In the afternoon, Andrian left the hospital after the doctor confirmed his condition was stable enough. Although his face was still pale and exhaustion was clearly visible in his expression, his health had significantly improved.

    He went straight back to the Velor family mansion. Inside the car, he sat silently, leaning back and staring out the window, his thoughts drifting far away.

    Andrian had already heard the news that Bianca had regained consciousness. His heart felt relieved, yet he deliberately chose not to visit her. He knew the wounds on her face would make her feel devastated. That was why he decided to give her some time–to calm down ande to terms with her condition.

    Midway through the trip, Elric’s voice broke the silence.

    “Sir, I’vepleted the background check on Mrs. Aliana’s college years, as you instructed.”

    Andrian turned to Elric, his expression both serious and curious.

    “What did you find?”

    Elric took a slow breath before answering. “Nothing remarkable, sir. Everything appeared normal. Miss Aliana wasn’t a standout student. In fact, she tended to avoid attention and only came to campus to attend her sses. She didn’t have

    many close friends and preferred to keep to herself.”

    Andrian frowned, slightly puzzled. “Nothing suspicious at all?”

    “None whatsoever,” Elric replied firmly. “But there is one thing you might want to know. While living in Ravenska, Miss

    Aliana never used the Zavier family name. She was known there as Aliana Corvo, the daughter of a butcher. Her life was far

    simpler than I had imagined.”

    Andrian was silent for a moment. This was apletely new fact to him. Before their marriage, he had briefly skimmed through Aliana’s background, but he hadn’t paid much attention. Back then, he had been too busy managing thepany and had assumed that Aliana would never y an important role in his life.

    “What about her blood type?” Andrian asked again, still curious.

    “No records suggest that Miss Aliana’s blood type matches yours,” Elric answered confidently. “In fact, medical records show that she has type A blood–exactly the same as Miss Alicia‘

    Andrian let out a sigh of relief, although a small part of him still felt unsure. His instincts kept telling him that something babout /bElric’s report didn’t sit right. But for now, at least, he could feel a bit more at ease. He no longer had to feel indebted to ia /iwoman he had long neglected.

    The car finally stopped in front of the main entrance of the Velor mansion. Andrian stepped out with slightly heavy steps. He paused for a moment beside the car, and then his eyes drifted toward the pavilion that stood separately on the side of the mansion. Without realizing it, his feet started moving in that direction

    The servants working in the pavilion immediately stopped what they were doing when they saw Andrian approaching. They exchanged nces, confusion and panic clearly written on their faces. None of them bhad /bexpected Andrian–who hadn’t returned in so long–to suddenly head straight to the pavilion

    21:04 Fri, 29 Aug 1

    “Mrs. Aliana, Mr. Andrian is here!”

    Elena hurried inside the pavilion to inform Aliana of his arrival.

    3.34%2

    Aliana, who had been lounging quietly while reading a book, merely lifted her head slightly, her reaction very calm. She

    slowly closed the book in her hands and looked at the entrance without any expression.

    A few momentster, Andrian stepped into the pavilion’s main room with quietposure. His sharp gaze immediately locked onto Aliana, as if trying to read her mind. Elena and the other servants quickly exited the room, giving them

    privacy.

    “A surprise visit, Mr. Velor. I thought you wouldn’t be leaving the hospital anytime soon,” Aliana said calmly, not bothering to stand. Her voice was so casual, it was as though her husband’s visit meant nothing.

    Andrian stared at Aliana tly. He wasn’t offended by her cold tone or aloofness. He was already used to her indifferent

    demeanor.

    “I just wanted to see this ce,” Andrian replied, trying to sound casual even though he wasn’t entirely sure why he hade to the pavilion. “It’s been a while since I’ve been here.”

    “As you can see, the pavilion is fine. So am I,” Aliana said coolly. “On the other hand, you don’t look well. Maybe you’re

    tired from taking care of your beloved.”

    “Are you jealous?” Andrian scoffed as he took a seat.

    Aliana rolled her eyes. “I’m just annoyed by your return. I prefer the quiet when neither of you are home.”

    Andrian clenched his jaw–clearly irritated. Despite the nature of their marriage, most wives would be upset if their

    husband didn’te home. But Aliana seemed pleased by his absence.

    For a moment, they simply stared at each other in silence. Then Andrian spoke again.

    b“/bBianca is still being treated. It’ll be a few more days before she’s allowed to go home. Oh, by the way–how did you hear

    about Bianca?”

    “Everyone’s talking about it,” Aliana replied in a calm voice, showing no emotion. “Yesterday, I went to the hospital just to

    see how she was doing. I heard her face was badly injured.”

    “So, you do care. I thought you actually cared about Bianca.”

    “I don’t,” na replied sharply “I just didn’t want to be used of harming your beloved. That’s why I was kind enough

    to visit her

    “Ah! So that was your reason,” Andrian muttered under his breath, realizing Aliana’s true purpose foring to the hospital.

    “You don’t need to worry,” he continued. “Even though the doctors say the scars on Bianca’s bface /bwill be hard to remove, I’ll make sure she recoverspletely. I’ve already called the best aesthetic doctor to treat her.”

    Aliana clenched her jaw, irritated by Andrian’s words.

    21:04 Fri, 29 Aug Gu

    “You really care about her.”

    34%

    “She’s my lover,” Andrian replied swiftly. A faint smirk crossed his lips as he noticed how annoyed Aliana looked. “You said

    it yourself.”

    Aliana fell silent, no longer offering aeback. Andrian rose from his seat, ncing briefly at her.

    “I have other matters to attend to,” he said calmly but firmly. “Feel free to continue whatever you were doing.”

    Aliana didn’t respond. Her cold demeanor clearly showed she was holding back deep frustration.

    Andrian walked out of the pavilion without another word. He knew that his remarks about Bianca had provoked a reaction from Aliana, and for some reason, that gave him a sliver of satisfaction. His feelings for Bianca wereplicated, but at

    least he could be sure that Aliana couldn’t ignore himpletely.

    Once Andrian had truly left, Aliana let out a long breath. Her face now clearly showed the anger she had previously held in.

    She clenched her fists, her heartbeat racing with emotion.

    “I should’ve finished her off when I had the chance,” Aliana muttered under her breath, her tone sharp and full of vengeance. Regret mixed with fury surged through her mind. She should’ve never given Bianca the slightest chance to survive–especially after seeing how fiercely Andrian protected that woman.

    Meanwhile, Andrian had just returned to the main mansion of the Velor family, but instead of resting, he went straight to his study. Upon entering, he locked the door tightly and walked toward arge cab in the corner of the room. After shifting a few books, a hidden door appeared, leading to his private secret room.

    Andrian opened the door slowly and stepped into the small, enclosed space. His eyes immediatelynded on arge painting standing at the center of the room–a damaged portrait of Alicia, vandalized by someone whose identity

    remained unknown.

    His gaze softened, uncontrobly drawn back to a memory of an unusual moment: Aliana standing before the painting, silently crying, her shoulders trembling.

    That image lingered in his mind, reminding him of the promise he had once made–to restore the painting.

    Andrian took a deep breath, then grabbed the paint–stained apron hanging beside the small cab. He put it on with

    practiced ease, as if he had done this countless times before. Slowly, he prepared his painting tools, arranging them neatly

    on the table near the canvas.

    With a brush in hand, Andrian stood before Alicia’s damaged painting band /bbegan to work, gently touching the canvas. Every stroke of color felt like reviving the long buried memories stored in that artwork. The ruined painting began to slowlye back to life under his hand/

    Andrian becamepletely absorbed in his painting, as if time had stopped. He didn’t even realize that, through each brushstroke, he was not only trying to restore Alicia’s image–but also trying to understand Aliana, a woman who was still in his life, yet cloaked in so manyyers of mystery

    In that secret room, Andrian quietly began to unravel the puzzles surrounding both women–the one who had left, and the

    one who remained… elusive, enigmatic, and increasingly unforgettable.

    B

    AD

    Comment

    Send gift