Chapter 219

Brandon had a gut feeling-something big was about to happen.

The moment Myron's eyes met his, cold and unreadable, Brandon was certain Myron had planned something.

Vivian's livestream had finally ended. Now, only Millie's was still running across all platforms.

The votes were counted, and Millie had clearly won.

Instead of keeping the stream going, she turned it off.

But the tangled story between her, Myron, and Brandon was already out in the open for the world to see.

Outside, a crowd of reporters was buzzing-snapping photos, filming, streaming live.

Brandon had flown in by helicopter, only to find Myron and Millie announcing their relationship to everyone.The moment was now a storm of emotions, played out in public.

Brandon stepped forward, wanting to say something. But Myron raised a hand, and Elliott Group's security quickly blocked Brandon's path.

"Millie,"Brandon called softly, his eyes locked on her.

But Myron stood in front of her, shielding her with a sharp, cold glare.

Nearby, the golden river flowed quietly.

Millie stepped forward-not toward Brandon, but toward the watching crowd.

"The three venues I visited today connected the past and present. Now, this river branches," she said,standing on the symbolic river of choices.

She took a step forward. "One path leads to the future. The other leads back into the same old cycle."

Alone, she walked forward as all eyes followed her.

She made her way into a wide sunflower field-golden, hopeful, alive.

A drone flew overhead, capturing it all.

At the heart of the field stood a tilted photo frame stuck in a flowerpot.

It held a wedding picture of Millie and Brandon, glowing under the sun.

Millie walked slowly toward it.

Everyone watched in silence. Would she throw the photo away? Tear it up? Something else?

She stopped in front of it and reached out, gently touching her own smiling face in the photo. Her hand moved downward,resting on the place where their hands, with their wedding rings on, were joined.

Just when people thought she might break down or say something emotional, she took a lighter from her pocket.

Without a word, she lit it. The flame kissed the very spot she'd just touched-their joined hands.

Gasps erupted.

"Gosh! She set it on fire!" someone shouted.

"She's burning her wedding photo with Brandon!"

Millie stood still, watching calmly as the fire spread.

She had applied a fire-enhancing agent to the photo earlier.

Once lit, it burned fast and bright.

Brandon,standing at the edge of the field, tried to rush forward, but the security team held him down.

The flames danced across the photo.

Ash floated into the air, some strands catching in her hair.

The drone continued to hover, capturing and broadcasting this moment live.

The flames devoured their clasped hands, her wedding dress, and the happy smile she wore when she looked at him.

She was burning the past.

Soon, only a piece of Brandon's face remained.

Millie had disappeared from the photo entirely.

Then the crowd noticedsomething. The frame had two layers.

As the first layer burned down to just Brandon's face, a second photo slowly came into view beneath it-a blue-toned image.

Millie looked at it.

She had already made up her mind to leave Brandon behind. That was why she never planned to leave their wedding photo there. So from the start, she had told Elliott Group to prepare a double-layered frame.

The reason she'd touched the photo earlier was to confirm where the fire enhancer had been applied.

Because it was summer and they were outdoors, only a little was used to avoid accidental burning.

Vivian's livestream had been a surprise, so much of this had been arranged last-minute by Millie,with Elliott Group handling the details.

Myron had chosen the second-layer photo.

Millie hadn't seen it before.

Now, as the fire receded, the new photo came into full view.

It was taken by the sea.

Millie, in a flowing blue dress, stood barefoot in shallow water, splashing the waves with her hands. Her face was full of pure, unguarded joy.

Beside her, Myron held her heels and looked at her with soft eyes overflowing with love.

They were gazing at each other-Millie unaware of her blooming feelings, Myron quietly hiding hís.

It must've been taken on their first date. Though the magnificent blue rain had stopped by the time the photo was taken, remaining traces were still there.

Drops of blue rain lingered in the sand, making it seem like a scene straight out of a fairytale

Millie paused.

She stared at the photo, her fingers gently brushing her smiling face, and then settling on Myron's eyes-those deep, tender eyes.

She had never seen this photo before.

She hadn't realized how happy she looked beside Myron.

He must have loved her deeply.

The flames had consumed her past with Brandon. Now, only the present remained.

Her eyes shifted to a smaller photo tucked inside the edge of the frame-another shot by the sea, in winter,on a wooden deck.

It was the very moment Myron had once described-standing under the night sky, watching the blue rain falling on the ocean all night long.

Her eyes welled up. Her heart fluttered.

She smiled softly.

Myron always knew how to surprise her, how to love her in ways that brought peace.

The final bit of Brandon's photo burned away.

The drone hovered overhead, still capturing it all.

This was no longer Millie and Brandon's story. It was now Millie and Myron's.O

Two pairs of people. One lost to time, the other glowing with love.

Millie touched the frame. It wasn't too hot.

She unfastened the clasp and pulled the burned top photo frame away.

As she did, something fellout.

It was a ring-strung on a thin metal wire.

It now dangled gently over the second photo, catching the sun and sparkling above the sea, above her and Myron.