Deirdre was once a well-known beauty in the region. Many young men had been paying her attention, waiting for the opportunity to ask her hand in marriage as soon as she became an adult. However, who would have thought that…Tears welled up in her eyes as Madam Russel thought of it. She turned on the TV and said, “Deirdre, watch it a little while to relieve boredom while I take out dishes from the kitchen.”“Okay.”Deirdre fumbled and sat on the sofa. Watching TV series was a good way to spend time. While she listened to the drama, she combed her hair.The entertainment news followed the TV series. The news presenter said, “Mr. Brendan Brighthall, the CEO of the Brighthall Group, has recently announced that he will be engaged to Miss Charlize McKinley, with whom he has been in love for many years, on the evening of the 28th. For this reason, he booked the largest resort in Neve, the Oceanside Resort. It seems that he has found the love of his life. Let us wait for the wonderful even

Sawyer had arrived. It was just the thing for Brendan to seize and regain his mental footing. He descended the stairs. Seeing him, Sawyer passed him a booklet. “Mr. Brighthall! This here catalogs all of the designs for Miss McKinney’s engagement dress. The shop would like you to finalize your selections as soon as possible.”Brendan hummed and took it. “Where is Sam these days?”Sawyer scratched the back of his head. “He, uh, is still looking for her body. He said he wanted to find her so she could have a resting place.”Brendan had not made it explicit, but even he had given up on the possibility of seeing Deirdre’s body ever again. Sam’s persistence surprised him into silence. After some time, he remarked, “These are bitterly cold days, Sawyer. Tell him not to stay by the sea for that long in a day. I don’t want him to compromise his health at such a young age.”“I know, I know. I advised him against it so many times, but I don’t think he listened. Still, he will probably take

Brendan woke up with both a sore throat and a body as heavy as lead. Jolts of chill and heat cycled through his veins, cluing him in on the possibility that he had a fever. The last time he had been sick like this was about a year ago, and Brendan had a faint idea of where the medicine kit was. Deirdre had placed it in the cabinet near the headboard. He coughed and pulled the door to the cabinet open. Every medicine bottle had a post-it note with scribbles on the dosage and its expiration date. It was just who Deirdre was—she had always been very meticulous with whatever she undertook.Brendan tore the note away and felt his chest somehow get torn open.A few days had passed with no sign of his sickness availing. Still, he went to work, battling his coughing fits and general sickness as he thumbed through paperwork. More days passed, and he was beginning to think his memories were fading into white noise. Then, suddenly, he received a call from Sam.“Mr. Brighthall, we found t

“Goddamn it!” It was the first time Madame Brighthall had ever been so apoplectic. She shot daggers at Brendan and snarled, “Haven’t you reached rock bottom yet?!”Brendan took a deep breath. “Yes! Which is why I need Deirdre. I need to atone!”“And what if she doesn’t want your stupid atonement?” Madame Brighthall retorted. Brendan felt a pang in his chest and clenched his fists. “I’ll make her accept it.”Madame Brighthall turned to face a statue of Mother Mary. “No, I don’t think it’ll work at all. Do you really think she’d be eager to leave because of me? No. It’s because she hates you to her very core. She wanted to escape you and never see you again in her entire life. If you’re really seeking atonement, then put everything about her behind you and settle down with Lena already. Treat her as though she’s already dead!”“Never!” Brendan snapped unthinkingly. Without flinching, he demanded again, “Where did you hide Deirdre?!”Madame Brighthall ignored him.A coughing fit s

“T-Then… Then who is this?!”Brendan clenched his fists. “The year when you objected to our marriage, Lena got into an accident and went into a coma. No one knew if she would ever wake up again, but I knew you would never let me marry an unconscious woman. The only means I had was to find someone else to pretend to be Charlene. And that impostor… was Deirdre McKinnon.”Madame Brighthall had not liked Charlene the first time Brendan had brought her home. The older woman had prided herself on her acute judgment of character and had known based on the greed and ambition in her eyes that Charlene would only be the start of a nightmare.Naturally, she had objected to her son’s marriage. But then, one day, Charlene had just… changed.Madame Brighthall had been befuddled to see the same calculating woman carrying her on her back through the snow when the older woman had had a heart attack. She had been bewildered to hear about that schemer nursing her to health for days on end. She had