It was morning.
Margaret walked into the kitchen "Marleen, how much longer until breakfast is ready?"
"Just ten more minutes, ma'am. Almost done," Marleen replied.
Eric stepped out of his room, already dressed, and headed straight to Liana's room. But it was empty—she wasn't there. A little worried ,he quickly went downstairs.
"Where are you off to so early, dear?" Margaret asked as she came out of the kitchen.
"Grandma, have you seen Liana?"
"No, I haven't. She's your wife—you should know where she is" She shrugged.
Eric rushed outside and shouted at the guards.
"Liana's gone! How did she leave while you were on duty? Go find her—now!"
One of the guards hesitated, then spoke up, "Sir, I saw Margaret ma'am with her in the garden late last night."
Eric's eyes narrowed. He turned and stormed back inside. He found Margaret quietly sipping black coffee.
"You were with her last night in the garden. What was she doing there? Where is she now?" he demanded.
"I have no idea," she replied coldly. "I was just walking outside and saw her. I told her to go back in, then I headed to the pool. That's all I know."
Eric didn't buy it. "I'll find her. No matter what," he said, and hurried off again.
After searching for nearly an hour, Eric reached the far end of the garden. Something caught his attention—a large pot covered with leaves. He moved the leaves aside—and froze. Liana was lying inside, unconscious.
Without hesitation, Eric jumped in.
"Liana! Wake up—it's me, Eric! I'm here!" he shouted.
"Somebody help!" he called out.
Liana slowly opened her eyes, shivering in fear. "Eric… please help me"
"You're safe now. I've got you," Eric said softly, holding her tightly
The guards came running and pulled them out. Margaret also came by this time.
"Emma, take her to her room," Eric ordered.
Then he turned to his grandmother.
"I warned you before. She's my wife. Stay away from her from now on."
"But Eric, I was just—" Margaret replied .
"I said what I had to," he cut her off, and walked away.
Margaret's expression changed. Her calm face turned cold with anger.
"She survived again?" she muttered under her breath and grinded her teeth.
"Mother, please bring her some hot coffee. I'll go warm up her room," Emma said to Marleen and turned on the heater.
Liana came out of the bathroom, changed, but still pale. She lay down on the bed without saying much.
A few minutes later, Marleen entered with a steaming mug.
"Here, dear. Drink this hot coffee. It'll help you feel better."
"Thank you... for taking care of me," Liana whispered, her voice still shaking. A short while later, Eric went to Liana's room to check on her. As he opened the door, he noticed her sitting quietly at the edge of the bed. Her wedding ring was thrown near the doorway.
He picked up the ring, walked over to her, and gently held her hand.
"You're not allowed to take this ring off unless I say so. I never want to see it off your finger again," he slipped it back on "Understand?"
Liana glared at him but stayed silent.
"Come downstairs and eat something," Eric said as he stood up.
"I'm not hungry," she replied without looking at him. He didn't say anything else and left the room.
A few minutes later, Marleen walked in. Liana was standing by the window, gazing outside. Her eyes landed on the potted plant by the window. She looked at the fallen leaves and whispered ,
"These leaves are just like me... once they fall, they never grow back."
Marleen came closer and spoke softly,
"Don't say that, dear. Look at the tree outside. No matter how hard the wind blows, its branches stay strong. Leaves might fall, but the tree stands tall. You have to be like that too. This storm in your life will pass."
Liana turned slightly and gave a weak smile. "Thank you… I needed to hear that."
"Come now, have some breakfast. Even if you just sit with me in the kitchen, you should eat a little."
Liana nodded, and the two of them went downstairs.
After breakfast, Liana stepped outside into the garden to pick a few flowers. Eric spotted her from across the lawn and quickly approached. "What do you think you are doing here?"
"I was only—"
"I don't want your excuses. Go to your room. Now."
Liana looked him straight in the eyes.
"You can't trap me in a room and call that a life."
She didn't wait for a reply and walked away. Back in her room, Liana turned to Marleen.
"Can you help me? Just one thing... could you give me your phone for a minute? I want to call my brother."
Marleen hesitated. She knew the risks. But after seeing the sadness on Liana's face, she handed her the phone.
Liana smiled in relief and quickly dialed her brother's number. But before the call could connect, Eric walked in.
His steps were heavy, his voice louder.
"You really dared to call your family?" He snatched the phone from her hand.
"I just wanted to tell them I'm okay," she said, trembling.
"Marleen, leave us alone!" Eric shouted. Marleen silently stepped out.
Eric turned to Liana and threw the phone hard on the floor, breaking it.
"I warned you... If you tried this, I'd kill your brother."
"No, please!" Liana cried. "I didn't mean to do anything wrong. Can't I even make one phone call? You've taken everything from me. How do you expect me to choose—between you or my family?" with hysterical crying she fell to the floor
Eric crouched beside her. "As long as you listen to me, your family will be safe," he said coldly.
Later that day, Liana's brother Daniel and his wife Lucy arrived at the mansion with a small bag of her belongings. But the guards didn't let them in.
Margaret came outside.
"You should be ashamed of yourselves. How dare you come here?"
Daniel stayed calm. "We only came to drop off her things. That's all."
"Leave the bag and get out. A murderer's daughter deserves nothing better than this," she snapped.
Lucy grabbed Daniel's arm. "Let's just go," she whispered, and they walked away.
From her window, Liana watched them. Tears streamed down her face.
Margaret turned to Marleen. "Open the bag."
Inside were a few clothes, a childhood doll, and a family photo.
"Auran!" she called sharply.
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Bring petrol. And a lighter."
He returned quickly, and Margaret poured the fuel over the bag.
Just as she lit the match, Liana rushed downstairs, sensing something was wrong. She opened the door—and froze.
"No! Don't! Please stop!" she screamed. "Those are my memories! Please don't burn them!"
She ran toward the fire, trying to pull her photo out. Her hands got burned, but she didn't care. She held the picture tightly, crying harder than ever.
Eric came running from his office after hearing the commotion.
"What's going on?" he shouted.
He saw Liana crying in front of the flames, her hands scorched. He rushed to her, pulled her away, and quickly covered her with his coat.
"You're going to hurt yourself! Are you out of your mind?"
But Liana kept crying, hugging the photo to her chest.
After a moment, Eric pulled his coat back and snapped,
"Stop crying! These people aren't your family anymore. Forget them!"
Liana stared at him with shock. Her burned hands trembled, and her eyes filled with disbelief. She pulled her hand away from him, turned, and slowly walked back inside—without saying a word.
When Lucy and Daniel returned home, Martin looked up and asked,
"How's Liana doing?"
Before Daniel could respond, Lucy quickly jumped in, "She's doing fine. She seems happy where she is. There's nothing to worry about." She forced a small smile.
"Come on, let's just have dinner."
At the mansion, Eric sat alone in his office. His eyes were fixed on the floor, but his mind was elsewhere. He kept remembering how Liana had run straight into the fire, trying to save her things—and how he had taken off his coat and put it around her without thinking. "Why did I do that?" he asked himself with frustration.
"I can't forget—she's the daughter of the man who killed my mother. I can't let myself feel sympathy for her."