It actually felt… upsetting. Now that she thought about it, Brendan had always treated Charlene well. Had that woman not disappointed Brendan as much as she did, she would have become Mrs. Brighthall, no contest. “Are you cold?” Brendan stopped the car next to her and opened the door. Deirdre sulkily went inside and leaned her head against her seat. “If I tell you I’m tired, can I not go?”Brendan said nothing for a long beat before starting the engine. “Sorry. Please be a little patient. I’ll drive as quickly as I can.”He turned up the heater, and yet it did not dispel her nipping annoyance. When she was the one who became the victim of someone's scheme and subsequently lost her eyes and child—all of which was worse than whatever ordeal Charlene had gone through—Brendan had never thought of coming to see her. Sure, Steven Young had duped him back then. He was none the wiser. But what he was doing today proved that he could have always gone to see Deirdre while she was in pr

“Oh God, you’re right!” Madame Brighthall nodded in realization. “Blasted sickness has turned my brain into mush! Bren is at a critical moment when everything he does and says is under scrutiny. If you two marry now, you’ll be dragged into the storm too, Dee!”She smiled. “Ah, I should check if the soup’s done.”Brendan waited until his mother had left before stating hesitantly, “Dee, about the thing between us… Can you please hide the truth from her at the moment? She hasn’t been feeling well, but all she cares about is… well, us being happy together. If you tell her you’re going to leave after our child is born, it might hurt her a little too much.”Deirdre finally understood why Brendan interrupted her. He was worried she might accidentally let the cat out of the bag and crush Madame Brighthall’s hopes. “Don’t worry about that. She’s more than just your mother. She’s also one of the kindest people to me in this entire world. I wouldn’t say anything that could break her heart ev

For the first time, Deirdre realized Brendan was in more pain than she was enduring. Her mother was at least coming back to her.But he was losing his.He had to pretend that that day was not coming. He had to watch his mother put all of this effort into decorating the room and yet never live to see it used.Deirdre clenched her hands. “Does she know?”“I didn’t tell her, but I suspect she’s aware of her own mortality. It’s her own health, after all. Which is why she spent so much time and effort in this room. It would be fine if she never got to see her granddaughter… if that same child could still feel her love anyway.”Deirdre’s face was stricken with tears. A moment later, she whispered, “I’m sorry, Brendan. You must be in so much more pain than I am.”And she had misunderstood him. She thought he was trying to ensnare her.Brendan said nothing and simply ruffled her hair. “The Brighthall retinue knows all about it, and I think mom does, too. She just chose not to make it ex

Following that, Brendan asked, “Deirdre, are you cold?”“Yes, I’m very cold…”“Should I hug you to sleep?”“Um…”“But we aren't a couple. It’s inappropriate for me to get on the bed with you, right?”“...”“Should I carry you to the couch?”“Okay.”The recording ended, and Deirdre was shocked. But then she quickly realized something. “This was a trap! It must be you inducing me when I was not in my right mind. That was why I agreed! Otherwise, how could I have gone to the couch with you?”“Induced” Brendan rebutted with righteous indignation, “It was you who agreed to come to the couch yourself. Moreover, you were the one who kept telling me that you were cold. Hence, how could I ignore you just like that?”Deirdre was at a loss for words and was searching for a comeback.Deirdre found a rebuttal. “Even so, it’s because you induced me first. If you had asked me for my account password at that time, I would have given it to you.” Brendan didn’t refute it but played another

Brendan patiently waited. The window of the building was tightly sealed, making it nearly impossible to shoot accurately, especially in the foggy weather.Besides, with so many targets at the wharf, the opponent would have to be reckless to attempt to shoot with the risk of Connor being killed.After contemplating his next move, Brendan didn’t mind following the opponent’s lead, but he was also waiting for Sam to make his way through.Suddenly, someone exclaimed, “Mr. Brighthall! Is that a boat?”Brendan looked toward the pointed direction with the binoculars and saw a ferry slowly making its way out of the fog. A woman stood at the bow, and as Brendan focused, he recognized her face. It was Ophelia.He scanned the area around the ferry and saw only two people smoking while talking to each other. They didn’t look like they were with the opponent.Just then, Deirdre couldn’t wait any longer and rolled down the car window. “Brendan, how’s the situation? Has my mother arrived?”Exc