Joshua Hughes had a dream, returning to his childhood.

His father appeared outwardly calm, yet inside he was strong and brave, the person Joshua admired most. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Among the people he had met, his father was the wisest and most courageous, his heart vast like the blue sky he loved.

His father’s image sometimes clear, sometimes fuzzy, cast his thoughts into confusion.

He sat up sharply from the bed, determined not to let the shares symbolizing his father’s honor fall into the hands of that despicable man, even if he was his uncle, even if they shared the Hughes name.

The spot beside him was already empty, she wasn’t there? Joshua’s heart skipped a beat, feeling as if the rhythm was thrown off, he threw off the covers and hurried downstairs to the living room where he saw her.

From a distance, she stood in the yard.

The moonlight was intense, and with the wind blowing, star-studded flowers and leaves rested on her head and shoulders, she stood there like a goddess amidst the autumn blooms, beautiful...

"Come back to the Hughes Manor with me."

Without a strategy, he could only return first,

He absolutely wouldn’t allow his father’s honor to fall into the hands of that treacherous villain. Yet he couldn’t bear her absence from his side, so he took her back, since she was already his woman, she would face it all with him.

Silence, maddening silence, the moonlight softly lit her face, so calm it resembled a still lake, without a ripple.

Her heart had never drawn near, and now it drifted even further. Unaccountably, Joshua felt waves of fear, he held her tighter, as if trying to grasp the gauze slipping through his fingers.

Today, Joshua exceptionally let a driver take the wheel.

In the spacious back seat, he held her tightly, afraid she would vanish the moment he let go.

Because her presence was even more elusive, feeling almost non-existent, she didn’t speak, didn’t resist, did nothing at all.

Yet Joshua knew well, this was the most terrifying form of resistance. She didn’t look at him, her body in his arms was stiff, a gesture of resistance and self-protection. His large hand gently caressed her back, inhaling her barely perceptible scent: "Tomorrow I’ll take you back to the Yates Family, you’ll need to behave."

If only she’d be a little obedient, stay quietly by his side, he’d do anything for her.

Avery Jane’s lowered eyelashes fluttered slightly, like a dying butterfly’s weak wing flapping, beautiful yet fragile.

"No need, some things are only preserved in the heart, and can’t be dismantled, he’s in my heart."

Her voice was soft, sincere and gentle, but that very sound was like an invisible hand, slowly tightening around his heart, choking him repeatedly. That sense of helplessness washed over him again, what should he do with her?

What else could he do?

After speaking, Avery Jane closed her eyes again, letting him kiss her cheeks.

The man’s voice sounded in the enclosed cabin, murmuring softly: "You’re mine, Avery Jane, you’re mine, you’re mine."

As if only by repeating this continuously could he assure himself with some peace of mind.

"Look at me, Avery Jane, damn it, why are you like this? Don’t resist me..."

His voice was low, filled with annoyance and threat, yet upon careful listening, it revealed a sense of powerlessness. Everything else in the world was too easy to obtain, except this woman, who truly troubled his mind.

Avery Jane remained like a meditative monk, not opening her eyes, not moving, her gloomy face conveying her resistance.

She knew the demolition wasn’t ordered by him, yet she insisted on blaming it all on him, seeking every opportunity and excuse to reject him, to distance herself from him.

He wouldn’t allow it, he wanted the living, breathing woman.

"Then let’s do something else, doing something else might bring you back to life." In a panic, Joshua lifted her onto his strong thigh, trying to confirm she still belonged to him.

She opened her eyes slightly, glancing at him with evident disgust, as if she were looking at a plague.

Joshua’s fingers moved with reluctance across her cheek, lifting her chin, slowly drawing closer, the musk scent on him assailing her fragile nerves.