Chapter 84
Chapter 84:
“Not everything turns out as perfect as it looks. Sometimes, what you think is wonderful ends up being far from it.” ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ
Those words were the last advice she chose to give.
Brandon’s gaze grew sharper and colder. She seemed to read him as easily as a book. From the moment she invited him into the woods, through every question and reply, up to her latest words—she acted as though every bit of his doubt and hesitation was right there in plain view, every thought exposed. She appeared able to shape the way he thought, even nudging his decisions.
No one but a person who understood him down to the core would be capable of that.
He studied her and said, “Tell me, who are you, really?”
Right then, her mask felt painfully annoying, like it did not belong. He stretched out his hand, intent on removing it.
Without thinking, Millie moved away, but her high heels dug into the soft ground, making her lose her balance. Brandon reached out without hesitation and caught her by the arm.
Lightning tore open the sky, and thunder quickly followed, rolling through the trees. A flash illuminated the grove, and as Millie fought to regain her balance, her long coat slid down her shoulders.
He kept his grip on her slim arm, the sudden light revealing fresh bruises on her delicate skin, far worse than what he had noticed on stage.
Thunder came late and loud, the sound crashing through the woods and pounding in Brandon’s chest. Somewhere in his memories, there lingered an image of someone bearing those same painful marks.
It had been Millie, seven years earlier.
Those eyes filled with pain from years ago still appeared clear in his mind, as if time had never moved at all.
“You…” Brandon remarked, but she had already slipped her arm from his grasp. She pulled her coat up over her shoulders and regained her balance.
“Thank you, Mr. Watson.”
gαℓησν𝒆𝓁s․çоm, where stories thrive
That formal address jolted him back to the present. Millie had never called him anything except “Brandon.” Yet the woman standing before him appeared far more frail than Millie ever had. Everyone knew she belonged to Charles. Just ten days earlier, she had lost his child.
He recalled how he and Millie had been at the courthouse six days ago. The night before, they had even spent the night together. That meant it could not be Millie in front of him.
Meanwhile, Charles was already making his way over, clearly sensing that something was off.
Brandon could not hold back any longer. “Charles let you join a reality show even when you’re this hurt?” The words left his mouth before he could stop them.
“That doesn’t concern you, Mr. Watson,” Millie replied, her tone cold and distant.
Brandon’s frown deepened, and he wanted to continue, but Charles stepped in. Suddenly, dizziness overwhelmed Millie, and she leaned against Charles for support.
“Mil—My God! Serena!” Charles called out, worry filling his voice as he caught her, then threw a glare in Brandon’s direction.
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.
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