?Chapter 1410:


    He was leaving because this wasn’t a prison. The Swain vicked true freedom, but it offeredfort. Harlee had what she needed—food, drink, and a roof over her head. That was why he could afford to let her stay while he worked to uncover the secrets. Still, his mind was never far from her safety. So, while he yed along with her n, he had to ensure N had no chance of returning to Baythorn. Time was of the essence.


    As Harlee watched him leave, a quiet smile tugged at her lips. She pulled the nket tighter around her, allowing the soft pull of sleep to take over. It wasn’t that she was unconcerned—it was just that the pregnancy had made her especially drowsytely.


    Meanwhile, in the reception room, Lucius and Nathaniel had only been conversing for half an hour, but the tension between them had already erupted into a storm of shouting and cursing.


    Nathaniel, his face contorted in rage, picked up his cane and deliberately smashed Lucius’ prized teacup to the floor.


    “Lucius, wake up from your delusions! If Nic had wanted to marry you, she would have done it ages ago. Haven’t you figured it out yet? While you thought she was missing, she was still in contact with us. She’s been ignoring you just to spare you some embarrassment!”


    Lucius clenched his jaw, his teeth grinding together. He wanted to snap back, to retort with something sharp, but Nathaniel’s words cut through the air like a dagger. The truth unraveled in front of him—Nic’s death had never been tied to Nathaniel. In fact, Nic had merely taken a journey around the world, something…


    She had chosen her own path. Nic had even sent postcards and small gifts from each ce she visited. The photo tucked in Nathaniel’s wallet? That was one of the postcards Nic had sent during her travels.


    All the magic begins at g?lnσν???s


    The moment Lucius learned the truth, it was as though a thousand des were slicing at his heart. The woman he had loved with all his being, the one who had consumed his every thought, had orchestrated an borate ruse just to escape him. Her scheme wasn’t designed to hurt him. It was simply meant to make him give uppletely.


    In that instant, it felt as if the weight of the world hade crashing down on Lucius. He had been tricked, deceived by everyone around him—like a fool strung along by his own trust. A tidal wave of hatred surged through him, not just aimed at Nathaniel, but at Nic and the entire Sanderson family. Why? Why had they trampled on his feelings like that? Why had they kept the truth from him—just from him?


    Lucius’ fists clenched tightly, mming down on the table with a force that made the air between them tremble. His gaze locked onto Nathaniel, his eyes burning with raw resentment, palpable and fierce, like a predator stalking its prey.


    Nathaniel noticed the shift in Lucius, his face stiffening as he narrowed his eyes slightly. His gaze cut through Lucius with a sharpness, as if reading a book of secrets Lucius wasn’t prepared to have exposed.


    But Lucius, ever the master of control, quickly swallowed his emotions, hiding them behind a carefully crafted smile—a smile he had worn so many times before that it had be second nature. He wouldn’t give Nathaniel the satisfaction of seeing his pain, or worse—letting Nathanielugh at him. He couldn’t afford that. Not now. It was far too embarrassing to admit that he had sought revenge on the wrong target. So, no, he wouldn’t reveal any of it. Thankfully, only Harlee knew part of his n, and he could still pretend as if nothing had ever happened.


    Lucius spoke in a low voice, “With today’s technology, you can Photoshop anything. Nathaniel, what evidence do you have that Nic didn’t like me but liked you more? You even married another woman. Ha-ha…”


    Nathaniel’s expression grew more intense upon hearing this.


    “Yeah, I know what it’s like to suffer from unrequited love. But I knew when to let go. I didn’t try to manipte her with threats of death. Nic was willing to be honest with me, but not with you. She even went to the lengths of creating a perfect lie. Do you know why? Because you emotionally ckmailed her. You pushed her to the edge, and in her desperation, she came to me to sort things out.”


    The sneer on Nathaniel’s face was unmistakable. If not for saving Harlee, he wouldn’t have wasted a single breath on a man as radical and repulsive as Lucius.


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