Gideon thought Irvin's behavior was excessively contradictory. It wasn't just him—everyone else in the private room felt the same.If one said Irvin loved me, he constantly belittled me and asked everyone else to look down on me too. But if one said he didn't love me, anyone who dared say something bad about me would face his wrath.Now, as I was divorcing him, he appeared so tormented. It seemed as if he wouldn't stop until he drank himself into a severe gastric hemorrhage.Irvin remained silent. He didn't know what to say and didn't want to talk about the deepest feelings—the ones even he didn't dare confront—buried in his heart.He refused to speak and continued drinking despite their attempts to stop him. Someone was worried he might drink himself to death, so they secretly called Julianne.Of course, she arrived at the scene quickly.Seeing that Irvin was on the verge of collapsing from drinking, she rushed forward and held his arm with a look of concern on her face. "Irvin,
Irvin's face had already flushed from drinking in the first place. His cheeks became an alarming red after Julianne splashed the diffuser on him.When she lunged toward him, he instinctively reached out and held her. Every cell in his body burned with heat. They screamed at him to tear off the clothes of the woman in his arms without hesitation.Just as his hands instinctively began to yield to his primal urge, a scent entered his nose. It caused him to gain some clarity at that heated moment.This scent wasn't mine!In the next second, he instinctively pushed away Julianne and threw her off the bed. He wouldn't touch any woman who wasn't me. He knew that I demanded absolute loyalty in a relationship. If he sullied himself, I would never want him again.Even in his muddled state, Irvin knew what I cared about and where my boundaries lay. When he was sober, he knew this all the more. He had always known, yet he took my love for granted and recklessly tested the limits of my boundar
Picking up something one had given up for so long—especially studying—wasn't as easy as simply deciding to do it. To show genuine sincerity and build up my confidence before approaching Mr. Holland, I began an intense study routine after seeing Cordelia off.Since some specialized books were rare and unavailable online, I often spent my time at the city library. I stayed there to study until it closed.After leaving the library, I would cross the street. On the opposite side was a ravioli restaurant. This restaurant had been around for over ten years. The owners, a husband and wife, made fresh ravioli daily. The food there was incredibly delicious. When I was still a student, I loved coming here after visiting the library, especially on cold winter nights.After consuming a plate of steaming hot ravioli, one would feel that life was complete.While waiting at the crosswalk for the light to turn green for pedestrians, my phone started ringing. Just as I reached into my pocket to g
The crying eventually attracted a patrolling police officer. After assessing the situation, the officer sternly reprimanded the two teenagers. He warned them never to play around on the road, especially at crossroads because it was far too dangerous.The two teenagers nodded repeatedly as they were scolded, cowering in guilt.Although it had been a very precarious situation, I didn't exactly get hurt. So, it was deemed an accident. Since the two teenagers were still minors, the matter was considered resolved after the police officer's lecture.…My nerves and emotions finally settled when I arrived at the ravioli restaurant and ate a huge plate of steaming hot ravioli. Thinking about how I had nearly missed out on this comforting meal, I couldn't help but sigh. I felt I should make time to attend church and pray soon. This year had been unbelievably unlucky for me. My misfortune had nearly cost me my life on multiple occasions.From falling off a cliff and barely surviving on ja
I was speechless.Cordelia went on, "That scumbag kept swearing that nothing was going on between him and Julianne. But before you've even gotten the divorce certificate, he's already rushing to get a hotel room with her. How shameless of him! "Since you two aren't officially divorced yet, doesn't this count as being in an extramarital affair? Fight for it and leave him with nothing to his name after you divorce him!"I chuckled after hearing Cordelia's rant. I could understand why she was so fired up about seeing the news of Irvin and Julianne going to a hotel. However, forcing him to leave with nothing to his name was nearly impossible, so I didn't bother entertaining the thought.After hearing that it would be difficult to strip Irvin of his assets, Cordelia snorted in disdain. We chatted about a few other things before ending the call.The moment we hung up, I leaned against the headboard and opened a news site. I cocked an eyebrow upon seeing the headlines plastered with sto
To Irvin's horror, I truly seemed to not care about this at all.I used to feel so hurt and agonized whenever I saw him get a little closer to Julianne.How could I be like this now? How could I treat him this way and not care?Just as I was about to tell Irvin to leave if he had nothing else to say, a thought crossed my mind.I said, "I saw online news claiming that you cheated during our marriage. It's probably a move by your competitors. You should handle the PR immediately, or the damage could be severe."While I was glad he and Julianne were together, I didn't want to suffer financial losses because of their affair. Irvin was a married man. So, his being caught publicly with another woman in a hotel could cause the company's stock to plummet. Tens of billions of dollars could easily vanish with a poof just like that.Tens of billions!Scientific research required a lot of funds, so I needed to safeguard the assets I was entitled to.After thinking for a moment, I added,
And then there was that last time when I'd told Irvin that I'd truly forgotten some things.That moment felt like a glimmer of hope to him. He took a large step forward and firmly grasped my shoulders again. "Emi, you lost your memory, didn't you?"Irvin gathered that I must have lost my memory. That was why I'd forgotten him, my husband whom I'd loved the most. That would explain why I was so determined to divorce him. That was why I didn't care about him and Julianne getting a room together—the only thing I was concerned with was clearing his name.I frowned, unsure why he was suddenly asking this question. He'd previously refused to believe me when I said I had amnesia. But then, he now seemed to desperately hope I would confirm it.I didn't want to know either. I only wanted our divorce proceedings to go as smoothly as possible.So, I said to him, "I didn't lose my memory. I just wanted to cause a scene to see if you'd care about me more previously. The answer I got was that y
But why would Irvin not want to get involved with Julianne?He adored her so much and showered her with unbridled affection. He'd chosen her over me every single time, and he was even willing to sacrifice my life for hers. He gave her everything and did things only lovers would do for her.If that didn't count as love or a desire to be together, then what did?As I struggled to make sense of it all, I received a report from an investigation agency abroad. It detailed Julianne's colorful life over the years.When I saw what she'd done in the earlier years, my eyes widened in shock. What came into view was simply too outrageous!After reading the report, I finally understood why Irvin could pamper and love Julianne so much yet refuse to touch her. Why, despite everyone wishing them well, he could never truly be with her.It also explained why Julianne would forever be Irvin's unattainable first love. This was the textbook definition of being deeply in love with someone but unable t
"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