Irvin had to let go before he could have another chance. If he didn't make me lower my guard, there would never be any progress between us again. So, he said the same thing I did, "No, I won't reconsider. Thank you."But no matter what, he couldn't say it with a smile like I did. Seeing how determined we were, the staff could only sigh and proceed with the divorce paperwork.Our divorce had been incredibly difficult, dragging on for so long. But now, it was completed in just a matter of minutes.And just like that, Irvin and I were no longer husband and wife.Staring at the divorce certificate in my hand, I was momentarily dazed.Irvin's eyes, however, were red with unshed tears. Even though he never truly wanted to give up on our marriage, he was just letting go temporarily in hopes of a better future.Even so, when we got married, he had never once thought about divorce. He always believed we would grow old together.Who would have thought that in just four years, we had e
Irvin stood there, watching me turn and leave without hesitation. He watched me get into the car and drive away until I was completely out of sight. His heart suddenly felt like it had a hole in it, allowing the wind and snow to rush in. He staggered, almost unable to stand properly.Although he would never allow what he feared to happen, my determination terrified him. He was afraid that after this separation, there would be no more chances between us.He was truly scared of that happening.Snowflakes landed softly on his face.Looking at the snow, he suddenly recalled the Christmas Eve before Julianne returned from abroad. That night, the snowfall was just as heavy as it was now. Since I had always loved the snow, a white Christmas was absolutely perfect. It was so romantic.I insisted on walking to the restaurant to enjoy the scenery along the way. As always, he listened to me and happily held my hand as we walked to the restaurant. The snow was falling heavily. Soon, our
However, Julianne needed money right now.Previously, I had demanded that she return everything Irvin had given her. Irvin had promised that once she returned those things, he would give her something else, something even more than what she had given back.But up until now, he still hadn't given her anything.How was she supposed to survive without money? How?Julianne had always been used to a luxurious life, so even a single day without money felt unbearable to her. She explained, "Irvin, I really wasn't trying to slander Millie. I'm just worried about you two. I know you gave her everything because you feel guilty. But… have you ever thought about how dangerous it is for a woman to have such a huge sum of money? "It's like a kid walking on the street holding gold. It'll only attract trouble for her."Irvin couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of her words. She really just claimed to be worried about me?"Lianne, do you really take me for a fool?" he asked.Did she rea
Irvin had always firmly believed that I was faking my injuries and making a scene. Aside from Travis and my parents telling him I was fine, the main reason was that he thought I had made up the entire kidnapping case just to compete with Julianne for his attention. So, when the kidnappers forced him to choose between us, he picked Julianne without hesitation. After I fell off the cliff, he assumed it was all part of my plan and didn't worry about me at all.Even when he went to the hospital to make me apologize to Julianne and saw how badly I was hurt, he still thought I was faking it. And even if I really was injured, he believed I had brought it upon myself.After all, in his mind, I was the one who had planned it.After realizing that I had truly been seriously injured, he finally understood that the kidnapping wasn't something I had planned.He regretted it so much that the thought overwhelmed him, making it unbearable. Still, he never once suspected that Julianne was the
The news of Julianne's arrest reached me quickly. When Mark told me he could get her sentenced to at least ten years in prison, I raised my glass to toast him.Feeling good, I drank a little more than usual.I walked home, a little tipsy and light-headed. But when I reached my apartment building and saw Irvin standing in the cold wind, my good mood instantly plummeted.Even though he had given me everything he had, I genuinely didn't want to see him ever again, especially not now.Just as I was about to ignore him and head upstairs, Irvin called out to me."Lianne was arrested," he said.I stopped walking and turned back with a cold sneer. "Why? Are you here to beg me to let your dear sister go?"The sarcasm in my eyes pierced his heart. He had no idea how terrible of a person he was to me, that even now, I assumed he had come to plead for Julianne."No, Emi, I came to apologize. I'm sorry, it was my—""Stop apologizing," I cut him off. "I won't forgive you, and I don't want t
I was found by an older man who was fishing early in the morning. When he cast his line, the hook accidentally snagged onto me, and no matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn't come loose. He got closer and saw me floating in the water. Terrified, he dropped his fishing rod and ran to call the cops.When the police pulled me out of the water, I was barely breathing. The doctors who treated me didn't think I would survive, and my family didn't even bother signing the consent forms for further treatment. Yet somehow, I clung to life and became a medical miracle.The moment of impact when I fell was excruciating, but waking up afterward was so much worse. The pain was unbearable; it felt like my body was punishing me for surviving. Out of the 206 bones in a human body, I had broken 108, some of them shattered into fragments. Every inch of me hurt, and the torment made me wish I hadn't made it.I couldn't move, nor could I stand anyone touching me. Even when the nurse lightly pressed o
The man frowned when he saw the shards of glass on the floor, his cold, arrogant demeanor becoming even more intimidating. "Throwing tantrums and breaking things in the hospital? When are you going to grow up?"I stared at him, completely confused. I wondered, "A tantrum? Breaking things? Who's this guy?"He looked like he had more to say but seemed to think better of it. Instead, he scowled and said, "Lianne is refusing to leave the hospital and go home because of your antics."She's upset and talking about leaving. No matter what, you're going to apologize to her today and convince her to stay."He stepped forward and reached out to pull me off the bed. Instinctively, I recoiled from his hand and shouted, "Who are you? I don't know you! Don't touch me!"Although I could move now, my injuries hadn't fully healed, and the thought of someone touching me terrified me.He frowned, clearly annoyed. "Emilia, what are you doing now?""What am I doing? I don't even know who you are! Yo
Suddenly finding out I had a husband made it impossible to fall asleep, so I decided to call my best friend, Cordelia Lowell. I hadn't reached out to her for months because I didn't want her to worry about my injuries. Thankfully, she hadn't contacted me either. If she had, she definitely would have found out how badly I was hurt.But the moment the call connected, I couldn't help but feel a little bitter as I said, "Cordelia, you're so mean. I didn't call you, so you decided not to call me either? It's been over two months! Not a single call or even a text. Are you serious?"I expected her to hurriedly explain that she had been somewhere remote, buried in research, with no signal or way to contact me. Instead, there was a long silence on the other end before she finally said, "Emilia, we're not friends anymore. Did you forget we cut ties?"Her words hit me harder than the revelation about my mysterious husband. I was completely stunned. Cordelia was my best friend in the world—
The news of Julianne's arrest reached me quickly. When Mark told me he could get her sentenced to at least ten years in prison, I raised my glass to toast him.Feeling good, I drank a little more than usual.I walked home, a little tipsy and light-headed. But when I reached my apartment building and saw Irvin standing in the cold wind, my good mood instantly plummeted.Even though he had given me everything he had, I genuinely didn't want to see him ever again, especially not now.Just as I was about to ignore him and head upstairs, Irvin called out to me."Lianne was arrested," he said.I stopped walking and turned back with a cold sneer. "Why? Are you here to beg me to let your dear sister go?"The sarcasm in my eyes pierced his heart. He had no idea how terrible of a person he was to me, that even now, I assumed he had come to plead for Julianne."No, Emi, I came to apologize. I'm sorry, it was my—""Stop apologizing," I cut him off. "I won't forgive you, and I don't want t
Irvin had always firmly believed that I was faking my injuries and making a scene. Aside from Travis and my parents telling him I was fine, the main reason was that he thought I had made up the entire kidnapping case just to compete with Julianne for his attention. So, when the kidnappers forced him to choose between us, he picked Julianne without hesitation. After I fell off the cliff, he assumed it was all part of my plan and didn't worry about me at all.Even when he went to the hospital to make me apologize to Julianne and saw how badly I was hurt, he still thought I was faking it. And even if I really was injured, he believed I had brought it upon myself.After all, in his mind, I was the one who had planned it.After realizing that I had truly been seriously injured, he finally understood that the kidnapping wasn't something I had planned.He regretted it so much that the thought overwhelmed him, making it unbearable. Still, he never once suspected that Julianne was the
However, Julianne needed money right now.Previously, I had demanded that she return everything Irvin had given her. Irvin had promised that once she returned those things, he would give her something else, something even more than what she had given back.But up until now, he still hadn't given her anything.How was she supposed to survive without money? How?Julianne had always been used to a luxurious life, so even a single day without money felt unbearable to her. She explained, "Irvin, I really wasn't trying to slander Millie. I'm just worried about you two. I know you gave her everything because you feel guilty. But… have you ever thought about how dangerous it is for a woman to have such a huge sum of money? "It's like a kid walking on the street holding gold. It'll only attract trouble for her."Irvin couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of her words. She really just claimed to be worried about me?"Lianne, do you really take me for a fool?" he asked.Did she rea
Irvin stood there, watching me turn and leave without hesitation. He watched me get into the car and drive away until I was completely out of sight. His heart suddenly felt like it had a hole in it, allowing the wind and snow to rush in. He staggered, almost unable to stand properly.Although he would never allow what he feared to happen, my determination terrified him. He was afraid that after this separation, there would be no more chances between us.He was truly scared of that happening.Snowflakes landed softly on his face.Looking at the snow, he suddenly recalled the Christmas Eve before Julianne returned from abroad. That night, the snowfall was just as heavy as it was now. Since I had always loved the snow, a white Christmas was absolutely perfect. It was so romantic.I insisted on walking to the restaurant to enjoy the scenery along the way. As always, he listened to me and happily held my hand as we walked to the restaurant. The snow was falling heavily. Soon, our
Irvin had to let go before he could have another chance. If he didn't make me lower my guard, there would never be any progress between us again. So, he said the same thing I did, "No, I won't reconsider. Thank you."But no matter what, he couldn't say it with a smile like I did. Seeing how determined we were, the staff could only sigh and proceed with the divorce paperwork.Our divorce had been incredibly difficult, dragging on for so long. But now, it was completed in just a matter of minutes.And just like that, Irvin and I were no longer husband and wife.Staring at the divorce certificate in my hand, I was momentarily dazed.Irvin's eyes, however, were red with unshed tears. Even though he never truly wanted to give up on our marriage, he was just letting go temporarily in hopes of a better future.Even so, when we got married, he had never once thought about divorce. He always believed we would grow old together.Who would have thought that in just four years, we had e
"Irvin, I wasn't trying to accuse Millie," Julianne began. "I just… I just guessed that it was her from the signs…"Before she could finish her sentence, Irvin snapped angrily, "Enough, Julianne! I trust you like family, not for you to treat me as a fool!"They had grown up together, raised by the same mother. He had truly seen her as his sister. Yet she…"Irvin, I really…" Julianne tried to explain.But Irvin didn't want to hear another word from her. He had someone drag her out.I had clearly told him that I was innocent, the sufferings I had endured, and how many times Julianne had deceived him over the years.I also let him know that the reason Julianne had slandered me and manipulated our relationship wasn't solely because she misunderstood and thought I had drugged her.I had never wished her harm. It was she who couldn't stand seeing me happy.Even so, despite knowing everything, Irvin still didn't doubt what had happened back then because they had grown up together. He
Irvin met my gaze upon hearing what Julianne said. When he saw that she was speaking the truth, his grip on the pen tightened.Julianne had always been good at noticing Irvin's subtle reactions. She felt a glimmer of hope when she saw the way he was acting. She thought Irvin had believed her again this time.Noticing the subtle movement too, I sneered and was about to say something.However, Irvin extracted his arm from Julianne's hold and stared at her. Then, he huffed and sardonically said, "Do you think I'm an idiot just because I treat you like a sister, Lianne?"Julianne froze. I, too, was shocked. Neither of us had expected Irvin to say that.Her eyes quickly filled with tears once she realized what was happening."How could you say that about me, Irvin? I'm only doing this for your own good!" she cried as her tears fell.Despite saying this, she couldn't resist cursing him inwardly. It wasn't that she thought he was an idiot—he actually was one!Other people fought vicio
One of Irvin's secretaries had called Julianne and told her he was about to transfer all his shares to me. Thus, she frantically rushed over to Mark's firm.She genuinely liked Irvin and wanted to be with him. That was why she had returned to Claudeville. That being said, her desire for money was far greater. She couldn't allow him to be penniless.Given everything she had done, she knew she had no chance of being Irvin. So, she couldn't lose both him and his wealth.Before Irvin could say anything, Julianne rushed forward and clung to his arm.I braced myself for the nonsense she was about to spout."Irvin, the mastermind behind my kidnapping not long ago… is Millie! She had teamed up with Travis Walker and orchestrated the whole thing! Her main goal was to harm me. "Also, she's aware of how much you care for me. So, she knew you would follow the kidnappers' demands and exchange her for me."That way, she could create a fake scenario where she would almost die. She knew you wo
"Do you really think you have the right to sit here and apologize to me?" I shot back.Irvin's face turned pale at my words. It was almost unbearable to look at him.His mouth fell open as though he wanted to say something. However, his lips merely trembled for a long time—he couldn't form any words.Sure, he might never have intended to harm me. Yet, time and time again, I had nearly died because of him.Irvin let out a self-deprecating laugh. His eyes looked crazed. Never before had he felt more deserving of death than in this moment.Regardless of how helpless he had felt then, he should have never put me in such danger. He truly didn't deserve to live.He was so overcome with pain and guilt that he looked utterly shattered and broken.If this was the old me, I would have been so heartbroken that I wouldn't be able to resist forgiving him. However, the current me merely sneered at the state he was in.Irvin's remorse had come too late, so it was worthless. It was like crying