Brendan wiped Charlene’s tears with his fingertips, and his heart softened. While suppressing the complicated look in his eyes, he said, “Don’t think too much. I’m happier that you could wake up.”“Really?” Charlene bit her lower lip and asked, “Do you still like me?”Brendan was stunned. He didn’t know if it was because Deirdre's death had filled his mind, but he would have a heartache whenever he thought of her.Frowning, he couldn’t answer the question.While restraining her hatred toward Deirdre, Charlene didn’t force Brendan to answer but changed the subject. “About the promise you made to marry me back then, is it still valid? Ms. McKinnon has died, and your marriage has… Bren, it’s time for you to give me an answer.”As he looked at Charlene’s expectant expression, his heart seemed tightened by something, and he could not breathe.However, he knew he should repay what was owed. He had ruined Deirdre’s life and couldn’t ruin Charlene’s anymore.…After the truck was drive

Deirdre was once a well-known beauty in the region. Many young men had been paying her attention, waiting for the opportunity to ask her hand in marriage as soon as she became an adult. However, who would have thought that…Tears welled up in her eyes as Madam Russel thought of it. She turned on the TV and said, “Deirdre, watch it a little while to relieve boredom while I take out dishes from the kitchen.”“Okay.”Deirdre fumbled and sat on the sofa. Watching TV series was a good way to spend time. While she listened to the drama, she combed her hair.The entertainment news followed the TV series. The news presenter said, “Mr. Brendan Brighthall, the CEO of the Brighthall Group, has recently announced that he will be engaged to Miss Charlize McKinley, with whom he has been in love for many years, on the evening of the 28th. For this reason, he booked the largest resort in Neve, the Oceanside Resort. It seems that he has found the love of his life. Let us wait for the wonderful even

“You’re right!” Madam Russel said, nodding as hard as a bobblehead on a bumpy road. She scooped a portion of mashed potatoes and set it on Deirdre’s plate. “Either way, you should eat more! Your body needs it, dear. Give me some time. I’m gonna get a locksmith to break the lock to your courtyard in a few days.”“Sure.”…Everyone in Brendan Brighthall’s proximity knew a new demon had possessed the man. He had been dedicating himself, headfirst, to his work, almost welcoming the deluge, and had been found spending the nights in his office.His assistant could not take it anymore. “Mr. Brighthall? You’ve finished reading your paperwork, right? Last I checked, there isn’t anything important or urgent pending your attention, so maybe… Maybe you should go home. Rest up for the day, okay?”She stopped shy of telling him why she thought it was necessary—the terrible blue-black eyebags and his almost gaunt visage.Brendan propped his forehead with his palm. As soon as he stopped, fatigue

Sawyer had arrived. It was just the thing for Brendan to seize and regain his mental footing. He descended the stairs. Seeing him, Sawyer passed him a booklet. “Mr. Brighthall! This here catalogs all of the designs for Miss McKinney’s engagement dress. The shop would like you to finalize your selections as soon as possible.”Brendan hummed and took it. “Where is Sam these days?”Sawyer scratched the back of his head. “He, uh, is still looking for her body. He said he wanted to find her so she could have a resting place.”Brendan had not made it explicit, but even he had given up on the possibility of seeing Deirdre’s body ever again. Sam’s persistence surprised him into silence. After some time, he remarked, “These are bitterly cold days, Sawyer. Tell him not to stay by the sea for that long in a day. I don’t want him to compromise his health at such a young age.”“I know, I know. I advised him against it so many times, but I don’t think he listened. Still, he will probably take

Brendan did not wait for Charlene to form an excuse. He leaped to his feet in sheer rage. “And you swept this under the carpet without telling me a single word of it! Through your silence, you agreed to have Deirdre sent to prison in your stead! Why? Because the one who would be protected with this act was you, wasn’t it? F*cking hell! Charlene McKinney… How do you even sleep at night!?”His veins were popping out of his skin, but worst of all, he called her by her full name, as though she was a stranger.Charlene panicked, reached out to him, and pleaded, “No, I can explain!”Brendan swung her hand off him. He suddenly realized he did not know her anymore.Who was he looking at? How could she be so calculating and cruel? How could she even think the means justified the end? She was no longer that kind, innocent young woman who would throw her life away to save others anymore.Charlene’s eyes were red. She was both terrified and panicking as she tugged on Brendan’s sleeve and so

Brendan woke up with both a sore throat and a body as heavy as lead. Jolts of chill and heat cycled through his veins, cluing him in on the possibility that he had a fever. The last time he had been sick like this was about a year ago, and Brendan had a faint idea of where the medicine kit was. Deirdre had placed it in the cabinet near the headboard. He coughed and pulled the door to the cabinet open. Every medicine bottle had a post-it note with scribbles on the dosage and its expiration date. It was just who Deirdre was—she had always been very meticulous with whatever she undertook.Brendan tore the note away and felt his chest somehow get torn open.A few days had passed with no sign of his sickness availing. Still, he went to work, battling his coughing fits and general sickness as he thumbed through paperwork. More days passed, and he was beginning to think his memories were fading into white noise. Then, suddenly, he received a call from Sam.“Mr. Brighthall, we found t

“100%, Mr. Brighthall. Going down there in this weather was no piece of cake, sir. We wouldn’t resurface without any results unless there was no result to begin with,” the diver answered. “Honestly, this is my first time seeing something like this. Not a single body inside a car skidded into the sea—that’s just creepy!”“Maybe the body got moved elsewhere by the current?” someone else asked.The man shook his head. “Hell no. The windows were shut, man. No one could have pushed the car open against water pressure after the entire vehicle plunged into the sea. The only plausible explanation is that… no one was in the car when it went down.”‘No one was inside.’It felt like an explosion in Brendan’s chest. He could not even tell if most of it was joy or sorrow—all he knew was that it soared straight into his skull and caused the world to spin before his eyes. He felt ready to black out altogether. Deirdre was not dead. He reeled in realization. Instinctively, he concluded that it

“Goddamn it!” It was the first time Madame Brighthall had ever been so apoplectic. She shot daggers at Brendan and snarled, “Haven’t you reached rock bottom yet?!”Brendan took a deep breath. “Yes! Which is why I need Deirdre. I need to atone!”“And what if she doesn’t want your stupid atonement?” Madame Brighthall retorted. Brendan felt a pang in his chest and clenched his fists. “I’ll make her accept it.”Madame Brighthall turned to face a statue of Mother Mary. “No, I don’t think it’ll work at all. Do you really think she’d be eager to leave because of me? No. It’s because she hates you to her very core. She wanted to escape you and never see you again in her entire life. If you’re really seeking atonement, then put everything about her behind you and settle down with Lena already. Treat her as though she’s already dead!”“Never!” Brendan snapped unthinkingly. Without flinching, he demanded again, “Where did you hide Deirdre?!”Madame Brighthall ignored him.A coughing fit s

Brendan’s lips were pale, as was his entire appearance. And yet, every word sounded like a strike at an old bell. “I’ll see her even if it kills me!”He rose to his feet and began to cough his lungs out. His body was careening with every step, but he gritted his teeth and marched toward the front door—and right into the snow.“Stop it!” Madame Brighthall bellowed breathlessly. “How dare you blackmail your mother with your own life? What now? You’re gonna stand outside in the snow until you die unless I reveal her whereabouts? This is how you’re going to threaten your own mother?!”A winter gale swooped through the landscape, kicking up a chaotic swirl of snow in front of Brendan as he stood by the door. Framed by the nipping white horizon and the unforgiving flurry, his back looked small and forlorn. “I’m not blackmailing you or anything, Mom. I just don’t want you to regret this even harder than I do.”“What’s that supposed to mean?”“If Deirdre dies, the young woman who’s been y

“T-Then… Then who is this?!”Brendan clenched his fists. “The year when you objected to our marriage, Lena got into an accident and went into a coma. No one knew if she would ever wake up again, but I knew you would never let me marry an unconscious woman. The only means I had was to find someone else to pretend to be Charlene. And that impostor… was Deirdre McKinnon.”Madame Brighthall had not liked Charlene the first time Brendan had brought her home. The older woman had prided herself on her acute judgment of character and had known based on the greed and ambition in her eyes that Charlene would only be the start of a nightmare.Naturally, she had objected to her son’s marriage. But then, one day, Charlene had just… changed.Madame Brighthall had been befuddled to see the same calculating woman carrying her on her back through the snow when the older woman had had a heart attack. She had been bewildered to hear about that schemer nursing her to health for days on end. She had