Mr. Holland had trusted me so much and supported me wholeheartedly. For the sake of my research, he had lowered his pride and went around building connections to secure a lab for me, despite his usual dislike for dealing with people.But I had abandoned everything just as our research was finally showing some promising results. For Irvin, I had left everything behind, betraying my original aspirations and the trust and support Mr. Holland had placed in me.I owed him. I owed him so much."If you can get in touch with her, tell her that the lab is still here for her. If she wants to come back, it's not too late," Mr. Holland said.Hearing this, my tears began to fall in earnest.Long after Mr. Holland left, I still sat there, unable to lift my head from the table. Guilt and shame overwhelmed me, threatening to drown me.I had been so blinded by love back then. I had been so foolish. All that blind love was now turned into regret.How could I have been so stupid to have given eve
I looked at Julianne, whom Irvin was holding in his arms, disdainfully. I really couldn't stand people like them—always claiming innocence yet doing everything to prove otherwise.Irvin seemed to remember that he was holding Julianne. He quickly put her down, ignoring the dark expression on her face."Lianne sprained her ankle just now. I was just taking her to the hospital," he explained.In the past, whenever I questioned the closeness between him and Julianne, he would always get impatient, accusing me of being unreasonable and difficult, and of projecting my insecurity on him.He never bothered to explain himself.But now, when I no longer needed any explanation, he finally felt the need to do so."I don't care what you're doing with her, nor do I want to know," I said coldly. "I only mentioned it to remind you that you have no right to question me about anything!"I had lost enough to this scumbag. I didn't need to be accused of infidelity too.After speaking, I smiled apo
Julianne already felt humiliated when I asked her to help with my divorce. Now, she was convinced I was insulting her on purpose.The resentment in her eyes was so strong it nearly shattered her perfect delicate image."Irvin…" she forced down her anger and looked at him, ready to complain.However, Irvin didn't even spare her a glance. He just scooped me up and walked off.She was furious, and I was even angrier. Just being touched by him made me want to douse myself in disinfectant, let alone being carried like this.I struggled, desperately trying to break free, but he refused to let go. I didn't dare fight too hard, though. Just as I was about to explode, Shaun stepped in front of us. Tall and imposing, he stood his ground, matching Irvin's intensity without flinching."Mr. Sawyer, Ms. Quill may be your wife, but you should still respect her decisions.""Get lost!" Irvin growled, wearing a grim expression.Irvin isn't the calm, image-conscious, deeply composed type of CEO
Seeing Julianne sit upright and distance herself from him, a flicker of disappointment flashed through Travis' eyes."I looked into it, but found nothing. Her injuries were so severe she couldn't even get out of bed. She probably couldn't have done anything anyway. Honestly, I think she was just badly hurt and yet never once visited by Mr. Sawyer, so she probably gave up."Travis saw me as a brainless fool, someone far too useless to pull off anything strategic.Julianne's eyes darkened. She knew I had been seriously injured, completely incapable of doing anything. However, no matter how badly hurt or heartbroken I was, she believed I loved Irvin as deeply as she did. I shouldn't have been able to let go so easily!She thought that something was definitely off. Something must have happened during my hospital stay!She refused to believe that I had genuinely given up on Irvin. Instead, she suspected I was quietly scheming something.Julianne had instructed Travis to dig deeper int
I suddenly felt so irritated that I didn't want to hear another word from him. "If dying's what you want, then go faster. Just don't mess it up and end up crippled instead."I would rather die than go through the kind of pain I had endured before.Irvin, who had seemed ready to say something, fell silent. His eyes darkened, and he said nothing more.He simply slowed down.I let out a bitter laugh. What a pathetic man. Tell him to slow down, and he won't. Tell him to kill himself, and he eases off the gas.Just like how he treated me before—when I wanted him, he didn't care. Now that I didn't want him, he refused to let go.The car sped all the way to an estate that felt both familiar and strange to me.A high-end estate right in the middle of the city—crazy expensive, but the scenery was absolutely stunning. Back when the company was just getting off the ground, Irvin and I came here to visit a client. I casually mentioned how amazing the place looked.I had said that living he
He had told me I had a dirty mind, that everything I saw was tainted. He said I was small-minded and couldn't tolerate anyone, that it was my sister, his lifesaver, and how could I think that way?When confronted with my scornful look, Irvin couldn't continue his argument. He knew better than anyone how he had responded to my repeated questions in the past.After a long silence, he yanked his tie off in frustration and threw it on the couch. "Emilia, you and I are not the same!""How are we not the same? Is it because I'm just purely grateful for his life-saving favor, while you're using it as an excuse to manipulate me, torment me, drive me crazy?"Irvin knew. He knew there should be distance and boundaries between men and women. He knew he had crossed that line before, yet he still did it.He still turned it all around and blamed me.There was only one reason. He wanted to torture me, make my life miserable, drive me crazy, and then play the role of the perfect partner with Jul
That bastard, Irvin, never treated me like a wife, yet he was obsessed with having sex with me.It was textbook scumbag behavior, but back then, I pathetically believed it was proof that he loved me.I told myself that if he truly didn't care or was tired of me, he wouldn't touch me let alone be so relentless.Women only give themselves to men they like. Once that affection is gone, even being touched feels repulsive.However, men could separate sex from love with ease. A man wanting to sleep with you didn't mean he loved you.After being hurt, I needed sleeping pills just to get through the night, but here, I didn't dare take sleeping pills, not even with the door locked.I lay there with my eyes closed, wide awake past two in the morning, sleep still out of reach.I started counting sheep, again and again, until I finally drifted off in a hazy, fragile slumber.Suddenly, the strong stench of alcohol filled the air, jolting me awake. I instinctively tried to sit up, panic surg
I wanted to say he was disgusting, but I wasn't in any condition to argue with a drunk. So instead, I said, "Let go of me. Holding me like this makes me really uncomfortable."Irvin loosened his grip slightly, but he didn't fully let go.I continued, "You said you wouldn't be like you were before. If that's true, you have to show me you're sincere. You can't just expect a simple sorry to make up for everything you did. That's not how this works."I could tell he actually felt guilty about what happened. Bringing it up made his guilt even worse.As I expected, his arms stiffened slightly around me."Let go of me first. It's getting late, and I want to sleep. If you really change, maybe someday I'll be able to let go of these feelings."Even though I was trying to pacify him, I couldn't bring myself to lie and forgive him.However, forgiveness wasn't even the issue. I wasn't angry at him, I just didn't want him in my life.He stayed silent for a moment, holding me tightly. Then h
"Ms. Quill, you—" Grace sputtered.From her expression, I could tell she wanted to say, "You really will say anything to save your pride. How will you get in if you won't follow us?"Just then, a few people walked out of the hall. At the lead was an elderly man with white hair.Upon seeing me, the elderly man's stern expression morphed into a smile. "Emilia! You're here!"I returned the smile and walked up to greet him, "Hello, Professor Weiss."I had met several influential figures during the Global Technology Forum in Lestoria. Among them, I had gotten along best with this man, Professor Richard Weiss.After exchanging pleasantries, Professor Weiss turned to Mitchell and asked, "Who is this man? What gives him the right to bar you from attending the conference and call you an academic fraud?"Professor Weiss was the biggest name in the physics field. He was someone everyone respected and dared not offend.Hearing this, Mitchell quickly explained, "It was a misunderstanding! I
"Of course!" Grace said.Moving to my side, she linked her arm with mine in a friendly gesture. It was as though we were on very good terms.She continued, "Not only is she an incredibly skilled researcher, but she's also my sister-in-law—which means she's also a member of the Hardwell family. So, Mr. Slate, any accusations of her being an academic fraud must be a misunderstanding!"Upon hearing how solemn Grace was, Mitchell couldn't help but look at me."If you aren't an academic fraud, then why would Ms. Calder say that about you?" he asked.I coolly returned his gaze. "That's a question for Ms. Calder, not me."Mitchell frowned and looked displeased. He clearly hadn't expected that answer.Grace turned to me and said, "Alright, Emi. Let's go inside together!"Her expression read, "Come on. I'll bring you in."Irvin didn't understand why I hadn't been allowed in despite having an invitation. He also didn't know why I had been mistaken for an academic fraud and was being bar
I looked down at my phone and was zooming in on the image of the data. But before I could even take a good look at it, Emma squeezed my arm."Holy crap! Emilia. Isn't that your ex-husband's brother!" she exclaimed.I instinctively looked up—just in time to see Irvin opening the car door and courteously helping Grace get down.Grace flashed a gentle smile at Irvin, then linked arms with him. To onlookers, that intimate gesture made them look like a loving married couple.I thought back to how Irvin had been near tears when we had met on the first snowfall of the season. Yet now, he was holding another woman's arm and playing the role of her devoted husband.I couldn't even describe how I felt at that moment.Then, I recalled how much Irvin had despised Grace before. Yet, in just a month, he managed to make it look like they were happily married. I feared it wouldn't be long before he began to feel sympathy for her. And then, per Grace's scheme, Irvin would eventually truly becom
William wasn't the type to repay a life-saving favor. So, for the past two years, Julianne had always wondered why he treated her so well and was especially attentive to her health.It was only after she returned to Claudeville that she finally understood.It turned out William had a sickly niece he cherished dearly—one whose survival depended on Julianne. Upon learning this, she suddenly felt she had the upper hand again.While she still couldn't figure William out entirely, she had come to understand him somewhat. She knew he would continue to tolerate her—for the sake of his sickly niece—as long as she didn't do anything out of line.To be clear, Julianne made my life difficult because she hated me. But as long as she didn't harm me, she knew no one would hold it against her. After all, William's niece needed her blood to live.The more she thought about this, the more pleased she became.I could see it plainly in her eyes. Her expression seemed to say that even after all thes
Seeing how determined I was, Emma didn't press any further.Just as we were about to leave in the car, another car pulled up beside ours. When I saw who stepped out of it, my eyes widened in shock.Emma saw them too and tugged at my sleeve in surprise. "Emilia, isn't that your ex-husband's brother and sister-in-law?"I was just about to say yes when Grace suddenly collapsed into Irvin's arms. He picked her up and rushed toward the hospital.Seeing this reminded me of how I had wished that Irvin would come and save me when I was drowning.I chuckled mockingly.Noticing something was off with me, Emma turned to me. "Emilia, what's wrong?"I withdrew my gaze. "Nothing."Then I told the driver to start driving.As the car drove out of the hospital, Emma stared at me. She hesitated at first, but then curiosity got the better of her "Emilia, looking at how you reacted to your ex-husband's brother… Is it true that he's actually not Timothy, but Irvin?" she asked.She had been with
Only after our car had driven far into the distance did William finally withdraw his gaze from Noah's car."Was Ms. Quill's assistant rescued?" he asked.Matthew immediately replied, "Yes, she's been taken to the hospital. She's out of danger."William hummed indifferently in response, then got into the car and left.…By the time I woke up in the hospital, night had already fallen.I was surprised to see Noah sitting at my bedside—surprised that I was still alive and that it was Noah who had come to save me.Seeing me awake, Noah stood up excitedly. "Emi, how are you feeling? I'll get the doctor!"I wanted to tell him I was fine, but my voice came out hoarse when I opened my mouth.Suddenly, I remembered something and quickly reached out to grab Noah before he could leave to call the doctor.Before I could even ask, he already knew what I was going to ask. "Your assistant's fine. She woke up even earlier than you," he said. Hearing that, I breathed a sigh of relief.Noah
Emma was also quite smart. Once she calmed down, she immediately understood what I meant. She wanted to say something, but I had already opened the car door and pushed her out.Seeing several people swimming toward us, I shoved her again, urging her to leave quickly.In the face of life and death, survival would become an instinct for everyone. So even though she didn't wish me harm or want to leave me behind, she swam away with tears in her eyes. Not long after she left, those so-called "rescuers" surrounded me.When they noticed someone had swum away, they exchanged hand signals underwater, planning to send some after her and others to capture me. Realizing this, I quickly pointed at myself, trying to tell them that I was the one they were looking for. Then I turned and swam in the opposite direction, hoping to lure them away and buy her more time to escape. But even though they understood my gesture, they didn't believe me. They still sent people after her.They were very
There was only one road from the airport to the city, and William's car was right behind ours.Matthew, who was driving, immediately sensed something was wrong when he saw our car suddenly accelerating at an alarming speed.He quickly said, "Mr. Ashford, something's wrong with Ms. Quill's car!"William, who was busy reading the documents, immediately looked up. His gaze darkened when he saw how recklessly the car in front was moving."Catch up with them!" he ordered. At that moment, his phone rang. It was Noah calling, and he sounded anxious on the other end. "Uncle Will, are you with Emi right now? I just heard that Madeleine is planning to kill her! "I don't know the exact plan, but I heard they're making a move on the way from the airport to the city. You need to be careful! I'm heading to the airport right now!"Noah's words made William's expression grow even darker. …While Emma was still processing the situation, I noticed something strange about the driver. If the
Just like that, we came back alive from the brink of death in an instant. It felt like we were in hell one moment and in heaven the next.Perhaps I was still too scared. So scared that even after the plane had stabilized for a while, I still couldn't find any strength in my body. I was still shaken by the fear and couldn't fully snap out of it.William was also holding me tightly the entire time, not letting go. The softness of my body in his arms stirred something in him that he couldn't describe. He instinctively didn't want to let go.It wasn't until a flight attendant knocked on the door to check on us that I finally returned to my senses.William also let go of me instantly. The sudden emptiness in his arms left him feeling rather hollow.He came to realize something, and his already deep gaze darkened even more, making it even harder to read.After the flight attendant tidied up the cabin and left, William, who had been perfectly fine and warm just moments ago, suddenly tur