Winston lowered his head and said, "Go ahead and lash out if it makes you feel better."He didn't think a few insults from Millie would bother him. Considering how he had treated her in the past, he knew she had every reason to be angry."Cursing at you is too exhausting. I'd much rather beat you up," she replied with a sneer.Winston looked up and met her eyes. "Alright."If she wanted to hit him, he would let her. Millie was momentarily stunned. He had always been known for his pride and dignity. The Winston she remembered would never have agreed so easily."So, you're saying I can beat you up?" Her gaze bore into his dark eyes as she stepped closer.Winston nodded, never breaking eye contact. He had knelt and agreed to let her hit him. Did he really think she would let him off so easily?Millie wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of a quick resolution. No, she wanted him to feel the weight of his actions. She intended for him to experience her pain and every hardshi
Winston's nonchalant hum left Millie unsettled. What was the meaning behind that?"What time do you get off work tomorrow?" he asked again.At that point, Millie was completely fed up. She lifted her foot, aiming to step on him. But Winston appeared to have anticipated her move and quickly pulled his left foot back.Her foot landed on nothing, and she sneered. "Mr. Greer, you claim you're pursuing me, yet you can't even handle me stepping on you?"Winston lowered his gaze before saying in a low voice, "Millie, stop being sarcastic. If you want to hit me, just go ahead.""Let go of me. This is pointless." Millie's voice trembled slightly.The darkness was overwhelming, and she felt a wave of anxiety.Noticing the quiver in her voice, Winston briefly loosened his grip on her wrist. "Are you scared?" he asked.Millie kept her head down, not saying a word."Millie, are you afraid of me? Do you think I would hurt you?"She should have known he would never harm her, yet her silen
Outside the venue, Millie was growing increasingly frustrated with the two men trailing behind her. How long would they keep this up? Did she look like she had all the time in the world to entertain them?"Sean, shouldn't you be inside mingling with the guests? What are you doing out here with me?" Millie asked, irritation written all over her face.She understood his intentions, but there were so many guests and senior figures inside. While he could afford to ignore the unspoken rules, she couldn't. It was about adhering to proper etiquette and showing respect."It's all good. We're all friends here. Besides…" Sean trailed off, casting a knowing glance at Winston.Winston could tell Sean had something to say, and he knew it wasn't going to sit well with him.Without beating around the bush, Sean declared, "Everyone knows I'm pursuing you."As expected, Winston's expression darkened immediately.Millie, on the other hand, sighed deeply. "That's enough from both of you. I don't n
In the car, an uncomfortable silence lingered. Eli sensed the awkward atmosphere but couldn't think of anything to say. To Winston, simply getting Millie into the car was already a win. He hadn't yet figured out what to say next.Millie glanced at the time and let out a long sigh, visibly annoyed. Winston couldn't help but look at her. The impatience and displeasure on her face were unmistakable, and his gaze grew dimmer as he took it in. "Is this really so hard for you? Are you really that unwilling?" He spoke in a low, husky voice that was tinged with a hint of helplessness.Millie turned to face him, looking bewildered as she retorted, "Am I supposed to be happy about this? Should I be fine with it? Tell me, how should I act around an ex-husband who's hurt me so much?" She often wished someone would tell her what to do, but she knew that wasn't how life worked. In the end, everyone had to find their own way."Millie, I was only with Joanna because I thought she had saved
Millie slammed the door shut without hesitation. In the next second, the car fell silent. Under the dim lights, Winston watched as Millie made her way to the bus stop. It wasn't long before she was on her phone, chatting and laughing. His brief appearance felt like a bad joke or more like an unwanted intrusion. Winston's hand clenched tightly at his side as helplessness overwhelmed him. There was nothing he could do. Winning someone back seemed nearly impossible once their trust was lost."Mr. Greer, you should have insisted on taking Ms. Caldwell home. How could you just leave her here?" Eli asked coldly.Winston chuckled wryly. "Take her home?"Millie would only despise him even more if he had done that. She might have even cursed him under her breath.Feeling drained, he leaned back in his seat and instructed Eli to drive further away. And so, Eli moved the car to the opposite side of the street. Winston watched as Millie waited at the bus stop for a long time before she
"Yes," Eli replied decisively and confidently.Winston and Eli exchanged a look before bursting into laughter. Eli had answered without a moment's hesitation."Mr. Greer, you're considerate to us and Ms. Lowell. But with Ms. Caldwell, your actions have been nothing short of cruel," Eli added.It seemed he had shown kindness to everyone but Millie.Winston frowned as he reflected on everything he'd done. He realized he had pushed Millie away and had never seen her as family. Why had he never shown her any compassion? Even if Joanna had been the one to save him, it didn't justify his treatment of Millie. He must have lost his mind.Considering what he had done, it was no wonder Millie couldn't forgive him. Even Winston couldn't bring himself to forgive his own mistakes."Mr. Greer, if I were Ms. Caldwell's family, I'd be on my knees begging you to leave her alone," Eli joked. Given how deeply he'd hurt Millie, who would trust him with their beloved daughter?After a moment's s
After returning home, Millie wasted no time in taking a shower before heading to bed. She then texted Rachel, complaining about the day's events."This is absolutely outrageous! It's like they were fighting over an object. But I'm a human being, not an object! A good man doesn't backtrack on his words! Besides, belated affection means nothing! Can't Winston understand?"Millie's consecutive exclamation marks vividly portrayed her current mood.As Rachel was removing her makeup, she couldn't help but smile and respond helplessly, "Spring is approaching, as is your love."Millie: "If spring is going to be like this, then I'd prefer to skip it."Rachel: "This is impossible. Some things in life are as inevitable as the changing seasons. Mills, rest assured that the difficult times have passed, and what lies ahead is filled with positivity."Millie was overcome by conflicting emotions as she read Rachel's text.Rachel: "Since you're working in a research lab now, I assume you're not
Millie ignored Winston and drove off, but he followed her in his car. Despite her attempts to lose him, he remained closely behind.Two cars were racing on the road, drawing a crowd of onlookers. Millie was driving aggressively, as she was a racer. On the other hand, Winston was more cautious—mindful of the surrounding traffic. However, he still managed to tail her car closely without losing sight of her.Upon reaching the research lab's entrance, Millie came out of her car and glanced back at Winston's car. She raised her hand to give him a thumbs up, only to quickly flip it upside down to indicate that he was no match for her. In an unusually cheerful mood, she waved to Winston and entered the research lab.Winston's expression darkened in the car as he pondered the amount of exhaust he had breathed in during the journey. He allowed her to win, but she perceived it as a sign of weakness.However, this also made Winston learn more about Millie. She drove exceptionally well.He
While in the hospital, Millie rubbed her arms to keep warm. Then, the person on the bed woke up.Millie turned her head and looked at the person on the hospital bed. Winston's eyes were dull and showed signs of exhaustion. Their eyes met, and neither of them said a word.The nurse entered and saw that Winston was awake, so she patiently asked about his condition.He just kept looking at Millie without saying anything.Millie glanced at the nurse, signaling that she could continue with her work. Winston seemed fine now."You're not allowed to drink anymore," Millie said, her voice calm and indifferent.He closed his eyes, turned his head away, and didn't look at her again.Millie frowned and asked, "What do you mean by turning your head?"Winston remained silent, unable to speak because of the tightness in his throat.Millie poured a glass of water and asked him, "Would you like some water?"He still remained silent.Millie grew impatient and said, "Then I'll call Eli to take
Other than that word, Everly couldn't hear anything else."Dad, I can't hear what you're saying at all." Everly was becoming frustrated.Thomas exclaimed, "I said, Mills!""Yes, you're talking about Mills. And then? What about her?" Everly was extremely confused.She picked up her phone to check the time—it was already 3:00 am.She was about to lose it. From New Year's Eve till now, she did nothing but take care of Thomas."Dad, why don't we just go to sleep?" Everly didn't want to listen anymore.Whatever it was, she would be nice to Millie and not go up against her.She didn't like Millie before, but that was simply because she disliked how obsessed Millie was with romantic relationships."Oh! Ah!" Thomas suddenly started grumbling as he threw back the blanket. "Why can't you understand?"He was getting agitated.Everly was also getting extremely agitated. What exactly did she need to understand?He wasn't even speaking loud enough."I mean your sister! Millie!" Thomas s
Everly, feeling exasperated, helped Thomas off the couch and took him to the bathroom.Thomas lifted his head. His face was flushed, and his eyes dazed over. "My daughter, my daughter, I didn't throw up…"Everly looked at the mess on the ground and felt a headache coming on. Thomas had already thrown up, yet he still claimed he hadn't."You're drinking so much even though you can't handle it!" Everly shouted."What are you saying? It's like you're saying, saying, saying… ugh!" Thomas immediately leaned over the toilet, unable to finish his sentence. It was like he was speaking in tongue twisters, and no one could understand him.Everly sighed. She twitched her nose and turned to go outside to wait for him.Ten minutes went by, and Everly had finished tidying up the house. There was no sound coming from the washroom where Thomas was.Everly furrowed her brows and called out, "Dad?"Fine. It seemed like he was going to end up sleeping on the toilet.Everly walked over and, as ex
"I'll go get your medicine for you. Wait a moment." Millie intended to get the medicine from the bedside table.But then, Winston grabbed her arm. His palms were sweaty, and when he held her hand, it felt so hot it was as if he might burn her.Millie looked down at him.Winston looked up at her face, worried that if he let go, she might disappear.However, he knew very well that Millie wanted to leave, and he couldn't stop her."Millie, do you really have to give up on me?" Winston asked again, seeming determined to get an answer.Millie furrowed her brows, breathing heavily."Do you have to?" He looked at her. "Hmm?"Millie felt her heart tighten, and she just couldn't bring herself to say, "I have to let you go.""Winston," she called to him.Winston had no more strength left in him, as if he couldn't wait any longer to hear those words from her.He suddenly bent over and fell to the ground.Millie paused for a moment, then she quickly crouched down. "Winston?"She immed
Millie tightened her grip on the doorknob and turned to look at Winston.He stood next to the coffee table, his hands dangling awkwardly at his sides. The expression on his face seemed profoundly sorrowful. Although they were close, it felt as if a huge ocean stood between them when he looked at her, making it impossible for him to bridge the gap.Winston made a slight groaning sound, licking his lips and breathing heavily. His body was also swaying a bit. His stomach felt extremely uncomfortable, churning violently as if he might throw up at any moment.What bothered him even more was the comment Millie had just made.She said, "Let's end this."End it? But how would they just end it? Then were her seven years over just like that? Did his guilt and regret count for anything?She could move on from him, love someone else, and marry them. But what about him? He could never forgive himself for the rest of his life…Could they just end it?"Millie. Tell me, how are we supposed to
"Listen." Millie bit her lip but finally mustered up the courage to speak. "Let's end this between us."During those years with him, she caused her family a lot of worry and concern. She no longer wanted her family to worry about her.Or perhaps, she had become scared. She didn't want to gamble with her feelings anymore."Winston, I admit defeat. I don't have the courage to go through this with you again." Millie's voice was choked with emotion as she struggled to hold back her sadness while saying this.Winston instinctively reached for her hand."Millie, you promised me. You said you'd give me a chance. Why?" His eyes suddenly turned bloodshot, and his voice was so hoarse it seemed like he could barely speak."There's no reason. The new year has begun, and I hope you get better. Don't come looking for me anymore." Millie pulled away from Winston's hand, turned around, and got ready to leave.He suddenly hugged Millie tightly and said, "Don't…"Winston's voice seemed to pierce
Millie opened the car door and pushed Winston inside the car.Winston fastened his seatbelt in the dark by himself.Millie got into the car and saw him sitting there quietly, which made her smile and sigh.Millie drove at a moderate speed. The road was busy, with many people out to watch fireworks, while others were heading home.Winston looked to the driver's side, his gaze fixed on Millie.Millie could sense that he was watching her, but she kept avoiding eye contact. Her mind was preoccupied with the messages her dad had sent.Let him go… The question was, could she give up on him?Millie furrowed her brow and rested her hand on her forehead, deep in thought."Did I make you hate me…?" Winston's raspy voice suddenly sounded next to her ear.Millie looked over at him with confusion."Does my drinking make you hate me?" he asked again, just like a child afraid of upsetting Millie."No." Millie shook her head.Despite having drunk too much, he still made an effort to pay at
After the video call ended, Millie placed her phone on the table.Thomas said to Millie, "Hahaha! Mills, look, he can't handle his drink!"Having been the son-in-law of the Caldwell family for three years, I only just found out that he can't hold his liquor."Millie gave a wry smile. This statement seemed to be a double-edged sword. For three years, he hadn't visited the Caldwell family even once. Winston was truly ruthless at that time.Winston quickly explained to Millie, "Millie, I haven't had too much. I can still drink, honestly."His face was completely flushed, and it was clear that his speech was slurred.The two of them had already finished a bottle of vodka.Thomas was even ready to switch to a different type of alcohol.Thomas had spent many years away from home and was quite a heavy drinker. His drinking ability was different from that of Winston.Winston could ask Eli to drink on his behalf if he didn't want to, but if Thomas was trying to win resources for Rach
At the dining table, Thomas and Winston started drinking vodka.The TV was showing this year's New Year Gala while Millie was quietly eating pierogi.She hadn't had homemade pierogi for three years, and they tasted so good. It felt like being back in her childhood, celebrating the New Year with her family. That was what made the festival truly special.Millie looked at her grandparents with a constant smile on her face. She felt happier than she had ever been before.She wished her parents were here too. Oh, those two…Just as she was thinking about this, her phone rang. It was Terrence calling.Millie answered the call without saying a word and pointed the camera toward Thomas.This year, Thomas had no one to drink with, so he turned to Winston for company.Terrence was lounging in the sun when he caught sight of Winston. His eyes widened in surprise, and he immediately set down his juice."Who is that? Am I seeing this right?" Terrence sat up straight, his voice filled with