It felt as if he was using this frantic action that came from the bottom of his heart to tell her something. Deirdre’s knees buckled, and she leaned her head on the man’s chest. She could not see him but she could feel his heartbeat racing. “Deirdre.” Before she could say anything, the man’s voice turned hoarse and his thin lips were already moving closer to her ear bit by bit. He asked imploringly, “Can I?”The answer to what Brendan was asking was obvious. Deirdre had not expected that Brendan would actually take it upon himself to seek her consent. It was as if he would loosen his grip without the slightest hesitation no matter how aroused he was as soon as she shook her head. Deirdre shut her eyes tightly and did not speak. Brendan’s thin lips curled into a smirk. “I’ll consider it consent if you don’t speak.”…Deirdre’s head was dizzy when it ended. She was carried to the bathroom to take a shower by Brendan. Then, he cuddled her in his arms as though he was protecting p

“Here, eat some eggs. You need protein.”Deirdre stopped moving her spoon slightly. Brendan caught the change instantly. “What is it?”“Nothing.” She cast her eyes down on her food, looking a little hesitant, before drawing the egg close to her lips. Sam snatched the spoon away from her, alarmed. “Miss McKinnon, no! Don’t you remember what the doctor said? No eggs two hours after taking your meds!”“What the…?” Brendan’s eyebrows were furrowed dangerously. Incredulity swirled behind his eyes as he scanned her face. “Why didn’t you say anything?!”Deirdre shrugged. “It was just not important.”“N-Not important?! You mean severe nausea is fine? Gastric pain is fine? Cold sweat and pain are fine?!” Even Sam was growing exasperated. “Or did you forget what happened the last time you ate a teensy bit of egg? Is that why you were gonna stuff yourself that much just now?!”His snippy retort made Deirdre choke on her reply. Brendan’s face, erstwhile pale in shock, turned redder and r

Brendan knew she was only compliant for Ophelia’s sake, but the result alone was satisfactory. He asked for a digestion pill and pushed it into Deirdre’s mouth. He checked the watch on his wrist. It was almost time. “Time to go.” He wrapped Deirdre in a coat and led her outside. Sam was about to follow too, but Brendan stopped him. “You’ll be staying at home today. Deirdre and I have some private business to attend to.”Dr. Ginger waited for the two of them to leave before ambling close to Sam and leaning on the bodyguard’s shoulder. He had a cheeky grin on his face. “Do you ever read the room, lad? Can’t you tell that these two are going on a date?” “A date?” Sam frowned. “No way.”“Why not?” Unlike him, Dr. Ginger knew precious little about the couple's messy history. Still, as he shook the hand towel clean, he pointed out, “Mr. Brighthall and Miss McKinnon’s relationship might be, uh-hem, complicated. But it’s obvious that their hearts are bound to each other. Misunderstandi

Deirdre wanted to return to the familiar sanctuary of his car, but Brendan threw his arms around her waist from behind, stopping her. She suddenly felt deeply defeated. His hands inched slowly to her own until, finally, he was holding them. “Then let me bridge that gap for you today. Let me be your eyes! You can’t see anything while on a Ferris wheel, so I’ll describe it all for you. You won’t be able to see the world blurring as you ride a roller-coaster, but you could still feel it—the climb, the plunge, the roll, the turn, the thrill. Just because you’ve lost your eyes, it doesn’t mean you’ve lost the hope to live, Deirdre. Please… trust me.”‘Trust me.’It was a soft request, but somehow, it deafened the sea of cheers and joy around her. Her thoughts unraveled at the sound of it. Brendan led her slowly inside, one step at a time. The amusement park was one of his many investments, but he forewent any priority privilege he should have had and joined the line as patiently as

“You’ve got nothing to worry about then.” Deirdre said, her eyes downcast. “I’m not his girlfriend. His lover is someone else.”“I f*cking knew it!” The woman cried. Her eyes twinkled in joy as she considered Deirdre. The more she examined her, the sorrier Deirdre looked in her eyes. “Jesus, how the hell did you even get someone as hot as him to be your amusement park partner? Oh, wait. I think I know—he pities you, right? Must be tough, growing up with that sort of face and being blind at the same time. So he brought you here to grant your wish out of charity!”Charity? Deirdre froze. The woman saw her, thought it must be a gotcha moment, and beamed. “I got it all right, didn’t I? You thought the same, didn't you? Why else would a man this perfect even want to hang around?”While she was busy putting Deirdre down, Brendan reappeared. He stared at the woman next to Deirdre and frowned. “What’s wrong?”Deirdre shook her head. “Nothing.”He looked at the woman pointedly. “Who’s th

Failing to answer her own question, Deirdre laughed mirthlessly to herself. “Don’t tell me this is all about atonement, Brendan. You never opened yourself up to me over the course of our two years together, but even I know you’re not the type to suffer through anything in the name of atonement.”The real Brendan Brighthall would always use money to get out of things—even his own moral failings and irreparable wrongs. He would never care to use any other method. Why would he? Why squander his precious time and effort?Brendan was nonplussed. Even he did not know why. Was it because he did not want Deirdre to lose that one last hope she clung to? That one last thing that stopped her from stepping over another ledge? Was it because he could not bear the thought of her hating him? Was it because he would not be able to stomach seeing Deirdre writhing in hellish anguish after discovering her mother’s death?It was all of that. That was why he had to make Deirdre fall in love with him

“No, I want something longer.” Brendan insisted with a frown, obviously not taking no for an answer. He came up with a hasty excuse too. “She might catch a cold if it’s too short.”Deirdre almost never stepped out of the house, but still… He was far from the only man at home. What about Dr. Ginger? Sam? They were around her all the time. This dress would leave her legs exposed and he really, really hated how that imagery made him feel. Laia let out an awkward chuckle. “Oh, my bad for… neglecting that very important fact. How about this one?”“The neckline is too low.”“This one?”“Her back would be exposed.”In the end, Deirdre felt her way to a white fur coat. Laia’s eyes twinkled, as she had just had a good idea. “I’ve got this skin-tight black dress that is just perfect for her. She won’t feel cold, and it’s—”‘Conservative. It covers every inch of her so that there is nothing left to be seen!’Laia stopped herself before she could say those words aloud. Instead, she change

Laia had already told the staff in the boutique. Hence, when a staff member heard Charlene, she smiled apologetically.“I apologize, Miss McKinney. Laia is taking care of an important guest now. Why don’t you wait a while? When she’s done, she’ll definitely get to you immediately!”“What?” Charlene was enraged. She was a VIP client of almost all the boutiques in Neve, yet today, she was being humiliated before Madame Brighthall. While suppressing her anger, she said, “What do you mean an important guest? Is that guest more important than me?”While putting a business smile on her face, the staff member replied, “That important guest is Mr. Brighthall.”“Bren?”Madame Brighthall was rather surprised, while Charlene’s smile contained hints of complacency. “Oh, it turns out that it’s Bren. In that case, Laia should come over here. Where’s Bren? Is he currently with Laia?”The staff member kept a business smile on as she answered, “Miss McKinney, I apologize, but we can’t violate our

‘Do you think she is presentable?’Just like a sharp knife, every word pierced Deirdre’s heart and twisted.Deirdre was trembling faintly while Brendan stood before her and said with a frigid face, “Mother, your words are too harsh!”“Harsh?” While looking at his furious face, for the first time, Madame Brighthall sensed the estrangement between her and her son and felt disappointed. “Do you expect me to greet the third party in your relationship with a smile and treat her like my daughter?!”“Deirdre is not the third party!” Brendan gritted his teeth. “We’ve registered–”“Bren!” Charlene, who had intended to be a bystander, suddenly chimed in. Her eyes revealed how panicked and incredulous she was.Did Brendan want to tell Madame Brighthall the truth? Did he want to tell Madame Brighthall that the woman who had been spending time with her in the past few years was actually the third party?That Deirdre and Brendan were true husband and wife?If Brendan did it, what would her s

Madame Brighthall shot Deirdre a frigid glare. “A woman like her must be kept at home. Don’t even think about taking her out again.”Following that, Madame Brighthall no longer felt like shopping and left with Charlene.Deirdre’s gaze remained blank. She thought she was shameless herself, but Madame Brighthall accusing her of being the ‘third party’ and ‘that kind of woman’ had destroyed her accumulated willpower.“Deirdre, are you alright?” Brendan caressed her face. Deirdre furrowed her brows tightly while her forehead was sweating. She was in a daze, and Brendan didn’t know what she was thinking.“I’m fine.” Deirdre recovered from her daze and avoided Brendan’s hand.Brendan missed his target and felt that something was missing. When he realized what it was, he clasped Deirdre’s wrist. “Are you angry? You should be aware of the matter between Charlene and my mother. My mother misunderstood that you’re the third party, so it’s normal that her harsh words made you feel bad. Don’t