Chase Lynch looked at Julian Valerius and said with solemn respect, "Adoptive Father, I believe it would be acceptable to let the Crown Prince marry her. Wouldn’t it be easier to secure the throne through a political marriage between our two royal families? Besides, she is..."

"Unwise."

Julian Valerius’s eyes grew even colder. "The Crown Prince is already under this woman’s spell. She is no ordinary woman. If she were to learn her own identity, combined with the Crown Prince’s infatuation, I fear the Valerius Royal Family would be annihilated by the North Royal Family in one fell swoop."

"We can only rely on the Grant Family to secure the throne. This woman cannot be allowed to live... Once everything is settled, get rid of her."

Chase Lynch replied without expression, "Yes."

...

Leona Grant didn’t know how he got home.

Back home, he ate and then slept. He was quiet, cold, his entire being seemingly shrouded in a thin mist that made him impossible to read.

In the days that followed, he acted perfectly normal. He didn’t throw himself into high-pressure work, nor did he go out drinking to drown his sorrows. It was all too normal.

And Annabelle Linton, it seemed, had become a transient figure in his life. He heard no news of her, and despite living in the same city, they truly never crossed paths.

It seemed they were well and truly over.

Only he knew the images that flooded his mind the moment he closed his eyes.

He forced himself not to think about it, not to wonder, not to care. ’But how can a person truly control their own thoughts?’

And just like that, he finally collapsed from illness and was hospitalized for several days.

Normally, he would never have wasted his precious time in a hospital. This time, however, he strangely didn’t object. Instead, he obediently remained there for several days.

It was the same hospital where Annabelle Linton had worked, but she had resigned long ago.

He walked down the hallway, his eyes fixed for a long, long time on a photo on the staff directory board.

Because it hadn’t been updated yet, Annabelle Linton’s picture was still there.

It had been taken when she first joined the hospital, about three years ago.

She was wearing a white coat, her lips curved in a practiced smile, and her hair was in two pigtails.

In the photo, she looked young, sweet, and fair-skinned. She radiated a warm approachability, so unlike the cold, heartless person she was now.

That year, Annabelle Linton was still Annabelle Linton, and Leona Grant was still Leona Grant.

Annabelle Linton was still the girl who would do anything for him without a second thought; the girl who, even after being emotionally battered and bruised by Leona Grant, would still treat him well the very next day.

And Leona Grant was still the man who would inexplicably despise her; the man who, despite the complicated feelings that stirred within him when she cried her heart out, would still hurt her again the very next day.

She thought she would love him for a lifetime. He thought he would be annoyed by her for a lifetime.

But just like that, their bond was broken.

A clean break. She no longer gave him her all, and he was no longer annoyed by her.

And now, she was getting married... to another man.

Leona Grant’s eyes couldn’t help but turn red again. Finally, with a faint, bitter lift of his lips, he went back into his hospital room as if he had just been out for a casual stroll.

He tried to go back to work, to work so hard he wouldn’t think of her, to throw himself completely into it.

But he just couldn’t focus...

It was already dark when Ashley Grant arrived at the hospital with food.

She entered the hospital room. The lights were off; it was pitch-black inside.

She flipped on the light and saw Leona Grant slumped over the desk, fast asleep amidst a sea of documents.

As the light fell on his face, she realized just how haggard her brother had become recently...

Ashley Grant sighed and began tidying up the documents for him.

A piece of paper fluttered out from the files...

[Camilla Monroe: Third update of the day. That’s all for tonight.

Master Wyatt isn’t a bad guy. His feelings for Annabelle are real—in his past life and this one—he’s just been forced by his circumstances. Isn’t this for the best, really? He got to be with Annabelle, but Annabelle never fell in love with him. Plus, his appearance stimulated Leona’s feelings. No one is in the wrong here. This way, Aaron Wyatt doesn’t have to die or become a villain, right? Everyone has their own struggles.

Also, starting tomorrow morning, I’ll be switching to two updates a day, both released at the same time in the morning. That way, you all won’t have to wait for the next Chapter.

I know you’ll probably be angry... but I don’t have a choice. I’m buried in schoolwork and falling behind in my studies. I have exams this week that I have to take seriously, so please try to understand.

But since I started this story, I have a responsibility to all of you, so please don’t worry. Just give me one week to get everything sorted out. After that, I’ll go back to a normal update schedule, and I’ll do a mass release when the novel goes premium. One week, that’s all I ask. Just one week. I hope you can all be patient. I really don’t have any other choice. I’m sorry, everyone.

Also, please keep commenting and voting next week! I’ll randomly pick ten of you to receive 300 book coins each~ Winners will be announced on the day the book goes premium (priority will be given to five-star ratings)!]