Chapter 222

Brandon's mind reeled at the very notion, threatening to shatter his composure entirely.

He refused to accept it-absolutely refused.

His hand, draped carelessly at his side, betrayed him with its subtle tremor.

When he had first returned from Proidan, shock had numbed him completely, leaving him drowning in a turbulent sea of confusion and rage. But now terror gripped.him with icy fingers.

Real, bone-deep fear consumed every rational thought.

Millie had accepted Myron's proposal and they were now engaged.

Despite her crystal-cleàr rejection of him, despite

watching her choose Myron right before his eyes,Brandon still clung to the desperate belief that she belonged to him.

He had secretly secured an apartment in her neighborhood, positioning himself like a phantom observer, confirming that she remained alone-that she hadn't moved in with Myron yet.

He'd whispered reassurances to himself that they were merely dating, that relationships crumbled al the time.

But an engagement? That changed everything.

Seven years they'd shared together. And those secrets he'd never dared confess to her.

The image of her sleeping peacefully beside another man nearly destroyed what remained of Brandon's sanity.

He squeezed his eyes shut, desperately fighting to banish the torturous vision.

The vehicle glided into the parking structure of a

towering building.

"Brandon, we just received word that Myron's vehicle is stationed here, but they haven't emerged yet."Darden's voice dwindled to barely a whisper.

The engine had died, and their driver had already departed. So why hadn't they stepped out?

Were they having some intimate conversation in the parking garage?

Darden couldn't bring himself to meet Brandon's gaze.

Brandon's expression remained perfectly blank, but a soft crack echoed through the silence as his phone screen spider-webbed under the crushing force of his grip. Darden witnessed the destruction and inhaled sharply.

Brandon's fury had crushed the device in his bare hands.

Darden bit back any further words and gunned the engine toward the coordinates his surveillance team

had provided.

The solitary vehicle waited in the shadows, and Brandon launched himself from the car the instant they stopped, striding directly toward his target.

Brandon's hand hovered at the car door, uncertainty paralyzing him before he could knock. But fate intervened-the door swung open and Myron stepped out.

Brandon seized the moment to peer inside,discovering Millie fast asleep, her body curled against the opposite window.

As Myron carefully eased the door shut, Brandon spotted the telltale creases on Myron's shoulder.

In that devastating instant, understanding crashed over him like a tidal wave.

They'd remained in the parking structure because Millie had drifted off while resting against Myron's shoulder.

Millie had always struggled with sleep, her traumatic

past transforming her into the lightest of sleepers.Throughout their years together, Brandon had witnessed her nightmares tear through the darkness on countless occasions.

During those dark hours, he would stroke her back with infinite tenderness, whispering reassurances that the past could no longer hurt her, that he stood sentinel over her dreams.

But now... she trusted Myron with such complete abandon!

Wasn't she terrified of what Myron might attempt while she lay defenseless in slumber?

The realization sent agony ripping through his chest like shattered glass.

As Myron secured the door, Brandon opened his mouth to speak, but Myron gestured for them to move their conversation elsewhere.

Brandon's glare burned into Myron before shifting to the car where she slept. He gave a curt nod.

Brandon observed Myron lock the vehicle with meticulous care, safeguarding her sanctuary, before trailing him into the distance.

Myron measured the distance between them and the car with calculating precision, confirming their voices wouldn't carry back to disturb her rest, and then pivoted to confront Brandon.

Brandon met his gaze with arctic coldness, hatred crystallizing in the space between them.

They faced each other in suffocating silence,with Darden maintaining his watchful distance.

Without warning, Myron's fist exploded across Brandon's face with brutal precision.

"Brandon!" Darden's shocked cry shattered the stillness as he sprinted forward.

Myron refused to relent, seizing Brandon's collar and slamming him against the concrete wall. His fists hammered down in relentless succession, each blow carrying accumulated rage.

Yet Brandon absorbed each strike without fightíng back, his body accepting the punishment as if he welcomed the pain.

"Myron, stop!" Darden lunged between them, his arms wrapping around Myron's torso as he struggled to pull him away.

"What's gotten into you? Why are you beating him senseless?" Darden's chest heaved with exertion as he struggled to restrain Myron's muscular frame.

"Release me!" Myron's command sliced through the air.

But Darden's grip remained ironclad.

Brandon's head drooped forward, crimson streams painting his lips where Myron's knuckles had found their mark.

Myron's laughter rang hollow/and cruel as it echoed off the walls.

His gaze pierced Brandon with arctic coldness as the words poured forth. "Brandon, I used to believe that

even after falling for Vivian, you'd still harbor some shred of compassion for Millie. How spectacularly wrong I was!" His voice dripped with contempt."You actually allowed Vivian to broadcast her live stream from the very house you once shared with Millie. You couldn't even be bothered to remove your wedding photograph or alter a single piece of decor. Now she's drowning in public ridicule while malicious gossips weave their poisonous theories about you two. Is this the outcome you craved?"

Myron's eyes transformed into dangerous slits as he delivered each word with calculated precision. "If that's your truth, then you've proven yourself to be absolutely..." He paused, savoring each syllable. "A truly despicable excuse for a man!"

His fist cocked back for another devastating blow.

Darden's reflexes kicked in, intercepting the attack.

"Hold on..." His voice trembled with urgency."Brandon had no knowledge of how Vivian infiltrated that house. I'll stake my reputation on that fact.Originally, Vivian was scheduled to film her broadcast

from my residence instead. If you had witnessed the live stream, you would have seen Eugene and me breaking down the door to terminate Vivian's transmission."

Myron's penetrating gaze shifted to Darden, who responded with a solemn nod of confirmation.

Myron's eyes narrowed into calculating slits as contemplation consumed him.

One hand remained trapped in Darden's grip while the other maintained itsstranglehold on Brandon's collar.

Suddenly, his fingers released their hold on the fabric.

Darden's relief lasted mere seconds before Myron's palm clamped around Brandon's jaw with renewed fury.

Brandon's skull then connected with the unforgiving wall, the impact reverberating through the parking structure.

"Stop this!" Darden surged forward again, but Myron's free hand pressed against his chest, holding him at bay.

Myron studied Brandon's battered form with clinical detachment.

"The damage has already carved its path, and Millie bears every scar." His voice turned arctic as he pressed closer. "Tell me this-if Vivian had approached you directly, requesting permission to use your villa for her broadcast, would you have granted her wish?"

Brandon met his gaze, eyes swimming with blood and anguish.

"Give me an answer!" Myron's demand cracked like a whip.

"I would have refused." Brandon's voice emerged as a tortured rasp. "I never intended for her to violate that sacred space with her presence."

The truth was, he'd never permitted Vivian to cross

that threshold-not once.

Years ago, when she'd attempted to deliver flowers to their doorstep, he'd instructed the butler to handle the exchange, barring her from entering their sanctuary.

Millie had declared it their home, and he'd honored that designation with religious devotion.

So when Brandon discovered the butler had mistakenly placed those flowers on their dining table,he immediately hurled them into the garbage,erasing every trace of Vivian's unwelcome intrusion.

"My regret runs deeper than oceans," Brandon whispered.

Tears carved silver tracks down his bloodied cheeks.

During the torturous drive here, the pieces of what had transpired in Crobert during his absence had finally assembled themselves into a devastating picture.

Now he could no longer weave lies to convince

himself that Vivian possessed even a fragment of genuine kindness.

Or perhaps he'd always recognized her true nature but had foolishly believed he could orchestrate every outcome,using self-deception as his shield.

"Don't bind yourself to her through engagement.Don't choose a future with her."

Brandon's plea carried the weight of his shattered soul.

"Myron. Please..." His voice cracked like breaking glass. "Give her back to me."