Hugh tossed and turned in his sleep. In his dream, he was pulled back into those dark, empty, painful moments from his past, but this time, the person who had once quietly been there for him was gone.

"Kel..." he mumbled, his face twisting in agony.

Caught in the nightmare, Hugh's chest rose and fell in uneven breaths. In the dream, he reached out desperately, searching for the person who should've been there. But no matter how many times he called, there was nothing but silence.

A sharp jolt of fear yanked him from his sleep, his eyes snapping open. Sweat clung to his forehead. The blackout curtains were drawn tight, and for a moment, he couldn't tell if he was still trapped in the nightmare.

Hugh sat up, his voice trembling. "Kel?"

Nothing.

He called out again, "Kel!"

Still nothing.

Hugh staggered out of bed, almost losing his balance as he reached for the light. The moment the

Hugh couldn't bring himself to say no anymore.

Seeing the tension on his face, Natalie's tears fell right away. "Hughie, is this too much for you? It's okay if it is. I won't go today."

She thought that would be enough to make him give in and reassure her, but instead, he looked relieved. He reached out and stroked her head.

"Today's different. You really shouldn't come with me," Hugh said.

Natalie stared at him, stunned. Anger flashed in her eyes, but she quickly replaced it with a look of helplessness. She had almost stopped crying, but now fresh tears began to fall in heavy streams.

"Hughie..."

Hugh seemed lost in thought, completely missing the distress on her face. He pushed her aside and glanced up at the light above them.

"So this is what's broken?" he asked.

Realizing he wasn't reacting the way she expected, Natalie bit her lip, let out a soft, hurt hum, and dropped onto 

When Kelly got home, she grabbed her suitcase and started packing the rest of her things, working late into the night. Hugh never came back, but she didn't care anymore.

The next day, she went to the immigration office to pick up her documents. On her way back, she booked a flight for that afternoon. When she pulled up to the gate, she saw Hugh's Maybach in the driveway. She couldn't help but pick up the pace.

When Kelly entered the bedroom, she found Hugh standing by her suitcase, as if about to open it.

A wave of panic hit her, and she blurted out, "Weren't you with Natalie? Why are you back?"

Hugh froze. Slowly, he turned to face her, and she saw the anger flicker in his eyes.

He stepped toward her, his voice thick with exasperation. "Kel, what's going through your head? I told you. I'm done with Natalie."

Done with her? He'd even married Natalie to protect her.

Kelly laughed, tears welling up in her eyes, but she didn't call him out on it. "Guess I must've misunderstood."

Not noticing anything strange in her expression, Hugh let out a quiet sigh of relief. "There's a family dinner tonight. Mom and Dad said I could bring you."

Kelly was caught off guard. Neil and Emilia actually agreed?

Noticing the stunned look on her face, Hugh stroked her head and handed her a bank card. "Kel, trust me. One day, I'll make them accept you, and you won't have to hide anymore. I'm drained and need some sleep. Let Ben go with you to pick out a couple of dresses, okay?"

Kelly stared at the card for a long time before finally taking it. "Go get some rest. I'll go alone."

Hugh rubbed his temples and nodded. As Kelly tucked the documents she'd picked up into her bag, he lay on the bed and was out like a light. 

She watched him, his face looking just like when he was 17. A wave of nostalgia hit her. She reached out for the last time, running her fingers down his brow.

Maybe he felt her touch in his sleep because he grabbed her hand and muttered, "Nattie, knock it off."

Kelly let out a quiet, exasperated laugh. She pulled her hand back, grabbed her suitcase, and headed downstairs. The house was quiet, with the housekeepers on their midday break. No one knew she had left.

On her way to the airport, Kelly blocked Hugh's number and deleted every way he could get in touch with her. After that, she deleted all her social media accounts.

The terminal was packed. She stared at the blinking departure board, then punched in one final number.

"Mrs. Johnston, I'm at the airport just like we agreed. I'll be boarding soon," she said.

On the other end, Emilia's satisfaction was clear in her upbeat tone. "Good. The rest of the payment will be transferred to your account as long as you stay away from tonight's banquet. See you."

The boarding call came through.

Kelly gave a small shake of her head. "No, Mrs. Johnston. We shouldn't see each other again."

She hung up, tossed her phone in the trash, and walked straight to the gate, never looking back.

Hugh tossed and turned in his sleep. In his dream, he was pulled back into those dark, empty, painful moments from his past, but this time, the person who had once quietly been there for him was gone.

"Kel..." he mumbled, his face twisting in agony.

Caught in the nightmare, Hugh's chest rose and fell in uneven breaths. In the dream, he reached out desperately, searching for the person who should've been there. But no matter how many times he called, there was nothing but silence.

A sharp jolt of fear yanked him from his sleep, his eyes snapping open. Sweat clung to his forehead. The blackout curtains were drawn tight, and for a moment, he couldn't tell if he was still trapped in the nightmare.

Hugh sat up, his voice trembling. "Kel?"

Nothing.

He called out again, "Kel!"

Still nothing.

Hugh staggered out of bed, almost losing his balance as he reached for the light. The moment the room came into focus, he let out a relieved breath.

The nightmare's hold began to fade, and he rub

Chapter 10