There was no movement. Surprised, Deirdre reached out and tried to grab hold of something. There was nothing underneath the comforter. There was no one on the bed.She heard no sounds from the bathroom, either. Deirdre had no idea when Kyran left—she had not had the chance to touch the man before she did the laundry. Where could the man be in such cold weather? She was just wondering about it when the door opened. A cold gale broke in, carrying the scent only he possessed. She rose from the bed and asked, “Kyran?”“It’s me.”Deirdre breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward. “Where have you been?”The man’s hands were a bit cold. He pulled his one hand away and began to type, “The doctor recommends I perform more exercise, so when I woke up a little earlier today, I decided to take a walk downstairs. What’s up?”“Oh, nothing,” Deirdre replied absent-mindedly. It was not his whereabouts that made her anxious—it was the possibility of Brendan knowing who Kyran was and making

“Why, Kyran? Why do you think I’m… like this?” Bitterness tinged her last question. She was angry—angry at the incomprehensibility of her own emotions.Kyran’s hand ran down her back, his expression serene. “Deirdre, you don’t feel joy over anyone’s death because you’re that kind-hearted. Your happiness doesn’t need to be built on anyone’s pain.”“But I should be happy! Shouldn’t I?”“Deirdre?” Kyran lifted her chin and gazed into her eyes. “Do you still love him?”“Love who?”“Him.”She shook her head with all her might. Tears of bitter, painful anger rolled out of her cheeks. “Love!? I hate him! I hate him so much… it’s wearing me out…”“So, you’ll never forgive him, no matter what he does?”There was not a shred of hesitancy in her response.”Never!”Even Kyran was taken aback by how quickly her answer sprung. For a long time, he typed nothing.The silence brewed a quiet sense of unease in her. “W-What’s wrong?”He gave a soft laugh. “Nothing. I was just thinking. If you

Declan’s expression darkened for a split second. He took his seat on the couch and explained, “It’s nothing big. Just Brendan Brighthall’s health. They found blood in his sputter and vomit, so they declared he is in critical condition. That sort of thing will throw any hospital into chaos just because Brendan isn’t some small fry. If he dies here, the media’s going to have a field day.”‘Critical condition…’Deirdre’s heart wrung for a second. “What happened? Why is it so serious?”“Not because of some freak accident, I bet,” replied Declan. “I distinctly recall him as being quite ill, or he wouldn’t be confined to his ward as soon as he’s hospitalized. His current condition is probably expected.”Deirdre exhaled slowly. Maybe this was what Brendan deserved, after all. She said nothing, and yet she heard Kyran suddenly type, “The world will be better without him.”Deirdre was bewildered. She had never seen Kyran express hostility comparable to the animosity he displayed now. Not e

Deirdre backtracked into Kyran’s room and curled into herself on the bed after hiding under the blanket. She realized she could not face Madame Brighthall at all. If the old lady would ask her to see Brendan one more time—if she would even beg her without caring about her usual status and seniority—Deirdre could not be sure if she would say yes out of empathetic pain alone.Fortunately for her, two days passed without many incidents. At most, she would overhear the nurses’ conversation while doing laundry as they discussed how low Brendan’s odds were at survival. “Why must all geniuses die young, huh? He’s so young and brilliant and just a shining star! Why must every star fall?”“Girl, there were cameras around the door when I checked in for work. Someone must have leaked the news out to the press, and now even the reporters are flooding in.”“Jesus Christ. Are they vultures or what? The surgery hasn’t even finished yet, and these sh*theads are already milking the story for money

Deirdre couldn't care less. She rose, closed the window, and heard a sound from the shower. She was about to turn when she felt a man wrap his arms around her waist. She could smell the soap he used. It seemed someone was in a good mood despite being close to his operation. “Is everything prepared?”Kyran let go and took his phone. “Why? Are you worried about me?”“Yes.” She nodded. “I know it’s not anything major, but there are always risks of complications in any given surgery. I’m always going to be worried.”“You don’t have to be,” replied Kyran, a smile shadowing his lips. “Because Lady Nike, Goddess of Victory, is on my side. The operation will be a success, and then we'll leave this place when I’m all healed up.”He kissed her earlobe. “First stop, Southyam. How about that?”“Southyam?”“Lots of good food, we’ll eat whatever we like! You’re too skinny, Deirdre. I gotta do what boyfriends are divinely commanded to do—bring you the best food until you’re chubby and chummy.

“Wake up, babe, we are gonna be filthy rich!”Lily froze and then scoffed. “So, how serious should your delusion be before I bring you to a shrink? I’m growing really tired of your sh*t.”“No, this is serious!” Blake cried hastily. “Lily, do you know who I met today in the hospital?”That caught Lily’s attention. “Yeah?”“Brendan Brighthall’s ex-wife! Charlene McKinney!”Lily was incredulous. “You what!?” She was the one who had bought Blake’s information from a broker, so she had read it before and knew who Charlene was. “Are you for real? Charlene’s supposed to be serving her sentence in prison!”“That’s exactly why this is our big scoop!” Blake could not contain his zeal. “Think, babe. Instead of being in prison, his ex-wife appears in the same hospital he’s staying in. The only possible solution here is that the Brighthalls abused their power and wealth to bail Charlene out! They flouted the law and let a murderer out. H*ll, he was still getting all cozy with the murderer!

Deirdre sniffled and raised her head. “Is that true? Kyran, did you go out for a stroll?” “Yes. I couldn’t sleep, so I took a walk.”So, he was just as capable of feeling distressed by his impending operation, too. The revelation complicated her feelings—she leaned at his chest and tried to assure him. “It’s gonna be fine. I’ll be right outside the theater.”Kyran’s eyes softened. He closed his fingers around her tightly and realized they were nipping. Alarmed, he took off his coat and put it over her. “Just wait in my room next time instead of coming outside. It’s too cold out here. I don’t want you to catch a cold.”“Mm-hmm…” Deirdre hummed, feeling a little sting at the back of her throat. The window coming loose was probably why, but she would rather not make Kyran worry. Pulling the coat close to herself, she enjoyed his lingering scent.“Let’s head back.”Not long after they returned, a nurse came inside to perform a body examination on Kyran. Since general anesthesia was

“And that mask, too. Urgh. Feels too mysterious to my taste…”“She doesn’t look at all like someone who should be affiliated with Mr. Brighthall. You sure this isn’t like a huge misunderstanding?”“The woman in the picture is a godd*mn queen, sis. If she were here in this hospital this whole time, we should have noticed her by now! So yeah, I call doubt!”Deirdre was sensitive, so the first thing that leaped to her mind was that these people were talking about her. She raised her head and turned in their direction.“God, she’s looking at us! She’s not going to rearrange our faces, right? I mean, she got out of prison despite killing someone in a hit-and-run! This is the kind of thug we are not supposed to engage with. Let’s bail!”“Can you calm down? We don’t know if it’s fake news, okay? Even if she is that murderer, what will she do about us? She’s the one who shouldn’t be here!”Deirdre was even more sure that the target of their hostility was her, but only pieces of their dia

“This article is proof!” “Article?” Declan’s features twisted into an unamused glare. “I can write a hundred of those fake articles with a slightly different bend. People don’t even have to attach their real names to half of this trashy fake news now, let alone do old-fashioned things like corroborating it with solid evidence.“Honestly, who gave you the right to harass someone innocent over some tabloid’s piss-poor excuse of an article?”“Mr. King…”“You’re all right, Miss McKinnon. Ain’t no reason to play nice to *ssholes, right?” he replied reassuringly.“Wait, Miss ‘McKinnon’? Her name is McKinnon!?”“What’s that to you, news as well?” Declan clapped back. “Should I call the cops and have them read her personal information to you too?”The woman finally quaked. Her friend tugged on her shirt, and they left in embarrassment.Deirdre fought back her tears. It felt like a crater had erupted from the inside of her skull. She had to calm herself down with several deep breaths b

“First, we should get your tears wiped,” Declan said as he produced a handkerchief made from silk. He handed it to her. “Helping you is my job, Miss McKinnon, more like my promise to my friend. I’m supposed to take care of you so long as Kyran’s not around to do that. Besides, none of this is your fault. So don’t blame yourself, okay?Declan continued hesitantly, frowning. “Though I have to warn you. “The media vulture types are probably going to be all over you for these two days. They are going to try their best to milk as much news as they can from you before we completely shut the news down so they can squeeze as much money as they can for their miserable lives. Stay inside as often as possible. H*ll, stay in his ward.”Deirdre nodded—her heavy head seemed to threaten to fall at every nod. She was about to reach the end of the corridor when she heard a loud commotion. “This hospital is protecting a murderer! Brendan Brighthall bailed a murderer out of jail! He should explain hims