The police officer wanted to ask for more, but Kyran stepped in. “Sorry, but I think we’ll have to stop here. She hasn’t exactly recovered from falling off the cliff. Coupled with the abduction incident, it’s only natural that her trauma is affecting her memory recall,” he said. “Once she has some time to process the entire thing again, she might remember something. We’ll come back and give new information by that point.”Although the police officer found the resolution quite disappointing, he could get behind Kyran’s explanation. Nodding, he said, “We’re counting on you, Miss McKinnon. Please contact us as soon as you remember anything more.”They shook hands, and Deirdre left with an icy feeling in her gut. She wondered how long she was supposed to hide from the public. Was she doing right by hiding?Was it right to accept injustice without raising any alarm or standing up against it so she could move to Germia with Kyran and start all over again?Why should Charlene McKinney be

”One thing’s for sure. I don’t want anything to do with him.”Kyran steadied his breath and turned the steering wheel. “If this is the origin of your hangup, then you don’t have to worry about it at all. Brendan will never know that you’re alive. Not in his entire lifetime.”Deirdre’s eyes widened. She was taken aback and pretty perplexed. “Where’s that confidence coming from?”He studied her calmly. “You said it yourself. Charlene did all of this for Brendan. Her motive was to ensure that you’ll never be near him. In other words, it’s well within her motive to ensure Brendan knows nothing about the abduction plot or your whereabouts. If he learns about the abduction and that she’s the one behind it, do you know how bad her position’s going to be?”Deirdre bit her lips. ‘He has a point, but…’“Do you really think she’s capable of hiding the whole plot from him?” she asked under her breath.Kyran chuckled regretfully. “I wouldn’t underestimate her if I were you. She’s good at keep

The police officer thought it would be unkind to snuff out Deirdre’s hope, so he asked tactfully, “Do you have any solid proof, Miss McKinnon?”“Proof?”“We can’t sentence someone based on he-says-she-says. We need more witnesses and evidence.”“Don’t I count as an eyewitness?”“You do, but since you’re blind, the defendant can easily weasel her way out of this accusation. It’s really hard to make a solid case if you’re the sole witness.”A person came into Deirdre’s mind—and the color in her eyes darkened. She thinned her lips. “I… I know another eyewitness, but I don’t know if she’s willing to help. Regardless, I’m willing to try. Can you help me summon this person? Then I’ll talk to her alone.”Maeve O’Keefe was brought in a while later. Despite her seemingly calm expression, she was gripping the edge of her skirt tightly as though she had predicted this outcome. The police escorted her into an interrogation room, where Deirdre was already waiting.The older woman almost coul

Deirdre had become sure of herself, confident, regal, and imposing, like, well… that man…Maeve’s shock gradually transitioned into feeling sorry for her. “Alright. I’ll do it. I’ll testify against McKinney.”“Thank you.” Deirdre nodded politely at her and left her seat. The police officer greeted her and entered the room after her. Kyran covered her with his coat and praised her. “You were excellent.”“Really?” Deirdre forced herself to smile through her fatigue. “I probably looked stoic and purely rational in there, but I was barely controlling my sadness and anger. I guess I’m just not mature enough.”“No, you’re wrong. You’re very mature. What you felt stemmed from your disappointment against her. That’s why you felt sad and angry.”Deirdre flashed him a pained smile. She cleared her throat and hoped all her emotions went down into her gut like a heavy load. “Reason tells me it’s only natural for a mother to do what she did. She was trying to save her daughter, her own flesh

After a long beat, Kyran finally found his voice. “And Steven?”“Fled.” Declan took another sharp inhale of smoke. “He is a smart man who knows you all too well. He foresaw things going south way ahead and withdrew his savings before disappearing. It’s impossible to find him.”Kyran’s eyes were nailed to the document. A maelstrom was kicking up in his chest, pressing itself against the inside of his chest and stinging him so much that his face turned white. It took him a while to recover. Exhaling a few breaths, he said, “He had no motive. He wouldn’t even have gained anything from it.”Declan flashed him a smile. “That much is obvious. What could he possibly gain from doing all of this to Deirdre? Nothing. As such, someone else must have ordered him to. Now, I don’t have any solid proof yet, but I’m sure who that mastermind could be. Question is… Do you want to hear it?’Kyran did not even blink. “Charlene.”“Huh? Right on the first strike. Only two people could have gained fro

Deirdre was all smiles and joy, her tone playful and adorable. But Declan sniped a concerned glance at Kyran and saw an icy visage shadowed by guilt. His eyes were so hollow and devoid of light they could have belonged to a corpse. “Let me do the honors, Miss McKinnon. Kyran’s a little tired from the drive.”She stopped, stunned for a moment, and smiled. “Well, I won’t say no to that. Thanks!”Declan rolled up his sleeves. “Pleasure’s all mine. Working in the kitchen could probably help me sober up.”He stepped into the kitchen and began looking. He found it easily enough, but as he passed it to Deirdre, she thanked him and asked, “Did you really drink?”He paused. His smile became a little mechanical. “What do you mean?”“You don’t smell like you had booze. You smell like cigarettes.”Declan sighed in relief. “No, I drank. The smell probably left on the journey, and then I smoked a cigarette outside. The smell must have covered it up.”“Huh?” Deirdre hummed noncommittally. “I

It was as if Kyran had something he wanted to say…Deirdre closed her eyes. Maybe she was overthinking it because she was pretty tired too. If Kyran had anything he wanted to tell her, he would just say so. There was no reason for secrets between the two of them at this stage of their relationship.Deirdre slept soundly. A long, long while later, her bedroom door creaked open. A man snuck inside from that little crack, his movement featherlight and careful, to avoid waking up the young woman. He took his seat near her bed.Moonlight sprayed into her room through her window and drenched her. Her skin was clear, like the surface of a silvery lake. As he studied her, her eyes gleamed with hunger while his lips curled into a shadow of a smile. That was until, suddenly, the smile died. It was as if someone had sucked away every oxygen in his lungs, and now his ribcage and its fleshy contents were imploding. His face paled, he knelt a little forward, and his eyes rested on the you

Deirdre climbed out of her bed, but Kyran stopped her. “Where are you going? It’s cold!”“I’m going to reheat dinner.”Kyran frowned. “I can do it myself.”“I’ll be fine. In fact, I’ll keep you company.”She put on her coat and went downstairs, where the food was already cold. Instead of sending them into the microwave, she took some spaghetti and green vegetables from the fridge.Confused, Kyran asked, “Weren’t you supposed to reheat dinner?”Deirdre pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. “I thought for a moment and changed my mind. I don’t think it’s good to have something with that much kick and flavor in the dead of night, so I decided to make something mild and tame, like… a bowl of spaghetti. You just have to wait for a few minutes. Once the water’s boiling, I can make simple veggie spaghetti.”She turned away from him and set her attention to the meal.Kyran watched her back, his face pale. And then, within minutes, a steaming bowl of spaghetti with some leafy green g

Deirdre had expected Charlene to be arrested, but she did not expect it to happen as soon as two days later. When the police told her the woman in question was already detained, Deirdre was shocked.The police were careful to put a damp on whatever fervor Deirdre might have after hearing news like that. “We need to put this out there, though. We might not get to arrest her instantly on our first attempt.”She did not really need it—Deirdre knew it was next to a miracle to get Charlene to admit to guilt or be arrested on the first day. She splashed some water over her face, hoping the cold would wake her up from any stupor. She was so preoccupied that she missed out on her face's strange smoothness. She changed into a set of new clothes and went downstairs. Declan was on breakfast duty today while Kyran played his assistant. Hearing a commotion echoing from the stairs, Declan raised his head and greeted, “Miss McKinnon, good morn—”He did not finish his sentence.Kyran instincti

“I’m sure it’ll happen.”Declan wanted to add more to the banter, but Kyran’s jealousy had brewed up so much that he forcibly terminated it by stepping right in front of Declan. His eyes were not even blinking.“Why are you up so early today? Are you not feeling well?” he asked out of concern.Deirdre was finally pulled back from her glee, causing a change to solemness in her face. “Kyran, the police called me.”“And?”“Charlene’s detained. I’ve decided to pay her a visit.”Kyran’s expression darkened. “Do you want me to come with you?”She smiled. “I can manage on my own.”Declan met Kyran’s gaze and immediately chimed in. “Whoa, slow down, Kyran. I remember you telling me you’re going to meet Mr. Smith today. He’s your friend, and he’s here in this city today. Don’t ditch that meeting, okay? Miss McKinnon, I’m coming with you.”Deirdre froze, though she ultimately shrugged it off. “Thank you so much as usual, Mr. King.” “Don’t mention it. I owe your boyfriend a favor,” he