In the dead of the night, a white mist crept up the mountainside, swirling and obscuring the entire summit.

    Uponing out of the columbarium, Willow was utterly lost in her grief, her frail body swaying unsteadily. She kept repeating Landon’s name under her breath, still drowning in her immeasurable pain.

    Upon seeing Willowe out in such a state, Julian quickly approached her and took off his coat, draping it over her shoulders. Willow fixed him with a vacant gaze. Her eyes held no spark of life only a deep, abiding sadness. She gently brushed his hand away, wanting neither hisfort nor his presence. His ck coat then slid off her shoulders andnded on the ground.

    Julian swallowed hard, his throat moving noticeably as he said hoarsely, “You should take care of yourself even if you’re still upset with me, Willow.”

    Willow looked ahead into the night, her voice steady and unwavering as she said, b“/bbIt’s /bnone of your business whether I’m in good health or not, Julian.”

    Julian picked up the coat, still intending to drape it over her.

    Willow flung his hand away with all the strength she could muster. However, her body, still recovering from childbirthb, /bcouldn’t withstand such emotional turmoilb, /bcausing her to suddenly copse on the spot and lose consciousness.

    It waste into the night when Willow finally regained consciousness. It was dark all around, and a faint scent of ca lilies drifted in the air. She reached out and switched on the wall sconce revealing a room that was both familiar and alien to her. bIt /bturned out she was at Radiance Manor.

    She noticed that Julian was nowhere to be seen and found that it was rather quiet downstairs, too.

    She then tried to look for her phone to call her chauffeur toe and pick her up, but she couldn’t find it anywhere. She figured Julian had taken her phone.

    It was then that she suddenly felt a swelling sensation in her chest. She then nced down and noticed a faint dampness on thepel of her white bathrobe. That ache in her chest returned, steady and persistent.

    Willow gently bit her lip and held her chest as she stepped into the bathroom. She slowly loosened her bathrobe, carefully relieving the excess. Her reflection in the mirror revealed a figure that hadn’t gained the expected fullness from breastfeeding but rather had be noticeably thinner.

    It was terribly painful, a constant, gnawing ache that brought tears to Willow’s eyes. Through the insistent throbbing, she couldn’t help but think of Landon, realizing that she had never gotten the chance to see him after he was born.

    She was so lost in her heart’s sorrow that she didn’t even register the sound of a car pulling into the courtyard downstairs.

    In the hush of nightfall, a pair of ck cars drove into the courtyardb, /bone after the other.

    Julian alighted from the car, a subtle trace of fatigue etched on his features as he issued a few short directives to Esther.

    Esther’s appearance speaks volumes of exhaustion, the dark circles around her eyes strikingly prominent. However, with her huge annual sry in mind, she steeled herself and said through gritted teeth, “You can rest assured that I’ll see to it that everything is handled properly, Mr. Ziegler.”

    Julian nodded and ascended the steps, heading into the vi. Though the lights were shining brightly in the living room, they couldn’t dispel the gloom surrounding Julian. He then asked softly when one of the household staff, Jesseb, /bapproached to take his coat, “Is Mrs. Ziegler awake? Has shee downstairs?”

    Jesse replied truthfully, “It seems like there was some movement upstairs just now. I was just preparing to go upstairs and check

    on it when you returned.”

    Julian’s steps faltered momentarily before he instructed Jesse to have dinner ready in 30 minutes.

    Having said thatb, /bJulian proceeded to the bsecond /bfloor. In the upstairs bhallway/bb, /bthe night wind gently tousled his dark bhair/bb, /bmomentarily revealing the silver mingled within. His heart at that moment was andscape beyond words. He desired to see Willow, yet a bsense /bof trepidation held him back, akin to the apprehension of returning home after a long absence.

    bHe /bfinally opened the door to the master bedroom, noting that the room was brightly lit and Willow wasn’t in bed. He heard a faint noiseing from the bathroomb, /bthough, bso /bhe surmised that Willow was in there.

    He gently closed the door behind him, then reached up to unfasten the two buttons on his shirt as he moved toward the bathroom. His footsteps made no sound on the thick carpeted floor, leaving the upant within the bathroompletely oblivious.

    Having appeared in the bathroom doorway, both he and the upant inside were struck speechless, frozen in surprise.

    Julian broke the silence after a moment, asking, “Are they engorged and painful?”

    Willow gently gathered her bathrobe around her and said tlyb, /bb“/bbIt’s /bnone of your businessb./bb” /b

    Julian silently walked into the bathroom and encircled Willow from behind. She tried to resistb, /bbut her attempt was futile against his surprising strength. He rested his head on her slender shoulder, his gaze lifting to meet their conjoined reflection in the mirror. His eyes looked like pools of concentrated ink.

    In the next instant, Willow began to struggle, but Julian effortlessly restrained her with one hand. He then lowered his head and murmured soothingly in her ear, “I’ve learned how to do this properly. I’m not trying to take advantage of byou/bb, /bso you should stop struggling.”

    In the bright re of the lights, their shadows mingled and blurred. Willow turned her face away, a wave of shame washing over her. She didn’t dare to cry out, fearing that the household staff would rush up and witness such a humiliating scene. She had tears brimming in her eyes as she couldn’t bear being treated in such a manner by Julian.

    It was only after some time had passed that Julian stopped his actions and gently helped her with her clothing. He hadn’t been rash or done anything out of line, as he had truly sought to relieve her pain.

    Under the bright lights, Willow’s voice trembled as she asked, “Have you had enough? Can you let me go now, Julian?”

    Julian tightened his arms around her, his voice low and husky as he murmured, “I don’t want to let you go since chances like this are rare. I know you despise me and hate me with all your being. I still love you very muchb, /bthough, and I still yearn for us to find our way back to each other, Willow. Please let me take care of you and Gabrie. If that’s too much to ask for, please just allow me to see Gabrie.”

    Willow had brought two children into the world, Landon and Gabrie. Landon was no longer alive, so Gabrie had now be the sole object of Willow’s affections and emotional dependence.

    Willow lowered her gaze and said indifferently, “That won’t be necessary.”

    Upon hearing that, Julian immediately froze in ce.

    Willow turned within his embrace and gently pushed him away. Her tone was strikingly calm as she said, “I’ll be taking Gabrie abroad once she’s one month old, with very little chance of returning. There will be no father in Gabrie’s life–at least, not a father like you, Julian.”

    Having said that, Willow turned to leave.

    Julian’s face drained of all color. He abruptly grabbed her wrist, his posture shifting to one of near supplication as he pleaded, “I won’t bother youb, /bso please don’t leave. Please, at the very least, let me see Gabrie every now and then. I’ve only held her once since she came into this world, Willow. I’m begging you, Willow!”

    Willow lowered her gaze and retorted coldly, “And whose fault is that? If it weren’t for your darling Alicia and if it weren’t for the havoc you weed into our lives, Grace would still be breathing, and Landon might have lived. I had made it clear back then that I would repay your actions in kind, Julian. It’s the fair thing to bdo/b.”

    Having said thatb, /bWillow walked out, leaving Julian standing before his reflection.

    bHe /bstared at his reflection in the mirror, his eyes reflecting nothing but utter despair. He had no one to me but himself, after

    all.