INICIAR SESIÓNTalia had never been like this before. She used to be gentle, obedient, and considerate. She would put Christian before everything else. So, when had she become so aggressive?Talia softened her tone. "I'm not here to argue with you."Christian studied her for a moment. "Then tell me what exactly you think you're doing right now."She didn't look at him or answer, because she knew the truth. The only reason she'd come back was that she needed something from him.After a stretch of silence, Christian spoke again, his voice carrying a quiet warning. "Talia, don't forget. Whether Henry lives or dies is entirely up to me."The threat made her look up, her eyes blazing with something fierce. "Christian, if you keep dragging your feet like this, he'll already be gone before you even..."But she couldn't bring herself to finish that thought out loud.Christian picked up right where she left off. "So think carefully about what you should be doing."Talia stared into his eyes and said t
The momentum of Julian throwing himself at her sent Nancy stumbling forward several steps before she managed to find her footing."Julian, what are you doing? Let go of me!" She struggled against him, her voice sharp and demanding.But Julian only held her tighter. "No. I'm not letting go. You gave me your first time, and I'm going to do right by you. Nancy, I promise you, there will never be another woman for me. I'll spend the rest of my life treating you well."Nancy closed her eyes briefly before she said, "Julian, I don't need you to do right by me. Last night, if I'm being honest, I was using you too. A woman my age who's never been with anyone is rare enough, and I just wanted to know what it felt like."I enjoyed last night. We both did, and that should be enough. Being together and spending forever with someone—all of that is just talk. Don't read too much into what happened."She meant every single word, and it showed.Julian listened, and the anger building inside him
Talia was scrolling through her message history with Quentin when she noticed the words "typing" appear beneath his name.Her heart leaped into her throat, but more than anything, she felt a deep sadness. Quentin loved her that much, yet she'd done something unforgivably cruel to him.But the message never came through. Talia gripped her phone and stared at the screen, and even through the glass, she could sense how torn he was feeling right now. Maybe he was thinking the same thing she was, that sending a message wouldn't change anything.In the end, neither of them reached out.Before putting her phone down, Talia sent Garrett a quick text. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."Then she muted her phone and set it aside.It had been a long time since she'd stayed at Elmwood Estate, and the place felt strangely unfamiliar now. Lying in the guest room bed, everything around her felt foreign, like she didn't belong there at all. She'd always been the type who couldn't sleep well in a
After Nancy left the gates of Elmwood Estate, Christian made his way back upstairs to the second floor.By the time he reached the bedroom, Talia was already lying in bed with her eyes closed, ready to sleep. The sound of his footsteps made her open her eyes again. When she turned to look at him, her expression was completely flat, not a trace of a smile on her face.Christian looked at her as he walked over slowly and sat on the edge of the bed. "Go to sleep."Talia wasn't surprised in the slightest. She raised an eyebrow. "What happened? You saw Ms. York and changed your mind?"Christian didn't bother explaining. He just gave a vague, noncommittal answer. "I'm not in the mood tonight. Another time."Talia almost laughed. "Not in the mood? Or are you just worried that you won't last as long as Quentin?"Every single word was a deliberate hit, aimed straight at his ego without a shred of hesitation.Christian stared at her in disbelief. "Do you really have to go for the throat e
Christian hadn't said a single word, but Talia could still sense that something in him had shifted.He stood at the window for a long moment before turning back to her. "It's Nancy. I'll go down and talk to her, then I'll be right back."Talia sat up quickly. "Christian, are you really going to be this cruel? You stood up in front of all those people and acknowledged her as your wife. Now, right when you're supposed to be going through with the wedding, you're just going to toss her aside? How is that fair to her?"Christian's steps faltered, and a beat of silence passed before he answered. "All I know is that I'm following my heart."Deep down, he knew the person he wanted by his side was Talia.He left the bedroom without looking back. Talia lay there staring at the halo of light blurring around the ceiling lamp, too stunned to move.It didn't take long for Christian to reach the front entrance of Elmwood Estate. The moment Nancy saw him come out, the sadness in her eyes was sw
Talia finally opened her eyes. Her dark gaze locked onto Christian's, steady and unblinking. She said, "I already showered. There's no need for another one."Christian's fingers stilled against the back of her hand, and his voice dropped low. "Go wash up again."There was a faint edge of command in his tone that was hard to miss.Talia didn't comply. Instead, she almost laughed. "You're that eager to get me into the shower? You do think I'm dirty, don't you?"Christian looked away without answering. "Just go."This time, there was nothing faint about the command. It was blunt and undisguised.Talia didn't argue. She sat up in bed and gave him a curt nod. "Fine. I'll go."She pushed the covers aside and got out of bed. As she walked toward the bathroom, Christian lifted his head almost without thinking, his gaze following her retreating figure.A faint red mark marred the back of her neck, fresh and unmistakable. It could only have been left by Quentin moments earlier.The sigh
Nancy lowered her gaze, and her face instantly flushed crimson.Standing outside the door, Talia saw everything that unfolded inside.Since Yvonne and Christian liked Nancy, that fondness was even extended to Jennifer. They even went so far for Jennifer's sake.But when it came to Talia's family,
Talia smiled softly and said, "Professor Jenner, I'm quite confident."Seeing Talia so self-assured, Shawn nodded approvingly before continuing, "Listen, Henry is a good man. He has endured the loneliness of the past few years studying medicine. He has no women around and hardly has any friends."
After getting accepted as a doctoral student, Nancy needed to conduct research, but she didn't have a clear direction. Even after going through countless papers, she still hadn't found a viable topic.Her peers had all dived into their projects, and she was the only one who hadn't chosen a topic ye
Yet, Talia felt unbearably heavy inside. "Henry, you've helped me so much. I just want to do something in return."In other words, she didn't want to keep owing him.Henry naturally caught the meaning behind her words and sensed her deliberate distance. The smile on his lips froze for a moment, bu







