Chapter 861:

Millie understood that truth clearly. She lifted her eyes to him and whispered, “Thank you.”

Giffard nodded and replied, “No problem.”

Neither of them spoke further, yet the silence carried mutual understanding. Myron, saying nothing, ladled soup into a bowl and set it before Millie. Millie met Myron’s eyes briefly, accepted the bowl, and then turned her gaze toward Giffard. By then, Giffard was already engaged in conversation with Alexia. A sense of relief settled over Millie. This was enough. They could remain friends.

Meanwhile, Brandon arrived at the hospital room where Vivian was staying. Her examinations were finished, and she had been placed in this room to wait for the results. While waiting, she had filled Johnny’s phone with messages, stirring up chaos on social media.

Vivian looked up the moment the door swung open. She braced herself to snap, fully expecting Eugene to be the one stepping through the door. But instead of Eugene, she saw Brandon’s pale face, drawn with fatigue. He sat in a wheelchair, his bodyguard pushing him inside.

Their eyes locked, and Vivian’s lips formed a pout as she prepared to cry.

“Brandon, Eugene really went too far…” Vivian continued, venting about how Eugene had forced someone to haul her off for those physical exams. Meanwhile, Brandon remained wordless in his wheelchair, not reacting at all. He let her performance play out while he sat silently, his eyes steady.

The more she acted innocent and pitiful, the more it felt like a reflection of his own past foolishness. Her outburst began to fizzle out, and she went silent once she noticed he wasn’t saying a word.

When the silence stretched, Brandon lowered his gaze to check the time. “The results will be ready in about five minutes,” he said quietly, his lips barely moving.

Vivian snapped, her temper exploding. “Brandon, you don’t trust me!” she yelled.

Brandon’s face stayed composed. Yet beneath that steady exterior, a fury burned, one he kept tightly leashed.

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“Vivian,” he said evenly, “I’ve always trusted you.”

That awful event from the year before still lingered in his mind. More often than not, he found himself grateful it had been Vivian who had gone. At least Millie had been kept safe. A wave of guilt would then settle over him for finding comfort in something so selfish. That guilt blurred his judgment.

That was why, when Vivian claimed she was terminally ill and had only six months left, he took her word for it without question. He convinced himself that once Vivian was gone, that secret would be buried along with her death forever.

“Everything will fall back into place the moment Vivian’s no longer here.” Time and again, he leaned on that thought to keep himself steady. Over and over, he had used that belief to justify giving in to her demands. He’d even caused pain to Millie repeatedly—the one he’d sworn to keep safe above all else.

“But you lied to me, Vivian,” Brandon said, his tone icy and steeped in hatred. The memory of Millie lying in blood seared through his mind once again.

“I did not!” Vivian snapped back, her jaw tight as she avoided his eyes, her thoughts scrambling for a way out.

The later afternoon sun poured into the room, casting long shadows.

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