Bryce smiled wryly. "Look at you… does your opinion even matter? The husband and son you desperately cling to couldn't care less whether you agree or not. You're nothing more than the Keirs' liability, forever trapped here."
"I don't believe you!" Eleanor screamed, her voice tearing out of her throat as if sheer volume could lend her conviction. "I am Allister's legal wife. Of course my opinion matters!"
"Oh?" Bryce's gaze sharpened, drilling into her as though stripping her bare. "Are you truly insane, or do you simply refuse to crawl out of your delusion? That woman has been dead for years, yet you still couldn't win against her."
Eleanor's eyes flew wide, her lips trembled, muttering fragments only she could hear. Her chest began to heave violently, breath hitching as though her lungs no longer obeyed her.
Noticing the change, the nurse hurried closer.
Before he could intervene, Eleanor suddenly stared at Bryce as if seeing him for the very first time.
"You- you are…" Her voice broke. She lunged forward, clutching his arm with desperate strength. "Bryce? Where have you been all this time? You understand why Mom sent you away, right? It was for your own good, you can't blame me!"
Bryce chuckled softly, the sound low and unsettling. His expression darkened by a fraction.
"You can't blame me! I had no choice!" Eleanor shook her head frantically. "If I hadn't done that, Allister would have divorced me!"
She staggered back a step. In an instant, her pleading gaze twisted into bitter resentment.
"It's because of you!" she screamed. "Why? Why did you do it?! You're the one who made the mistake! How dare you blame me?!"
"I'm sorry," the nurse said firmly, stepping between them. "The madam is unwell."
Bryce curved his lips into a mocking smile. "You mean unhinged?"
The nurse said nothing. Another nurse arrived, and together they guided Eleanor back toward her room.
She continued hurling curses and accusations as they dragged her away.
Bryce calmly took out a cigarette and flicked his lighter.
The small flame danced at the tip.
Eleanor froze at the sight of that tiny flame.
In the blink of an eye, that tiny spark transformed into a towering wall of fire, devouring the sky. Amidst the inferno stood a child, no older than ten or eleven, smiling with chilling malice.
Eleanor swayed like a leaf in a storm. She twisted back and screamed, "It was you! I remember now, it was you! You're the one who caused that fire!"
Bryce watched as his mother was dragged farther away, his head tilting slightly, amusement glinting in his eyes along with something far more vicious.
---
Outside the sanctuary, a Maybach rolled to a smooth stop.
Elder Madam Keir stepped out as the staff immediately rushed forward, faces stretched into ingratiating smiles.
Chin lifted high, Elder Madam Keir ignored them completely, strutting past without a glance.
From a distance, a man emerged.
Just as they were about to pass each other, he paused.
"Here to visit Mom, Grandma?"
Elder Madam Keir halted mid-step. Her eyes narrowed as she turned, ready to mock the audacity until recognition flickered.
"Grandma's memory doesn't seem as sharp as it used to be," Bryce said lightly. "It's understandable. After all, it's been eighteen years… give or take."
The color drained from the old woman's face. She stared at him as though she'd seen a ghost.
"C-could it be…" Her voice trembled. "Bryce?"
Bryce smiled. "Indeed, Grandma. It's me." His tone was polite, almost playful. "Though I do wonder, do I still have the right to call you that? Or should I address you as Elder Madam Keir instead?"
Elder Madam Keir looked visibly unsettled, her hand unconsciously clutching her chest as she forced a brittle smile.
"When did you come back?" she asked.
"Just a month ago," Bryce replied politely. "I plan to relocate my business here. And since my fiancée is here as well, I suppose this is where I'm destined to stay."
Elder Madam Keir nearly lost control of her expression.
"I see… you're engaged." She paused. "Good for you."
Bryce nodded, pride unmistakable in his tone. "Yes. It's Calin Ricci."
At the mention of the name, Elder Madam Keir could no longer maintain her composure. The color drained from her face, disbelief and unease written plainly across her features.
Bryce didn't wait for a response. Citing urgent matters to remind her of, he excused himself and walked away.
Elder Madam Keir stood frozen until Bryce's car finally disappeared from sight.
She had originally come to check on Eleanor, to see whether her condition had improved enough to bring her back into social circulation, to silence rumors that the Keir family's daughter-in-law had lost her mind.
But this unexpected encounter with someone she had buried deep in the past, completely overturned her plans.
Her fingers trembled as she pulled out her phone, gesturing sharply for the chauffeur to prepare to leave.
"Mother?"
The moment she heard her son's voice, Elder Madam Keir blurted out, "Allister, that child is back! Bryce, he's back! He even came here to see Eleanor!"
In stark contrast to her agitation, Allister sounded calm. "I know, the sanctuary called earlier."
Her hand shook violently. "You know?" she demanded. "Why didn't you tell me? Do you have any idea what this means? How could you allow him to come back?!"
"Mother, calm down," Allister replied evenly. "How exactly do you expect me to stop him from returning?"
But Elder Madam Keir refused to listen. She snapped her phone shut and ordered the chauffeur, "Straight to Shin's villa."
---
"All right, this is wonderful. My baby is amazing!" Lianna exclaimed, beaming as she flipped through her son's assignment.
Sean grinned from ear to ear, eagerly boasting about school, his teachers' praise, his favorite classes, the classmates he got along with best.
"Mom," Sean asked carefully, "next week is the parents' meeting. Will you go, or… is it Daddy?"
Lianna smiled and kissed his cheek. She caught the subtle tension in his voice, the hesitation that always surfaced whenever the two of them were mentioned together.
"Mom already knows about it," she said warmly. "Of course I'll be there."
Sean visibly relaxed and returned to his homework.
The private tutor arrived soon after. Once the lesson was underway, Lianna excused herself, she also had a piano lesson to attend.
Outside the villa, she unexpectedly ran into Zahn, whom she hadn't seen in some time.
She glanced at her watch unconsciously. It was just past eleven.
Before she could speak, Zahn did. "Heading to your piano lesson? I'll drive you."
Lianna shook her head. "No need. I can call a taxi."
"There's something I need to talk to you about," Zahn said, his tone firm. "Can we discuss it on the way?"
Lianna hesitated. But remembering she had things left unsaid as well, she nodded.
"Alright."
As the car drove on, a suffocating silence filled the space between them.
It wasn't until they were halfway to their destination that Zahn finally spoke.
"Sean… it's not a good idea for him to be too far from you," he said evenly. "I have a penthouse near your piano academy. Take him there. You can live together with him."
Lianna frowned. Before she could object, Zahn continued.
"Don't misunderstand. Emergencies at the hospital are unpredictable. I can't always stay at the villa to accompany him," he said, eyes fixed on the road. "It wouldn't be good for him to be alone, especially at night."
Lianna considered his words, then asked quietly, "So… you're giving me his custody?"
She hadn't intended to fight for custody at first. But after the misunderstanding with Sean and her was resolve, she no longer felt at ease leaving him behind.
Zahn neither answered nor looked at her. He pressed the accelerator, and moments later the car stopped in front of the building.
"We're here," he said curtly. "I'll pick you up later. What time will your class be over?"
Lianna's brows knit together. Irritation spilled out before she could stop herself. "Did you sign the divorce papers?"
Zahn stared straight ahead, as if he hadn't heard her.
"We'll talk later," he repeated calmly. "You'll be late."
Lianna's expression visibly darkened. So it wasn't about giving her custody. Nor had he agreed to the divorce.
He simply wanted Sean with her so he'd always have a reason to come and go as he pleased. And if the penthouse belonged to him, then nothing had truly changed. He would still have a hold on her.
"Did you talk to Shin Keir?" she asked suddenly.
"Lianna, you'll be late," Zahn cut her off. "Let's discuss this later, alright? What time will you be done?"
She shot him a gaze sharp enough to cut bone before opening the door and slamming it shut.
Later that afternoon, she stayed an extra hour on purpose.
Yet when she finally stepped out of the piano academy, he was already there, Zahn Neri, waiting by his car as if he'd never moved.
Lianna pretended not to see him and veered toward another route.
"Lianna!"
She quickened her pace, but Zahn's long strides closed the distance easily. He stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
"Are you hungry?" he asked as though nothing was wrong. "It's almost dinner. How about we take Sean out?"
She stared at him with undisguised disdain, but Zahn either didn't notice or chose not to.
"Let's eat together," he insisted. "The three of us."
Suddenly, whispers rippled around them.
"Is that Doctor Zahn Neri?"
"It looks like him… what's he doing here?"
"Who's the woman?"
Lianna stiffened. The last thing she wanted was to be associated with him, especially in public.
Swallowing her irritation, she followed him back to the car.
"I'm not going back to the villa," she said flatly once they were inside. "Just drop me at the nearest metro station."
"I already told Sean we're taking him out for dinner," Zahn replied, starting the engine. "He's very excited. It's been a long time since we last dined out."
A long time?
Lianna let out a soft, mocking laugh she couldn't stop.
What was he even talking about? When had they ever truly gone out as a family of three?