It was by no means serious, but external wounds were usually the most painful type of injuries anyone could suffer. Even a little brush on a gash could make one think a sharp, thin blade was peeling their skin. Brendan took a deep breath to calm himself before finishing the entire glass of water. Deirdre placed the glass back on the table.He took another gulp of breath before stating, “The phone’s in the drawer near the headboard.”Deirdre felt her way to the cabinet near the bed and pulled the drawer out. The phone was where he said it would be—a revelation that surprised her since she had not expected him to make it so easy.Then her surprise faded immediately into the same stony face she had reserved for him since the beginning. “Seems like there’s no more reason for me to be here. Goodbye.”She turned on her heels and started toward the door.“D-Deirdre.”His voice came out almost like a frail whisper. She stopped dead in her tracks but did not spare him a glance. Bren

“Girl, you have no idea!” said Glenna, unaware of anything amiss. She even laughed at Deirdre. “Come on. You can’t seriously not know anything about that, right? Okay, so here’s the gossip. Mr. King and Brendan are actually really close. They’re so close they won’t mind lending underwear to one another if the other needs it.“When Brendan got into this big trouble, Mr. King flew straight home from Germia without any warning that he shocked his own family!”Deirdre was stunned. “When was that?”Glenna made a production of counting on her fingers. “About… Huh, I don’t remember the details, but it’s got to be a year ago or something. Mr. King was trying to establish his footing in the Germian business scene, so he almost never returned.”As Glenna prattled on, the smile on Deirdre’s face died second by second. She interjected, “No, you must have gotten all that wrong, Glenna.”The young woman in question blinked in confusion. She broke out a smile. “Okay, why so serious all of a sudd

“I was about to go abroad then. At that time, I had decided never to come back, so I used that opportunity to tell him upfront. Told him it’s best we never talk to each other again.”“Then why did you come back? When you showed up when Brendan needed you the most!”“Miss McKinnon?” Declan was baffled by Deirdre’s accusatory snap. Frowning, he explained, “I came back for two reasons. One, I wanted to see my mother’s grave. Two, I changed my mind.”He exhaled a breath. “My mother’s death is connected to Cillian and his mother, Miss McKinnon. I was too young to protect her… I couldn’t save her from them. But now, I’m older. I have more means now. I came back because I wanted to start my business empire here and… avenge my mother.”Deirdre froze. She had not realized that the enmity between Declan and Cillian ran this deep. “I’m sorry, I didn’t…”“All’s good.” He flashed a smile. “I doggedly insist on hiding all of this history from people, so it’s only natural that you knew nothing o

”Dee…”Glenna’s mouth hung agape in bewilderment. She had never expected someone this gentle and graceful to be so animated by rage and hate. Deirdre’s eyes were beet red, but she reined herself in as much as possible. “Sorry, that was sudden and impolite, but I’m not sorry for what I meant. Whether Brendan lives or dies has nothing to do with me! Nothing! I won’t and will never see him!”Declan scowled. A long while later, he said, “I understand your rage against Brendan, but why… did you say he abandoned you in Cillian’s hands?”“What? He didn’t do that?’ Deirdre laughed mockingly. “On that day of the abduction, Cillian called him and told him to come to get me. Do you know what he did? He just took the ride all the way back to Neve! The only reason I’m alive is that I raked my head to find anything to help me survive! He didn’t care if I lived, so why should I care if he dies?!”“You think… he didn’t care?” Declan sounded thrown off, as if he was on his back foot. He took a fe

Unlike Brendan, Deirdre had a heart. She had a soul, too, and none of them were black. It would have been stranger if she had no emotional responses after hearing the truth. “Tomorrow.” She heaved a long, heavy sigh. “Please accompany me.”“No problem!” Glenna threw her arms around Deirdre’s and replied gregariously. “You get a good night’s sleep. I’ll drive tomorrow!”“Okay.”What Deirdre did not expect was that Brendan would call her first the next morning before she was even on her way to the hospital. “It’s just me.”She was stunned for a few seconds. “I… know.”The weakness in his voice was unmissable. He coughed and choked. “Please drop by the hospital. I’ll be heading back to Neve soon.”“Oh.”There was a pause. Then, he said, “Come with me. We’re getting… divorced.”The call ended.Deirdre sat on her bed, her mind blank. She thought this was the thing she wanted so much. Even the mere mention was enough to keep her feet dancing. She was the one who had proposed it,