“I… I have nothing else to say.” The corner of her lips twitched, and she felt bitterness in her chest. “Do you have nothing else to say, or are you incapable of keeping up your lowly lie because you’ve been caught?” Brendan asked closely. “Speak! Who told you that Ophelia died the other day?”‘Since it was not Charlene, it must have been someone else. On the other hand, that person keeps finding ways to circumvent the surveillance devices just to meet Deirdre and make her waver…’An idea occurred to Brendan unexpectedly. He looked at Deirdre with his icy gaze, got up, and grabbed her shoulder. “It was Sterling, right? Is he back to stirring trouble on purpose?”“What are you talking about?” Deirdre’s face was furrowed in agony. “How is this related to Sterling?”“If it wasn’t him, why would you be covering up for that person by blaming Charlene?”The more Brendan thought about it, the more sense it made. ‘Sterling is living in another city, so he could still slip into the city

Sam picked up the letter from the floor, and the sight of the writer’s name signed at the bottom made him stop breathing. The letter appeared to be old, and not in a fake way. It really was the letter left by Ophelia when she had still been alive. He looked at Deirdre, who was standing in front of him. The woman had stopped moving as soon as the police officer had left and was now dangling from the gate just like before without moving. The jacket had already fallen to the ground during her struggle, and the back of her figure looked emaciated. The sight of her made pity fill his heart. “Ms. McKinnon…” Sam felt uneasy deep down and spoke in an exploratory manner. Deirdre slid down from the gate abruptly, her unfocused eyes bloodshot. She shook her head desperately and chanted, “It’s fake… It must be fake! My mother is obviously still alive and well. I heard the voice clip of her saying she missed me. How could someone like her possibly have committed suicide a year ago? This mus

The letter was positively crawling with wishes and hopes for Deirdre, and only a few lines described the mother’s own state of affairs. She had clearly believed this was just another of many letters she would pen for her daughter in the future—she had thought she would get to write again. She had not known, at the time, that she was writing the last letter she would pen in her life. Brendan’s chest tightened. He had just destroyed one of the most priceless things in the world… with his own hands. If Deirdre knew…She would go mad. He immediately called someone in to restore the letter.Deirdre returned to her room shortly after he left. She instinctively got down on all fours, her hands grazing across the floor to feel for the pieces. To her disappointment, she could not find a single piece, even though she was sure Brendan had scattered it like confetti.“Miss McKinnon, what are you looking for?” Sam asked.“Can you help me look, please?” Deirdre replied with a request. “Are

“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

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