He smashed his fist against the stone tiles, blood erupting from his knuckles, but his expression remained unchanged.

"Mr. Thorne, I didn't know. It was my subordinates who did it, it wasn't my intention..."

Faced with the previous Xavier Thorne, Rosalind might have felt some confidence in turning the situation around, but now, looking at the man radiating a lethal aura, she was terrified.

In the next second, the man grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head against the tombstone. Once, twice... she screamed and struggled until she was thrown aside, her head broken and bleeding.

"It hurts... Mr. Thorne, save me..."

"It hurts? When you used my name to hurt June, did you ever consider her pain?"

At the thought of the woman who would cry even at the sight of a needle, his heart felt wrung dry, and the strength in his hands increased.

He picked up the same wooden cane that had struck June’s leg and brought it down on Rosalind. With just one blow, she fell to the ground, howling in agony.

"My leg... Mr. Thorne, I only did these things because I love you. I just had a little selfishness..."

"Good riddance! Mr. Thorne, Rosalind always used your authority to bully us. She secretly withheld my mother's wages to buy luxury goods and hid a room full of them. She even bragged to us that the expensive emerald earrings you gave her were a betrothal gift and that she was to be the mistress of the Thorne family."

This time, Xavier wanted to slap himself. How could he have been so foolish as to believe Rosalind's claim that the items in her room were fakes used for June's training, or that she was a person indifferent to fame and fortune?

Liar!

"This strike is for your mouth full of lies."

"This strike is for your borrowed arrogance."

"This strike is for hurting June."

"And this strike is for killing my child."

With the final blow, Rosalind lost consciousness completely.

The cold rain beat against Xavier’s face; he could not tell if it was rain or tears.

A thousand voices in his soul told him over and over: June Rivers is never coming back...

Chapter 14

"Mr. Thorne, the matriarch has removed your name from the board of directors."

"Mr. Thorne, there is a lot of negative news online about your social gatherings. Some tabloid media have dug up your past, and the public outcry is intensifying. It’s best if you don't go out for a while."

"Mr. Thorne, Rosalind’s identity has been investigated. She is not the orphaned daughter of a century-old noble family; the true descendant of the Vane family is studying abroad. Rosalind is a fraud with a criminal record. We were deceived by her. She is still being held in the basement; no one has treated her wounds without your order."

"Mr. Thorne..."

"Where is June?"

Xavier turned and knocked over an empty wine bottle. It had been over half a month since the birthday banquet, yet he had not changed out of the shirt and suit he wore that night. He reeked of decadence and despair.

"Mr. Thorne, I’m sorry. There is still no news of the mistress."

For half a month, he had received no word from June. He suffered from relentless insomnia, using alcohol to numb his nerves.

Yet the more he drank, the clearer his mind became. His head was filled with their sweet past. The sweeter the memory, the more his heart ached—like a slow execution, cutting him piece by piece!

"If there's no news of the mistress, don't report to me. Get out!"

The bottle shattered against the door, and the flying glass pierced his wedding photo with June.

He ignored the danger and pried the glass out with his fingers, letting the shards cut his fingertips. His blood stained the photo; no matter how much he wiped, the mark remained.

Just like the misunderstanding and conflict that now stood between them.

"June, where on earth are you?"

"Where did you go?"

In his hazy state, he seemed to hear June’s laughter.

"I love you, June. No matter what happens, no matter where I am, I will never let go of your hand."

The woman had looked at him with an expression of being "smothered" by his cheesiness, playfully tugging his arm.

"You said it. If you bully me, I’ll hide so you can never find me again. I’m a butterfly that can fly, you know."

Words from the past had become a prophecy.

The door opened again. He thought he saw June’s figure, but when he reached out, there was only air.

"Xavier Thorne, look at yourself—neither man nor ghost—all for a woman. Do you think you haven't embarrassed the Thorne family enough?"

The matriarch covered her nose, her eyes filled with disgust, refusing to take a single step further into the room.

"I am here today to warn you. If you continue to wallow like this, I will do more than just remove you from the board..."

"I only want June, Mother. I don't want anything else."

The matriarch looked at Xavier in surprise, the last spark of hope dying in her eyes.

"Suit yourself."

With that single sentence, his years of hard work were cast aside.

"Mr. Thorne, why put yourself through this? Just apologize to the matriarch and give in; it will pass."

Xavier leaned back on the sofa, staring up at the chandelier.

"Uncle Chen, I understand now. Even if June had become exactly the person my mother liked, she still wouldn't have accepted her. I was wrong—wrong from the very beginning. I used June as a tool to please my mother. I wanted the person I loved, but I also wanted my mother’s recognition. I was too idealistic."

His eyes stung, underscored by dark circles that wouldn't fade.

"In the end, I’m left with a mother who doesn't love me and a June who has fled from me."

Spring thunder rumbled outside, and rain lashed against the window frames, reminding him of the days he and June had relied on each other in the cave.

It was on a rainy night just like this, with the same thunder, that he had instinctively given the hope of survival to June. Without a shred of selfishness, he truly had been willing to die for her.

His life was full of calculation and cunning; meeting the pure, paper-white June was his only stroke of luck.

Back then, the tears of gratitude in her eyes were rarer than the moon in the sky.

At this thought, Xavier was nearly swallowed by remorse. He vented his frustration again and again, roaring:

"I’ve lost so many times. God must give me one more chance."

"June, I will find you!"

Chapter 15

On the vast grasslands of the Northwest, a flock of sheep was being herded back in an orderly fashion.

The man herding them swung a whip in one hand while pulling a cart with the other.

With Julian’s help, June Rivers had spent half a month in hiding before finally returning to her homeland. Sitting on the cart, she reached out to touch the winds of her home, her eyes instantly welling with tears.

"Julian, the wind here is cold, but it feels warm in my heart."

"I knew it. Bringing you out here was the right choice; your mood is better."

Julian turned back, his tanned skin wrinkling into a smile.

"June, you’ve been gone for five years, but nothing here has changed. You are always welcome home."

The step she had once taken so bravely for love had become a boomerang that struck her years later. Now, even her leg was injured, and she couldn't walk.

She had been gone for five years—five years she thought were nourished by love—and it was all a joke.

She had believed Xavier Thorne’s sweet talk; she had been a fool. Now, the dream was over, and everything was a new beginning.

"I won't be foolish again, and I won't leave this land that raised me."

Julian caught the loneliness in her eyes and comforted her with a smile: "Good. I’ll stay with you; you won't be lonely."

The rest of his words caught in his throat; he couldn't bring himself to say them.

As evening fell, Julian and June hurried back to their temporary camp. On the way, they encountered a couple on their honeymoon.

They were lost on the grassland, and considering their safety, June invited them to stay at the camp for the night and set out at daybreak.

That night, they sat around the fire, eating roasted meat, drinking, and chatting in harmony.

June was in an unusually good mood.

In the past, Xavier always found reasons not to take her to see friends. Eating out usually meant just the two of them. Her entire world had revolved around Xavier. It had been a long time since she had been with so many people. Unknowingly, she drank several extra bowls of wine, temporarily forgetting her pain.