Bradley tenderly caressed Esther's beautiful face in the photographs. His fervent wish was for her to be alive, to continue living. He was willing to sacrifice everything for her survival.Among these photos and discs lay relics of Esther's deep affection and her concealed infatuation. Her gaze perpetually followed him, seeing in him a radiant sun that would never set.With his aching heart tightly gripped, Bradley examined the photos before him. Almost as if seeking pain, he opened another box with Esther's photographic creations. Back then, she had cherished him dearly, capturing his essence through her lens.Under Esther's artistic eye, Bradley possessed a distinctive handsomeness. Even in moments he couldn't recall, she had faithfully documented them.There were also Esther's paintings, each prominently featuring Bradley. It was only now that Bradley realized this storage room held not the things he wished to obliterate but Esther's first love.She had given her all and loved
Late into the night, Bradley collapsed alone in the storage room, unnoticed by anyone. He lay on the cold floor, appearing lifeless.As time passed, second by second, the sky began to brighten with a faint orange hue, casting a splendid glow across the world.The staff at Warner Manor started their daily cleaning routines, including some gardeners who were busy pruning plants. One of the gardeners noticed that the storage room's light was on. As they approached, they found Bradley lying on the floor and let out a terrified scream, "Mr. Warner!"Bradley lay under the bright lights, a crimson line of blood trickling from his lips.The worker's scream drew the attention of others, but none dared to check Bradley's breath. A quick-thinking maid rushed to wake up Mandy.Mandy appeared in her pajamas. Although she was aware of the storage room's existence, she had no idea what it contained. It was only when she saw the photographs in Bradley's hand that she realized it stored Esther's
'I want you to slowly understand your feelings for Esther. I want to appreciate your belated, deep affection. I want you to be tormented by your own emotions...' Mandy thought.-An ambulance hurried to the scene. Mandy quickly approached it, and she and the maid were taken to a private hospital under the Warner Group.After Bradley was admitted to the hospital, Kevin received a call from the doctor despite having already resigned due to his anger with Bradley.Kevin had spent the night without sleep and arrived at the hospital with dark circles under his eyes."What's the situation?" he asked.The doctor replied solemnly, "Dr. Slade, Mr. Warner's anger has affected his heart...""Is he going to die?" Kevin asked irritably.The doctor hadn't expected such a response and replied calmly, "His condition won't lead to death for now.""Treat him as needed. I'm no longer the hospital director, so don't consult me on these minor matters."Kevin stared at the wedding photo Bradley wa
Mandy believed that Kevin truly grasped the insanity of Bradley. In his madness, Bradley seemed determined to steal Esther's body, even to the extent of dwelling in her lifeless form day and night."Dr. Slade…" Mandy pleaded, "At the very least, Felix should say goodbye to his mother."Kevin replied coldly, "Felix remains unaware of his mother's passing. Due to Bradley's erratic behavior, he has developed a trauma-induced mutism disorder. If he discovers that Bradley drove his mother to her death, it might be too much for him to bear."Mandy nodded sympathetically and spoke gently. "He's just a child, and this could lead to lasting psychological issues."Kevin stayed silent.Mandy muttered to herself, "I can't quite fathom Bradley. It's evident he has feelings for Esther, so why would he do this?""What are you talking about?" Kevin asked as if he had heard an age-old joke. "Who did you say has feelings for Esther?""Naturally, it's Bradley!" Mandy replied confidently. "I'm conv
"Shut up!" Bradley erupted.Mandy acted as if she was shivering in fear.Kevin chuckled cynically. "What's this? Can't handle the news of Esther's death? Well, what can you do? Esther is gone! We cremated her body right in front of you, and we scattered her ashes into the sea! Bradley, need I remind you how Esther met her end?"Bradley rushed to Kevin, seized his collar, and snarled, "Kevin, shut up!""Bradley, Esther is finally at peace! Unlike you, who can't come to terms with her passing, I commend her!"Bradley punched Kevin.Kevin stood there, enduring Bradley's rage."Kevin, shut up! Esther is not dead."He had seen Esther just last night, and he was a moment away from holding her in his arms.Mandy now understood that Bradley couldn't accept Esther's death. She added fuel to the fire, saying, "Bradley, I know it's hard to accept Esther's death, but she is gone, and you must grieve."Bradley looked at Mandy malevolently, his gaze filled with sorrow. "I'll say it again:
Kevin once wondered if Bradley loved Esther but was unaware of his feelings. However, he now realized that Bradley couldn't possibly love her. A man who truly loved a woman would never act that way. Even young children, in their innocence, knew to share their feelings and treat the person they cared about kindly.Kevin found it hard to believe that someone as intelligent as Bradley could be in love and not know it."Dr. Slade, Bradley does love Esther," Mandy said, trying to hurt Bradley. "He's kept everything related to Esther in the storage room."Mockingly, Kevin asked, "Ms. Pendleton, are you certain it was him?"Kevin thought that the only person in Warner Manor who could have treated Esther kindly after Thomas' death was Clark. At that time, he didn't yet know that Esther had saved him. He had been disdainful of her, just like Bradley, thinking she had made foolish choices.However, once he discovered the truth, he felt remorse for his earlier misconceptions and wanted to ma
Bradley had killed Esther. What reason did he even have to keep on living?Mandy couldn't help but admire Kevin silently. Men truly knew how to hurt each other deeply.Even though Esther had been her enemy, all Mandy could do was applaud now that Esther was no more. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but also applaud Kevin's attitude.Mandy took a seat and gazed at Bradley, who was still staring at the wedding photo. "Bradley, if you truly didn't love Esther, maybe I should have the service staff burn everything related to her at Warner Manor..."Before Mandy could finish her sentence, a glint flickered in Bradley's eyes. His eyes resembled those of a lone wolf in the pitch-black night."Mandy, understand your place!" Bradley retorted.Mandy offered a faint, cold smile and replied, "Bradley, are you unwilling to do that?"Bradley remained silent.Mandy provocatively continued. "Maybe you've loved Esther all along but couldn't admit it, is that it? Unfortunately, whether you loved
The maid truly didn't understand and explained, "Mr. Warner, we don't know where these items were originally hung.""Get out!" Bradley snarled.Bradley returned to his bedroom with the box of photos and relied on his blurry memory to hang each wedding photo on the wall. He neither ate nor slept, tirelessly returning all the items related to Esther to their original places from the storage room. It was as if he believed that by doing so, Esther would come back.The service staff were frightened and didn't know how to react to Bradley's strange behavior. They couldn't speak up and simply followed his orders.They were well aware that Esther had died, and seeing Bradley suddenly covering the entire place with photos of a deceased person gave off a creepy atmosphere.Bradley handled Esther's photos with extreme care. Especially when he saw her deep, beautiful gaze in each photo, he felt as if his chest was about to burst with pain.When Mandy returned and saw Esther's photos, she fel
Bradley's brazen words made Gabriel raise an eyebrow, and his scrutinizing gaze on Bradley intensified.Unfazed by Gabriel, Bradley calmly stated, "Mr. Sinclair, when I visited Shane recently, he handed me some video footage. It showed Esther being assaulted and abused in prison, with the perpetrators claiming it was my order. I've always dared to own up to my actions. What I've done, I won't shirk from. What I haven't done, I won't admit."Gabriel had seen the videos online. Even though Bradley had obscured the protagonist's face in the footage, he knew it was Esther. He had believed entrusting Esther to Thomas would ensure her safety, only to discover how fate twisted things."Bradley, I'll assume your words are true," Gabriel began. "Then tell me, if those people who assaulted Esther in prison weren't influenced by someone else, who put her in prison? Have you forgotten how you, in your irrational madness, expected a woman carrying your children to pay the price? Or do you believ
When Bradley brought up his grandfather again, he felt utterly unfilial as a grandson."Your grandfather's greatest wish before he passed was for you and Esther to live peacefully and happily. Sadly, all he witnessed was discord and enmity between you as a couple."Gabriel understood better than anyone that Bradley, in his youthful arrogance, felt that everything and everyone should conform to his desires. When Thomas compelled Bradley to marry Esther, almost like an arranged marriage, his rebellious nature surfaced."I've failed my grandfather's hopes," Bradley admitted with a bitter taste in his mouth.During quiet, solitary nights, he revisited memories of the past repeatedly.He hadn't desired that marriage back then. However, since he had promised his grandfather to marry Esther, he should have genuinely treated her as a wife.Despite the subsequent events not aligning with his wishes, he was painfully aware that if he hadn't been arrogant and unwilling to listen to Esther's
Esther wasn't pleasant toward Bradley. If she had evidence, she would gladly send him to prison to experience the joy of life behind bars.Bradley gazed blankly at Esther's stunning face, a hint of indescribable sorrow in his eyes. Those deep eyes resembled a chilly cold spring."Not only do you want to chop off my hand, but you also want my life, right?"Esther gestured a slice across her neck at Bradley with her hand, then turned away to tell Logan, "Let's go. Don't waste time on this.""Okay."With languid steps, Esther walked into the elevator. Once they were inside, the elevator doors shut.Outside the elevator, Bradley watched Esther and Logan like they were two puzzle pieces that matched perfectly. Instantly, he felt an unbearable heartache, as if his heart was being torn apart.He instinctively reached out to steady himself against the wall, observing the numbers on the elevator panel decrease until it stopped at the ground floor.It took a while before Bradley recovere
Throughout the entire night, neither Esther nor Logan had shut their eyes.Feeling their eyes strain, they applied eye drops. It wasn't until Esther noticed someone who shouldn't have been there on the surveillance footage."Logan, take a look at this."Perplexed, Logan asked, "What's going on?""Do you think this person looks like Shirley?"Esther was particularly sharp in discerning a woman's physique. She could immediately tell that the woman being supported by a man due to her intoxication bore a striking resemblance to Shirley."Let me see."Logan zoomed in on the surveillance footage, carefully comparing it with the footage containing Shirley. Physically, the two women indeed looked very similar.There was just one question... How would they confirm if she was Shirley?"Esther, stay here and keep watching the surveillance. I'll retrieve other surveillance footage.""Okay."Logan and Esther divided their tasks. Suspecting that the intoxicated woman might be Shirley, Est
Logan and Esther exchanged a glance. They fixed their intense gazes on Jason's face, unable to discern if he was smirking or provoking them."Mr. Taft, the evidence you seek will come."Jason scoffed. He seemed to transform into a different person as he put his glasses back on."Even if Shirley deceived me, I never wished harm upon her, let alone her death."I can consider your suspicions toward me as part of the investigation, but I hope that once everything is revealed, you can restore my innocence."I've said my piece. As long as Shirley hasn't divorced me, she remains my wife. I am obliged to cooperate in the investigation, and I hope you find her soon."Logan and Esther sensed something amiss with the first confrontation. They didn't say anything untoward until they exited the elevator and looked up at Jason's balcony outside.Jason stood on the balcony, looking at Logan and Esther and waving toward them.Logan and Esther looked at Jason before they turned and got into the
"She blocked me on all forms of contact at that time. I even tried contacting her through my colleagues' phones but found out she had blocked them, too. I thought she might be angry, so we should both calm down."Logan didn't speak and just listened quietly as Jason recounted the events of the case."I was angry that she blocked me. At my age, what's wrong with wanting a child? My parents were pushing for it, and I wondered if this marriage was what I wanted."Shirley is very beautiful. My friends and classmates say I'm lucky to have married her, but they don't know that beauty comes at a price."While my colleagues were buying properties, my wife kept changing bags. Her clothes, skincare products, shoes—everything was designer. To support her lifestyle, I work diligently, even taking extra freelance jobs to afford it."I thought I was a good husband and just wanted a child. What did I do wrong? If she had said that she didn't want a child after marriage in the first place, it wou
Gabriel took a long look at Esther, realizing more than anyone that Esther seemed to be heading toward a different extreme now. He wasn't certain if this shift in Esther's demeanor was good or bad.However, one thing was clear to him—the intersection of Esther and Bradley's lives resembled two lines crossing. After intersecting, they would drift further apart."Esther, you can investigate Bradley's criminal evidence. I won't object to that," Gabriel said with a stern face, emphasizing, "But ensure you complete your tasks on time and with quality.""Grandpa Gabriel, rest assured, I won't neglect my work."Gabriel nodded. "Go on then.""Alright." Esther stepped out of the office and approached Logan. "We can set off now.""Okay."Logan didn't inquire about Esther's conversation with Gabriel. Although they pretended to be engaged, Logan maintained a respectful distance from Esther. He wouldn't interfere much in her matters. However, he was aware that if she needed his help, he woul
Gabriel stated, "According to her husband, they argued before she went missing. He assumed she had returned to her parents' home and didn't inquire further since they often had cold spells for ten days to half a month. Their relatives and friends can testify to this."However, the cold spell extended to a month this time, which alarmed him. When he called her parents, they told him his wife never went home."Esther knew that the husband was often the first suspect when the wife went missing in cases like this."The wife bought a high-speed train ticket to her parents' home but didn't take the train back. The police traced her taking a ride-hailing car, and the driver claimed to have dropped her off on the street. The dashcam recording is proof. However, after that point, there's a blind spot in the surveillance footage. Usually, surveillance is kept for a certain period and gets overwritten after that."Logan asked, "What about the investigation on the missing woman's husband?""T
Esther rose, fixating on the distant scenery with clear eyes. "As long as he commits a crime, he'll leave traces."Logan was on the verge of speaking but was interrupted by the sudden ring of his phone."Hello, Mr. Sinclair."Gabriel's voice sounded grave. "There's a new lead.""Alright, we'll be right there."Logan stood up, turning to Esther. "We'll meet at the locker room entrance in ten minutes.""Is there a new development?""Yes."For most girls, ten minutes might not suffice even for basic grooming. For Esther, it was just right. The only issue was her long hair. Time was too short, and she lacked the opportunity to blow-dry it. Her damp hair draped over her shoulders, slightly soaking her T-shirt.Logan kept his eyes on the road. "I'll drive. You can use a towel to dry your hair.""Okay."As Logan drove, Esther sat in the car, patting her hair dry with a towel. Her hair was thick, posing a challenge to dry with just a towel.Nevertheless, Esther refrained from openi