Jillian stared at him as a cold chill crept deep into her bones.

The man who had once sworn he would marry her was now standing in front of her, deliberately driving each word like a blade into her chest.

Dennis really was despicable. There was no softer way to put it.

Drawing on what little composure she had left, she knocked his outstretched hand aside. "Don't touch me," she said, her voice sharp as her expression hardened.

She turned without hesitation and headed upstairs. This place no longer felt like a home. She needed to leave.

But the moment she pushed open the master bedroom door, she froze. Melany was inside.

So that was the reason Dennis had come back. He had brought her here.

Jillian's eyes swept over Melany, stopping almost instantly at the necklace resting against her collarbone. It was exactly the same as the one Dennis had given her earlier that day.

A hollow, bitter laugh rose in her chest. He really had no shame, giving the same gift to two different women without a second thought.

The faint amusement vanished just as quickly. Her gaze dropped to Melany's hands, and her expression changed abruptly. Her eyes widened with alarm.

"What are you doing with my paper?" she demanded, rushing forward, only to come up short as her fingers closed on empty air.

Melany had already reversed her electric wheelchair, gliding back out of reach with practiced ease. A thin, mocking smile curved her lips. "So you wrote a research paper at fourteen," she said lightly. "And it was handwritten too."

She had studied physics abroad, just like Jillian, which was the only reason she had been able to impersonate the so-called mute girl without being exposed.

But she had chosen the field for appearances, drawn to the prestige rather than the work itself. In truth, she understood very little, and everything she had built rested on a lie. She could not make sense of the paper, but she understood one thing clearly. Dennis could never see it.

Fearing what Melany might do, Jillian forced herself to stay calm. She softened her tone, trying to reason with her. "You already have everything you wanted. That paper is old. It poses no threat to you. Just give it back."

It was the first piece of work her mother had guided her through. It had never been published, but its value to her had nothing to do with recognition. It was the last thing her mother had left behind.

Melany gave a quiet laugh, clearly enjoying herself. "If it means so little, why do you care so much?" she said. "Tell you what. Kneel and beg me. Maybe I'll consider giving it back."

"Don't push me," Jillian said through clenched teeth, her hands curling into fists.

Melany raised a brow, unimpressed. "Not willing to kneel? Then I suppose I'll just burn it." She pulled a lighter from her pocket, flipping it open with deliberate slowness.

"Don't!" Jillian cried out instinctively.

Fire. The memory hit her like a shock. When she was fourteen, she'd been caught in an accidental fire—and the smoke had damaged her throat, leaving her unable to speak.

Even now, the sight of flames made her chest tighten. But losing that paper… losing the last piece of her mother…

"I'll kneel," she said, her voice strained.

The steel pins in her knee made bending painful, each movement slow and deliberate.

She lowered herself gradually, but her attention never left Melany's hands, the paper, the lighter.

Then, in a sudden burst, she moved. She lunged forward, aiming for the paper.

Melany reacted instantly. The wheelchair jerked back with a sharp mechanical sound, putting distance between them in a split second.

"So you really do care about this worthless thing," Melany said, her voice turning cold. "Interesting. I happen to enjoy destroying what matters most to you."

She struck the lighter. The flame flared, catching the edge of the paper almost immediately. With a careless flick, she dropped it to the floor.

Jillian's breath caught as the fire spread, the sight sending a wave of dizziness through her.

The dry pages burned quickly. There was no time to hesitate.

Forcing herself to move despite the fear clawing at her, she rushed forward and stamped at the flames, biting down hard on her lip as panic surged through her.

By the time she put it out, half the pages were already gone, reduced to blackened fragments.

Melany let out a soft, amused laugh. "What a pity. It was almost completely destroyed."

Perhaps it was better this way. Even if Dennis saw it now, there would be nothing left for him to recognize.

Tears blurred Jillian's vision as she carefully gathered the fragile, charred remains. The last thing her mother had left her was ruined.

She wiped her tears roughly and lifted her head. The despair in her eyes faded, replaced by something colder, sharper. "So," she said quietly, "you enjoy destroying my things?"

Before Melany could react, Jillian surged forward, slamming the wheelchair back against the wall and wrenching the lighter from her hand.

She feared fire. But in that moment, anger drowned everything else.

Her hand trembled as she flicked the lighter on again, holding the flame to Melany's carefully styled hair, the same hair she spent so much time and money maintaining.

The ends caught almost at once.

"Help! Dennis, save me!" Trapped against the wall, unable to move, Melany screamed in panic, thrashing helplessly.

The noise brought Dennis running. He took in the scene in an instant, his expression turning dangerously dark. "What are you doing?"

He crossed the room in seconds and shoved Jillian aside. But it was already too late. A large section of Melany's hair had been scorched, leaving behind a burnt, acrid smell.

Melany clung to him, burying her face in his jacket as she sobbed uncontrollably. "She tried to burn me alive! Dennis, she set me on fire. I was terrified."

Jillian let the lighter fall from her hand. It hit the floor with a dull sound. Ignoring them both, she carefully placed the damaged pages into a small box.

When she finally looked up, she met Dennis's gaze. It was cold. Hateful.

She had only ever seen him like this once—when her leg was broken.

Back then, that ice-cold hatred had been aimed at the men who hurt her. Now, he was aiming it at her.

Her chest tightened painfully, as though something inside her was being crushed.

"She burned my things first," Jillian said, her voice flat, her face empty of expression.

But Dennis only frowned at her, as if she were saying something absurd. "Melany is terrified of fire," he said sharply. "How could she have done something like that?"

A hint of amusement slipped into Jillian's tone as she spoke. "You claim she's terrified of fire, yet she carries a lighter?"

With tears gathering in her eyes, Melany lifted her gaze toward him. "Dennis, how could I possibly keep something like that on me? You understand me better than anyone."

In truth, Melany had experienced a fire in her dormitory back in Cletolia shortly before graduation, but the incident had left her voice intact.

After discovering the situation between Dennis and Jillian, she used that past event to pretend to lose her voice so she could take Jillian's place.

To make the deception more believable, she even exposed her vocal cords to thick smoke on purpose and caused damage to them.

Because she knew Jillian had a fear of fire, she carefully mirrored that same fear whenever she was around Dennis.

Every detail had been planned with precision, and the story she built supported her act from every angle.

With everything arranged so perfectly, she was confident that no matter what Jillian said, Dennis would remain on her side.

That thought brought a faint curve to her lips, though it was barely noticeable.

At the same time, Dennis had already reached his own judgment.

To Dennis, Melany's voice had been ruined by an accidental fire, and since that day, she had avoided anything related to flames.

From his perspective, Jillian's claims sounded completely fabricated.

With a dismissive glance in Jillian's direction, he let out a scoff. "It's only a patent. Do you really need to push things this far?"

Upon hearing his response, Melany hid a faint smile at the corner of her lips.

Frustration welled up inside Jillian, and she could no longer hold it back. "So this is what you think of me?"

A colder edge slipped into his voice as Dennis answered, "You would do anything to get what you want. Was that not how you managed to marry me?"

In his mind, their marriage would never have happened if she hadn't influenced his grandfather.

A sharp ache spread through Jillian's chest as she realized how he truly saw her.

Tears gathered in her eyes, yet she forced herself to speak with defiance. "You were the one who promised that you would marry me first!"

Dennis's face hardened. He had only ever said that to Melany.

In a cold tone, he dismissed her claim. "Now you're trying to justify yourself? You're simply imagining things."

Those words hit Jillian so hard that she went completely still. By dismissing everything as her imagination, he erased every moment they had once shared.

When she met his gaze, no words came to her, and silence took over.

Sensing the conversation was moving toward a direction she dreaded, Melany stepped in before things could continue, casually saying that she didn't feel well.

Dennis supported her and led her downstairs so she could rest.

Left alone at last, Jillian lost the strength to remain upright and sank onto the bed.

At first, she meant to gather her belongings before leaving, but in the end, she only took the keepsake her mother had left her and walked away.

Carefully, she arranged the house keys, her bank cards, and the ring on the bedside table, and she left behind a short note.

Early the next morning, a servant rushed to inform Dennis and brought him to the master bedroom, pointing toward the bedside table. "Sir, Mrs. Miller must have left sometime after midnight. These were left behind."

Reaching for the note, Dennis unfolded it and read the message. "Since we are ending this marriage, it's better to part cleanly. I'm returning everything to you."

First she paraded another man to get a rise out of him. That failed, so now she was playing the separation card?

Tightening his grip on the note, Dennis gave nothing away, and his expression remained impossible to read.

Without another glance, he tucked it into a drawer and headed downstairs for breakfast.

By the time he arrived, Melany was already waiting at the dining table.

After the "scare" from the fire the night before, she had stayed overnight at Aurora Mansion instead of leaving.

Taking his seat, Dennis settled across from her in silence.

As if something had just come to mind, Melany looked at him and brought up a request. "Dennis, I heard you have Dr. Hadley's personal contact. Could you introduce me to him?"

A slight crease formed between his brows as he responded, "I'm not particularly close to him."

"Could you at least help me meet him? Dennis, I plan to pursue a doctorate, and I truly want Dr. Hadley to take me under his wing and guide me through my dissertation. I have always looked up to him!" Melany spoke in a gentle, pleading tone that carried a hint of insistence.

In reality, she didn't admire Dr. Hadley at all.

What she really wanted was to take advantage of his name, because his reputation would keep anyone from doubting her academic credentials.

With an air of indifference, Dennis gave a casual reply. "I'll let my assistant handle it and get in touch."

At one point, the Miller Group tried to bring Dr. Hadley in as their technical advisor. However, he turned them down without even showing up, and he only left behind a number they could contact.

According to what people said, Dr. Hadley was already in his fifties or sixties, and his personality leaned toward being traditional and inflexible.

**

Following her departure from Aurora Mansion, Jillian checked into a hotel for the time being.

Most days found herself at the law firm, and she focused on reaching out to witnesses while also arranging important communication records.

Outside of work, she spent her remaining hours searching for a place that would suit her needs.

On one particular day, she decided to dine at Crown Restaurant.

As she waited for her order to arrive, she signed in to Dr. Hadley's email account.

Handling technical inquiries through that email had become part of her routine.

After replying to several messages, her attention was caught by one sent by the Miller Group two days earlier.

"Dr. Hadley, our CEO, Mr. Miller, hopes to invite you to a dinner held in your honor. He wishes to personally thank you for the support you have given the Group throughout the years. We would like to ask if you might have time available in the near future."

Throughout these years, she placed the Miller Group's technical concerns first, and she assisted them through email whenever she could.

So now Dennis intended to thank her for that?

Earlier, Leland had urged her to handle everything in private, since reclaiming the patent remained her main priority.

Taking the matter to court would only drag things out and waste time.

Even before this, Jillian had already intended to meet Dennis, and now it was a good chance to do that.

Without hesitation, she sent a quick reply. "I'm free, so please let me know the time and location."

Not long after, a message came through. "Crown Restaurant, tonight at seven. Will that suit your schedule?"

By coincidence, she was already dining at that place, so she answered at once, "That works for me."

A moment later, the private room number was sent over.

Since there was still time left, she reached out to Leland and asked him to come along as her lawyer.

As she waited, she returned to her emails and continued working through them.

At the same time, Dennis had already booked the most extravagant private room at Crown Restaurant, and he made sure everything was arranged to leave a strong impression.

Soon, a knock sounded at the door.

Filled with anticipation, Melany pushed herself toward the entrance. "That should be Dr. Hadley."

The door opened wide, yet the person who stepped inside was not the guest they had been waiting for, but Jillian, accompanied by Leland.

As soon as Dennis noticed the man beside her, his expression tightened with clear irritation.

For a brief second, Melany froze and leaned forward to check the hallway behind Jillian, only to find it empty. Then she turned her attention back to Leland, confusion evident on her face. "Jillian, why are you here? And who exactly is he?"

Instead of answering, Jillian ignored her completely and walked over to the table before settling into the vacant seat beside Dennis as if she belonged there.

Watching this, Melany's face grew visibly more severe. "This dinner means a great deal to me. Dr. Hadley is about to arrive, and Dennis made special arrangements for this meeting. Would you mind leaving?"

Desperation crept into her tone as she glanced at Dennis. "Dennis, please ask her to go. I'm still shaken from what she did to my hair. If she says anything inappropriate in front of Dr. Hadley, it could damage my future in academia."

A sharp and humorless laugh slipped from Jillian. "You were the one who invited me, and now you expect me to leave?"

A sharp edge crept into Melany's voice as it rose. "We invited you? Are you so jealous of Dennis introducing me to Dr. Hadley that you have to lie just to stay? Do you even understand who Dr. Hadley is? Someone like you could never work your way into his circle. Leave now and spare us the embarrassment. If you behave, I might even speak on your behalf once I earn his approval."

Only then did Leland shift his focus to her, and his tone carried open disdain. "Do you even have any idea who Jillian is?"

With a mocking smile, Melany replied, "She's just a minor researcher from the Miller Group. Oh, right. I nearly forgot. You were already dismissed. That makes you nothing now."

Turning her head at a measured pace, Jillian faced her with a chilling smile. "If I'm nothing, then what does that make you? Someone who steals?"

Melany faltered. However, when she noticed the shadow forming on Dennis's face, she chose to press further. "Jillian, he's quite eager to defend you. Who is he supposed to be? Your new man?"

An oppressive silence filled the room as Dennis remained quiet, yet the tension around him grew heavier.

Just as Jillian was about to respond, he rose from his seat without warning. Before she could pull away, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the room.

Leland tried to step in and stop them, but Dennis moved far too quickly, and his grasp met nothing but air.

Frustration set in as Leland clenched his jaw, and a dull ache spread through his chest.

Believing Dennis was about to confront Jillian harshly, Melany allowed a satisfied smile to appear in her eyes.

Paying no attention to Jillian's resistance, Dennis kicked open the door of a nearby empty private room, pulled her inside, and slammed the door shut before pressing her firmly against it.

A dangerous intensity filled his voice as he spoke. "The same man again? Jillian, do you really think I would tolerate this?" Standing over her, the coldness in his gaze felt sharp enough to chill her to the core.

Even though she could not escape, Jillian refused to back down and met his stare without hesitation. "So you're jealous? What's this supposed to mean? Have you actually fallen for me?"

"I might care about someone else, but it would never be you." As Dennis spoke, his hand lifted and his thumb brushed harshly across her lower lip.

In his mind, she had always been calculating and merciless. Back then, his grandfather had even threatened his own life just to force Dennis into marrying her.

A sharp pain tore through Melany's chest as his words struck deep. Air seemed to vanish from her lungs, leaving her momentarily breathless. All along, Dennis's heart had belonged to Melany, the girl from his past. By even asking that question, she had only made a fool of herself.

With a chilling edge in his voice, Dennis said, "As long as you still carry the title of my wife, you will know how to act."

Refusing to yield, Jillian forced down the ache and knocked his hand away. "I don't belong to you," she said firmly. "His name is Leland Wilson. He's my lawyer. Do you understand?"

"A lawyer? You expect him to take on your divorce?" Dennis's voice dropped further. "Are you sure he even has the nerve to accept it?"

That confidence came from the overwhelming power he held, backed by both wealth and influence.

"He's not handling the divorce. He's representing me in the patent dispute. As for everything between us, we'll deal with it piece by piece," Jillian answered without hesitation.

A deeper frown formed on his face, and anger simmered beneath his words. "You're still refusing to let this go? If you push this to court, you'll only embarrass yourself in front of everyone again."

Although another wave of pain hit her, she remained steady and unshaken. "That work belongs to me, and I'm taking it back. This time, I'm not stepping aside."

A dangerous shadow settled over Dennis's gaze as he spoke. "If you want him completely cut off from the legal field, then go ahead and test me."

Shock flickered across Jillian's face, and her eyes narrowed. "Is intimidation the only method you know?"

With a cold and detached tone, he answered, "I don't threaten. I give orders. From this moment on, you will remain at Aurora Mansion. You're not allowed to meet anyone."

Anger surged within her, burning through her chest. "What makes you think you can control me? And for your information, I've already moved out."

Closing the distance between them, he leaned in, his presence pressing down on her. "You're still my wife. Where do you think you're going?"

"That won't be true for long. I've already returned the house keys, the bank cards, and even the ring." Unfazed, she met his eyes directly.

A flicker of irritation crossed his face as he responded, "So when pleading for a divorce fails, you switch to this separation act? How many times are you going to keep up these ridiculous tricks?"

For a few seconds, Jillian held his gaze in silence before finally speaking. Her voice came out calm and steady. "Dennis, I'm not playing games."