“Dr. Ginger’s suggestion,” Deirdre replied flatly. She let the coat hang on her shoulders. “He said a shut-in lifestyle wouldn’t help my recovery either, so he told me to go outside and immerse myself in the elements for a bit.”“I don’t think your sorry excuse of an outdoor getup was part of the suggestion, was it? How will you see Ophelia if you catch a cold?”There was a plop as her gardening shears fell to the ground. Deirdre looked at Brendan in disbelief, her tool forgotten, her lifeless eyes quivering in their sockets. “What did you say?” Her voice was trembling. “I said...” Brendan repeated himself with emphatic enunciation. “Ophelia is ready to return. She’ll be with us in ten days.”This meant more than the world to her. Her eyes reddened instantly, and she clawed at Brendan’s collar—despite already suppressing most of her violent excitement—and blabbered, “D-Don’t you dare do this to me, Brendan! Don’t! Don’t g-give me hope…”Brendan fixed a strangely unyielding star
“The truth behind our…?” Brendan’s ire was palpable. “What’s that supposed to be?”Deirdre panicked a little. He knew exactly what she meant and had asked her this question anyway. How was she supposed to answer that?Brendan closed his fingers around her wrist as his handsome face loomed close to her own. “We. Are. Husband. And. Wife, Deirdre McKinnon,” he stated, prolonging each word. “You should remember that. I’m not some polyamorous man loving a harem of women. All you have to do is stay in your lane and stop trying to harm Lena—and I swear, you’ll always have a shelter in me. “It’s not impossible for us… to go back to how it used to be.”Brendan stiffened. Had he really said that? Why would he say that? Was this his deepest wish after all? To go back to that time?Deirdre was so taken aback that she could not even reel out of her own shock. His voice—his request—reverberated within her brain like a cursed echo. What was the point of telling her this? Was he trying to expl
Brendan would admit that he was feeling up, but he absolutely did not appreciate seeing her initial reaction to his arrival. It was as if she was accusing him of being nothing but a sex-starved animal!“I came here to rest, Deirdre.”“Rest?”“Yes. Rest,” he replied slowly. “Look, it will be very easy for Ophelia to see through our current facade. You’re repulsed by me, and that’s so obvious even I could tell. The good news is, we’ve got 10 days to slowly phase into some semblance of intimacy. It’ll look natural in the end.”Deirdre’s face turned pale. Brendan, sensing a revolt, changed tactics. “If you object to it, fine by me.”Object? Deirdre felt the wind get knocked out of her. Her real intention was obvious, but this was not optional for her. She had to please him, not just for Ophelia’s sake, but because she knew Brendan very well. This was the man who would do anything—noble or ignoble—to get what he wanted. Nothing she could say or do would change that. She would rather
Where to?Not that she would receive an answer even if she asked. She rose and got changed. Then, when they reached the front door, Brendan removed his scarf and wrapped it around her neck. They left. Deirdre was a little uneased by the gesture. She waited for a while before removing the scarf and holding it in her hand. After a while, she heard him announce, “We’re here.” He removed his seatbelt, and Deirdre followed. They were in some bustling place. She could hear traffic and crowds of people all around her, so they had to be in the middle of a busy street. He caught her hand and said, “I’ll lead you.”Brendan displayed unprecedented patience. With her in tow, he weaved through the sea of people, her confusion growing and her mind going blank. Then, finally, she heard someone say, “Welcome!”They had entered some kind of shop. “Where are we?” she asked, feeling confused. He was not acting like himself today. “You’ll know in a while.”It did not take a while. She mere
She finally got to let out the chest-wringing breath she had been holding in since Bliss’ death. She had felt it—the puppy pushing its face close to hers, whimpering with her as she sobbed. It was consoling her. She imagined that was what Bliss would have done too.Deirdre cast her eyes to the ground. The storm clouds that had seemed to be permanent on her mien faded, and Brendan was the sole witness of her subtle transformation. While he managed to observe Deirdre’s change, he was blind to his own. The trademark severity in his visage had softened into meek, wistful joy. They walked for a while until, suddenly, Deirdre stopped. Brendan almost lost her, but he paused and turned around. “What’s wrong?”She scanned her surroundings with a frown. “A child’s crying.”“A child?” Brendan was a little surprised. They were at the fork of a busy street flooded with couples and office workers going about their day. There was not a single child in sight. “Could it be some kind of hallu
Brendan had always thought that Deirdre looked beautiful. He used to believe that he had this thought just because she looked like Charlene. Nevertheless, his thought remained unchanged even though Deirdre had been disfigured for a long time.Deirdre’s mouth was open, but she couldn’t say a single word. She only felt awkward. As she tried to change the topic, the child in her embrace began to cry, grabbing her collar without any intention of letting go.“What is it? Are you feeling uncomfortable?” Deirdre got nervous but she didn’t lose her cool. She patted the back of the child with one hand while touching the child’s forehead with the other.She did it in one go, and the little girl in her embrace stopped crying.Brendan felt rather dazzled while watching Deirdre. He inexplicably wondered how good it would be if this child was theirs!In that case, even if Deirdre learned about the death of her mother, she would live for the sake of the child. He wouldn’t allow her to suffer con
It was obvious that the man had been trying hard to be compensated because he could tell that Brendan was a rich guy.“40,000 dollars is indeed not a big deal,” Brendan said indifferently.The couple appeared to be excited while Brendan fixed his frigid eyes on them. He added in a condescending manner, “But I wouldn’t give it to people like you. Just report this to the police, or I’ll do it myself!”“On what grounds could you do it?!”Brendan took a step forward and replied in an intimidating manner, “You two are abusing your own daughter. This fact alone is more than enough to lock you up!”The man retreated upon seeing Brendan’s imposing manner. Only when the woman pushed him did he pluck up the courage to yell, “We are abusing our own daughter?”Deirdre had a sharp headache, which was only stimulated by the desperate cries of the child. When she heard the irresponsible remark of the man, she was so furious that her lips began trembling. She then reprimanded them. “Is it not ab
Dr. Ginger had a pair of sharp eyes. When he saw Brendan’s hands on the steering wheel and noticed that his sleeves were covered in blood, the doctor’s instinct propelled him to rush toward Brendan. He gasped when he saw bruises and bloody marks on his arms.“Did you smash something against your arms? Why are they full of bruises? D-Do you not want your hands anymore?”In the past, Dr. Ginger wouldn’t have had the courage to speak in this manner. But now that he was so furious and anxious, he ordered, “Go sit in the back. I’ll drive to the hospital. I don’t have any testing equipment here, so I can’t ensure that your bones will stay intact!”“NO—”“Just listen to Dr. Ginger,” Deirdre abruptly chimed in. Her eyes were slack, but she gradually tightened her fists in her sleeves. She couldn’t understand why Brendan had changed so much that he was unlike his normal self. Their priority, however, was to get Brendan to the hospital.She got into the passenger seat and said with downcast