Nico recomposed himself before continuing, "Mr. Wright was actually... the captain of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Team Fourteen. There was an urgent summon from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and they never do this unless there's something major happening. But Mr. Wright didn't want to leave without saying goodbye. He wanted to do one last thing for you, so he requested to report to the bureau three days later. The injuries he sustained were the punishment he received for going against orders."

There was civil conflict at that time. The collapse of a regime would happen at any time, and the change of power was imminent. It had been a massive incident.

Yet, Maverick had chosen to stay for three more days, even if it meant that he was going to be punished.

Nico suppressed his heartache and said, "It was thirty whips. He was whipped until he vomited blood, and in the end, the executioner could not bring himself to continue to do it, so he only whipped Mr. Wright twenty times."

Gwendolyn was confused as she looked at the bloody shirt in her hands.

"What kind of whip could make him vomit blood in twenty strikes?"

"It's not an ordinary whip; it's a whip with steel wires wrapped around it. The whip has barbs on it, and even a gentle stroke could make the skin a bloody mess. The executioner had not shown him any mercy as every time the whip struck him, it went deep into his flesh. Mr. Wright barely had any spots for the executioner to strike because of his burns, so the last five strikes had been on his lower back..." Nico trailed off, unable to continue anymore.

He was livid and heartbroken.

Gwendolyn did not dare to imagine what the scene was like. Even hearing about it was making her feel the pain.

His back was already covered in wounds, so how did he withstand such a severe punishment? No wonder things went south for him this time. He went to kill for me despite his grievous injuries. Did he not think about how he might die?

Her throat tightened, and she gripped the blood-soaked shirt until her knuckles went white.

Nonetheless, Nico was right in front of her, so she forced her tears away.

On the other hand, Nico felt bad for his boss when he saw no tears from Gwendolyn despite telling her the truth.

He's so unlucky to have fallen for such a ruthless woman.

Alas, he was merely a subordinate and an outsider to the incident, so he had no right to comment on Gwendolyn's reaction.

After a sigh, he said with as much calm as he could muster, "To be honest, I'm here to say goodbye to you. I'll be leaving. I'm Mr. Wright's subordinate, and now that he's gone, I'm going to have to work for another boss. I'm afraid... I won't come back to Fairlake anymore. Take care of yourself."

Gwendolyn merely stared at him in silence.

Lowering his sorrow-filled eyes, Nico then turned to walk toward the exit. However, he only took two steps before a wave of resentment surged in his chest.

"No one knows how to love another the moment they're born. Mr. Wright thought he was indebted to Natasha, so he forced himself to like her. Yet, unbeknownst to him, he had already fallen in love with you during your three-year marriage. Noah used him during your plane incident without Mr. Wright's knowledge. Even while being pursued by Mr. Asher, he searched for you for half a month. In the end, you sought revenge on him, humiliating and tormenting him. Despite that, every time you were in danger, he risked his life to save you. He never uttered a complaint, even when you hurt or tormented him. He set aside his own dignity as a man to atone for his mistakes. Do you really not... feel anything at all after all that?"

Nico's words stabbed her heart like daggers.

The agony was so intense she felt it in her bones.

Her teeth had left bloody marks on her lower lip as overwhelming guilt and self-blame threatened to drown her.

"I'm... sorry..."

Her voice was hoarse when she squeezed out those words.

Another sigh escaped Nico, and he tucked away the emotions in his eyes before heading out, closing the door behind him.

Once he was gone, Gwendolyn hugged the bloody shirt as tears rolled uncontrollably down her cheeks. Her bawls filled the room.

All of a sudden, the memory of the day they came back from the abandoned factory flashed in her mind.

Back then, he had sat with a stiff spine in the car. It was then that she realized he was hurting so much that he did not dare to lean back on the car seat.

When he went up the stairs, he had been taking slow steps while holding onto the handrail. His back had been injured, so she was certain every step he took was painful. For the first time ever, he did not cook right away. He had said he was tired, and Gwendolyn finally realized that he must have been at his limits.

She hammered her chest in remorse. Every tear that fell onto the ground spoke of her heartache and desolation.

God... If it wasn't agonizing, he wouldn't have slipped up so much, but I never once noticed it...

That night, he had squeezed himself into her arms despite his pain, seeking her warmth. And yet, what did she do?

Not only did she coldly shove him away, but she even uttered upsetting words to him.

Nico was right. Maverick had never said a word about the cruelty she had for him.

He would put aside all his pride to plead with her.

He had said, "No... Just let me hug you for a while. Just this once..."

He had said, "Don't... Please..."

The pain had been so great even his breathing was shaky, but he was still greedily drinking in the feel of being in her arms.

Why didn't he tell me that he was so badly injured? Was he afraid that I'd feel guilty? Was he afraid that I was going to terminate the agreement? What a silly man. Gwendolyn curled up on the recliner as her emotions burst forth like the water of a broken dam. It felt like her misery was corroding her bones and melting her organs. "Mavy..." she whispered, unable to speak in her despair.

You were envious that I was so close to Charles, but from now on, I'll call you Mavy so that you'll know that I care for you too, okay? Can you hear me?

Gwendolyn locked herself in Maverick's room for three whole days without food, water, or sleep.

No matter how vigorously Elven and the others knocked on the door, she never responded to them.

Even the healthiest person would not be able to take the stress.

Elven and the other bodyguards were worried about her, but there was nothing they could do. In the end, they sought Treyton's help.

Treyton kicked open the second floor's room door, only to be greeted by an empty room. However, he could hear the sound of water dripping from the bathroom.

When he walked to the bathroom and switched on the lights, he saw empty bottles of white wine strewn across the floor.

When did she clear out the wine cabinet? Did Elven and the rest not notice anything?

Treyton's gaze finally landed on the thin silhouette.

Gwendolyn was lying against the wall under the shower. She was still wearing the black dress she wore to the funeral, her entire body soaked and her eyes swollen. She had cried until she had no more tears, and despite her red cheeks, she was visibly weary.

How did she get intoxicated to this point?

Treyton knew how well his sister could hold her liquor.

Treyton's own eyes reddened, and he walked over to pull her into his arms. It was only then he realized how hot she was.

Is she having a fever?

"Kiddo? Kiddo?"

He gently patted her cheeks before gathering her in his arms, about to carry her out.

Right then, Gwendolyn woke.

She instinctively grabbed the man's sleeve when she sensed the strong arms around her. A familiar face entered her blurry line of sight.

"Maverick, it's you, isn't it? You didn't die, did you? You're lying to me again, right?"

Treyton's heart ached, and he softly said to her, "Kiddo, I'm not Maverick; I'm Treyton."

He's not

Finally,

Upon re

"Treyton

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