?Chapter 321:


    Eileen held her coat over her arm and stood near the driver’s side door. After taking a couple of steps toward Bryan, she noticed the strong scent of alcohol. His eyes were watery, with red corners, indicating he had been drinking heavily.


    She pressed her lips together without saying anything. Bryan shifted slightly, moving away from her car to avoid blocking the way.


    “If it’s inconvenient, that’s fine. I can take a cab,” he said.


    The wind pulled his crisp white shirt snug against his frame, entuating his sturdy waistline.


    After a brief pause, Eileen took a deep breath and said, “Get in the car.”


    They found themselves in a delicate situation—moving forward seemed inappropriate, yet stepping back was the thing neither of them wanted.


    Despite this, Bryan had remainedposed and hadn’t insisted, which touched Eileen deeply.


    Eileen entered the car and fastened her seatbelt. Bryan followed suit. The confined space of the car was filled with Bryan’s scent, overwhelming Eileen and unsettling her thoughts.


    Struggling to maintain herposure, Eileen started the engine, and the car seamlessly merged into the highway.


    After a while, she realized she hadn’t asked where Bryan lived. Just as she was about to ask him, she noticed he had already fallen asleep.


    The neon lights reflected on him, entuating his finely chiseled features.


    Ga ln ovels . fuels your imagination


    The white shirt he wore took on a reddish hue as the car moved forward, bathed in the glow of the neon lights.


    His well-defined hand supported his head, and his forearm, with its sleeves rolled up, was clearly visible.


    Eileen noticed that this was a shirt she had picked out for him a few years ago. Considering how often he changed clothes, this shirt should have been discarded long ago.


    Yet here it was, still perfectly intact and being worn by him.


    After a considerable time, Eileen sighed deeply, parked the car, and texted Phoebe, requesting her to inquire with Jacob about where Bryan currently lived.


    However, Jacob was clueless about that, too.


    Phoebe replied, “Why don’t you bring him over to my ce?”


    “Alright,” Eileen replied, eager to return home but unable to abandon Bryan alone.


    She drove directly to Jacob’s house, finding Jacob and Phoebe waiting at the door.


    Jacob couldn’t manage to move the heavily intoxicated Bryan alone, so Eileen helped carry him into the room.


    As theyid him down on the bed, Eileen, exhausted, unintentionally fell into it as well.


    Bryan wrapped his arm around her waist, hindering her movement. She grimaced and attempted to push him away, but he held on more firmly.


    He murmured softly, “There’s nothing we can do about this, Eileen. You’ll have to deal with this on your own. We’ll wait outside.” Jacob said, guiding the pregnant Phoebe out of the room with him.


    Bryan’s warm breath tickled Eileen’s ear, prating her shirt and warming her skin.


    Eileen tilted her head to look at him. His brows were knitted, his eyes closed. He was clearly still asleep, murmuring in his sleep.


    “Let go,” Eileen said icily, tightening her grip on his wrist. She exerted all her strength, but it only made him clutch her tighter, pulling her into his embrace.


    The intimacy filled Eileen with both shame and anger. In an icy tone, she said, “I told you to let go.”


    After a pause, Bryan’s eyes fluttered open, revealing a narrow slit through which his dark pupils mirrored her enraged expression.


    Suddenly, Eileen sensed his grasp loosening, and she swiftly freed herself, standing up and leaving the room.


    In the living room, Jacob was slicing fruit for Phoebe. He was taken aback by Eileen’s swift exit. “You left the room so fast. Maybe Bryan should see a doctor.”


    “Shut up,” Phoebe scolded him, then rose and looked at Eileen. “I’ve been on bed resttely. I knew you returned but couldn’t visit. I’d been hoping you’d stop by, but I didn’t expect it to turn out like this.”


    “I’lle visit you when I have free time,” Eileen replied, noticing her swollen belly. Arching an eyebrow, she queried, “Twins?”


    Jacob chimed in, “Nah, I’m not that impressive.”


    Despite Jacob’s usual humor, Eileen’s mood stayed somber.


    “It’ste. Let’s catch up another time. I should head back before Gabri starts getting restless,” Eileen said, waving off Phoebe’s offer to see her out, and drove home.


    The night reflected her gloomy mood.


    The next morning, Jacob entered the guest room to find Bryan perched on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees, seemingly mulling over the events of the previous night.


    Upon hearing the door creak open, he didn’t turn around.


    “I thought you got sloshed on purpose, hoping Eileen would end up chauffeuring you home,” Jacob teased, recalling finding Bryan asleep after Eileen had left the night before.


    Bryan took a deep breath. “I did get hammered on purpose!”


    Eileen knew him well enough to recognize when he was genuinely intoxicated. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have seamlessly slipped into her carst night.


    “You still love her, right? Where’s that determination you had when you chased her all the way to West Land?” Jacob said, feeling sorry for Bryan and silently ming Eileen.


    “Does he have the audacity to pursue her?” Phoebe said calmly. “Are you truly unaware of how the Dawson family treated Eileen? It sounds like you’re already aware of the agreement between Eileen and your grandmother, isn’t that right?”


    If that weren’t true, Bryan would have undoubtedly despised Eileen to the core by now.


    Jacob was very upset, never finding peace since the incident, always wanting to know the truth.


    He rushed over to Bryan, saying, “Please, I’m begging you. Just tell me what happened. If you know it wasn’t Eileen’s fault and that she was treated unfairly by your grandmother, why haven’t you exined things to her and asked for her forgiveness?”


    While Eileen’s secrecy about their seven-year marriage was a mistake on her part, she had been forced into it.


    This incident shouldn’t stand as an insurmountable barrier to their profound love.


    Jacob couldn’t understand what else could be contributing to their situation.


    “Grandma nned it all. She wrongly med Eileen and only told me and her the truthter,” Bryan said.


    At first, Ste’s n had been for Eileen to seamlessly marry into the Dawson family. Bryan’s position would be solid once Eileen bore a child.


    However, she had soon realized that Brandon and others’ schemes could leave Eileen vulnerable.


    Ste worried that if Eileen joined the family and became pregnant, she might not be able to protect Eileen from harm.


    What if something happened during pregnancy or childbirth? How would Eileen manage if something bad happened?


    After careful consideration, Ste had resolved to keep them apart.


    Her n had been for Bryan to face Brandon’s pressures alone. Whether Eileen and Bryan could reunite in the future would be left to fate.


    But Ste hadn’t anticipated that Bryan would struggle so much with Eileen leaving him.


    So, at the hospital, she had sent a message to Eileen exining the situation, hoping that Eileen would understand her intentions.


    Ste had urged Eileen to maintain distance from Bryan for now, allowing their emotions to resolve in due time.


    Eileen had responded with a single sentence:


    “From now on, I have no ties with the Dawson family.”


    Ste had shown Bryan her text messages with Eileen.


    Whether Eileen wasplying or genuinely severing ties, Ste’s actions had caused Eileen deep hurt.


    Bryan didn’t want to force Eileen and didn’t feel he had the right to ask her toe back to him.


    “That’s Eileen’s problem. Since she knows it was Ste’s strategy, she should cooperate and return to you when needed,” Jacob said without hesitation.


    Phoebe pped him on the back of the head. “Say that about Eileen again, and I’ll p you again. If Bryan hadn’t struggled, would Ste have revealed the truth to him? Eileen was treated like a pawn. She used to have such trust in Ste. Ste imed to be concerned for her, but what was the reality? Eileen was deeply hurt even before Brandon could do anything. How could she possibly forgive that?”


    Jacob crouched in a corner, holding his head as he looked at Bryan. “Phoebe is right. This is a dilemma.”


    “Bryan, don’t tell me you don’t me Ste,” Phoebe said. “You truly care for Eileen, but to Ste, any woman willing to marry you and bear children would suffice! No matter the risks, Ste would protect you and discard Eileen without a second thought. That’s the reality! In such circumstances, who wouldn’t want to escape your family’s fiery pit?”


    “I can protect her!” Bryan said with conviction.


    “You can protect her?” Phoebe chuckled softly. “Who was the one who lostposure upon seeing that agreement? Can you honestly im you believed her then? Do you understand her grievances?”


    Who couldprehend the frustration and heartbreak of Eileen at that time?


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