It was likely this money belonged to Irvin. He had probably transferred it from his account to the one linked to the card. And considering that his money was now mine, there wasn't much point in accepting it.As though guessing what I was thinking, Irvin quickly said, "I'm not helping Julianne pay you back. This money really is hers!"Julianne shot me a murderous look as soon as he finished speaking. Judging from her reaction, it appeared this money truly was her own.I raised an eyebrow in surprise. She was so money-minded. So, I was genuinely surprised she had willingly forked out what she owed me.Before Irvin could say anything else, Julianne abruptly changed the topic. Pointing at Noah, she asked, "Who's that man next to you, Millie? Is he the reason you're so insistent on divorcing Irvin?"She was implying that I was cheating on Irvin. It wasn't surprising. She had always been good at shifting blame onto others.Irvin's actions were why our relationship had reached this poi
I instinctively shielded Noah from Irvin's hostile glare, worried Irvin might try to harm him.Noah had changed a lot since I last saw him. He was no longer the timid, socially anxious boy I remembered. Even so, he was still my little brother in a way. I couldn't allow him to get hurt when he was supposed to be under my care.Irvin was visibly upset when he saw how protective I was of Noah.For years, I had firmly stood by his side, no matter what happened. He had never imagined that one day, I would stand against him—and to protect another man, no less."Emilia, you—" He started to speak but abruptly stopped.His immediate reaction was to get angry, but then he realized he was in the wrong.So, instead, he softened his tone. "I'm not going to do anything to him, Emi.""If that's the case, enjoy your meal. We'll be having ours," I replied curtly.Then, I led Noah over to the private room I had reserved.Mark had advised me to ease the tension between Irvin and me. Once I did,
Julianne wanted Irvin to stand up for her. She wanted him to deal with us on her behalf.In the past, Irvin would have undoubtedly scolded me. If I had upset her, he would have punished me without hesitation. If things were the same as before, he would likely react the same way now. But they weren't.First of all, he was trying to win me back. So, he wouldn't dare treat me like he used to.Secondly, some things fell apart when under scrutiny.Irvin wasn't a fool. Despite everything, he was still as sharp as a tack. Now, he no longer blindly believed everything Julianne said. Once he actually thought about it, he was able to see things clearly.The things I said had stirred conflicting emotions in him. His eyes reflected his complicated feelings as he gazed at Julianne. Hence, he didn't scold or deal with me on her behalf. Instead, he immediately pulled her away from the scene.Irvin was a proud man. He also greatly valued his dignity. He couldn't stand people staring at him cri
Sure enough, my bet was spot on.Julianne was admitted to the hospital the next day. She had fallen terribly ill on the day she was supposed to be sent abroad.Given how she had been hospitalized yet again, it was likely she wouldn't be leaving anymore.Irvin immediately called me to explain and told me not to be upset. He also promised that as soon as she recovered, he would send her abroad right away.Truth be told, I wasn't angry at this. In fact, I was rejoicing that she would be sticking around.The old me had longed for Julianne to be sent abroad. I had sorely wanted Julianne to be as far away from her life as possible. But the current me didn't want her to go abroad at all— because I was planning on sending her to prison!Julianne hated me and couldn't stand seeing me happy. She would likely try everything to get rid of me. She had already failed once, but it didn't mean she wouldn't try a second time or even a third. I was certain she would keep trying until she succeeded
"Let go of me!" I shouted."Don't be afraid, Emi. And please, don't be like this. I won't let anything happen to you. I've already made all the necessary arrangements. So all you need to do is lure the kidnappers out," Irvin cooed, trying to reassure me.It didn't matter what he said. It also didn't matter how much he promised I would be fine. He knew I would still be frightened. He also knew that he shouldn't be forcing me to do this.When the kidnappers had told him to exchange me for Julianne, he had refused at first. He had firmly and decisively rejected them. But then, they sent him a video recording of Julianne. And no matter how hard he searched, he wasn't able to determine the location in the video."Lianne's situation is dire, Emi. The kidnappers will only show themselves if they see you…" He tried to reason with me.I was obviously against his plan.Irvin wouldn't be forcing me to do this if Julianne hadn't looked like she was in peril.He genuinely wanted me to forgiv
Meanwhile, at an abandoned factory in a remote mountain area, Julianne watched the video Travis had just recorded of her.Dissatisfied, she tugged at her clothes to make the tears in them bigger. Her upper body was now almost completely exposed. She also ripped the slit in her skirt all the way to the waistband. Then, she mussed her hair to make it even messier.Now, she looked as though she had been sexually assaulted."Shoot it again. What nonsense did you just film?" Julianne ordered while holding the phone out to Travis.She didn't look like she had been roughed up in the video. So, why would Irvin believe she was in terrible danger? She had to convince him that her life was in danger. Otherwise, he wouldn't trade me for her.Just as I suspected.Julianne hadn't been able to hire a hitman to take me out. Plus, she was worried she would be implicated if she did. Yet, she was still unwilling to let me live my life in peace.So, she went about hurting me from a different angle
Julianne was terrified.Her voice instantly became feeble as she pleaded with Travis. "Please don't do this, Mr. Walker. Don't forget, I am your savior. I paid for your medical bills and your tuition. I'm the reason you survived long enough to attend a good university."She hoped reminding him of the favor she had done for him would snap him out of his current state.Travis recalled the despair he had felt when he was lying in the hospital bed. His expression softened at the memory.Cupping Julianne's face gently, he said, "You made me feel like I was looking at an angel back then. Did you know that, Ms. Lianne?"He had been experiencing the darkest moment of his life when Julianne had appeared. Shrouded in pure light, she had rescued him from his despair.All these years, he had viewed her as an angel. Hence, he didn't dare defile her in any way. He did everything she asked, but he was also filled with regret and suffering. He was pained by the fact that she was out of his reach
My eyes were filled with disgust and murderous hatred.Irvin involuntarily shrank from fear under my gaze. He was afraid I would never love him again and refused to be with him. He was also terrified that I would hate him for the rest of my life.He genuinely didn't want it to be this way between us. But this was Julianne's life at stake.He knew any explanations would be pointless at this stage. They would just sound like feeble excuses.Yet, he still tried. "I know Lianne has wronged you many times before, Emi," he admitted. "I also know that her relationship with Mr. Walker isn't straightforward. But you saw the video yourself! You know it's real."What happened in the video was undeniable. Travis' movements and Julianne's terrified cries were proof of this. She had truly been violated."Lianne did have a good relationship with Mr. Walker, but people change, especially those in his situation. He's been backed into a corner, so it doesn't matter how good of a relationship the
"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