“I closed off the walls around my heart long ago. I made sure never to trust anyone easily again… that’s why. Honestly, there are few people whom I really trusted. Which is why I… I can’t believe that one of the few people left in this world, whom I believed could never hurt me, ended up being Mrs. Engel.”

Brendan wiped the glistening sweat off her skin, but Deirdre caught his hand instead. “Let her go, Bren.”

Brendan regarded her pale, ashen expression silently.

If it were up to him, he would ensure Simone got what she rightfully deserved. He would punish her over every single transgression against Deirdre—turn Simone into an advertising board as to why those people should have never harmed her. Yet, after calming down from her initial shock, here Deirdre was, asking for Brendan to let Mrs. Engel go.

He could not help but be moved.

“I don’t know if she wants to harm me, but I can tell that what she genuinely had for me was care and comfort. Taking care of me is not an easy feat