irvin looked at me once we were outside. He then took the lead and spoke first."I really had urgent work matters to attend to. That's why I didn't wait outside Mr. Holland's house for you," he began explaining. "I only came to see Lianne once I had handled it."Then, he tried to justify his actions. "And the reason I cam
However, I underestimated how cautious Julianne would be. She never used her phone to contact Travis. She had also erased all traces of their chat history. For a long time, I didn't gain anything useful from spying on her through her phone.Until today.This recording was the most useful thing I had gotten after monitoring her phone for so long.It wasn't the only thing I had, of course. I also had screenshots of her chat history with Irvin and with me. However, I decided to show only the recording since it was sufficient. It was conclusive enough to nail him for violating our agreement.If he didn't think it was enough evidence, I still had plenty to show him.Irvin's face became gloomier when he heard me say I had more evidence."Where did you get that recording? Did you hire someone to spy on me?" he questioned.He was a smart man, after all. So, it wasn't surprising that he was able to put the pieces together so quickly.I shrugged. "No, I didn't. Someone sent this to me,
He didn't want to let go of me. No matter what, he just couldn't, unless he died.But even if he died, he still didn't want to let go. He wanted to take me with him.He couldn't live without me—not even when he was suffering, and especially not now. I frowned. "Are you trying to disregard the agreement and force me to sue you?"My agreement with Irvin wasn't just a verbal promise. He couldn't go back on his word whenever he pleased.Our agreement was legally binding. If he broke his promise, I could take him to court. With the divorce agreement in hand, the court would grant the divorce and divide the assets according to what was stated in it.He would leave the marriage with nothing!Irvin saw my determination to sue him and the disgust in my gaze. There was no trace of the love I once had for him. The despair in his eyes slowly turned into rage. No matter what, he just couldn't accept that I stopped loving him. And I stopped loving him without hesitation. There were no li
But saying he didn't know me wasn't entirely true. After learning the truth, he knew full well that I intended to divorce him and leave him for good.The so-called chance I gave him was just to make him suffer even more. There was no way I could ever forgive him.So, while I thought I had tricked him, he had already been plotting against me.He had treated me like an enemy, cunningly transferring the shares of the shell company to me while secretly owning a new company that was entirely under his control.If we didn't divorce, our two companies would remain one, and the company in my name would continue to thrive.But the moment we divorced, my company would go bankrupt instantly. Not only would I lose everything, but I would also be drowning in debt, just like what he said.I stared at Irvin as he spoke so genuinely, claiming he never intended to hurt me and never would. And that all he wanted was to be with me.I wanted to say something, but the words never left my lips, becau
As I was too focused on figuring out how to fight my way back in this situation, I completely forgot that night had already fallen.By the time I arrived at Mark's law firm, the building was completely dark.I couldn't help but chuckle. I really had lost my mind after that blow.I was so anxious that I wanted to call Mark to ask what I should do in this situation. I wanted to know whether there were any legal loopholes that I could use to fight back.However, I realized it was already late, and he was probably asleep.I shouldn't disturb his rest. Besides, even if there was a legal way to break through this situation, it wasn't something that could be solved instantly.I put my phone away.Just moments ago, I had been confident that I would have my divorce certificate tomorrow. I would be completely free from this marriage and start focusing on my studies. But after this sudden blow, I couldn't calm myself down no matter how hard I tried.I drove aimlessly through the quiet w
Neither Shaun nor I noticed that someone had taken a picture of us entering the hotel together.Just as I finished washing up and was ready to lie in my bed, Irvin called me. I initially didn't want to answer, but after giving it some thought, I picked up."Emi, why aren't you home?" he asked.Irvin thought I had gone home after leaving. Once he had composed himself, he went to my place but found I wasn't home."Why does it matter to you whether I go home or not?" I replied coldly. I couldn't understand how he could act this way after doing that to me."Emi—""Don't call me that!" I cut him off. "And stop pretending to be all affectionate. Even if you don't find it disgusting, please spare me from it!"Irvin instinctively explained, "Emi, I'm not pretending.""Oh? Then was your brand-new company built in a day? You must have spent quite some time draining your current company, right?"Now that I had calmed down, I had been thinking about it. I answered his call to get informat
After hanging up on Irvin, I lay in bed, my mind racing with thoughts of how to escape. I was wide awake the entire night.As soon as morning arrived, I could finally call Mark and arrange a meeting to discuss the situation.After contemplating it all night, I had come up with a possible loophole, but I wasn't sure if it was feasible. I needed the opinion of a professional lawyer.Mark frowned after hearing everything.He was present when Irvin transferred all his assets to me, reviewing all the relevant documents and ensuring there were no issues. He had assumed Irvin was genuinely remorseful and that he wanted to make up for his mistake. He never imagined the truth to be something like this!He apologized immediately, "I'm sorry, Emilia. I didn't even realize this possibility back then."Sawyer Corporation was one of the country's leading companies with a promising future.Therefore, Mark naturally assumed there was fine. It never occurred to him that there could be an issue
"But he didn't choose to divorce you," Mark pointed out. "Instead, he told you all these to keep you. If that's the case, then he must truly love you."He continued, "He probably didn't intend to harm you but was just desperate to hold onto you. Maybe he was afraid that you'd never forgive him no matter what, so he wanted to bind you to him first. "If you still have feelings for him, and if there's a chance for reconciliation, perhaps you can try to resolve the past and move forward together."If there was a chance for us to reconcile, then there would be no need to waste energy searching for evidence."No way!" I replied without hesitation. "I'll never be with him again!"Not that I believed his love for me was genuine, but even if it was, there was no way I'd ever be with him again!Not all pain and wounds could be healed by love."If you can't be with him again, then… you could use his feelings to your advantage," Mark said. "You can seduce him or lower the hostility between
"How could you take advantage of your position to seduce my husband! How could you knowingly become the other woman!" Grace accused.The photo she showed me on her phone was from when Irvin hugged me tightly after standing up from his wheelchair.When I first saw it, I was stunned. But then, it hit me—we had been watched this whole time!Based on the direction the photo was taken from, it could have only been taken from outside my work studio's window. And given that my studio was on the 10th floor, there was no way a random passerby snapped the photo by chance.Plus, the camera angle of the photo indicated it wasn't a coincidental shot. Someone had clearly been watching us from a floor above in the adjacent building.I also realized I had never closed the curtains in my studio. So, if someone had been watching us the entire time, they definitely knew Irvin had long since regained full use of his legs—which meant the Hardwells no longer needed my services.Thus, here came the poi
The young man's ability to stand again had filled his family with overwhelming joy. Coincidentally, it was also his 17th birthday, so they threw a grand birthday party and invited me to attend.I couldn't refuse. I was genuinely happy for him, so I went.Since his family was acquainted with William, they were undoubtedly influential figures in Lestoria. Therefore, the Hardwells were also invited.When I saw Grace pushing Irvin's wheelchair into the venue, attending the party as a married couple, I felt a sharp pain in my heart.I must really be a hopeless romantic.I had planned to use the time spent treating Irvin's legs to treat my withdrawal symptoms from him. I wanted my final decision to be cutting him out of my life completely.But instead of letting go—as I had hoped—the time we spent together only reminded me how good he once was to me.Even though I knew he had no choice, my heart still ached to see him with another woman.I truly…I really hated how I was. It made me
Because of Agatha's favoritism and stubbornness, Magnus had been growing increasingly impatient with her. "I think I've made myself very clear," he said, leaving no room for further discussion."Magnus, you can't do this! You can't just forget about Tim so soon! How could you treat him this way? Let me tell you—"Before she could finish, Magnus cut her off with a stern shout. "Enough! This is not up for discussion. I don't want to hear another word about it. Just leave!"Magnus' authority was absolute in the Hardwell family. Once he made a decision, Agatha had no power to change it no matter what.Though unwilling and displeased, she had no choice but to leave.As soon as Grace returned home, she was informed about the argument between Magnus and Agatha. She immediately rushed to find Agatha.The moment Agatha saw Grace, tears streamed down her face.Upon hearing that the argument had been about Irvin's hypnosis, Grace finally told her the truth, that Irvin had been faking it.
Grace had always wanted to stand at the pinnacle of power.The man beside her raised an eyebrow and suggested, "Then don't let her die. Force her into a dead-end and offer a hand, so she can be used by us."Grace chuckled but said nothing.Now that she had the picture she wanted, there was no need to continue watching. She withdrew her gaze and returned to the couch in the room.After taking a bottle of collagen, she finally looked at the man sitting across from her. "At the rate Irvin is recovering, he'll be fully healed in at most two to three weeks. Have you made all the preparations I asked for?" she asked."Of course! When have I ever failed to complete a task you gave me?" he replied confidently.Grace's lips curled into a smile. "Great."Seeing how she smiled so casually, completely without any hesitation or pain, the man couldn't help but comment. "Ms. Keller, you're ruthless indeed."Grace lowered her gaze and gently stroked her belly. She didn't respond.That night
Since Irvin had lost his memories, his behavior had regressed to that of his younger self.Although he had difficulty moving and had to avoid the Hardwells, he still prepared small surprises for me every time he came for treatment. Just like how he did when he was pursuing me.Just like when we were newlyweds.No matter how busy or exhausted he was, he always put in the effort to prepare something for me, whether it was a bouquet of flowers, a ticket to a movie I wanted to watch, or a dessert I loved.We were poor back then, and the things he gave me weren't worth much, but I was moved to tears every single time. After all, he was always thoughtful and affectionate. The eyes that were once cold and indifferent now burned with compassion and sincerity. Those naturally affectionate eyes gazed at me with so much love, as if I were his entire world.His one and only.That kind of love was irresistible, drawing me in.And I couldn't help but wonder, if none of it had happened, if
"I'm sorry, babe. Do you not like sunflowers? I… I saw online that…" Irvin stammered.He had searched for information about me online and discovered that I loved sunflowers, so he secretly hid one to give me. But I ended up crying instead of taking it with joy. Snapping out of it, I forced a smile and accepted the flower. "I do love it. Thank you."He stared at me, unsure if I was truly happy or just pretending."But don't call me 'babe' anymore. We're divorced." I couldn't bear to hear him say it in the same affectionate tone as before. That genuine, affectionate tone would only make me feel bad for him.And I didn't want to feel that way.Irvin, who was already anxious, panicked at my words. He grabbed my hands and said, "Babe, I couldn't find anything about what happened between us, but I know that it must have been my fault if we got divorced. "I'll make sure to be good from now on and listen to everything you say. Please, just give me another chance."Irvin had always
Adolescence was already a time when emotions are most unstable, making it easy to act impulsively and engage in risky behaviors. Being treated that way by my own family, I walked into the ocean, one step at a time.I wanted to die.I wanted them to regret, to suffer, to have everyone condemn them for killing their own daughter over an adopted one.I was so foolish back then, thinking I could punish them with my death. I completely forgot that they needed to actually care about me to feel remorse and pain for losing me. If they didn't care, it wouldn't matter if I died a thousand times.Using my own death to punish others is the most foolish thing in the world. I came to that realization when I was on the brink of death. I struggled, trying to make my way back to shore, desperate to survive. But then, a huge wave dragged me under, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stand up. I didn't know how to swim back then.Just when I thought I was going to die, a tall young man do
I comforted Mr. Holland for a long time before he finally felt better and ate some oatmeal.When I got home that night, I pulled out Irvin's medical records and the reports of his treatment with various devices. I analyzed his responses to the treatment to plan the next steps. I wasn't sure how I felt about Irvin, so I chose to ignore it completely and focus solely on treating his legs.If his legs could recover and function properly again, we would be even. No matter what happened in the future, I would take it one step at a time.Things would work out eventually.By the time I finished comparing all the data and finalized the device frequency settings for Irvin's treatment the next day, it was already past 1:00 am.I collapsed onto my bed and fell asleep immediately.Ever since my injuries from falling off the cliff, I needed sleeping pills to fall asleep every night. When I lost my memory, I thought my insomnia was due to the pain. But after my memories returned, I realized
William recalled that at the time of his accident, Cordelia and I had also been vacationing on the island.Although he didn't think it was possible, he instinctively asked anyway.I had assumed that William's intimidating presence on the way here was because he was angry at me for not answering his question.I never expected him to suddenly ask such a thing.Although I didn't know why, my first instinct was to admit that I had saved someone while I was on the island.But before I could say anything, his phone rang. It seemed like an urgent call. After answering it, he hurriedly told me he would send someone else to pick me up before leaving in his car.Feeling bad for troubling him when he was so busy, I sent him a message. I told him that he didn't need to send anyone and that I would call my own driver instead.William didn't reply to my text.Instead, Noah called. "Emi, there's an emergency at home. I have to leave for a while. Wait for me, I'll be right back." he said.W