At 9:30 am the next day, Brandon finally came home. The housekeeper informed him, "Mr. Kerr, Mrs. Kerr prepared an anniversary gift for you. It's in the safe in the study."

Brandon froze. Was today their anniversary?

In the previous years, it had always been Jessie who insisted on celebrating it. As for him, he had never cared for it.

Thinking back to how frail Jessie had looked while she was hospitalized, Brandon felt a tightness in his chest. Almost as if he were possessed, he headed toward the study. As he opened the safe, the first thing he saw was the notebook.

An entire passage appeared before him. "Brandon, I've loved you for seven years. Back then, I was just a maid's daughter, and I felt unworthy of you. But when I became the Hickmans' real daughter, you came to dislike me.

"When I was still a maid's daughter, Anna often picked on me. Every time I got punished, you were the

Zane's expression abruptly darkened, and he loosened his arms around Jessie.

"Jessie, am I someone you're ashamed to be seen with? I'm not Brandon Kerr. If I get to marry you, it's because I earned the right to fair and square. Why would I keep it a secret? The Stafford family holds strict values. Once I choose a woman, my choice will never change. There's no way I'd agree to keep my marriage a secret."

Thinking Jessie still had reservations, Zane let go of her completely and took a step back.

But before he could get far, Jessie pulled him back. Her arms tightened around his waist, and she pressed herself closer to him. 

"Zane, am I that unworthy of your trust? Do I seem like the kind of woman who would two-time you? Are you insulting me or just questioning your own judgment?"

Whether in the Stafford family or the business world, Zane had always been the one calling the shots over t

The next time Jessie opened her eyes, she was already in the hospital.

The doctor gave her a regretful look, informing her, "Ms. Hickman, due to prolonged lack of proper nutrition, your body was unable to sustain the pregnancy. You've lost the child."

Jessie touched her lower abdomen. The tiny life that had just started growing inside her was gone, just like that.

Tears rolled down her cheeks. Maybe the child knew that their parents were about to part ways, and that was why they decided to leave this world early.

The doctor continued, "Ms. Hickman, your body needs time to recover. Where's your husband? He should be looking after you."

As Jessie calmed herself, she shook her head. "I don't have a husband. Doctor, how soon can I leave?"

She just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"Three days."

Jessie nodded in acknowledgment. It just so happened that Zane would be coming for her in three days. That was enough.

As they were talking, the door to the hospital ward suddenly flew open. Brandon rushed in, breathless. "Why are you suddenly in the hospital?"

The bodyguard at his side was about to explain when Jessie beat him to it. "I haven't eaten in days, so I collapsed from weakness."

Anna remarked, "Jessie, it's not like you were raised in luxury. How are you this delicate?"

Seeing how frail Jessie looked, Brandon felt his recent anger subside. His tone also softened. "When did you get so stubborn? It's not like apologizing would kill you. And if you weren't feeling well, why didn't you just call me?" he uttered half-accusingly.

Jessie merely stared at him as she mocked him deep down. Call him? He had been busy spending the past few days with Anna. He even went as far as to starve her to please Anna. Calling him would have only been setting herself up to be humiliated. Why would she want that?

But since she was leaving soon, there was no point in explaining herself.

She made up a random excuse. "You've been busy. I didn't want to disturb you."

Hearing that, Brandon felt a pang of guilt for some reason.

Brandon came to the hospital every day for the next few days to visit Jessie, probably because he thought that he had gone too far this time.

On the day of her discharge, Jessie was texting Zane nonstop.

Brandon recalled that Jessie never used to like being on her phone, but these days, she was constantly on it. "Who have you been texting, Jessie?"

Brandon reached for her phone, but Jessie avoided his hand, questioning, "Do you really want to read some random girl talk?"

Hearing that, he withdrew his hand. "Stop being on your phone. We're heading home soon."

"Fine."

Brandon had been treating her kindly these past few days, but Jessie knew that he was only doing this out of guilt.

After taking Jessie home, Brandon left.

Jessie walked into the study, opened the safe, and placed the medical record of her miscarriage inside. She then took out her notebook and added one final entry. "The baby is gone. That makes this the 100th entry."

With that, she closed the notebook.

The divorce agreement, employment termination agreement, the medical record of her miscarriage, and her notebook of a hundred painful memories were her final gifts to Brandon for their anniversary.

She packed her things into a suitcase, left the house key on the dining table, and deleted her fingerprint from the smart lock. She erased every trace of herself from the villa, completely and cleanly.

At 9:30 am the next day, Brandon finally came home. The housekeeper informed him, "Mr. Kerr, Mrs. Kerr prepared an anniversary gift for you. It's in the safe in the study."

Brandon froze. Was today their anniversary?

In the previous years, it had always been Jessie who insisted on celebrating it. As for him, he had never cared for it.

Thinking back to how frail Jessie had looked while she was hospitalized, Brandon felt a tightness in his chest. Almost as if he were possessed, he headed toward the study. As he opened the safe, the first thing he saw was the notebook.

An entire passage appeared before him. "Brandon, I've loved you for seven years. Back then, I was just a maid's daughter, and I felt unworthy of you. But when I became the Hickmans' real daughter, you came to dislike me.

"When I was still a maid's daughter, Anna often picked on me. Every time I got punished, you were the one who stood up for me. You always showed up when I needed help most, and that's how I fell for yo

Chapter 7