After Bryce was done feeding the hangover cure to Holly, he proceeded to clean her up. He helped her brush her teeth and even wiped her face, as if he were taking care of a baby.Holly couldn't sit still when he was tending to her.One moment she was knocking over the mouthwash cup, and the next she was touching Bryce's face, then kissing him, pulling at his clothes, grabbing him, and scratching at him. She also wrapped her legs around him and refused to let go. She even splashed him with water.Bryce wasn't expecting Holly to be this difficult when she was drunk. There were times when he was tempted to knock her out.However, he recalled the way she had to bear with everything back when she took care of him. He decided to repay her kindness and let it go.After a while, Bryce finally finished cleaning Holly. He carried her back to the bedroom and placed her on the bed. He then leaned down to kiss her, feeling the passion reigniting within his body.Just as he was about to adva
Bryce tucked her hair behind her ears and gently said, "Be nicer to me."Holly raised her eyebrow slightly. "How do I do that?"He got closer to her and placed his forehead against hers. Then, he said with a lazy tone, "Come back to me."She stared at his dashing nose and smiled faintly. "There must be a catch, right?"He looked back at her with a clear gaze. "There's only one, and you know it. You can only pick one of us."She went quiet. Without saying anything, she gently pushed him away and got out of bed.Holly walked to the door and turned around to scan the wall. There used to be a wedding photo there. Now, there was nothing at all. She smiled subtly. On one hand, there was the marriage that had hurt her a lot. On the other hand, there was the man who had saved her.There was no way she could choose between a dead relationship and a favor she owed. It was just too difficult.Holly walked out of the bedroom. Since she was in her pajamas, she went to the dressing room to
Holly left the house and got into the car. While she was on the road, Abelin called her. "I'm sorry about last night. It was Zenia's fault. She's been living with us since she was a girl. She's the youngest in our family, so she's pampered a lot and can do whatever she wants.""It's alright.""Everything happened too fast last night. I'll treat you to a meal next time." Since Holly was planning on giving him the flutes, she accepted the offer.…That weekend, they met at Rev, which was located in the biggest building in Jardington. Abelin picked the place. Most of the patrons there were couples.As they sat next to the window, Holly thought about when Bryce brought her here for the first time, and she couldn't help smiling. Then, she returned to her usual self soon after that.Holly opened the lockbox and placed it in front of Abelin. "Every year, I would buy a flute as your birthday gift. I had never been able to give it away in the past. Now, I can finally do it."He looke
Abelin looked back at Sherry with narrowed eyes. His calm gaze was full of suppressed hatred. He never did anything to her, but that didn't mean he didn't hate her. That fire almost killed him, and he could never forget how painful it was to have his skin burned by the raging flames.He quickly recomposed himself and calmed down. Then, he said to Holly, as if nothing had happened, "Let's go."Holly was stunned for a moment. Just as she was about to walk, Bryce called her, "Holly." His voice wasn't loud, but he sounded firm. It felt like he was commanding her. Holly knew he wasn't letting her go. She hesitated for a while and said to Abelin, "You should go first." Abelin shot a glance at Bryce, hinting at the latter not to put her in a spot. Then, he left with the lockbox with those 12 flutes inside.Sherry quietly watched the strange interaction between the three of them. Although they didn't talk much, she figured they had a complicated relationship. She smiled and invited
"Of course! I would've swapped you away if you weren't.""Then, why would you help someone else?""I'll break it down for you. If nothing had happened to that Abel guy back then, he and Holly would've been together. You and Holly were married for three years, and she suffered every day. Your temper was terrible, but she endured it and did everything for you."When you recovered, Samantha returned and kept bothering her. Holly's finger broke, and she lost her child. Your dad, being stuck in the middle, kept paying her to stay away and even dragged Penelope into the picture. "As long as Arthur's alive, you two would never get to remarry. If you care about her, you should let her go and give her your full support."Then, she tried to persuade him, "Let Holly enjoy her life. She's around Nina's age, and we should consider her feelings. She shouldn't have suffered so much in the first place."Bryce turned around and said with a gloomy voice, "I can't let her go. I would've even devel
Holly couldn't help feeling surprised when she heard Bryce say such understanding words. It was a rare moment. He ruffled her hair, and his gaze looked slightly gentle. "I've been irrational lately and didn't consider your feelings."She looked up at him with teary eyes. "No. I've been irrational and didn't consider how you felt as well."Bryce kept quiet for a moment before saying, "Let's give each other space for a moment. If I still can't accept Abelin's existence by then, I won't force you anymore. "Maybe Mom was right about you two being destined to be together. Fate was just pulling a prank by making you marry me."Holly lowered her gaze and said nothing. If it weren't for the fire, she would've never been separated from Abel. Then, she would definitely marry him when they grew up. Things would've been so much easier if that had happened.Life was made up of countless decisions. They would determine the rest of a person's life, especially the decisions made when they were
That weekend, the fall sun hung high in the bright blue sky as it shone on the lush green field. Bryce was playing golf with Kendrick Scott of Scott Group.He wore black casual attire that felt nice to the touch. Its soft and comfortable material made his tall figure look more handsome. His noble character was showing naturally.Bryce held the golf club above the ground and bent his knees a little. Then, he swung his arms at the golf ball, and the ball flew out astonishingly.Kendrick laughed heartily. "It's rare to see young people playing golf so beautifully like you. It would take at least seven years of practice to reach your skills."Bryce smiled back faintly. "I can't compare to you, Mr. Scott." The two of them flattered each other and had a great time talking. After half an hour of playing, they entered the VIP lounge, and the staff served them some coffee.As Bryce and Kendrick took a seat, the assistants behind them quickly brought them towels to wipe their sweat. At that
Though Arthur didn't show it on his face, he was actually gloating in his heart. He previously thought nothing could separate Bryce and Holly. It turned out that wasn't the case, after all.He had been busy with work recently, so he couldn't bother himself with them. He didn't expect Bryce to change partners himself.Arthur chuckled and approached the three of them with a bright smile. Then, he passionately greeted Yannie, "Oh? Isn't this Ms. Blake of Blake Group? How did you meet Bryce?"She replied with a gentle smile, "Hello, Mr. Gabelman Senior. Aunt Sherry invited me here." Arthur shot Sherry a glance of disdain from the side and said, "I remember that you were quite fond of Holly. It's only been a few days since I last saw you. So, why is Ms. Blake here now?"Basically, he was making fun of her for being a hypocrite.Sherry was already furious about Abelin's real identity. Now that Arthur was here making fun of her, she was reaching her limit. However, she had to watch her
Sitting by Bryce's bed, Holly softly held his slender fingers as if such a move would keep him safe.She must have been exhausted or emotionally spent, as she soon fell asleep by the bed. She then suffered a nightmare, in which Bryce stood in front of her, covered in blood from head to toe. Forcing a smile, he said to her, "Holly, I can't stay by your side anymore. You need to take care of yourself and be strong."After that, he turned into wisps of smoke and vanished right in front of her eyes. She frantically reached out to hold him, but she was clawing at the air.She waved her hands madly to take hold of him and run after him. Her voice was hoarse from all the yelling. "Bryce! Bryce Gabelman!"Her shouting was futile. Jolting awake, she gasped for air. Her forehead was drenched in sweat, and her eyes were wet from crying.She noticed that she was lying in the caregiver's bed. Someone—perhaps Bryce—had carried her to the bed.Bryce managed to get out of bed and lay by her
"You're injured. Don't stay on the floor—it's cold. Get up now!" Holly cautiously pulled Bryce up from the ground.He was speechless at her response. Any other woman would have happily accepted the ring and put it on.Perhaps, the woman he loved was different from the others.Going on one knee, Bryce refused to get up. He tenderly stared at Holly. "I'll get up after you agree to remarry me.""Get up now, and I'll agree to it."Defeated, he stood up, held her hand, and tried to put the ring on her finger when he was overwhelmed by a wave of dizziness. He lost his balance and collapsed forward onto her.Holly quickly held him and asked worriedly, "What's wrong?"Bryce's lips parted. He wanted to reassure her that he was fine, but he couldn't utter a word. Soon after, his fingers that grasped the ring went numb. The large diamond ring dropped to the ground, spinning and clattering until it came to a stop.Panicking, Holly patted his cheek. "What's going on?"However, Bryce didn't
Looking at the man in Holly's embrace, Abelin turned his attention back to his phone. He asked inquisitively, "Who are you?"The person on the other end of the line was filled with anger. "I'm Bryce. I called her phone, but it was switched off."Abelin replied honestly, "She lost her phone.""Where is she right now?" Bryce questioned indifferently.After Abelin told him the villa's address, Bryce hung up.Abelin once again glanced at his phone before looking toward the dazed-looking Holly. "Holly, I think this man might not be Bryce."Holly shook her head. "You don't need to comfort me.""I just got a call from Bryce. He's on his way here."Holly thought he was lying and refused to believe him. When Abelin wanted to pull her away from the corpse, Holly got triggered and pushed him away. "Don't touch him! He'll be in pain!"Seeing Holly in such a dazed and abnormal state, Abelin felt a sense of pity for her.A tall figure emerged from the door about 45 minutes later. He was we
Abelin wanted to follow through with the protocol, but Holly refused.Realizing they weren't locals, the police decided to let them be. Thus, Abelin sent Holly and the corpse back to a villa their family seldom stayed in.Upon arriving at the villa, Holly did nothing but hold onto the bloodied man dazedly. Her heart felt heavy and chaotic. She was filled with regret and self-blame.Did she regret breaking up with him? The answer was no. Instead, she regretted not being firm enough with her decision. If she had been more resolute and didn't give him any hope of reconciling, he wouldn't have flown to Calria to find her. Correspondingly, he wouldn't have gotten into a car accident and died.Death was such a dreadful word. Bryce was gone, forever disappearing from this world. Holly would never hear his voice or see his smile and face. It was all gone.She would never see him again. She would rather he had lived, no matter who he ended up with in the future. She just wanted him to
The driver pressed the pedal, made a U-turn, and accelerated. When Holly arrived at the address Tobin sent, she saw two deformed cars at the crash scene. However, she didn't find anyone there.Holly's heart skipped a beat. She could only call Tobin repeatedly. However, the call didn't go through.Bryce and the others didn't own a car, only renting one after they got off the plane. Thus, Holly didn't know which car belonged to them.The driver continued driving a bit further until they came upon a collision between a car and a truck. The car's front end was completely obliterated. The driver was cut in half at the waist, and the person in the back seat was so badly mangled that his face was unrecognizable.A loud roar echoed in Holly's mind as it went blank. Her gaze fell on the man's blood-soaked suit. This was the deep-colored suit that Bryce always wore. The man had long legs. The wrist that was hanging out of the car wore a Patek Philippe Celestial watch.Holly remembered the
The moment Bryce reached Calria and got off the plane, he received a call from an unknown number. He took the call with furrowed eyebrows. "Hello. Who are you?"Zenia fumed. "I'm Zenia. Holly and Abelin's wedding is today. Your woman snatched away the man I loved!" She hung up the call after that.Bryce didn't believe her. He tapped into his messages, and several wedding photos came into view. Although the images were not high resolution, one could at least make out the newlywed's features.The groom wearing a suit had striking facial features, and Bryce recognized him as Abelin. Meanwhile, the woman was dressed in a fitted floor-length gown and wore a white veil. Under the thin veil, Bryce could make out her defined features. The woman was none other than Holly.Bryce felt like he had been struck by lightning. His mind went blank, and the hand holding the phone turned cold.He could feel his heart sinking and his blood going cold. Instantly, he felt he got toyed and betrayed
Michelle was gravely ill, with her vision and hearing failing. Thus, they should be able to deceive her.While Abelin let out a sigh of relief, Merope threw daggers at him. She couldn't believe he was stupid enough to let go of such a good opportunity. She wondered why someone as smart as her would have such a dumb son.As it was almost time for the wedding ceremony, Merope wheeled the sickly Michelle out. Michelle's complexion seemed better than a few days back, perhaps due to the joyful event or the effects of terminal lucidity. Her dull eyes were shining when she saw Abelin and the fake bride on the red carpet.Michelle pursed her lips and asked Merope, "Is he really getting married to Holly?"Merope replied unwillingly, "Yes.""Bring me over to have a look," Michelle ordered. When Merope wheeled her over to the fake bride, Michelle took her reading glasses from her pocket with trembling hands.Abelin held his breath as Michelle eyed the fake bride up and down. He was fear
Merope pleaded earnestly, "Abel, your grandmother is on her last breath. Please try to fulfill her last wish for her."Abelin didn't seem to reject this plan as much as before. "Wedding arrangements are already in place, and I've notified a couple of cousins. I'll try to make the entire wedding as genuine as possible."Merope was overjoyed. "Why did you suddenly change your mind? Is Holly the bride?""No. I found a woman who looks quite similar to her. Grandma is old and has blurry eyesight. I doubt she'll recognize her."Merope rebuked, "Your grandma isn't blind!""Well, that's all." Abelin then hung up the call.…Three days later, many relatives gathered at the Gabelman residence. The brightly decorated courtyard was filled with people. Abelin hired a professional wedding team in advance, making sure the officiant, red carpet, circular arch, fresh flowers, and bridal bouquet were all in place. A professional violin team was also playing the wedding march.Although it was a
Abelin called Priscilla's bodyguards, and they arrived at the Calria police station together.The bodies were stored in the morgue. Since they weren't Calrians, the police couldn't find any information on them or confirm their identities.However, they were sure that the two bodies had something to do with Priscilla because one of the bodyguards left a long scratch mark on one of the culprit's arms. At that moment, the mark was rotten due to being submerged in the water. The skin was peeling, and it was a horrifying sight.Clearly, the person behind the culprits was worried they might get caught and expose their employer's identity. So, someone was sent to silence them right away. It was easy for someone like them to kill a person.After giving a statement, the police told Abelin that they were going to do an autopsy on the bodies. Once they had news, they would call him again.After coming out of the police station, Abelin got into his car and called Bryce. "The two guys who hu