"If you don't want to fail your class, go study like you're supposed to instead of trying to bribe your way through!" Shaun and I exchanged a surprised glance. We couldn't believe someone had actually tried to bribe Mr. Holland. He was infamous across campus for being cold and unyielding—there wasn't a single person who could "work connections" with him, let alone think they'd get away with it. Who would even have the audacity to try? Was it one of the new students who enrolled while Mr. Holland was on his teaching hiatus? Mr. Peter Holland, who Hurley University's dean had recently convinced to come out of retirement and return to teaching, didn't tolerate nonsense. Anyone smart enough to enroll here would know better than to try something so stupid. Curious, I wondered who the poor soul was. When the young woman turned around, I froze. Oh. Wow. It was Lily, Jeremy's girlfriend. Well, that explained why I'd just run into her mom outside. The moment Lily spotted
Mr. Holland had a particular love for gardening. His two-story house was filled with blooming flowers, making the whole space feel surreal. Walking in, it didn't feel like winter at all—it felt like I had stepped into a lush, vibrant spring garden. After we entered, Mr. Holland didn't even acknowledge us. He went straight to watering his plants, acting like we weren't there. "Mr. Holland…" I tried, forcing a sheepish smile as I stepped forward. He let out a cold huff, not even looking at me. Following my shameless philosophy—if he didn't kick me out, there was still hope for forgiveness—I took another step closer, flashing an even more ingratiating grin. "Mr. Holland, let me help you water the plants! You know I'm a pro at this!" He huffed again, still ignoring me, but he didn't say no. I immediately took the opportunity and grabbed the watering can from his hand. When he saw me grinning at him like that, instead of his usual huff, he gave a cold chuckle. Then he t
"Exactly! Mr. Holland, what kind of teaching are you doing? How do you manage to raise a student with no morals, shame, or sense of decency?" "Everyone knows Irvin and Julianne have been childhood sweethearts since they were kids! If she hadn't interfered, Julianne and Irvin would've been married ages ago!" "And even now, with Irvin treating her so poorly, she still won't let go! She's clinging to him, ruining Julianne's chances of happiness. She has absolutely no self-respect!""Mr. Holland, where did you graduate? To have raised such an outstanding student, we should definitely make you a banner and spread the word!" The divorce between Irvin and me hadn't been made public yet. At Grandma's birthday banquet, Irvin had openly claimed that nothing was going on between him and Julianne—that they were just like siblings. But actions speak louder than words, and when Julianne and I both fell into the water that night, he saved her. Since then, the news of how much Irvin pampe
"Oh? Consequences I can't handle?" Julianne covered her mouth with a light laugh, her eyes filled with contempt. She looked at me like I was nothing, like something she could crush without a second thought. Her smug confidence radiated from every inch of her being like I wasn't even worth the effort to destroy. After her mocking laugh, she signaled to one of her most loyal lackeys with a subtle glance. The guy with bleached blond hair caught the cue immediately, egging the others on to close in around me and Mr. Holland. "Hey, Emilia," he sneered, his tone dripping with malice. "Your precious Mr. Holland is getting up there in age, huh? One little accident, and he might be bedridden for months." He snickered. "But don't worry. Medical bills? I've got money to burn." He leaned closer, his voice turning darker. "If you don't know what's good for you, I wouldn't mind teaching you a little lesson first." My eyes sharpened, cold as a blade. No matter what, even if it me
Though the marriage certificate was obtained in Daloria, Ventia, and wasn't recognized back in the country, calling her "stepmom" wasn't exactly a stretch. Irvin, with his proud and lofty nature, could never truly accept the idea of marrying someone who had once been his stepmother. No matter how brief Julianne's role in that position had been, the fact remained—she had been with his father. Phillip was notorious for his philandering ways. Even when Irvin's mother was still alive, he'd been discreetly involved with other women. After her passing, he no longer bothered to hide his behavior, flaunting his affairs openly. Julianne had briefly caught his attention with her "pure" and "innocent" demeanor. It didn't last. After quickly tiring of her, Phillip tossed her aside before their honeymoon was even over, moving on to his next conquest. Their Daloria marriage was brief, barely a blip, and with it taking place overseas, almost no one knew about it. Irvin, in an effort to
I sidestepped her lunge, letting her swipe at nothing. A cold laugh escaped my lips. "Why wouldn't I dare?"I had tried to stay calm, endure their insults, and focus on a peaceful divorce. I didn't retaliate when they spread lies about me or painted me as the villain. But them? They saw my silence as a weakness. They thought I was an easy target, someone they could humiliate without consequence. I could have tolerated everything they said about me, but when they dragged Mr. Holland into it? That crossed a line. Julianne missed her mark and only got angrier. Her frustration boiled over, her voice shrill and hysterical. "Emilia! How dare you? How dare you!" She was used to walking all over me, used to always having the upper hand. Every confrontation between us had ended with her as the victor. She thrived on that superiority, on being untouchable. But now? Now, I had hit her where it hurt, and she couldn't handle it. She snapped completely. Grabbing a teapot from
"You know how fragile she is, and yet you—" Before Irvin could finish, I cut him off with a sarcastic smile. "You'd better hurry and take your precious Julianne to the hospital! Don't waste any more time, or she might not make it!" He stared at me, shocked at my lack of guilt or remorse. The disappointment in his eyes was almost laughable. Without another word, he picked up Julianne and rushed out, leaving as quickly as he'd appeared. Once they were gone, Mr. Holland turned to me with a sharp glare and let out a cold snort. "You have such big round eyes, how could you have been so blind?" I couldn't deny it. I really had been blind before. "Do you remember what I told you back then? When I tried to warn you about him?" He didn't wait for me to answer, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, that's right. You said, 'We're in love, Mr. Holland! He'll love me forever. Just wait and see how happy I'll be!'" I was at a loss for words.He scoffed. "This is the happiness yo
Late that night, just as I'd fallen asleep, a loud, insistent banging on my door woke me up. After Irvin repeatedly figured out the new door codes I kept changing, I installed an additional lock on the inside of my door. Now, once I was home, no one could get in without my permission. "Emilia, open the door!" Hearing Irvin's voice, I sighed and sat back down on the couch. I didn't need to guess why he was here. Julianne must've woken up, and now that he had the time and energy, he'd come to confront me. I wasn't stupid. There was no way I was opening the door for someone who came to pick a fight. I figured he'd bang on the door for a while, lose his temper, and then leave. After all, tonight had been a disaster for his precious Julianne. He'd have plenty to do—cleaning up the mess, soothing her, and playing the perfect doting protector. Surely, he wouldn't waste too much time on me. But I underestimated him. "Emilia, I know you're in there. Open the door, or I'l
"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