Mistakenly Devoted to Fleeting Years, Memories Hard to Let Go

"Is that little brat giving you trouble again?"

"How do you know it’s a boy?"

"They say the more you want something, the less likely you will get it. You have to say the opposite.

“A boy is fine, too. Later, we can have a girl and the two of us can protect the two of you."

Hearing this, Millie’s lips curved faintly as she replied, each word deliberate, "Have you ever heard the saying, 'If you want it all, you’ll end up with nothing'?"

Elliot’s smile faltered for a fleeting moment, a strange unease tightening his chest. But he quickly regained his composure and wrapped her in a firm embrace. In a voice barely above a whisper, he murmured, "Then all I want is you."

Millie averted her gaze, her lips twisting into a faint, mocking smile.

The silence shattered with the sharp ring of a phone. Elliot’s eyes flickered to the screen and they stepped aside to answer it.

Through the quiet night, Hilary’s trembling voice rang clear.

"Brother Elliot, I think someone broke into my room! I’m hiding in the bathroom, too scared to come out. I can’t reach my manager and don’t know what to do…" Her sobs punctuated her words, each one tugging at the air between them.

"Stay hidden and don’t move. I’m coming over. Keep the line open."

Without glancing back, Elliot bolted out the door, leaving the room and Millie behind.

Millie chuckled softly under her breath, her expression unreadable, before heading to the bathroom.

By the time she emerged from her bath, the clock had struck 11 p.m. She climbed into bed and reached for her phone, which buzzed twice on the bedside table.

Unlocking it, an unnamed profile flashed on the screen, accompanied by a string of messages. [Don’t think you can use the baby to tie him down. Neither you nor your child will take Elliot from me.]

[You think he loves you? He’s only with you out of pity.]

Her thumb hovered over the short video attached and she tapped it. The dim screen flickered to life, releasing muffled sounds that made her stomach churn.

A delicate voice whimpered, "Elliot… Elliot… Brother Elliot… be gentle… Hale hurts…"

The man in the clip said nothing, only letting out a faint, weary sigh before the recording ended.

Another message followed instantly. [He always falls asleep so quickly afterward.]

Millie’s grip on the phone tightened, her knuckles whitening as she forced a sharp intake of breath, battling the wave of nausea clawing at her chest.

Saving the photo and video without a second thought, Millie lay back and drifted into a restless sleep.

By morning, she had made up her mind. She submitted her resignation without hesitation and walked out of the building, her decision firm and resolute. As she stepped outside, her phone buzzed with an incoming call. Hilary’s name flashed on the screen.

When she arrived, Hilary was already waiting, her smug demeanor evident. Millie took her seat across the table and wasted no time. "What do you want?"

"Just catching up with an old friend…"

Millie’s gaze hardened as she cut through the charade. "Don’t waste your time pretending with me. I’m not Elliot."

Hilary’s smile grew sharper, a glint of malice dancing in her eyes. She leaned forward, her words slow and deliberate. "Millie, relationships can’t be forced. You spent ten years chasing after Elliot and what did it get you? A marriage was as hollow as an empty shell. Was it worth it?"

"And do you even know the truth? Elliot wouldn't have looked your way if it weren’t for me. Back in the day, I told him about this girl in class who was ‘bullying’ me. He was so eager to devise schemes to get back at you."

"Remember when we pushed you down the stairs? He carried you to the infirmary and you cried your eyes out, saying no one had ever been so kind to you. We laughed ourselves sick when he came back and told us."

"Did you not see it? Every one of those moments where he played the hero—they were his ideas all along.”

"Watching you gaze at him like he was some sort of savior was hilarious. We couldn’t help but think—how could someone be so pathetically blind?"