Chapter 125

Millie's face lingered in Brandon's thoughts.

He remembered that day at the hospital, the white bandage wrapped around her head.

"At least her injuries weren't serious..." he whispered,relief in his voice.

Not everything was lost; if he explained things properly to her later on... Maybe she would find it in her heart to forgive him.

But Alexia was having none of it.

"Wasn't serious? Are you kidding me? You pushed her, did you forget?" Alexia stormed toward Brandon,ready to lash out. "Do you even realize that she-"

"Alexia!" Giffard caught her by the arm and pulled her back.

That only fueled Alexia's anger."So you're defending him now?"

Her mind kept flashing back to Millie, lying there,blood everywhere.

"How could you? You know as well as I do just how Millie has been getting by lately..." Alexia's eyes welled up, her words shaky.

Giffard answered with a slow shake of his head,quietly stopping her from continuing.

Brandon, lost in his own world, didn't even hear them talking. His attention was glued to Millie, just as she came out of an office nearby.

A warning came from Lynda. "They're still searching for you,so stay alert."

Millie managed a quiet response. "I will.ljust-"

At that moment, Brandon stepped up beside them.

"We need to talk." His eyes were rimmed red as he grabbed Millie's wrist tightly.

Lynda sized up the situation, glancing between Brandon and Millie with concern.

She was ready to step in if Millie said no.

Before Millie could answer, Brandon added, "I mean about the 9 a.m. tomorrow."

Millie had just gotten the full story from Alexia and Lynda.

At first, she believed there was nothing left for her and Brandon to discuss. Then he mentioned the"9a.m." matter. That was the time they had set to.collect their divorce decree.

Her right hand balled into a fist, but eventually, Millie gave a nod.

"Alright," she said.

With everything going on, she realized that if they didn't clear things up now, she might not get the divorce decree tomorrow.

Brandon offered a suggestion. "My car is parked outside. Let's have our talk there."

Without hesitation, Millie nodded.

Being at the police station gave her confidence that nothing would go wrong.

She flashed a small smile to Lynda and gave her a nod before heading out with Brandon.

Behind them,Alexia was filled with worry.

She turned to her brother. "Giffard, do you think Brandon will hurt Millie?"

He waved her concerns away. "This is the police station. Brandon isn't about to do anything rash."

That made sense.

Relief washed over Alexia, but she shot Giffard an annoyed look. "Why did you stop me earlier? Did Brandon even understand what was going on?|could wring his neck!"

With a sigh, Giffard met his sister's glare. "If you'd kept talking, you would have brought up Millie's

miscarriage. Millie wants out of the marriage now. If Brandon finds out about that, do you really think they'll still peacefully go through with the divorce tomorrow?"

Alexia frowned, not convinced. "He's crazy about Vivian, always taking her side. Would he even care about Millie's loss?"

Giffard shook his head slowly. "I doubt it."

That left Aexia staring at him, waiting for more.

Giffard simply shrugged and kept his thoughts to himself.

"Anyway, there's no need to make things harder than they are," he remarked.

Alexia gave a nod. "You're right about that."

Raising her head, she watched as Millie and Brandon moved farther away.

"I just can't help feeling bad for Millie," she whispered. "Seven years was no short time."

Giffard nodded along. Yes, how many stretches of seven years did a person really get?

...

Meanwhile,Millie followed Brandon out the door.

His car waited by the entrance to the police station.

Tall trees and a patchwork of moonlight made the night feel especially cool.

A gentle breeze rustled through, sending loose strands of Millie's hair fluttering.

Brandon glanced over at her, memories flashing back to that evening at Moonlit Estate when she seemed so small and fragile.

He reached out, meaning to neaten her hair, but she stepped back with a guarded look.

"There's hair out of place," Brandon remarked,a frown creasing his brow.

At what point had she grown so wary of him?

"I'll take care of it," Millie replied, smoothing her hair on her own.

They continued to the car, and Brandon held the door open for her to get in first.

Once inside, both chose the back seat, and an uneasy quiet settled between them.

Streetlights glimmered beyond the windows, and the woods outside sat in hushed darkness.

Neither of them said a word.

Seconds slipped by in silence.

Brandon finally broke it after a while.

" know," he retorted, his gaze fixed on the dark woods ahead. "I know about your car accident."

Millie offered a quiet nod."Alright."

"Back at the stair well that day, I swear I never meant for things to turn out the way they did," said Brandon. He wasn't sure if saying it would matter now, but he couldn't stay silent. "Everything was a mess. I was trying to hold Alexia back, stop her from swinging, and pull her away from Vivian, but they kept thrashing around. They wouldn't stop. I had to push harder just to keep them apart. Then... I don't even know how it happened. Somewhere in the middle of it all, I shoved you. I reached out, I really did, but it all happened too fast. And then you were falling."

He kept his eyes trained on the trees outside, unable to look at Millie.

He had no idea how she would take this, but he felt.he owed her an explanation.

Millie listened quietly and only replied, "Alright."

The silence between them returned.

What Brandon couldn't see was the way Milie's hands curled into tight fists, her fingers pressing so hard into her palms that it hurt.

She focused on keeping her face calm,forcing her thoughts away from the baby she'd lost and those long,bitter days after that.

Her mind kept repeating that everything was finished now, that she would pull through, that better days were ahead. At least she had Ari now, and the two of them could find happiness.

If she stayed strong, got the divorce decree, won the championship at Heavenly Melody, and sorted out the contract with Brandon to bring back the loyal team that had once worked for the Bennett family...everything would be alright. She would make things right.

Even after losing two children, Ari was still by her side.

A few more moments passed before Brandon spoke up again. "How's your injury?"

At last, Brandon turned to face her.

It hit him then-Millie still hadn't put the weight back on.

From where he sat, he could make out the sharp line of her collarbone, the dip at the center of her chest,and the delicate limbs that seemed almost too light for the rest of her.

"It's healed," said Millie.

Brandon gave a quiet nod. "That's good to hear."

He hesitated, and then added, "I should've come to see you at the hospital. I didn't."

Millie said nothing.

"Do you... hold it against me?" he asked, eyes downcast, watching her out of the corner of his eye.