Edward was focused on his phone, sending messages to get details about the auction items for tonight. Because of his concentration, he failed to notice Sharon's twisted, jealousy-filled expression.After dinner, Edward drove Sharon to the auction house.In the car, she thought to herself that Edward would surely buy something for her, too. As for whatever he got for Macie, Sharon figured that she could just take it later. Smirking slightly, she clenched her fists and scoffed inwardly.During the auction, Edward asked for her opinion, "Sharon, what do you think of this ruby necklace?"Sharon put on a smug expression upon hearing that. She had expected this. She knew that Edward wouldn't forget about her."It's beautiful. It's vibrant yet elegant," Sharon replied shyly, filled with anticipation.Edward rubbed his chin and commented, "Yes, but it's too striking. It wouldn't suit Macie. She looks better in soft, muted colors."Sharon's expectant expression froze. She bit her lip a
The excitement on Edward's face gradually faded at Sharon's words. He pressed his lips together, remained silent for a few seconds, then denied while frowning, "I'm not trying to appease Macie. Also, I'm not doing it out of my 'feelings' for her.""But didn't you buy the necklace for her?" Sharon asked through gritted teeth.Edward fell into a longer silence this time.A few minutes passed before he somewhat awkwardly said, "I was compensating her on your behalf. Don't overthink it. My marriage with her is just a formality forced by my grandfather. I will never love her."Sharon might have believed him before, but not this time. After all, when Edward bid on the Rose Crown, he didn't even glance at her. He simply fixated on it and relentlessly placed his bids.And yet, he never once mentioned buying anything for her.His feelings for Macie were obvious.They soon arrived at the apartment complex and took the elevator up.Holding a velvet box in his hand, Edward opened the lid t
"Give it to someone who likes it. I don't care," Macie said calmly.Edward felt like he was about to explode. He stared at Macie's expression. It was that same detachment and indifference he hated the most. She looked as if he were nothing more than a stranger to her."If you have nothing else to say, please leave. I'm going to sleep." Macie dismissed him."Sleep? It's only 10:00 pm!" Edward shouted. "I bought you a new necklace, didn't I? What more do you want? Tell me!"Macie instinctively stepped back when she saw Edward's aggressive stance, as if he was about to throw a punch. She couldn't help feeling afraid.If a husband hit his wife, it would just be considered domestic violence, not aggravated assault. Otherwise, Edward would serve at least a three-year sentence.As they stood off against each other, Macie's phone on the bed suddenly rang. She rushed over to grab it, ready to call the police if necessary.Edward caught a glimpse of her phone screen. It was still the old,
Gritting her teeth in silence, Macie glared at the deranged man before her.A rabid dog, a manic lunatic, a complete psychopath—none of those words seemed sufficient to describe Edward.The door was locked, reinforced with two extra security locks, and Edward himself stood guard beside it, refusing to budge.Macie turned back to her room, choosing to ignore the deranged man entirely.Edward's expression softened slightly when he saw her enter her room. Moments later, a box was thrown out of the room. He clenched his teeth in frustration but made no move to pick it up.After the noise settled, Sharon carefully opened the door of the guest room and stepped out.Spotting the necklace on the floor, she picked it up, then turned her gaze to Edward standing by the door. She approached him and uttered, her tone gentle and considerate, "Ed… You must have misunderstood May. She loves you so much, after all.""Misunderstood?" Edward let out an angry scoff. "For two years, she hasn't socia
Edward drove Sharon to the hospital. After a round of examinations in the emergency room, Sharon lay on the hospital bed with her eyes closed in discomfort."Doctor, what happened to her? She only said she felt dizzy and unwell before fainting," Edward asked."Her vital signs are normal, and her heart rate is stable. It seems that she inhaled a small amount of gas, which caused her dizziness," the doctor replied.Edward froze for a moment at the mention of gas. He wondered if that strange smell he noticed when opening the door was natural gas."An accident at this hour is most likely due to a gas leak. You should report it immediately and have it inspected. If too much gas accumulates, it could lead to an explosion," the doctor warned seriously.Hearing the word "explosion", Edward suddenly remembered something."Macie! Macie is still at home!"As soon as the words left his mouth, he bolted for the exit. But just then, a weak cough came from the hospital bed."Ed..."Edward
"What about the woman with wavy hair? You have to save her, too!" the elderly neighbor called out again."I already sent her to the hospital earlier," Edward replied hastily, not catching her intention to pry for information. Without saying another word, he disappeared from sight.Behind him, the small group of onlookers exchanged glances, their faces lighting up as if their guesses had been proven right.They learned that the one who lived there permanently was actually his wife. Then the other woman must be...And it seemed that the man clearly knew about the gas leak. Otherwise, why would he have sent that woman to the hospital first?He even left his rightful wife to get out on her own and collapse at the door.They thought that Macie's situation was pathetic and pitiful.The man was handsome, but who knew that he was such a heartless, unfaithful scoundrel!…Edward sped toward the nearest hospital, calling Macie three or four times on the way, only for the calls to go una
For two patients to be rushed in for gas poisoning…The nurses, now well aware of what might have transpired, cast disgusted looks at the man in question.While Edward had rushed here in a panic, he was the one who only saved the mistress first when the accident happened. They didn't see the point of him pretending to be devoted now that his wife was still unconscious.That morning, Edward had taken leave from work and had waited outside the hospital room for an extended amount of time. He hadn't even gone to check on Sharon.Sharon eventually came looking for him. When Edward snapped out of his thoughts, he quickly helped her take a seat."How is May? It's all my fault. I passed out and didn't manage to wake her up." Sharon looked remorseful."It's not your fault. You're a victim, too," Edward said."Has the cause been investigated? Was there a gas leak?" she asked."No. They suspect that the flame went out while the gas stove was still on," Edward said, pressing his lips toge
"I'm seeing a side of her I never knew. She's vicious!" Edward stated.Hearing his furious rant, Sharon, who was sitting beside him with her head lowered, let a small smile flicker across her lips before quickly suppressing it.Although Edward had taken the whole day off, he returned to work by noon.Sharon remained at the hospital. Although she had regained consciousness, she still felt a little dizzy. Having hospital staff take care of her reassured Edward.Because of this incident, Edward was enveloped in a dark, brooding mood.Macie, driven by jealousy toward Sharon, had gone insane. She had caused a gas leak that could have killed all of them, even himself. She was nothing short of a terrorist!Nathan quickly noticed his boss' foul mood. Within an hour that afternoon, Edward had already lost his temper three times. Bracing himself, Nathan asked about it while retrieving some documents.While subordinates weren't supposed to pry into their boss' personal matters, knowing wha
"I approached Mr. Fowler Senior about the investment. He agreed to invest, and while we were talking, he asked if I was willing to marry Edward. At that point, I had liked Edward for many years. I let the excitement get to my head, and I said yes."The investment and the marriage are unrelated. They just happened at the same time. It was only because I agreed to marry him that the angel investment turned into a personal one," Macie explained."You could also think of it as a personal wedding gift from him to me. But I didn't take the whole thing. We split it 50-50," she added.Macie laid everything out in one go. Julian stared at her blankly, the pieces finally clicking into place. Slowly, reason returned to him, and he began to calm down.Macie gently pushed his hand off her shoulder and added, "Julian, my marriage with Edward had nothing to do with you. And besides, this is the modern world. Mr. Fowler Senior couldn't exactly force me into anything, right? I made the choice mysel
Julian thought back to what Yosef had said at the police station, the times in college when Macie and Edward had the chance to cross paths, and how Macie had secured a private investment of ten million dollars for his startup two years ago.Suddenly, he froze. A thought hit him hard. He blurted, "Macie, tell me. Did Mr. Fowler Senior force you to marry Edward because of that investment?"If Macie had been pushed into marrying Edward because of the money, then Yosef would be the one to blame. He would have been the one who had ruined her life."No, Julian. It's not like that—" Macie heard the panic in his voice and hurried to explain."It has to be that! Don't lie to me! Why else would you suddenly marry Edward? And why would Mr. Fowler Senior say he was the one who wronged you?" Julian cut her off."It's really not what you think. Please don't put that kind of pressure on yourself," Macie said again, trying to reassure him."How could I not?" Julian snapped. "I practically put yo
Yosef shook his head as he watched Edward break down once more. Edward hadn't cried once since his parents' divorce in middle school. But now, he was crying over a woman.So, what could Yosef say or do? Should he comfort him? Edward had it coming. Meanwhile, across the street, Julian was driving Macie home. Neither of them spoke, and he didn't ask about Edward. He was waiting for her to open up. After what felt like an endless silence, Macie finally looked out into the night and spoke softly. "I didn't actually go abroad these past two years. I married Edward instead. I'm sorry I lied to you. "He and I are divorced now. I wanted to leave that marriage behind and move on, but I didn't expect him to refuse to let go."As Julian drove, he stole a glance at Macie from the corner of his eye. Her expression was calm, but he sensed that her sadness was deep, heavy, and unmoving.Thinking back to how calm and withdrawn she had been when they reunited a week ago, he finally understoo
About ten minutes later, Nolan returned with the medicine and started disinfecting and bandaging Edward's injured hand."How's the other guy?" Yosef asked."His face is bruised. He took a few punches to the stomach, and there are injuries to his shoulders, arms, and back," Nolan answered.After hearing that, Yosef lifted his foot and kicked Edward hard in the shin. "You've got all that stupid strength but no brain. Maybe you should be thrown in jail to learn your lesson!""But it was nothing serious, sir. Don't worry," Nolan added hastily. Yosef drew his leg back and then heard Edward ask hoarsely, "What about Macie? How bad is her heel?""It was scraped pretty badly, but the worst of it is her tailbone. She said she slipped when getting out of the car," Nolan responded.After hearing that, Edward bolted upright. He tried to get out of the car, but Yosef yanked him back by the collar. Nolan also jumped in to block him. "Let me go, Grandpa! Macie's hurt. I need to go see her!"
Yosef turned to Edward and shot him a sharp glare. He asked, "Well? Aren't you going to give your word?"However, Edward said nothing. His eyes were fixed on the woman standing just a few feet away. Her mask had come off, revealing her flawless, made-up face.She had cut her hair, put on makeup, and dressed in a completely different way. She was even wearing high heels. Back when she was with him, Macie never bothered with her appearance. But now, she was dressing up for that man to win over his favor.He had never realized just how obvious love could be or how brutal the absence of it felt. He clenched his fists, a dull ache twisting deep in his chest. Tears welled up in his eyes. "Don't worry, May. You have my word," Yosef said on Edward's behalf. "He won't bother you again.""I hope you mean that," Macie said, meeting Yosef's eyes. Then, she turned her attention back to the paper and signed her name on the statement. The officer took it, and the case was officially closed.
Macie turned at the sound of Julian's voice and answered quietly, "I'm sorry, Julian. I'll explain everything to you later."Just then, Yosef looked over at the young man standing beside Macie, noticing the bruises on his face. With a frown, he asked, "Did Edward do that to you?"Julian met the older man's gaze and nodded. "Hello, Mr. Fowler Senior. I'm Julian Atkinson. We met briefly years ago during a competition at Arlington College when you were the sponsoring judge."Yosef studied him more closely. He sensed something familiar about the young man. "Yes, I remember you. You were a very impressive young man. I'm sorry about my grandson. If there's any way I can make this up to you, just say the word.""There's no need, really. Security arrived in time, and I wasn't seriously hurt," Julian responded. "Also, I'll be filing a letter of non-prosecution, so you don't have to worry."Yosef gave the young man another look before he turned to walk toward the interrogation room to bring
"No, I didn't mean that…" Edward shook his head frantically and looked at Macie."Oh? Are you denying your own words now? Should I call Sharon over as a witness?" she shot back coldly."I... That's what I said back then, but I don't mean it now! I don't want you back because I want to hurt you. I—" Edward tried to explain, but by then, the officers had already handcuffed him."I like you!" he blurted out as they led him away. He turned his head, desperate to meet her eyes. Unfortunately, Macie didn't return his gaze. She stood still, her arms stiff at her sides, as though his words never even reached her.Edward was shoved into the back of a patrol car while Macie stood frozen in place, clenching her fists and forcing herself not to look back. She wondered if Edward had lost his mind. She questioned if he had really just said that he liked her. She wanted to laugh. She thought that his words sounded fake. It was almost as if Edward thought that being nice would change her mind ab
Julian was helped to his feet by security. He looked at Macie's anxious, worried expression and managed a strained smile. "I'm fine," he said between breaths. "I can take it."Macie immediately stepped toward him, her hand reaching out to steady him. The way she moved, the care in her eyes, made Edward's blood boil all over again. He tried to shove past the guard. Rage burned through him like wildfire. He was determined to get to that man. He had to tear him apart. "That's him, isn't it? He's the guy you've been in love with all along, right? He's the one you called last time!" he bellowed at Macie, his jealousy boiling over.He suddenly remembered the journal she used to carry everywhere, even after they were married. The one with the high school entries that documented her years of pining over her secret crush. It turned out that it was Julian. It had always been Julian. "Macie, tell me the truth. Did you ever love me? Even just a little?" Edward's voice cracked."I've alrea
It was like someone flipped a switch inside Edward when he heard Macie yell Julian's name. His whole body tensed. He stopped fastening Macie's seatbelt. Instead, he slammed the car door shut and locked it. Then, he turned around and glared at the man approaching.Edward had seen Julian earlier that morning. Now, staring at his face again, it finally clicked. He realized why Julian had looked familiar to him. Julian wasn't a business associate. He was that guy from the college competitions Macie used to enter. Back then, Edward had watched some of her old footage, and this man had been in them... a lot. So, it turned out that this man was Julian. Edward couldn't believe this rotten luck."Mr. Fowler, may I ask why you're—" Julian started to say, frowning as he reached the car. But he never got to finish his sentence as Edward's fist came out of nowhere, slamming into Julian's face with full force. The blow was so sudden and clean that Julian stumbled back and almost lost his balan