For a brief moment, Jillian paused, caught between instinct and memory. Her grandmother had always insisted that she leave Casey's identity behind and live quietly as Jillian.
After considering it, she looked back at Leland and spoke with quiet confidence. "With you handling this, I do not think I need to rely on the name Dr. Hadley."
Taking a step closer, Leland studied her expression. "So you have that much faith in me?"
Without hesitation, she gave a sincere answer. "I do. You carry yourself like a true professional now. You have changed a lot."
Something unreadable flickered in Leland's gaze, but it disappeared just as quickly.
Out of nowhere, he asked a question that shifted the air between them. "Do you ever regret ending things with me?"
After a short pause to think, Jillian responded honestly, "I do."
For a split second, satisfaction formed on Leland's face, but it didn't last.
With calm bluntness, Jillian added, "I regret not ending it sooner. If I had, you might have become an exceptional lawyer much earlier."
The change in Leland's expression was immediate, and his face turned grim at once.
With visible irritation, he pulled out a contract and spoke in a clipped tone. "So your voice is back, and this is how you use it? Just to argue with me? Sign this. I'll be handling your case from now on."
Without a moment of hesitation, Jillian picked up the pen and wrote her name.
Once everything was settled, Leland insisted, in a stiff and formal manner, that he would drive her home as part of his responsibility.
Although she tried to decline at first, she eventually relented and got into his car.
By the time they reached Aurora Mansion, both of them stepped out.
As they stood outside, Leland caught the subtle tremor that ran through her.
Without asking, he removed his suit jacket and placed it over her shoulders with firm insistence. "You're already an adult. How is it that you still can't take proper care of yourself?"
Jillian reached to give it back, but Leland stopped her and adjusted it more securely around her. "Happy birthday."
Caught off guard, she paused before responding, clearly surprised that he remembered, "That's the first birthday greeting I have received today. Thank you."
Meanwhile, inside the mansion, Dennis stood near the floor-to-ceiling window on the first level, occupied with his work calls.
From where he stood, Dennis lifted his gaze and caught sight of an unfamiliar man escorting his wife home while placing a jacket over her shoulders.
Without a second thought, he ended the call and stepped outside, his expression already tightening with displeasure.
Just as Jillian was about to head inside, Leland noticed Dennis approaching from a distance.
With deliberate intent, Leland moved closer and rested a hand on Jillian's shoulder to stop her. Raising his voice on purpose, he added, "By the way, enjoy your upcoming single life."
Every word carried clearly across the space and reached Dennis without obstruction.
At once, a sharp gloom settled in his eyes.
Before Jillian could even react, Dennis had already closed the distance and reached her side.
Right in front of Leland, he seized the jacket from her shoulders and tossed it aside as if it meant nothing. Without warning, he lifted her over his shoulder and carried her back inside with ease.
Caught completely off guard, Jillian struggled against him the moment she realized it was Dennis, and in the chaos, her shoes slipped off.
Once Dennis finally set her down, Jillian didn't spare him a glance and immediately made her way toward the stairs.
With a swift motion, Dennis seized her and forced her back against the wall, his expression heavy with displeasure. "Telling another man that you're about to be single? Jillian, does our marriage mean nothing to you?"
A mocking laugh slipped from Jillian as she replied, "Then what was I supposed to feel when you were so close with Melany? And don't forget, I already said we are ending this marriage. So keep your distance."
Without hesitation, she shoved him away, and the lingering scent of another woman's perfume on him made her stomach turn.
After losing his balance for a brief second, Dennis regained his footing and moved toward her again with even greater force.
A chill settled in his eyes as he spoke. "You don't even have a divorce agreement. What exactly are you planning to use to leave me?"
"I don't need one," Jillian said with firm resolve.
The decision had already been made in her mind. If a mutual agreement was not possible, she would file for divorce and end it through legal means.
For a moment, Dennis fell silent as he tried to make sense of her words. Then realization dawned on him. "So you brought another man into this on purpose to provoke me, hoping I would agree to the divorce?"
The realization settled in his mind all at once.
All of this, just because of the patent, had driven her to push things this far.
Taking a slow step back, Dennis let a faint, mocking look cross his eyes. "Give up on that idea. Divorce is not going to happen."
Caught off guard, Jillian asked the question that had been weighing on her. "Why are you so determined to refuse it?"
Love clearly was not the reason. Then why was he holding on so tightly?
With a detached tone, Dennis gave a curt response. "That doesn't concern you."
Refusing to let it go, Jillian asked, "Is this about Melany? As long as I remain your wife in name, no one in the Miller family will question how you treat her, and no one will criticize her either. To everyone else, you appear devoted and loyal, taking care of a disabled childhood friend."
As her thoughts aligned, her conviction grew stronger. "You don't actually want this marriage. You just need someone to keep up appearances, do you not?"
Not a single word came from Dennis.
That quiet response spoke louder than any denial could have.
A chill spread across Jillian's face as her expression hardened. "Dennis, this is disgusting."
An unbearable ache tightened around her chest, dull yet suffocating, as if countless tiny needles were pressing into her.
With a strained voice, she forced out her question. "Do you really think any of this is fair to me?"
Remaining completely unreadable, Dennis leaned closer and brushed his fingers lightly against Jillian's cheek. "You were the one who insisted on becoming my wife. This is simply the reality you chose, so you'll have to accept it."
