Connor saved the photo he had just taken on his phone and said flatly, “Grandma wants to see this.”
Marissa’s lips twitched. He was using his grandmother to manipulate her again. Typical! Annoyed by his excuse but unable to challenge him directly, she glared silently. The two of them fell into silence; Marissa stared out the window while Connor fiddled with his phone. With her back to him, she didn’t see him placing two photos side by side and scrutinizing them intently. One photo was of Riss, taken during Caylee’s emergency surgery in the operating room. The other was of Marissa, which Connor had just captured
Ever since he met Riss yesterday, Connor had felt that she seemed familiar. Reflecting on it later, he noticed that Riss’s profile resembled Marissa’s. Yesterday, Riss had been wearing a white cap and mask, with her eyes as the only visible feature. The photo he had taken of Marissa was a profile shot, showing her looking downward. Still, he couldn’t shake the resemblance between Riss and Marissa. Both appeared young and quiet, seemingly innocent yet subtly defiant. To confirm his suspicion, he had come to see Marissa today and secretly captured her profile
The two photographs were placed side by side. After comparing them carefully, Connor deduced that Riss and Marissa’s eyes bore a striking resemblance. However, he knew he couldn’t definitively say Riss was Marissa just from their eyes. To be certain, he would need front-facing photographs of their eyes, which he didn’t have of Riss. He then glanced at the girl next to him
She was quietly gazing out the window at the street view and remained unaware of his actions. Her father was Brian, a medical genius. It wasn’t far-fetched that she could be born with special talent and be the young and distinguished Dr. Riss. If she really was Riss, Connor was intrigued by how she transitioned from a village girl to a renowned doctor
An hour later, they reached the courthouse and proceeded to the mediation room for their divorce mediation. The mediator, a woman in her fifties, greeted them with a smile, her experience evident. Rumor had it she was one of the best, having reconciled thousands of couples. Unfortunately, today she met Marissa and found herself quite frustrated. Despite the mediator’s efforts to counsel them, whenever Marissa was asked if she still wanted a divorce, her response was consistently, “I want the divorce.”
Connor remained silent throughout. Eventually, the mediator realized that Marissa was determined to divorce, while Connor seemed interested in salvaging the marriage
So the mediator asked Marissa, “Ma’am, your husband seems to be a fine man. He’s young, attractive, and wealthy. Why would you want to divorce such an ideal partner?”
Eager to end the tormenting mediation process, Marissa blurted out unexpectedly, “He’s having an affair.” As soon as she finished her words, Connor shot her a sharp look, his eyes narrowing. He couldn’t believe she had actually said that. Although she could sense his piercing stare, she avoided eye contact
The mediator seemed to be suddenly enlightened. She began to criticize Connor from various aspects, including legal, moral, societal, and ethical grounds. Connor was forced to endure the lecture, likely feeling more downcast than he had ever felt in his life. His expression darkened, and Marissa had to stifle a laugh
Just as Connor’s patience was wearing thin, the mediator continued, “Young man, whether your wife proceeds with the divorce or not, you owe her an apology. Please apologize to her sincerely now.”
As Connor was on the verge of losing his temper, Marissa said something astonishing again
“I’m having an affair too. I’ve even given birth to two illegitimate children,” Marissa blurted out
The statement stunned both the mediator and Connor, silencing the room. After a moment, the mediator regained her composure, slammed her pen down on the table, and declared, “The mediation is over!”
Marissa and Connor both stood and left the mediation room. As they exited the courthouse, Connor turned to Marissa with a hint of sarcasm. “Two illegitimate children?”
“Yes. They’re a pigeon pair,” Marissa replied
“Why do you ask so many questions? It’s certainly not you!” Marissa retorted sharply, then continued on her way
“And who is the father?” Connor asked as he hailed a taxi and departed. Connor watched the taxi pull away, feeling an inexplicable pang of jealousy, even though he suspected she was lying about the twins
Marissa was unconcerned with Connor’s feelings. She felt a sense of satisfaction having irritated him, and with the divorce mediation now behind her, she was in high spirits. After grabbing lunch, she headed back to the hospital. Leila was still in the hospital room. Upon seeing Marissa, she greeted her with a bright smile. “You’re back, Tiffany.”
Marissa nodded and asked, “Have you had lunch?”
“Yes,” Leila replied. Then, checking to ensure no one was eavesdropping, she leaned in and whispered, “Tiffany, Mr. Connor Daniels seems to be treating you better than before.”
Marissa simply raised an eyebrow, choosing to remain silent on the matter. Leila continued, “Every time he saw you before, he always looked so cold. If you even brushed against his clothes, he’d snap at you without a second thought. But today, he stepped in and protected you. He even held your hand. That’s quite a shift.”
Marissa listened quietly, recalling details from Tiffany’s diaries. Although Tiffany didn’t mention Connor much, she emphasized that he was her last hope to escape her fate and that she needed to hold on to him. She didn’t seem to harbor any affection for Connor but rather saw him as a means to escape her nightmare. So, she didn’t care much about Connor’s cold and disdainful attitude toward her. It indicated that Tiffany’s decision to flee from the wedding wasn’t because of any feelings toward him
In the subsequent days, Marissa stayed in the hospital to look after Caylee, closely monitoring her condition to determine the right time for surgery. At the same time, she faced her own challenge-an increasing difficulty in sleeping. By the eighth day, the Serene Rest Pill had completely lost its effect, plunging her into relentless insomnia. After a few more restless nights, Marissa felt like she was on the verge of collapse
Her insomnia was peculiar. Conventional sleeping pills had no effect. Only her specially formulated pills provided any relief, and she worried she might not survive until her next batch arrived. As she contemplated drastic measures to get some rest, like knocking herself out, a message from Arabella popped up. “Sweetie, I know you’re busy taking care of your mother. But can you come back to have dinner with me?” It had been two weeks since she’d seen Arabella. Marissa responded immediately, “Okay, Grandma. I’ll come back now.”
After that, Marissa mustered her strength and went to the Daniels Manor. Connor was not at home, so she shared the meal solely with Arabella. Shortly after they finished, Arabella retired for the evening. At that point, Marissa felt utterly drained. Her body desperately needed rest, but sleep eluded her. Plagued by a splitting headache and growing irritability, she was concerned that her restlessness might disturb Arabella. Just as she decided to leave, she encountered Connor returning home. He asked gently, “Where’s Grandma?”
“She’s gone to bed,” Marissa answered
“I’m going to see her now and will talk to you later,” Connor said as he passed by. As Marissa caught a whiff of Connor’s scent, it strangely soothed her like an oasis to a wanderer in the desert. Overcome by an unexpected drowsiness, she followed him, inhaling deeply. To her astonishment, his presence seemed to have a hypnotic effect on her. After a few breaths, she found herself yawning uncontrollably. Oh, God! His scent seemed to magically lull her to sleep
Connor’s scent had a hypnotic effect on Marissa, defying any logical explanation. At that moment, she could only think of him as a powerful magnet, pulling her in his direction. She followed him intently, unable to look away. Trailing behind Connor, Domenic, Marc, and Terry became instantly alert, interpreting Marissa’s behavior as potentially improper or driven by ulterior motives
As they entered the living room, Terry, who held grudges against Marissa, noticed her moving closer to Connor. Acting swiftly, he coughed loudly and positioned himself between them
Frustrated and irritable, Marissa raised her foot as if to kick him aside. Hearing the disturbance, Connor turned around and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Noticing Marissa’s intense gaze, which was uncharacteristic of her, Connor felt a rush of embarrassment, his ears turning red. He was confused by her sudden change in behavior. With Terry standing in the way, Marissa’s direct exposure to Connor’s scent lessened. Her sleepiness began to fade, and she slowly regained her composure. She instantly felt embarrassed about her earlier actions, her cheeks flushed
“Do you have something to tell me?” Connor asked. Marissa shook her head decisively. “No, I’m leaving,” she declared, and quickly left the room. Connor watched her leave, a hint of disappointment crossing his features. He then turned to Terry with a cold expression and inquired, “Why were you standing in front of her?”
Terry, still agitated, responded, “Mr. Daniels, didn’t you see how she was looking at you? She had an inappropriate intention, I’m certain. If I hadn’t intervened, she might have done something rash.”
Marc, noticing that Connor’s face had darkened, nudged Terry to stop him from talking, but Terry continued, “Mr. Daniels, be careful with that village girl. She might overstep boundaries. You should be wary of her!”
Turning around, Connor curtly told Terry, “Mind your own business.” He then headed upstairs. Feeling slighted, Terry turned to Domenic and Marc once Connor had left. “I was just trying to look out for Mr. Daniels, and I got scolded. Did I do something wrong?”
Both Domenic and Marc were at a loss for words. Terry, though skilled in fighting, often lacked tact in social situations, and they struggled to explain this to him. Finally, Marc offered some advice. “From now on, maybe it’s best not to comment on that village girl.”
“No way!” Terry exclaimed, his frustration evident. “She’s ignorant, ill-educated, willful, and arrogant. She doesn’t deserve Mr. Daniels. I have to keep an eye on him and can’t let her take advantage of him. Otherwise, he might suffer greatly. I think Dr. Riss is a far better match for Mr. Daniels. I really hope they meet soon. Then that village girl won’t stand a chance.”
Domenic and Marc chose not to respond to Terry’s remarks, though privately, they also thought Riss might be more compatible with Connor
Meanwhile, Marissa, having stormed out of the building, felt the cool night air whip around her, bringing her back to her senses. Yet, at the same time, a splitting headache set in, and her irritability reached a breaking point. She knew she needed to sleep soon or risk a serious breakdown. As she glanced back at the brightly lit building, thoughts of Connor’s soothing scent lingered in her mind, stirring a restless desire within her. His presence had been unexpectedly calming, like a natural sedative. Now, she found herself wondering how she could possibly keep that sense of peace with her. What should she do?
As time passed, Marissa felt increasingly restless. All she wanted now was a good night’s sleep; nothing else seemed appealing, nor could any moral considerations hold her back. She wanted to embrace Connor, her natural source of peace, but as Marissa, she couldn’t. So she contemplated using another identity, someone who could naturally hold him without any sense of embarrassment or complication
After some thought, she texted Ferris, saying, “You mentioned before that if I could cure Connor’s brother’s legs, Connor would even consider marrying me, right?”
Ferris responded, “Yes, I did say that. Why do you ask now?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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