Even Irvin, who just moments ago insisted that all I needed to do was apologize, couldn't hold his stance anymore. He looked at me, his expression colder than before. "Emilia, this is your last chance. If you still refuse to admit what you did, then go to prison." If I continued to deny everything, he would have no choice but to let me face the consequences. He couldn't keep letting Julianne suffer. She had been only 19—so young, with her whole life ahead of her—when Phillip assaulted her. Her youth, her future, everything was destroyed. She had been carrying that burden for years, and Irvin couldn't let her endure it any longer. He couldn't let her, the victim, continue to be mocked, ridiculed, and accused of being a gold digger who had slept with an older man for money. No matter how much he loved me, he couldn't let Julianne suffer like that. If I knew what he was thinking at that moment, I would've felt nothing but disgust. This so-called "love" he claimed to h
For the first time, I saw something I hadn't expected in Mom's eyes—hesitation. It wasn't much, just a flicker of reluctance. It was as if, for a fleeting moment, she remembered that I was the daughter she carried for nine months. Jeremy's expression was more complex. There was a hint of unease, but it was overshadowed by relief. With me in jail, even for the shortest possible sentence, my life would never recover. I would no longer be a threat to his place in the family or his carefully curated reputation. And just like that, my own parents, my brother, and my husband of eight years sent me off to a holding cell. I didn't know if it was by coincidence or deliberate arrangement, but they placed me in a shared cell. The other women inside looked rough, the kind of people you wouldn't want to cross. Already shaken, I felt a wave of unease creep over me. I had anticipated that fighting back against Julianne would make my family and Irvin furious, that they'd try to ma
The next morning, someone came to see me. I thought it would be my lawyer, Mr. Stern, coming to work on my release. But no—it was Irvin. He looked like he hadn't slept a single minute. His usually sharp, magnetic eyes were bloodshot, and he seemed more disheveled and drained than I felt after spending a long, sleepless night in a holding cell. When his gaze landed on my pale face, there was a flicker of something in his expression—regret, perhaps? Before I could say anything, he spoke. "I hope you've had time to cool off," he said, his tone measured. "It's not too late to do the right thing. Apologize now, and we can end this." Hearing those words made me think back to the last time he'd cornered me like this, saying, "It's been three months, and you still haven't learned and reflected on yourself?" It was almost funny. In his mind, he wasn't punishing me—he was indulging me. Giving me chance after chance to "correct my mistakes" to be "grateful" for his supp
Irvin fell silent. He didn't deny it. Other than that incident, I had never done anything wrong. Nothing immoral, nothing illegal. "Eight years," I said, my voice firm. "We've known each other for eight years. Loved each other for seven. And yet, you never once trusted me. Someone shows you a video, and instead of investigating, you just believe it. You accept that I'm capable of something so disgusting. If someone like you claims to love me, am I not supposed to feel disgusted?"From the way his attitude toward me shifted after Julianne showed him the video, it was clear he hadn't bothered to dig deeper. He just accepted it as the truth. Irvin tugged at his tie, his frustration showing. "Emilia, you can't keep blaming others when things go wrong. It's not just about trust—it's about the choices you've made. Sure, you've never done anything immoral or illegal before. You're a good person, kind to everyone. But that doesn't mean you'd treat Julianne the same way. It doesn't me
Irvin seemed genuinely baffled, almost annoyed, by my sudden push for him to be with Julianne. His frustration spilled over as he snapped, "Emilia, how many times do I have to tell you? There's nothing between Julianne and me. There's never been anything like that, and there never will be. Why do you keep dragging me into this nonsense with her?" I almost laughed at his words. I wanted to tell him it was because he was in love with her. Truly, deeply, stupidly in love. So much so that he didn't even care about her history, wasn't that what true love was all about? It was just like how Mom thought—if celebrities could marry their ex's parent, why couldn't Irvin?If Irvin really wanted to clear Julianne's name, he'd stop pretending and just marry her. That would do far more for her reputation than forcing me to publicly take the fall for something I didn't do. But I didn't bother saying any of that. Irvin wouldn't admit it. He refused to acknowledge what was obvious to
After Mr. Stern left to handle my bail paperwork, I returned to the holding cell. There wasn't much to do—nothing to pack—so I decided to lie down on the narrow cot and rest my mind for a bit. Before I could even close my eyes, someone lunged at me. The steel shelving behind me left no room to move. Even someone in perfect health would've been injured if they were shoved into it. And me? With steel plates and screws holding my body together, a hit like that could easily cripple me—if not kill me outright. I'd been caught completely off guard, too distracted by my thoughts to notice her approach. By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late to dodge. Just as I braced for the worst, I felt a strong hand yank me backward. One of the women in the cell—the one who looked the most intimidating—grabbed me and pulled me out of the way. Her timing was perfect; I was inches away from colliding with the shelf. Before I could process what had just happened, she l
Some mothers didn't care about their own daughters, and there were mothers like her—willing to do anything for their children. I respected her. I respected her honesty. "Don't worry," I told her firmly. "No matter what happens to me, I'll make sure you and your daughter are taken care of for the rest of your lives." Her eyes reddened instantly, and I could see how much those words meant to her. She was a good mother—through and through. When she offered to protect me while I was here, saying she was willing to risk everything as long as I promised to help her daughter, I refused. I didn't want her to take unnecessary risks. She deserved a chance to live peacefully with her daughter without jeopardizing her future. Besides, I had my own way of handling things. I returned to my cot, but before lying down, I turned to the room. A few of the other women were already eyeing me, their expressions full of ill intent. "I don't care what anyone promised you or how muc
Mr. Stern handed his phone to me as he spoke, showing me the situation online.Juliane had paid off online trolls and even hired influencers to talk about the situation. The story of a "sister's" sudden turn into a stepmother was already scandalous enough. But with influencers talking about it, it quickly went viral.In the beginning, netizens' hate comments were directed only at Julianne. This was thanks to the effort of her army of trolls. Some called her shameless for treating Irvin as a brother when she was his stepmother. Some labeled her a gold digger who was willing to sleep with anyone for money. There were also comments saying it was bad enough that Julianne had left the son in favor of sleeping with his old man for the sake of money. But now the old man was dead, and the son was successful, she doubled back and wanted to be with the son despite already having been married once.She was criticized for being utterly shameless.There were even netizens who felt someone lik
These prominent scholars might be able to speak eloquently during academic discussions, but they weren't fond of socializing. Hence, when invited to dinner, their first instinct was to decline.It wasn't until Professor Weiss explained that we would simply be continuing the day's discussion while eating—rather than it being a formal meal—that the scholars finally agreed to join us later that evening.Hungry for more knowledge, my attention was fully focused on these professors. All I could think about was what questions I could ask them over dinner. I was so focused that I didn't even notice Irvin repeatedly glancing at me as we left.We took a shuttle back to the official conference hotel. Then, after saying temporary goodbyes, we headed to our respective rooms to change.Once inside the room, Emma couldn't hold it in any longer."Oh my god!" she exclaimed. "I thought I was pretty smart because I had a high IQ. I had always been a top student and managed to get into one of the to
While I couldn't completely let go of Irvin, I was no longer the person I once was.Back then, I had placed love above all else, so loving Irvin had been the most important thing to me. I'd devoted myself to him and treated him like he was my entire world. He had been the source of all my emotions—from happiness to anger, and from sorrow to joy.Now, my top priority was my studies and research. I would never again give up the academic path I loved so deeply for anyone.…Julianne watched as Mitchell apologized to Professor Weiss and tried to curry favor with him. Then, she saw the way Professor Weiss treated me with warmth and respect. Hatred simmered behind her eyes. She felt life was so unfair. She had to work hard for everything she wanted, and yet those very things seemed to fall effortlessly into my lap. She didn't want to take any more risks. But despite this, she was so furious that she couldn't resist the urge to. She wanted to destroy me once and for all.Grace obse
Mitchell felt humiliated from having to apologize to me so publicly, so he was already in a bad mood. And when he heard the tone Julienne used with him, his expression soured even more."Who told you Ms. Quill is an academic fraud, Ms. Calder?" he shot back.Julianne clearly hadn't expected that. She was caught off guard by the question. Then, as though sensing someone's gaze on her, she turned her head. And when she spotted Irvin, she froze.Julianne had kept tabs on Irvin, but they hadn't seen each other face-to-face ever since she faked her death. So, their sudden encounter shook her.I lowered my gaze when I saw Julianne and Irvin lock eyes.I had recognized Julianne the moment I saw her. My family had too. Thus, I believed it would be the same for Irvin as well.Our relationship problems started because of Julianne, so they should end with her too.Having grown up together with Irvin, she knew she couldn't hide who she really was from him. Regardless, she couldn't admit she
"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