Deirdre clenched her teeth, suppressing the disgust welling up inside her. "I'll sit in the front."

"Sitting in the front?" Brendan's dark eyes paused, and then his emotions surfaced. "Do you hate me?"

Deirdre found the question absurd. "It's pointless for you to ask that yourself."

Brendan didn't respond but pulled her forcefully toward him. Unexpectedly, Deirdre's body tilted and fell into Brendan's arms. The warmth felt the same as before, but his heart no longer belonged to her.

"Sit still," Brendan commanded, gripping her waist. "Don't hide from me."

Deirdre was momentarily stunned and almost wanted to laugh. "Brendan, don't tell me you still possess some unexplainable desire to control me."

"Possessive? You?" Brendan sneered at her, then stepped away for a moment.

"Deirdre, being overly confident isn't a good thing. I won't allow you to evade me because I don't want you scheming against me. After all, if a malicious woman like you resorts to heinous acts involving our chil