Deirdre would never know how much it pained Brendan to see her retreating into the corner like a puppy being bullied. It felt like his heart was being torn into two by someone’s bare hand. The rage—and his helpless ignorance—at the kind of abuse suffered by the woman he loved was coursing through his veins and animating every single fiber in his body. How he wished he could be the one to suffer in her place!The pain from his forceful kiss lingered on Deirdre’s lips. Quivering, she said shakily, “B-Brendan, I…”He threw his arms around her and hugged her tightly. “Why can’t you just… stand up for yourself more, Deirdre? Why?” he murmured, pained.Deirdre did not know how to react at all. She had never heard Brendan use such a voice before—never heard him sound so desperate, so vulnerable, so pleading. “I’m… I’m fine…” It took her a long time to force her thoughts back down to comfort him. “Nothing happened. I’m okay. It wasn’t so bad, you see? If it were, I would have told the w
”Those people were planted there by whoever masterminded this whole thing. They were meant to stay there for only a few days.”“Okay then,” Declan remarked. “Honestly, this turns out to be a backhanded blessing for Miss McKinnon. Since she’s pregnant, after suffering from this incident, the police’s forced to let her stay here, sending only one of their people to watch her. She no longer had to suffer in that sh*thole detainment center now.”Brendan nodded in agreement. This was probably the only silver lining there was.Declan leaned his back against the wall. “Who do you think ordered this attack?”Brendan shot a glance at him and answered, “Charlene.”“I thought the same.” Declan flashed him a smile. “The mastermind behind her is someone meticulous, cautious, and sharp. They couldn’t have possibly done something so stupid that it could frustrate their own plans. So, this is all Charlene for sure.”Brendan’s eyes seemed to be shrouded by a cold, inky mire. “One day, I’ll settle
Deirdre shook herself out of her trance and nodded. “They have recovered nicely.”“But that’s not what you’ll say if the police come and ask the same question, okay? Tell them you’re hurting everywhere and remain in the hospital.”Deirdre froze. “Is that even allowed?”“Of course, it is,” Brendan replied matter-of-factly. “You’re at your safest when you’re staying here. Nobody can ruffle you while I get to be close to you till my heart’s content.”‘Close to me?’Ever since Brendan came clean about his true feelings, he had been acting way too candidly. Deirdre could not even tell what it was making her feel, so she pretended she did not hear that.“Are the bruises still there?” he asked.Deirdre snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head. Hesitantly, she admitted, “I mean… at least I think they’re gone.”“Let me have a look.”Pink hues tinted her cheeks. “What?”“The police’s going to send someone to examine your injuries, right? They’ll only let you stay here if those bl
Deirdre was bewildered. His kiss came in so strongly, passionately, and hungrily that it felt like he had swallowed the air around and between them. All she could smell was pheromones—his. They were all over her, and yet… she did not necessarily hate it.His fingers were usually cold, but they were set alight the moment they grazed her skin. Flames spread across her body. “M-Mm…” She let out a moan.Brendan stiffened for a moment. Then suddenly, he amplified his strength, putting so much force into his arms as if hoping to merge the woman into himself.Suddenly, the young woman curled into a ball and hissed. Alarmed, Brendan let go. His features were overcome with worry. “What happened?”Deirdre’s face turned pale. She was still curling into herself. Brendan looked and found stark bruises on her back. Anger pooled in his eyes, and as he reached out to touch it, his fingers were nothing but featherlight. “Does it hurt?”Deirdre let the worst pass for a moment and shook her he
The leader let out a shaky breath and suddenly thought of the winces and pained grimaces their victim had made. These women had always been the ones throwing punches—they had never wondered about the feelings of those at the receiving end of their abuse.They knew it now—just as they now learned fear and regret. “I… I won’t do it anymore…”Sparing her even a seconds-long glance made Brendan retch. “Sounds to me like you girls aren’t getting enough of it yet.”Finally, the women lost even the strength to cry. Brendan wrapped his fingers with a handkerchief before tipping one of their chins to face him. “So, who gave you girls the order?”-Deirdre stirred, opening her eyes. She instinctively rubbed her hand over her bedside, but there was no one.“Miss McKinnon? Are you awake?”She reeled in realization. Had Brendan left? She nodded nonetheless.“Are you hungry? Do you need me to get you something to eat?” “What time is it now?”“Three in the afternoon.”Deirdre was quite
”You should be detained in a cell awaiting your sentence for suspicion of murder, right? So, why are you here in the hospital? And who is that young woman with you?”“Deirdre McKinnon, why are you panicking? You’re not thinking about running away, right?!”“How dare you hide in the comforts of a hospital instead of facing your trials? What kind of world have we come to when a snake-hearted woman like you can evade justice? Not admitting to your guilt is bad, but trying to run away from tough questions? Honestly, McKinnon, did you really think having your billionaire lover shielding you makes you above accountability!?”“Go to h*ll, murderer!”“F*cking wh*re, stealing another woman’s man and trying to murder her to get her out of the way! H*ll has a special place for you, b*tch!”Their commentaries started becoming more and more inflammatory. At one point, someone even started getting physical and shoved Deirdre as hard as they could. The force knocked her footing awry, and she car
Brendan held Deirdre even more tightly. “Dee… You’re worried about me.”“You… idiot!” Deirdre’s eyes felt warm. God, she had to admit—being in his arms, by his side, made her feel so, so safe. But if the price of this safety was an armageddon of a media firestorm, then she would rather not have any of it. “I.. I am not worried about you! I’m just concerned about myself!”He caressed her hair. “It’s okay. Don’t be scared.”There was no sign of him letting go. He simply held her tightly against his chest.His action ignited a stack of kerosene. The mob rioted.“What the f*ck is this!? Mr. Brighthall, are you protecting a criminal in public!?” “So, the things people said on the Internet about you were right! Deirdre McKinnon is your lover, so you’re protecting her! How could you do this to Miss McKinsey!? This b*tch pushed her down the stairs to kill her, and you, the f*cking fiance, chose to side with the criminal and protect her instead of helping your own fiancee!”“Oh, I get
”I’m fine, Mrs. Engel. Really,” replied Deirdre, smiling, as she felt warmth enveloping her heart. She took a sip of water and turned to Brendan. “Are you going to be okay after, um, today?”“Why? It was nothing.”Deirdre was skeptical of his claim, but she simply could not pry more out of him and decided to get information straight from the horse’s mouth. She waited until Brendan went to his study and asked Mrs. Engel instead. “But Miss McKinnon!”Deirdre flashed a smile. “Don’t worry about how I’m gonna take it, Mrs. Engel. I’ve always been resilient. I’m just curious, that’s all. Just wondering how this whole thing will unravel.”Mrs. Engel searched the Internet for a while and immediately closed the browser. “Those people are acting the same as ever,” she said vaguely. “Uh, Mr. Brighthall’s being dragged into it, but I don’t know if it’s going to affect him that much.”Deirdre's mind turned blank. Of course, it was going to affect him!She shook out of her trance and change