Feeling rage surging into his head, he said while he stared at her with cold eyes, “Are you only going to take action when you’re urged by someone? Don’t forget that you still need something from me, so you should consider pleasing me your utmost priority!”Deirdre was stunned by the unexpected anger. “What would you like me to do then?”“Why are you asking me what to do? What did you do in the past when I was drunk?”Deirdre understood the situation instantly. She took a deep breath and stretched out her hand before placing her fingertip on Brendan’s thin lips. Her fingertip glided down his chiseled jawline to his neck before she removed his tie. Brendan’s breathing sounded substantially smoother when Deirdre unbuttoned his shirt. Then, she took a step forward, placed her fingers on his temples, and massaged his temples gently to relieve the headache caused by the drinking. Brendan did not shut his eyes as he had in the past but he looked up and focused his gaze on the woman, s

“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

Her unfocused eyes widened in surprise and joy. ‘The police are actually at the door, mentioning Ophelia’s name. Could this have been arranged by Brendan? Is he taking me to meet Ophelia?’Deirdre’s smile grew wider without her noticing, and she took a step forward. “Are you the police? Is my mother here? Where is she?”“Ms. McKinnon!” Sam’s expression changed drastically, and his hand, which was clutching Deirdre’s shoulder, shook once without him noticing. He pulled her back strongly and said, “You should go inside!”Deirdre’s smile was half-frozen on her face, and she refused to leave stubbornly. “What’s going on? Sam, it’s not easy for me to acquire information related to my mother. This is a good thing. Why are you asking me to leave?”Sam could not explain why, but he could feel that something really bad was about to happen. Especially since the matter involved Ophelia. Deirdre had attempted to commit suicide because of Ophelia, and the police was suddenly visiting her less

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

Brendan’s sharp brows were tightly furrowed. He was about to speak when Deirdre said, “But I know that he was just a fake cop. Apart from the fact that he suddenly found the villa’s location for no apparent reason today, he talked about almost the same things as that person the other day.”“What?” Brendan sounded alarmed. “What did he say?”“He claimed that my mother Ophelia died a year ago after jumping off a building.”Brendan’s entire body tensed up as soon as he heard the remark. “Those people are all talking nonsense!”“Hmm, I know,” Deirdre said. “I believe that you wouldn’t lie to me.”Brendan fell silent once again. After a long silence, he asked, “What’s that letter on the table?”He had come in such a rush that Sam had not managed to brief him on all the details. Deirdre was stunned for a moment before she answered, “It’s just a letter. It’s nothing important.”The letter had come out of nowhere, so Brendan refused to believe that it was as unimportant as Deirdre h

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

“Dr. Ginger’s suggestion,” Deirdre replied flatly. She let the coat hang on her shoulders. “He said a shut-in lifestyle wouldn’t help my recovery either, so he told me to go outside and immerse myself in the elements for a bit.”“I don’t think your sorry excuse of an outdoor getup was part of the suggestion, was it? How will you see Ophelia if you catch a cold?”There was a plop as her gardening shears fell to the ground. Deirdre looked at Brendan in disbelief, her tool forgotten, her lifeless eyes quivering in their sockets. “What did you say?” Her voice was trembling. “I said...” Brendan repeated himself with emphatic enunciation. “Ophelia is ready to return. She’ll be with us in ten days.”This meant more than the world to her. Her eyes reddened instantly, and she clawed at Brendan’s collar—despite already suppressing most of her violent excitement—and blabbered, “D-Don’t you dare do this to me, Brendan! Don’t! Don’t g-give me hope…”Brendan fixed a strangely unyielding star

“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

Brendan would admit that he was feeling up, but he absolutely did not appreciate seeing her initial reaction to his arrival. It was as if she was accusing him of being nothing but a sex-starved animal!“I came here to rest, Deirdre.”“Rest?”“Yes. Rest,” he replied slowly. “Look, it will be very easy for Ophelia to see through our current facade. You’re repulsed by me, and that’s so obvious even I could tell. The good news is, we’ve got 10 days to slowly phase into some semblance of intimacy. It’ll look natural in the end.”Deirdre’s face turned pale. Brendan, sensing a revolt, changed tactics. “If you object to it, fine by me.”Object? Deirdre felt the wind get knocked out of her. Her real intention was obvious, but this was not optional for her. She had to please him, not just for Ophelia’s sake, but because she knew Brendan very well. This was the man who would do anything—noble or ignoble—to get what he wanted. Nothing she could say or do would change that. She would rather

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