Chapter 2. Deceived Memories
A loud voice suddenly rang out, silencing the entire space.
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Everyone turned to see an old man, leaning on a cane, trembling as he stood up.
"Galvin, I was the one who arranged for Glenda to go abroad. Are you planning to treat me this way as well?"
"Grandfather." Galvin frowned.
"Glenda is an illegitimate child of low status. Do you think I would allow her to continue entangling with you?"
Hearing this, Galvin clenched his fists tightly. This was the grandfather he respected the most; he couldn't refute him in front of everyone like this.
But still! Galvin looked at Ellie with hatred. It was her, this greedy woman, who caused Glenda to be sent to Japan.
If she had tried so hard to marry him, then he would help her achieve that dream. But... Galvin's revenge was not something Ellie could endure.
...
Thus, a high-society marriage had completely turned into a laughingstock in everyone's eyes.
That day, Ellie had a long dream. In the dream, she and Galvin returned to their childhood. Back then, he was ten years old, and she was seven.
The petite Ellie looked up at the soapberry tree full of fruit and called out loudly to Galvin, who was sitting on a branch. "Gal, please pull me up too! I want to climb that branch!"
"No, I just need to pick these fruits. You stay down there and wait."
"But..." Ellie blinked, her eyes welling up with tears. "Gal, you're so mean. You just want to play alone and won't let me join!"
"That's not it, it's very dangerous."
"I don't believe you. I want to climb up too."
Galvin looked at Ellie helplessly, then extended his hand. "Alright, but you have to promise to be careful."
"Okay!" Ellie nodded eagerly, finally smiling with joy.
Galvin pulled Ellie up into the soapberry tree.
As soon as she sat down securely, Ellie spotted a cute golden beetle.
"Gal, look! There's a golden beetle!"
Before Galvin could respond, Ellie had already crawled toward it. She reached out to catch it, but the beetle, sensing her movement, flapped its wings and flew away.
Ellie lost her grip on the tree and lost her balance, about to fall.
"Ellie!" Galvin's face turned pale. Without thinking, he lunged forward, grabbing Ellie tightly before flipping his body so that his back faced the ground. The two of them crashed heavily to the ground.
Galvin felt as if his internal organs were about to shatter. The searing pain spread from his back, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to cry out. If he did, the little girl in his arms would definitely cry even harder.
But the reality was the opposite—no matter how much he endured, she was already crying miserably.
"Gal, I'm sorry! It's all my fault. Gal, are you okay?"
Ellie wiped her tears continuously, her eyes swollen and red. Galvin tried to sit up, enduring the pain, pretending to be unaffected. "This isn't concrete ground, so how could it hurt?"
"Gal, it's all my fault. Next time, if I'm being reckless like this, don't save me. Just let me fall on my own."
Seeing her crying so pitifully, Galvin immediately forgot his pain. He wrapped one arm around Ellie, pulling her close, and said,
"Silly girl, don't cry anymore. How could I not save you? I'll protect you for life. Don't cry... seeing you cry makes my heart ache too."
"Okay." Ellie nodded vigorously, then smiled at him—a smile that looked even worse than crying.
Galvin patted her head. "You look much prettier when you smile. I swear, I will never let you cry because of me again..."
A basin of cold water was suddenly splashed forcefully onto Ellie’s face, sending a sharp chill through her and making her eyes snap open.
The first thing she saw was Galvin’s icy expression.
She glanced around and realized she was once again in Galvin’s room, lying on his bed.
"Awake now? I was wondering how long you planned to keep up that act."
Ellie looked at him, instinctively calling out, "Gal..."
"Gal?" Galvin's eyes filled with disdain. "Don't make me sick. That’s what Glenda calls me. You don’t get to."
Ellie’s gaze instantly dimmed.
Galvin grabbed the collar of her shirt, his grip tight with anger.
"Sorry, I won’t call you that again. Galvin." Ellie spoke with difficulty, realizing she had forgotten—they no longer had any connection.
For some reason, hearing her say his full name like that made Galvin feel even more unsettled.
A ridiculous thought suddenly crossed his mind, as if she was the only one who should be allowed to call him "Gal."
As Galvin clenched Ellie’s collar, a few of her buttons unexpectedly came undone.
Her fair, delicate chest was suddenly exposed. It was only then that Galvin noticed the basin of water had soaked her completely. Her white shirt, now wet, had turned translucent, revealing the faint outline of her soft, pink nipples beneath the nearly sheer fabric.
A strange heat surged through Galvin’s body, and his mouth suddenly felt dry.
His gaze followed a droplet of water as it dripped from Ellie’s hair, traced a slow path down her cheek, and seeped into her damp clothes.
A wild urge struck him—to lean in and lick it away.
His body moved before his mind could stop it.
He leaned in closer, and finally, unable to resist, he ran his tongue along her cheek, catching the stray droplet between his lips.
Both Ellie and Galvin froze in shock.
What was he doing?
Galvin’s expression darkened as he glared at Ellie. He hadn’t expected himself to do something like this—to someone he had always despised.
She must have done this on purpose, acting all pure and innocent to seduce him.
But why had that moment felt so... good?
Like some primal instinct, Ellie seemed to have a pull on him that he couldn’t explain.
Perhaps… treating her like his personal plaything wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
"You really are despicable. Are you that desperate to seduce me?"
"I didn't..." Ellie was truly innocent; she had clearly done nothing.
"However, since we already have the title of husband and wife, doing something together isn't too much, is it?"