Her Patient Confessed His Love in their Secret Therapy Sessions

“Dr. Burnell, your livein treatment contract with Sir Stuart only has half a month left. Will you be renewing as usual?”

Stuart Huggett’s assistant called, the question phrased routinely, yet his tone carried a certainty—as if he already knew she would agree.

On the other end of the line, Michelle Burnell sat in silence, her eyes fixed on the resignation letter glowing faintly on her computer screen.

Five years’ worth of memories as Stuart’s private psychologist rose unbidden, crowding her mind.

At last, she closed her eyes. In a steady voice, she said quietly, “No. I won’t be renewing.”

There was a pause until the assistant asked cautiously, “Is this because of Miss Janet, Doctor? Please don’t worry. Even though Sir Stuart is about to marry her, your official identity is still only that of his ‘personal assistant.’ Miss Janet shouldn’t give you any trouble.”

A small, selfdeprecating laugh escaped Michelle. She repeated her decision with calm finality, and then she hung up.

What a coincidence. In just half a month, their contract would end, and Stuart would marry Janet Brewsters.

That fiveyear illusion of a rescue she had carried alone was at last coming to its end.

Perhaps, she ought to feel happy for him. After all, Janet was his first love.

But no matter how Michelle tried, she couldn’t forget what he had been five years ago—shattered and selfdestructive after Janet betrayed him with his own brother.

At the time, Michelle was at the peak of her career, her name rising prominently in the field of psychology.

When Berenice, his mother, approached her, she had every intention of refusing.

But then, she caught sight of Stuart’s photograph in the case file.

That reminded her of when she was seventeen. One night, she had been thrown out of her home, drenched by rain, and abandoned on the roadside. A stranger had walked by, lifted an umbrella, and shielded her from the storm. That blurred face in the rain gradually overlapped with the one in Stuart's photo.

Seeing how the boy from her past had fallen into such despair and hearing his mother’s desperate pleas, Michelle eventually gave in.

Only, it turned out Stuart had long since forgotten her.

He pushed her away, resisted every attempt she made to help him, and decided she was nothing more than a hypocrite—a socalled saint paid to spy on him.

Michelle never argued back. Instead, she reached for the blade when he cut his skin, persisted when he starved himself of food and water, and stayed by his side when his nights were restless, coaxing him until he slept. Day after day, year after year, she helped him without complaint.

By the fourth year, his condition finally stabilized. She proposed leaving. For the first time, his indifference cracked—his eyes reddened.

And then, to her shock, he began to blur the boundaries.

Though she reminded him over and over that a psychologist must never have intimate relations with a patient, Stuart ignored every word. He pushed, coaxed, and invaded the line she drew.

It disturbed her so much that she even considered transferring his case to a colleague, but he interfered until her attempts went nowhere.

The chaos dragged on for nearly a year. She held her ground, but her heart wavered.

And then, Janet returned to the country.

Only then did Michelle realize just how foolish she had been.

Five years of devotion, all the sleepless nights, all the effort—none of it could withstand one simple sentence from Janet.

“I’m back.”

Michelle had thought she was the one pulling him out of the shadows. But in truth, he had only accepted treatment as a way to force himself to forgive Janet.

All that had stirred the psychologist’s feelings before was nothing more than Stuart seeing her as useful and doing whatever it took to keep her around.

These past few weeks had been proof enough.

With Janet by his side, Stuart let Michelle see firsthand what true intimacy looked like, no matter the hour, no matter the setting, sometimes even right in front of her face.

Now that the wedding day of the two drew near, Michelle understood her role clearly. She was nothing more than a stepping stone. It was time she moved out of their way.

All she wished was that, after their wedding in two weeks, Stuart would be too busy to spare a thought for her—his ‘livein assistant.’

Her thoughts were interrupted by a new message notification. The sender was Janet.

[Come pack my luggage. I’m leaving with Stuart this afternoon for a business trip.]

For weeks now, Janet had used Michelle like a servant… with Stuart’s silent approval.

Michelle knew exactly why—Janet couldn’t stand to see another woman near him. The former didn’t argue. She just did the work and collected her salary.

By the time she arrived, Janet was sprawled playfully across Stuart’s lap.

Spotting her, Janet didn’t bother hiding her smugness. She looked at Stuart with an exaggeratedly sweet smile.

“Babe, your assistant really is like a housemaid, isn’t she? Always at your beck and call, never once showing an attitude. No wonder you’ve kept her around so long.”

The barb was obvious. Michelle caught every word, along with Stuart’s low chuckle of agreement.

Her chest tightened faintly—not quite pain but enough to leave her silent.

When she finished packing their things, she turned to leave.

But Stuart stopped her. “Come with us.”

The command was familiar—after years, she should have been numb to it. Yet this time it grated, sharp and unwelcome.

Catching the jealous glint in Janet’s eyes, Michelle’s irritation grew. ‘As always, this guy only ever thinks of himself,’ she thought.

Still, to keep from stirring suspicion and to make it through the remaining weeks, she once again relented.

At the airport, she trailed behind them, struggling with three heavy suitcases while the couple walked handinhand, unburdened.

In the VIP lounge, Janet leaned lazily against Stuart’s shoulder and ordered Michelle, “Go get me a hot Americano.”

Stuart glanced at Michelle. “She likes it hotter than usual. Don’t forget the sleeve.”

Lowering her eyes, Michelle swallowed the sour taste in her throat and turned away.

She returned with the coffee, the cardboard sleeve barely shielding her hand from the heat. Holding it out carefully, she warned, “It’s very hot. Don’t take it. I’ll set it down for you.”

But Janet insisted on grabbing it. The moment her fingers brushed the cup, she let go with a startled cry.

Scalding liquid splashed across Michelle’s hand and forearm, burning her skin red. Pain seared so sharply her breath faltered, her eyes instantly filling with tears.

Janet, of course, wasn’t touched. Stuart had shielded her in time.

He turned, his gaze cutting coldly at Michelle.

“Were you satisfied only after burning her? If you keep being so careless, then stop working altogether. Get lost.”

Stunned by the accusation, Michelle stood frozen. He had seen everything. He knew Janet had done it deliberately. Yet still… he laid the blame on her!

The bitterness welled up so hard it almost choked her. She lowered her head. Silent tears fell, landing on the carpet where no one else would notice.

Perhaps it was a blessing. The deeper Stuart loved Janet, the easier it would be for Michelle to escape.

She thought of his words again. Her lips parted to speak, and this time, her voice was steady.

“Okay.”

Stuart frowned, as though unsure he’d heard correctly. “What did you say?”

Still staring at the floor, Michelle raised her voice a little.

“I said—I quit. Sir Stuart, I resign. I’ll leave on my own.”

When Michelle spoke those words, she had already braced herself for the consequences—even if it meant paying the penalty for breaking the contract, she was determined to walk away.

But just at that critical moment, a staff member rushed over, inserting herself between them.

“Ma’am, do you need any help? Why don’t I take you to get this taken care of first?”

Her resolve, so fierce a second ago, faltered. Letting out a soundless sigh, Michelle turned and followed the staff away.

As they tended to her, she stared at her reddened arm, covered in marks and bruises—remnants left behind by Stuart.

And when her mind replayed the image of him earlier, shielding Janet with such nervous protectiveness, the sense of contrast cut Michelle even deeper. Everything felt different now, and she could only laugh at herself for being so pitiful.

By the time she returned to the lounge, her boarding time had already passed.

She thought perhaps that spared her from following any further. Yet Leo, Stuart’s assistant, sent a message. It was a reminder that, in no uncertain terms, she had to go.

Reading the implicit threat between the lines, Michelle closed her eyes. Her fingernails dug deep into her palms before finally loosening in helpless surrender.

After a long round of delays and setbacks, she finally made it.

That night, weighed down by unspoken worries, with her arm throbbing and her head heavy, she finally felt a trace of drowsiness. But just as sleep was about to claim her, a message from Janet popped up.

[Go buy emergency contraceptives. Bring them to my room immediately.]

It started again. This was always how Janet liked to assert her dominance—her claim over Stuart.

‘But really, who am I to threaten her? After all, as everyone said, I’m nothing more than a glorified assistant, nanny, and housekeeper.’

Thinking that, Michelle drew in a deep breath.

“Half a month. That’s all that’s left. Just tenodd days. Better to avoid unnecessary trouble.”

When she returned with the pills, Stuart and Janet still weren’t finished.

The message she sent to inform them went unanswered. She stood quietly outside their room, unbothered by the ambiguous sounds drifting out from within. Her gaze, instead, fixed on the items she had carefully prepared for Stuart—tossed carelessly outside the door.

For years, Stuart had battled severe insomnia, and Michelle had become his socalled “human sleeping pill.”

But she had no miraculous ability. It was simply her genuine devotion—her painstaking effort in tending to every small detail.

The soft glow of the bedside lamp… The cedarscented candle he favored… Even the sleepaid essential oils she had searched tirelessly to find.

Now, with Janet back at his side and their broken relationship seemingly mended, those things no longer held any value in his eyes.

Lowering her gaze, Michelle was about to leave the pills outside and quietly slip away when the door suddenly swung open.

Before she could react, Janet slapped her hard across the face. Stuart leaned lazily against the bed, watching.

“What are you doing standing out here? Eavesdropping on us?” Janet sneered.

Without waiting for an answer, she yanked Michelle into the room, snatched the pills from her hands, and turned the situation around with a feigned look of shock.

“Contraceptives? Stuart, see? I told you this woman had ulterior motives—she can’t stand to see us happy!”

Michelle merely looked at her calmly, her expression unreadable. Out of old habits, her mind almost slipped into clinical assessment.

‘Is Janet suffering from anxious attachment? Jealous delusions? Or perhaps, like Stuart, a paranoid personality?’

Her thoughts were cut short when Stuart finally spoke.

“Apologize to her.”

Michelle froze, staring at him in disbelief. But there he was, his arm wrapped tenderly around Janet, his voice soft as he soothed her.

When Michelle remained silent, his eyes hardened with impatience, his tone turning cold as he repeated, “I told you to apologize to her.”

Seeing the smug triumph on Janet’s face, Michelle couldn’t stop herself from whispering a rebuttal.

“She was the one who sent me here. She asked me to buy the contraceptive. Why should I apologize?”

The only answer she received was the heavy object Stuart hurled at her.

The ashtray struck her squarely on the forehead. The force sent her sprawling to the floor as her skull rang with a deafening buzz.

“Get out,” Stuart’s voice came sharp and low. “Don’t be an eyesore here.”

Blood trickled down, blurring her vision, yet she could still make out Stuart’s figure—holding Janet close, speaking to her in gentle reassurance after the loud crash had startled her. His concern, his tenderness, was all directed solely at her.

Not once did he look at Michelle.

Her heart clenched painfully, as if someone were squeezing the very breath out of her chest.

But in the end, she forced herself to rise, and without a single glance back, she left the room.

That night, Michelle boarded a flight back to Maryland.

The moment she landed, she contacted the institution that backed her and reported that Stuart wanted to terminate the contract ahead of schedule.

Since Stuart had already told her several times to “get lost,” of course, she had no choice but to accept it.

However, the response from her liaison left her with a nagging sense that things weren’t as straightforward as she imagined.

When she arrived at the institution, that uneasy feeling only grew stronger. Her colleagues were all looking at her with strange expressions. Even Alfred Afrin—her mentor, who was usually kind and gentle with her—had a stiff expression.

His face was drawn tight as he said seriously, “Dr. Burnell. Come with me to the office.”

Her chest tightened with unease. Her instincts told her this had to be connected to Stuart and Janet.

Sure enough, once Michelle and Alfred were behind closed doors, he asked bluntly, “What exactly is your relationship with Mr. Huggett?”

“I’m his contracted therapist,” Michelle answered truthfully.

But her mentor’s face fell, laced with disappointment.

“Still refusing to be honest? Take a look at this yourself!”

Her mentor opened an email that had been blasted out to the entire staff. The instant she read the subject line, her heart seized.

[McMullen Medical Scandal: Dr. Michelle Burnell Exposed as a Mistress, See Exclusive Footage of the Affair!]

When she clicked play, the video showed the scene from the hotel last night—Janet striking her, her being hit with an object—captured secretly without audio.

But combined with that damning headline, the implication was clear.

‘No wonder everyone at the institution has been whispering about me. It has to be Janet’s doing!’

“Dr. Afrin, this isn’t what it looks like, I—” Michelle began to explain.

But her mentor cut her off.

“Dr. Burnell, whether I believe you or not doesn’t matter anymore. This email has already been maliciously sent to everyone. The entire institution has seen it. Who knows how long before someone leaks it further? To control the risk, I have no choice but to suspend all your work. I hope you understand.”

Michelle wanted to argue but forced them back down.

She knew how serious this matter was. A psychologist entangled with a patient—worse yet, accused of being a third party in someone’s relationship—was enough to destroy her career if it spread. If this stigma stuck, everything she had worked for would be over.

Still, how could she not feel bitter?

She spent decades studying, nearly ten years of hard work to finally establish herself here.

Now, thanks to Janet’s false accusations, all her years of effort were on the verge of being wiped out.

Why?

There was no reason, and no one to tell her otherwise

When she walked out of the institution, colleagues she once got along with avoided her as if she carried a plague.

And then, out of all people, Stuart sent her a message—asking her to come back.

Perfect timing. She had been wanting to confront them anyway.

When she stepped into Stuart’s home again, sure enough, Janet was right there with him.

Projected across the living room screen was the very same video Michelle had seen that morning at the institution.

The moment she appeared, Janet sneered and was the first to speak.

“Well, look who dared to show her face. The homewrecker herself.”

This time, Michelle didn’t hold back. She fired back coldly, “I never interfered in your relationship. If anything, Miss Janet, it seems you’ve had far too much time on your hands lately.”

Janet’s face twisted with rage. She raised her hand to strike, but Michelle sidestepped neatly.

Corner a rabbit and it would bite. How much more so when the career she’d built, the one thing she treasured above all, was on the brink of destruction thanks to them?

“Enough,” Stuart interjected suddenly. “Arguing over this useless matter—what’s the point?”

What’s the point?

Of course, it was meaningless to them. To people like Stuart and Janet, what she valued was nothing at all.

But at least, right now, he should be more desperate than she was.

After all, even though he had a privileged background, he was still an illegitimate son, always at a disadvantage among his peers.

If word got out that his mental state was unstable—that he had needed five years of continuous therapy—the blow to him would be far more devastating than what she faced.

As expected, the very next moment, Stuart coaxed Janet softly, “Let me handle this, okay? I need a word with her alone.”

Without waiting, Michelle stepped into the consultation room where she had spent years giving him therapy.

Stuart followed soon after, just like he always had in the past.

But this time, to her shock, he came up from behind and wrapped his arms around her.

“Don’t move,” he murmured. “You haven’t been around lately. I haven’t been able to sleep. Let me hold you for a while first.”

In an instant, Michelle felt a wave of nausea rise in her throat and wrenched herself out of his grasp.

‘What does this guy take me for—some plaything? Or is this just another one of his shameless ploys?’

The thought made her sick to her core. She had once grown softhearted because of this very man—let her heart falter, let herself lose control. Now, she wanted nothing more than to slap herself awake.

Forcing her emotions back under control, she deliberately widened the distance between them. Her tone carried a new coldness.

“Mr. Stuart, you’re already engaged. Even if you won’t think of me, at the very least, you should consider appearances.”

His expression instantly darkened. After five years by his side, Michelle could read him too well—he was angry.

But so what? He was no longer the boy he once was, and she owed him nothing anymore.

“It’s only because I can sleep better with you nearby. Dr. Burnell, don’t flatter yourself too much.”

She let his barbed words fall without response. Instead, she smoothly shifted the conversation to business.

“Mr. Stuart, we both signed a confidentiality agreement. I can keep my silence, but I expect you to keep your own people under control. Don’t let this turn into an ugly spectacle.”

Stuart’s gaze locked on her, sharp as a nail hammered into wood.

After a long, heavy silence, he finally ground out his reply.

“My people are my responsibility. But Dr. Burnell, you’d better keep that mouth of yours shut. If you don’t, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

At that, Michelle nearly laughed bitterly. ‘Regret? Oh, I’ve been regretting it for years.’

She regretted softening toward him five years ago over a shred of supposed kindness.

She regretted letting herself be swayed a year ago by his false plea to stay.

But in the end, she said nothing. Instead, she turned briskly on her heel and left without a single word of farewell.

Outside the door, Janet was waiting. As Michelle brushed past her, she caught the woman’s hissed words.

“This isn’t over.”

And Janet made good on that threat almost immediately.

Michelle’s projects were all suspended. On Stuart’s side, with Janet constantly present, she no longer had any obligations left to suffer through.

For the first time in a long while, she found herself with nothing to do. Yet the sudden emptiness felt foreign. After some thought, she decided to go home to see her parents.

But the moment she pushed open the door, her mother greeted her with a storm of curses, her father demanded she kneel and apologize without even asking what had happened, and there on the living room couch sat Janet—smug and gloating.

“She seduced my husband. You two really ought to discipline your daughter. Oh, and I heard your son is interning at my company. With a sister like her, I can’t help but wonder if his character will turn out rotten too.”

Her words had barely fallen when Jamie, Michelle’s father, snatched up a broom and swung it at her.

Meanwhile, Ada, her mother, was already holding Janet’s hands, begging not for her daughter’s sake but for her son’s.

“Oh, Ma’am, please don’t be upset. This wretched woman brought it all on herself! We cut ties with her long ago! Our boy is nothing like her. He’s perfect! I swear! You can trust me on that!”

Watching this humiliating display, Michelle could only laugh at the absurdity.

She had always known her parents had a favorite child. She had never expected much from them. But she hadn’t thought they would go this far—for an outsider and for the sake of their precious son.

Seeing her mother abase herself, Michelle suddenly surged to her feet. She strode forward, pulling her mother upright, her voice ringing with fury.

“I did not seduce her husband! Can’t you stop listening to just one side of the story?!”

At that, Janet seemed satisfied with the chaos she had stirred. Rising leisurely, she tossed out one last remark.

“Since she refuses to admit her mistakes, I’ll leave it at that. But whether your son stays or not—that depends on you.”

With that, she swept out, shutting the door behind her.

The sound had hardly faded when Jamie’s hand cracked across Michelle’s cheek, sending her sprawling to the floor.

“No one gives a damn about what affair you’ve made for yourself! Do you even know how much we sacrificed—how many connections, how much money—just to secure your brother’s place in that company?”

Ada, equally furious, yanked her by the arm and spat, “Shameless slut! Go after that woman right now and apologize!”

And so, once again, Michelle was thrown out of her parents’ house—just as she had been at seventeen.

Just like before? The storm raged outside.

After everything crashed down on her, one blow after another, she no longer had the strength to fight back. She simply stood there, motionless and soaked to the bone.

She didn’t know how much time had passed before a figure appeared, walking toward her beneath the shelter of an umbrella.

The scene was hauntingly familiar. So was the man.

At that moment, Stuart’s silhouette overlapped with the memory of the boy she once knew, and all the emotions she had fought to bury broke loose.

“Why? Tell me why!” Her voice cracked, trembling with rage and sorrow. “Back then, you were the one who came to me first. You begged me, clung to me, pleaded with me to stay! And now? Stuart, what gives you the right to treat me like this?! How dare you let others humiliate me?!”

By the time her questions ran out, her voice was already shaking.

Stuart said nothing. Instead, he suddenly stepped forward and pulled her into his arms.

But in the very next second, Michelle understood—he hadn’t changed at all. He was still the same Stuart as ever, a guy who thought only of himself.

“This marriage alliance is very important to me.” Stuart’s voice brushed against Michelle’s ear, low and pressing. “You have to understand it. Don’t cause trouble for me at this time. Once I marry her, things between us can still go back to the way they were.”

‘Ha.' Michelle almost laughed aloud. ‘The way we were? Does he mean I should continue being at his beck and call when he needs me, only to be tossed aside once he’s basking in marital bliss?’

Who was truly deluding themselves here? She certainly didn’t recall ever agreeing to be with Stuart in the first place.

“Janet is the Brewsterss’s only daughter. She was raised like a princess, pampered since childhood. Naturally, she’s a little spoiled. Why must you—”

Michelle didn’t let him finish. She stepped out from beneath the umbrella, no longer caring.

Walking aimlessly against the pounding rain, water spread coldly across her face.

Suddenly, a car sped past, splashing up a sheet of dirty water that drenched her completely.

The window rolled down. In the back seat, Janet looked just as smug as ever while Stuart remained indifferent, as if he hadn’t seen a thing.

“Just great,” Janet sneered. “It’s pouring, I’m already pissed, and now some lowlife wants to get hit.”

She gestured to the driver. “Come on, let’s go.”

The tires cut through another puddle, spraying water again. This time, Michelle stepped back quickly, avoiding it.

‘From now on,’ she told herself, ‘I’ll do the same in life—step away, avoid every disgusting entanglement tied to them.’

When she finally returned to her rented apartment, Michelle sat down and began sorting through Stuart’s medical records from the past five years.

As a psychologist, her conscience was clear. Even though her license had been suspended, she wanted to fight for herself. If she could no longer stay with her institution, she could at least open her own clinic.

But she had underestimated Janet’s dirty games.

Just as Michelle finished organizing the files and was about to send them to her, her phone rang first.

“Michelle!” Alfred’s stern voice snapped through the line. “Didn’t you sign a confidentiality agreement with Mr. Stuart? Why has your matter blown up on trending topics?!”

Heart pounding, Michelle hurried to open the link her mentor had sent.

A second later, her phone slipped from her hand and hit the floor.

It was over. Someone had exposed Stuart’s secrets!

And as if that wasn’t enough, the smear campaign painting her as a mistress hadn’t even died down yet. Now, the two scandals had merged, skyrocketing together on the trending list.

The Huggetts and Brewsterss were already magnets for attention, and the online posts were dripping with insinuations.

They endlessly praised Janet and Stuart as a perfect match while painting Michelle as nothing more than a delusional golddigging mistress. The comments repeatedly emphasized her and Stuart’s doctor–patient relationship, twisting the knife deeper.

The public’s opinion exploded. Insults poured in like a tidal wave.

Within just a few hours, Michelle’s real identity was dug out and plastered online. She was on the verge of complete social ruin!

“Michelle? Dr. Burnell!” her mentor’s anxious voice called again from the other end. Michelle blinked back into focus. “This can’t blow up any further. If it does, the industry association will sanction you! You need to go to Mr. Stuart immediately and have him suppress the trending topic!”

Michelle remained silent for a long time, staring at the neatly organized files in front of her. Suddenly, she let out a bitter laugh.

‘Go to Stuart? From the very beginning, isn’t this entire mess likely orchestrated by him and Janet?’

Michelle had stood by Stuart for five years—she knew him too well. Nothing he didn’t want, nothing he didn’t permit, could ever make it past his watchful eye. Now that the scandal had been trending for hours, how could he possibly be unaware?

But she said none of this. Instead, she softly apologized to her mentor and submitted her resignation on her own.

After hanging up, Michelle ignored the flood of harassing calls and the stream of abusive text messages.

She opened her chat with Stuart and saw the message he had just sent.

[Behave yourself. Wait quietly.]

‘So, he knew. Of course, he knew,’ Michelle sneered inwardly.

Her fingers gripped the phone so tightly they turned pale, her whole body trembling with rage.

‘Five freaking years. This is what I got in return for dedicating myself to treating him for five years?!’

Disappointment crashed over her like a relentless tide, drowning her until nothing was left but numbness.

She powered off her phone and slowly collapsed onto the floor. She didn’t cry. She was simply… too exhausted.

The next day, Stuart and Janet appeared together in front of the media.

When Michelle first came across the interview online, she intended to scroll past it. But the moment she heard the reporter mention her name, her hand froze, and she forced herself to watch until the very end.

As always, Stuart stood before the flood of cameras with his calm, detached composure.

Beside him, Janet lightly hooked her arm through his, her lips curved in a perfectly measured smile.

Soon, the barrage of questions came crashing down.

“Mr. Stuart, is it true what’s trending online—that you’ve been receiving longterm psychological treatment? And regarding the rumors that your doctor, Michelle Burnell, interfered in your relationship with Miss Janet—can you give us a direct response?”

“Miss Janet, were you aware of Mr. Stuart’s condition? With the wedding fast approaching, how do you feel knowing your fiancé supposedly suffers from serious mental health problems and may even be entangled with his doctor? Will this affect the union between your two families?”

The rest of the questions went unsaid.

In the video, Stuart raised his hand ever so slightly, and the noisy crowd of reporters gradually fell silent.

On the other side of the screen, Michelle’s heart tightened, rising and falling with the tension in the room.

“First of all, I want to make one thing clear,” Stuart said at last, his expression cold, his voice steady as he cut through the silence. “I have never received psychological treatment, nor do I suffer from any kind of mental disorder. The only issue I’ve had in the past was a sleep disturbance caused by overwork, which I sought help for to make adjustments.”

At that point, Michelle already knew exactly what would come next, but she still forced herself to keep watching.

And just as she expected, he neatly severed all ties with her in front of the public, painting himself spotless while portraying her as an unethical doctor who had deliberately schemed to get close to him.

In the end, Janet chimed in with a light, smiling voice, playing her role to perfection. “As the victim in all this, I do feel a little helpless. But with someone like her, I suppose it was bound to happen. Still, please rest assured—our wedding will take place as scheduled.”

By now, Michelle no longer needed anyone to explain. The truth was obvious.

The entire scandal had been carefully staged by the two of them—a calculated negative publicity stunt. In this way, Stuart would never again have to worry about her keeping quiet while Janet secured her position as the rightful fiancée, dazzling in the public eye.

They both gained from it.

The only one who paid the price was Michelle—her reputation and her career all sacrificed to their scheme.

For the first time, a dark, consuming hatred surged up in her chest.

She hated her parents for favoring her brother over their daughter.

She hated Stuart for his betrayal.

She hated Janet for her shamelessness.

But most of all, she hated herself—for softening back then, for mistaking scraps of kindness for sincerity, and for tying herself to this cursed entanglement.

‘Perhaps,’ she thought bitterly, ‘everything I’m suffering now is punishment for once having pitied a man like him.’

In the days that followed, she shut herself away at home, refusing to even turn on her phone.

After all, she had become the target of public scorn. Some people even came to her door to pound on it in hatred.

She was acutely aware that something was wrong with her state of mind. Sleepless nights, restless dreams, loss of appetite, ringing in her ears, heart palpitations—classic psychosomatic symptoms.

She was a psychologist herself, yet she couldn’t treat her own fractured psyche.

Then, one afternoon, a knock echoed from the entryway.

At first, she thought she was imagining it. But a second later, she saw a familiar face appear on the video doorbell.

She opened the door. Standing there was none other than Berenice, Stuart’s mother.

“Dr. Burnell, how have you been lately?” the older woman asked, her tone polite yet edged with mockery. Without waiting for an answer, she continued, “Not very well, I assume. I’ve seen plenty of women like you—scheming to climb your way up. But my son is not someone you can reach so easily.”

Looking at the refined, haughty socialite before her, Michelle couldn’t help but recall how the same woman had once begged her desperately for help five years ago.

As the saying went, birds of a feather flock together.

She and her son were cut from the same cloth—burning bridges, repaying kindness with betrayal.

Michelle no longer had the patience to trade words. Instead, she asked directly what had brought her here.

Berenice let out a soft, elegant laugh. “This is a blank check. You can name the amount…”

Before she could finish, Michelle snatched the check straight from her hand and, with deliberate clarity, completed the sentence for her.

“Name the amount, and in exchange, I disappear from your son’s life, isn’t that right? Very well. I’ll fill it in right now.”

When Berenice saw the way Michelle carried herself, she was stunned into silence. After stammering for a long time, she finally squeezed out a line.

“Hey! I’m warning you, the most you’re getting is five million. And after you take the money, you must leave the country and cut all ties with my son.”

Michelle couldn’t help but let out a derisive laugh. Without hesitation, she turned and filled out the check for five million.

This was what Stuart owed her. Why shouldn’t she take it?

Even if Berenice refused to pay, Stuart had been the one to breach the contract first, destroying Michelle’s career in the process. He still owed her this sum.

As for leaving the country and severing ties? That suited her just fine. In fact, staying in the States had only left her reputation in ruins because of Stuart.

After sending Berenice off cleanly and decisively, Michelle finally turned on her phone for the first time in days.

Among the many missed calls and vicious text messages cursing her entire family, she spotted a few calls from Stuart and several scattered messages.

She skipped over them without a second thought, and with deliberate motions, she blocked his number, deleted his messages, and wiped him off her contact list everywhere.

Just as she finished, a message arrived from Leo.

[Dr. Burnell, your contract with Mr. Huggett has now expired. Your resignation has also been signed by him. This is an official notice.]

Michelle stared at that message for a long time—so long that her eyes grew hot and misty.

‘At last. I have endured to the very end.’

Once her emotions had settled, she immediately called her landlord to terminate the lease and booked the earliest flight out that very day.

While packing, she was surprised to find how many of Stuart’s things were still scattered around her place. Bit by bit, she filled several large trash bags with them.

All that remained was a thick stack of treatment logs. After some thought, she decided to deliver them to her mentor.

Even now, she didn’t want Alfred to feel disappointed in her. After all, he was one of the very few people in her first twentysome years of life who had ever truly treated her well.

Once she made up her mind, Michelle finally stepped outside again.

It should have been such a beautiful day, yet the city was pouring with heavy rain.

Fortunately, this time she had brought an umbrella.

The day went smoothly—she redeemed the check at the bank, and then she dropped the treatment logs off to her mentor.

On the way to the airport, her car happened to pass by the grand venue where Stuart and Janet’s wedding was to be held the next day.

Dusk was falling, and the night was closing in, yet the lights there blazed so bright they were almost blinding.

For the first time, Michelle sincerely offered them her blessing.

‘Stuart, Janet… may you spend your lives together. And may you never again know true love.’

The plane picked up speed along the runway, the world outside rushing past in a blur.

Michelle leaned toward the window, gazing downward as if all the memories of the past were vanishing with the receding lights.

“Our memories drift away like clouds on the horizon. From this parting forward, I hope we’ll never meet again...”

Meanwhile, at the wedding venue, Janet still had Stuart tied up, fussing over trivial details of the ceremony.

Normally, Stuart could muster a patient front, pretending to indulge her. But tonight, for some reason, he felt restless, unable to stop himself from checking his phone again and again.

‘How many days has it been since Michelle replied to me?’

With that thought, he opened their chat thread once more.

It used to always be her waiting for his response. Now, the roles had reversed. He was the one chasing, looking like a lovesick fool.

‘Forget it,’ he told himself. ‘She has been through a lot lately. I’ll take the initiative this time—just think of it as coaxing her.’

As though grasping at a justification, he finally convinced himself. Breaking his habit, he sent her a message first.

[Still mad? Don’t worry. I’ll help you later.]

But instead of her reply, what appeared was a cold system notification—along with a glaring red exclamation mark.

Stuart froze, staring at the screen, his brows knitted tightly in disbelief.

At that moment, Janet’s temper flared.

“Stuart! I’ve called you several times already! What are you doing?!”

This time, he couldn’t even be bothered to play along. Without sparing her a glance, he picked up the phone and called his assistant.

“Dr. Burnell?” Leo repeated on the other end. “Her contract has expired. She already resigned. You personally signed the paperwork, sir, didn’t you?”