I forced the words out of my mouth despite the difficulty. If I wanted to live, I had no choice but to compromise. 

As soon as I agreed, Bruno’s expression softened. He poured me a glass of warm water and handed me my medicine. He even considerately offered me some candy. 

I ignored his sudden show of mercy. As soon as the medicine came into effect, I rushed to the floor, littered with glass shards. I couldn’t control the grief surging within me. 

I gathered the torn photo with trembling hands, carefully placing the pieces in a small pouch from my suitcase. 

My mother passed away when I was very young from a relapse of her congenital heart disease. At that time, my father had just started his business and couldn’t afford her treatments. The guilt haunted him until the day he died. 

When the hospital discovered I had inherited my mother’s heart condition, my father started working day and night—all because he wanted me to be healthy. It was his way to make up for the past and redeem himself. 

Unfortunately, his health worsened as he worked himself to the ground, and he passed away. Before breathing his last, he entrusted me to someone he trusted in the company by transferring his shares and management rights. 

That someone was Bruno. 

And yet, this was how Bruno took care of me. Even after seeing me so full of grief, he continued to mock me from the side. 

“It’s just a photo. Why make it such a big deal?” 

I packed everything away, but when I looked at him again, there was no emotion in my eyes. 

“My mother didn’t like having her photos taken when she was alive, and my father was always busy with work. This was the only photo I had with them.” 

He froze, then bit his lip. “You didn’t tell me that.” 

I gave him a cold glance, not wanting to argue. 

Bruno couldn’t stand to see me like this and yanked me off the floor, dragging me forcefully to the bed. He saw me lowering my eyes, refusing to even look at him. 

At this moment, he seemed to realize he had gone too far. He reached out to stroke my cheek, wanting to comfort me, but I slapped his hand away. 

Bruno’s face darkened; he didn’t bother to try and console me anymore. Perhaps he thought I was simply throwing a tantrum.