Chapter 182:

Brandon opened his mouth to speak again, but froze when he saw the glint of moisture in her eyes.

Millie inhaled shakily and then said, “You know better than anyone why I never became a mother all these years.”

Brandon’s jaw clenched, a wave of old memories crashing behind his quiet. He hadn’t forgotten. No matter how many years had passed, that one tragedy still lived inside him like a wound that never quite closed.

There had once been a child.

They had been younger then—reckless, hungry for each other, swept up in a whirlwind of passion that left little room for caution. His desire for her had been insatiable, and though they had shared countless nights together, he had failed to notice the subtle changes in her body.

She had always been fragile, her health a delicate balance; her monthly cycles were often irregular, so neither of them had suspected anything.

Then came the trip to Flesta.

Brandon had been away on business, immersed in negotiations that turned more dangerous than he had anticipated. The opposing party had orchestrated a twisted challenge, one that demanded risk and recklessness. And without flinching, she had leapt into the frigid water, proving her courage—unaware of the life growing inside her.

By the time he pulled her out, her body was trembling, soaked to the bone, her lips blue, and blood seeping into the freezing current. The doctors had saved her just in time. But the child… their child… was gone.

He still saw her face as she lay in his arms, pale and broken. Her gaze had locked onto the man who had set the trap.

“You gave me your word,” she whispered.

The man had only nodded in response.

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Brandon never forgot that night. It was late autumn, and the first frost had already settled over the earth. The air was sharp, the trees bare, and his world fell apart with hers that night. She had cried in his arms, her sorrow spilling like rain, blaming herself with every breath.

Afterward, her body never fully healed. No matter how many nights they spent wrapped in each other—how deep their affection or intense their desire—conceiving again became a silent, unspoken battle.

Over the years, Brandon had hoped. He had tried. Sometimes out of love, sometimes to ease his own guilt, and sometimes out of a quiet desperation to make things right.

But what Brandon would never know… was that after they married, she had conceived again.

And then she lost that child, too.

Millie held back the weight in her chest. Seven years. So much had happened, and so much had changed. She had made her choices then. And now, she was making new ones—ones that didn’t look back.

She and Brandon had truly loved each other once. That part was real. And no matter how things ended, she didn’t regret it. But the love they had shared was over. She had nothing left to give him—no more time, no more pieces of her body or heart.

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