Chapter 189

Through the darkness, Vivienne made her way home, fighting the persistent urge to contact Derek. Settling at her desk, she opened her laptop to find Owen's email waiting. Her fingers glided across the mouse as she absorbed the contents, when Owen's video call suddenly illuminated her screen.

“I warned you from the beginning about men like him, but you wouldn’t listen. Now the proof lies before you, plain as day. What’s your response?” Owen’s voice carried a mixture of concern and vindication.

“Even the most discerning among us can fall prey to deception,” Vivienne mused, resting her chin thoughtfully on her hand while scrolling through the evidence.

Owen studied her composed demeanor with growing bewilderment. “How are you maintaining such calm?”

Vivienne lifted her eyes to meet his through the screen, considering her words carefully. “Perhaps my feelings weren’t as deep as I imagined.”

Her mind wandered to how Warren had appeared precisely when her need was greatest, causing her to mistake gratitude for something deeper. Through their daily interactions, that dependence had masqueraded as love. Warren had once seemed her eternal anchor, yet he abandoned her when her guard was down, leaving her world spinning. His abandonment had torn open old childhood wounds, making forgiveness impossible.

Owen ignited a cigarette, leaning back as he inhaled deeply. “Vivienne, have you considered that the man you encountered that night five years ago might not have been Warren?”

The room’s darkness was broken only by the cigarette’s pulsing ember. His penetrating gaze held the depth and chill of a winter lake, his sharp features intensified by an inexplicable gravity.

“What exactly are you suggesting?” Vivienne’s voice tightened with sudden tension.

“After hearing your account, I conducted my own investigation. While Warren was indeed in Yikar then, his stay was brief,” Owen explained, tapping ash from his cigarette. “I suspect someone used his presence there as convenient cover.”

The revelation transformed Vivienne’s expression; her pupils contracted with shock. “How certain are you?”

“The passage of time has erased many leads,” Owen admitted, his gaze steady on her face. “Vivienne, you might want to verify this.”

“I understand,” she responded quietly.

After ending the call, Vivienne remained motionless before her laptop, feeling strangely disconnected. Owen’s words echoed relentlessly in her thoughts. If her mysterious savior that night hadn’t been Warren, then who had intervened? And if Warren weren’t her savior, then her last shred of mercy toward the Mitchell family would evaporate completely.

Her phone’s sudden ring cut through her brooding. A smile softened her features as she answered, revealing Derek’s handsome face on the screen.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“Is work finished?”

They spoke in unison, sharing a moment of genuine laughter. Derek’s eyes traced every detail of the face he’d longed to see, noting the subtlest changes. “Something’s weighing on your mind.”

Vivienne paused, touching her cheek before offering a radiant smile. “Just fatigue from the day, that’s all.”

A shadow of concern darkened Derek’s eyes momentarily, though his voice remained gentle. “No matter how demanding work becomes, please take care of yourself.”

“I will,” she assured him, captivated by the boundless tenderness in his gaze. She pressed her lips together, hesitating before asking, “When… will I see you again?”