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