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
Deirdre wasn't a crowd favorite, yet Brendan made her appear highly sought after.They walked to the yard near Deirdre's previous residence and noticed that weeds had taken over in less than a year, reaching half a meter in height. Subconsciously, Deirdre started looking for tools to remove the weeds, and Brendan joined in to help.As Brendan looked up, he saw Deirdre gazing at him with a gratified expression. "What's going on?" he asked.Deirdre smiled and replied, "Nothing. I was just reminded of how you used to be when you were Kyran. Back then, you would take charge of all the tasks and assist me, just like you're doing now."Brendan felt a twinge of jealousy. "I can still do that now. You don't have to dwell on the past and Kyran."Caught between laughter and tears, Deirdre replied, "Don't you think you're being childish, Brendan? You and Kyran are the same person, after all."Uneasily, Brendan turned his head away. "But I can't remember anything now, so Kyran feels like a s
Deirdre patted Brendan's hand, and he loosened his grip around her waist. He spoke in a righteous tone. "Be more careful next time.""Don't listen to his nonsense." Deirdre glared at Brendan as a warning. "We were just fooling around."Joe, you're here so early. Is lunch ready?"Joseph nodded. "Yes, yes. My wife works quickly, and she has already finished cooking lunch. We're just waiting for you to come and eat."As the three of them headed to the Talbots' home, they noticed a pregnant woman getting water from a hand pump. Joseph quickly stepped forward to stop her, concerned about the situation."Josie, didn't I tell you to leave these back-bending chores to me? What if you hurt yourself?"Josie Schooler appeared frustrated. "This is the time for me to exercise. Besides, I can't stand doing nothing. Why would pumping water be bad for me?"Joseph tried to appease her. "But you're already going through so much. You purposely prepared lunch for my friend and her boyfriend today.
Josie cupped her face and expressed her concerns, "I'm not pretty, and I worry that he will dislike me when I gain weight from the pregnancy. But he treats me just as well, if not better, and he's even more affectionate now."Curiosity piqued, Josie asked Deirdre, "How is Mr. Brighthall during your pregnancy?"After a moment of thought, Deirdre replied, "He's almost the same as Joe, I suppose. But his temperament is not as good as Joe's. He can be quite arrogant and self-conceited."He acts differently when another man shows kindness to me. He becomes ill-mannered and rude."Josie was astonished. "Mr. Brighthall behaves that way too? Oh my! Deirdre, you must be so charming that a man of Mr. Brighthall's status fears losing you."Deirdre was unsure whether to cry or laugh. "It's not that he's afraid of losing me, but he doesn't like it when others try to take what is his.""No, no, no!" Josie shook her head seriously. "I don't think so. I'm sure Mr. Brighthall behaves this way bec