Chapter 158

Millie thought back to her days with Brandon. Such moments like this never seemed to happen between them.

Maybe it was simply that children were never part of their lives before.

Myron and Ari seemed to have come to some quiet understanding.

He glanced up at Millie. "Is this time and place alright for you?"

Jolted from her thoughts, Millie remembered what they'd been discussing and gave a small nod.

Ari drifted off to her drawing, leaving Millie and Myron facing each other.

That was when Millie realized that the office was suddenly just the three of them.

The atmosphere felt a little odd.

"Where did Alexia go?" Millie finally broke the silence.

"When I got here, shé was clearing having some stomach issues and asked me to watch Ari fora minute.She said she'd be back soon," Myron replied.

Millie's eyes flicked to the security camera, its tiny light blinking steadily.

Alright then.

She turned her attention back to Myron. "Mr. Elliott, did you stop by to see someone, or are you not feeling well?"

Myron just smiled. "Actually, I came to see you."

Millie'sbrows drew together, but she held her gaze on him, not saying a word.

"Do you have a minute?" Myron asked, his voice soft as he smiled. "Would you mind coming downstairs with me? We can bring Ari with us."

Millie paused for a mnoment and then nodded.

If he wanted her to bring Ari along, it probably wasn't anything sensitive.

"I'll leave a note for Alexia," Millie offered, moving to jot down a message on the table.

"Alright," Myron replied, watching quietly as she wrote.

·.·

Elsewhere,Brandon hadn't moved from where he stood.

Blood trickled from the corner of his lips, leaving tiny red marks on the floor at his feet.

A stranger passing by spotted his condition and quickly called out for a nurse.

The nurse tended to Brandon's injuries, cleaned himn up, and pressed an ice pack into his hand before letting him go.

Now, Brandon found himself alone on a bench at the end of the hallway, ice pack pressed to his cheek, his thoughts a tangled mess.

He gazed absently through the window, watching the scene below.

A door nearby opened, and someone came out to sit quietly beside him.

"Brandon." A voice spoke gently.

Brandon lifted his head to find Vivian there, her complexion washed out and pale.

"What are you doing out here?" Brandon asked with a faint frown, his gaze falling on the fresh bandage around her wrist.

Vivian's eyes lingered on his bruised face instead.

"What happened to you?" she murmured, her eyes rimmed red. "Why do you look so beat up?"

Brandon shook his head, his attention never leaving her bandaged arm.

"It's nothing serious," Vivian said softly, following his line of sight. "The doctors wrapped it up. It'll heal soon."

"I'm so sorry, Brandon. This is all my fault," she said as a tear slipped down her cheek. "I keep making things worse."

Brandon dodged Vivian's outstretched hand, his eyes dropping to the floor.

"Vivian," he said quietly.

Vivian blinked back at him, voice fragile."Yeah?"

He took a steady breath. "Don't ever hurt yourself again,alright?"

Vivian forced a small, shaky smile. "I promise. You don't have to worry." 0

She looked so fragile, heartbreak written across her features. "I don't even know what came over me,and I just lost control for a minute."

"But I'll do better," she added, her voice barely above a whisper.

Brandon finally looked up, his eyes dark and searching as he met her gaze.

Vivian shifted uncomfortably, a hint of worry in her voice.

"Brandon, is something bothering you?" she asked gently.

Brandon didn't answer right away. Instead, he turned his eyes back to the window, the silence stretching between them.

A slow shake of his head was all the reply she got.

Outside, on the far edge of the clearing near the building, a handful of people had suddenly appeared.

They were too distant to make out, just moving shapes he couldn't quite place.

Still, for some reason, those little figures captured his focus.

Out in the clearing, Millíie, Ari, and Myron made their way across the lawn.

Myron stepped aside, heading to a nearby bush and searching around.

Millie kept a gentle hold on Ari's hand, watching curiously as Myron went back with a small bag.

"Lucky for us, no one found this stash while I was gone,"Myron said, pulling out several cylinder-shaped objects.

Millie leaned in, intrigued. "What are those?"

Myron handed one over to her. "Fireworks. Not the big, loud kind. These just make a little noise,nothing crazy."

He offered another one to Ari,smiling."Ari, is this okay for you? I know your condition and that you shouldn't be too excited."

Millie studied the small fireworks, the kind you placed on the ground and watched as they shot up colorful sparks. Before she could say anything, Ari chimned in with a nod.

"I can do it," Ari said ,confidently. "We had these on Christmas Eve at the children's home, the director lit some for us. They were beautiful."

Millie called Alexia to double-check, who gave her a positive reply, so she agreed to let Ari stay.

Myron was already crouched down, arranging the fireworks across the ground.

Lifting Ari into her arms, Millie gently covered the little girl's ears.

The first firework hissed, and then burst into clusters of light, dancing along the ground.

"Wow!" Ari's laughter bubbled out as she clapped her hands, delighted by the show.

Millie couldn't help but smile, letting her hands drop from Ari's ears as the sparks kept flying

For a moment, surrounded by the flickering lights, Millie's own sadness melted away.

"We were supposed to have a drone fireworks display tonight." Myron spoke up quietly beside her. "But...after everything that happened, it got canceled. I didn't want the day to go by without something special, so I brought these for you instead."

Millie gazed at the glowing embers, the meaning behind his gesture clear.

After everything that happened with Vivian's suicide attempt, putting on a big fireworks display for Millie would have just added fuel to the gossip.

She looked at Myron and softly asked,"Why go to all this trouble?"

"Iheard there were fireworks for both your wedding and the night before your divorce," Myron said softly."I know he caused you a lot of pain, and I didn't want fireworks to always remind you of him. That's why,after you won the Heavenly Melody championship, I planned a fireworks display just for you. I hoped that from now on, when you saw fireworks, you'd think of this moment, your victory, instead."

He hesitated, and then quietly added, "And maybe think of me, too."

Millie watched the brilliant bursts of light, every explosion scattering sparkling embers across the night.

Gradually,she shifted her gaze away from the dazzling fireworks and let her eyes settle on Myron.

He wasn't watching the show at all as his attention had been on her the entire time.

There was a gentle smile on his face. "It's a shame they didn't get their big debut," he said, almost wistfully.

The fireworks' glow played across his striking features, lending him an almost ethereal charm.

His gaze never left her, shadowed by a quiet sorrow and a touch of longing.

In that gaze, it was as if she were the only thing he saw.

A smile finally broke across Millie's lips.

Maybe it was time for a fresh start.

Perhaps she was ready for something-and someone-new, after all.