Ryker pulled up his pants, and an image of a person flashed through his mind."There is indeed one," he said."Who!?" Emily asked anxiously."Sterling. He was in the same research institute as me. Although he joined after I left, he managed to win the favor of that old man. It wouldn't be surprising that the old man told him about my ability to hypnotize…" Ryker replied as he squinted."But isn't Sterling imprisoned because of your connections? How could he have time to contact Deirdre?" Emily said as her face turned pale.Ryker flicked away the cigarette butt. "I reckon they had discussions back in Eastgene.""What do we do now?" Emily was anxious. "Now that Deirdre knows about the hypnosis, Brendan might soon come out of the hypnotic state, right!?"Ryker sneered. "What do you think hypnosis is? Cabbage left on the street? Is hypnosis that easy to be deciphered?"He then added with confidence, "My hypnosis program is complex, and unraveling it is extremely difficult. If we at
Deirdre nodded with a pained expression. "Okay, we'll leave tomorrow." She made a call to Tobey to make arrangements while Brendan took care of his work. In the evening, he embraced Deirdre as they drifted off to sleep."Can you sleep without the incense?" asked Deirdre."I'm trying. It has consumed too much of me. I don't know why I got entangled with something as poisonous as that. I want to quit," Brendan replied as he closed his eyes.Naturally, memories associated with the incense were also tampered with. Deirdre didn't tell Brendan that it was all Emily's idea because it would shatter his inner world. "You don't have to quit and don't worry about finding a way to quit. I'll find a solution for you later, so you can fall asleep without relying on the incense," she said.A sense of melancholy clouded Deirdre's eyes. She didn't even know if Sterling was doing well in Germia. She felt guilty for dragging him into this mess and could only hope that Declan would find him and
"I believe Brendan has experienced quite a lot of stimulation regarding his memories, hasn't he? Have his headaches been getting worse, to the point where he's almost unable to stay conscious? Do you think this is a good sign?"Deirdre's face turned pale because the man had accurately described everything. She trembled and struggled simultaneously to maintain her voice as she asked, "What are you trying to say?""I am kindly reminding you that a hypnotized person cannot handle such stimulation. You can only hope that one day he will voluntarily regain his memories. If he recovers certain fragments under external stimulation, all his memories will clash."After the clash, the resulting consequences are not something an ordinary person can endure. He might turn into a dumb fool or a completely irrational madman. It all depends on luck, but I believe that you wouldn't want either of those outcomes, right?" replied Ryker.Deirdre's lips turned white suddenly, and as she held tight to h
Brendan sighed helplessly, removed his coat as he got into the car, and draped it over Deirdre's legs. "If it gets too hot, take it off."Deirdre pulled the coat up to her nose, inhaling the faint scent emanating from him, and closed her eyes for a moment.Brendan fastened his seatbelt. "If you get hungry on the way to Village Alnwick, let me know. It's quite a long journey, so don't force yourself."Deirdre's expression suddenly turned grim, and her pupils revealed a struggle within.Before Brendan started the car, she quickly spoke up, "Brendan!"Brendan paused. "What's wrong?"Deirdre bit her lower lip. "I... I think we shouldn't go there right now. How about we spend our day off together, just the two of us? You can choose the location. I'll accompany you anywhere in Neve."Brendan smiled and gently enveloped her cold hand in his warm palm. "Aren't we already on a date? It's just that instead of going anywhere in Neve, we are alone together in our own world. Isn't that bette
Every word Brendan uttered made Deirdre's heart wrench in immense pain. Brendan appeared to be caught in the trap and understood it better than anyone else. "But…" Deirdre breathed heavily. "We may still have a chance to go back to the old days if we maintain the current standard. But if we try and end up as what the man described… I won't even have a way to get you back…"She said truthfully, "Brendan, I'm very scared. I'm scared that I'll become the person who puts you in a tight spot."In the next moment, Brendan hugged Deirdre. She took the opportunity to hug him back in a very tight, strenuous manner.Brendan caressed her back, and his dark eyes were filled with unprecedented determination. "Deirdre, no one wants to be kept in the dark for a lifetime. If he can make me lose a portion of my memories of you, it signifies that he can still possibly make me hurt you."I don't want to be a weapon manipulated by someone. I want to seek the truth and figure out what happened betw
"What is this place?" asked Brndan.Deirdre explained, "This is Madame Russell's place. She is my mother... Ophelia's good friend. I stayed at her house temporarily when I left you. She took care of me.""Madame Russell?" Brendan found the name familiar but couldn't recall her. He wondered, "Is that Tobey's mother?"His voice deepened as he asked, "Tell me she didn't take care of you because she saw you as her daughter-in-law."Ignoring his question, Deirdre coughed and proceeded toward the house. Despite his partial memory loss, Brendan was still perceptive and connected the dots easily.Her actions displeased Brendan, and he grabbed her wrists, pinning her against the wall. He asked, "Feeling guilty?"Lowering her head, Deirdre appeared overwhelmed with emotions. She replied, "Why should I feel guilty? It's as if you're accusing me of cheating. We were separated at the time, so I didn't disclose our relationship to Madame Russell. She treated me like a daughter. What's wrong wi
Deirdre found herself torn between laughter and tears. "He was just being polite. It was all in good fun, nothing serious. Besides, he's already married."Even if he is a flirt, can he compete with you? Don't think I didn't notice how you scared him off with your gaze before he could say anything else."Brendan's breath tickled the nape of her neck as he spoke in a righteous tone. "Your boyfriend was right there, yet he seemed oblivious.""That's enough." Deirdre pretended to be angry, puffing up her cheeks. "Joe stayed up late and came all the way here to bring us a blanket. If you're not grateful, at least be kind with your words, okay?"Sensing Deirdre's displeasure, Brendan paused, hugged her, and asked, "Does he really have a wife?""Yes, they've been high school sweethearts for over ten years. They have a strong relationship," she replied."Good." Brendan playfully nibbled on Deirdre's neck. "Otherwise, I wouldn't feel at ease seeing him so friendly with you."Brendan's je
"You're right." Deirdre perked up, pulled away the blanket, and got out of bed. As Deirdre was brushing her teeth, Brendan informed her, "Joe came and invited us to breakfast this morning."Deirdre, not surprised, asked, "How did you respond?""I told him that you were exhausted from being with me last night and needed to sleep in a little today, so he left," he replied.While gargling with water, Deirdre choked and coughed repeatedly.Brendan patted her back, grabbed a towel, and wiped away the foam from her lips. Teasingly, he said, "You're an adult, yet you get choked while gargling. Luckily, you didn't swallow the water."Blushing, Deirdre retorted, "It's all your fault!""My fault?" Brendan raised an eyebrow. "How is it my fault?"Too embarrassed to say it, Deirdre muttered, "What do you mean by 'exhausted from being with you last night'? Joe will surely misunderstand...""Misunderstand what?"Deirdre couldn't voice her thoughts, but Brendan continued. "Deirdre, differe