Nicole walked out of her family mansion but she felt too weak. Was her energy all drained out? Maybe. Putting courage aside, it was more than hard to say such things to the woman who tormented her for 15 years! After all, she was just a human, not a saint.

When she walked past the gate, Edwin quickly rushed to her. "Did something happened? You don't look so well." He said with concern.

"I'll be fine." She muttered and turned around to look at the house. Garcia Han asked for some time to think and she had no choice but to agree. Hoping that everything will go as planned, she turned back to Edwin. "Let's go." They entered the car and left right away.

Meanwhile, Garcia Han was still sitting on the couch without any movement. Her face was just blank and no expression was shown. After what seemed to be forever, she stood up and walked inside her room.

She went through her old things which she stored for years in the bottom of her drawer. Then she takes out an old photo which consists of the teenage her and her brother, Jonathan Kim. She never wanted to thought or talk of the past but tonight, she lost control.

When she stared at her teenage self in the photo, she tried to stop her hands from shivering. Where did the innocent and pure smile disappear? She looked at her reflection in the mirror and the monster in her made her scared! In both interior and exterior, she had no resemblance with the teenage girl in the photo now!

All these years, she hardened her heart and never look back at herself. She never saw what kind of monster she had turned into!

"Jonathan, what have I done?" She muttered and covered her eyes.

She destroyed the life of a 10-year-old girl all because of... a misunderstanding?! She couldn't accept it!

She thought she was doing everything for her brother! That her brother would rest in peace if she punished Zachary Yang and his family. She thought she was avenging him by making the Yang's pay but... she put the photo away realizing how disappointed her brother would be! She always believed that she was doing the right thing and torment that 10-year-old girl despite feeling attached to her! But in the end, everything was a lie?!

Garcia Han used to think that nothing would exceed the pain she felt when she lost her brother as Jonathan Kim was the world to her. But now, she felt as if her world collapsed right before her eyes! What's more, the things Nicole said to her only added to her guilt! The exact guilt was slowly killing her on the inside and the pain was too excruciating!

What would she do now? She had sinned too much to be forgiven! How will she live on with this guilt?! She even felt suffocated until... Nicole's request crossed her mind. She wanted her to help her.

Trying to get a grip of herself, she took a deep breath. Then she lifted her phone and made a call.

"Carson, can you help me in arranging someone to tail Colin Park?"

"Let's meet tomorrow. I will tell you the details."

"Alright. Good night."

She puts down her phone and hardly squeezed it. She will take care of Colin Park first and... accept her punishment after that.

* * *

When Nicole reached her house, she saw two men who were approaching the gate to her house. When she recognized both of them, she quickly gets off her car and ran to them.

"Mr. Aris, what happened to Aston?" She asked, looking at her boyfriend who couldn't even open his eyes.

"He called me and I pick him up at around an hour drive from here. He's drunk." Mario responded. He was feeling quite worried as he knew that Aston had a high alcohol tolerance. They had some drinks together before and the actor didn't get drunk even after many shots. He assumed that something was going on.

"I tried to take him home but he insisted to come here." He added when he saw Nicole's flustered face.

Nicole was a bit lost for a while as it's the first time she saw Aston this way. When she was back to her sense, she quickly holds him. "Thank you, Mr. Aris. I will take care of him." She said and Edwin quickly helped her. "Why don't you come inside?" She asked.

Mario Aris glanced at the house before he turned back to Nicole. "Thanks, but I think I should leave now." He tapped his wristwatch with his finger and said, "It's pretty late now."

"Oh! I don't think through that. Anyway, thanks for the trouble. See you next time then." Nicole promptly said.

Mario Aris nodded and left with his car while Nicole and Edwin brought Aston inside.

After they made Aston slept on the bed in the guest room, Edwin walked out of the room. Sitting next to Aston who was sleeping, Nicole was feeling quite troubled. Did something happen? He was never like this! Besides, he already returned to the city in the evening but... why did Mario pick him up that far?! Many questions crossed her mind yet she had no answer.

"Aston Kang, you're always so secretive." She mumbled and let out a sigh. She glanced at her wristwatch and noticed that it was already midnight. So, she switched off the lights and went to her room.

*

The Next Day

When Nicole finally woke up after a long yet troubled sleep, it was almost 7 in the morning. Laying with her eyes opened for almost a minute, she gets up and then gets off her bed when Aston crossed her mind. Then she took a quick shower and walked downstairs as the guest room was located on the ground floor.

Much to her surprise, Aston was already in the kitchen which made her blinked. He was too drunk last night and she didn't think that he would wake up easily! Slightly shaking her head, she walked to the kitchen. She stood at the door and ended up watching him for a while as he didn't notice her presence for almost a minute.

"Good morning." She finally said which startled Aston. He was preparing breakfast but it turned out that he was also absorbed deeply in his thoughts.

"You're awake? Do you sleep well?" Aston quickly asked him but he didn't sound like other days. Was he feeling sorry for coming drunk last night? Maybe. After all, it was the first time.

Without saying anything, Nicole walked to him. When he turned in her direction, she embraced him. "What about you? Do you have a good sleep?" She calmly asked him back.

Aston nodded. "You must be flustered last night. It never happened before." He murmured.

"It's fine. I'm glad that you want to come to me rather than going home and be alone in your apartment." Nicole said and pulled back. "I'm too caught up with my work these days and I don't spend much time with you. I'm sorry."

"What are you saying? I was the one who always has the busier schedule." Aston promptly said.

"I feel like I don't know you enough," Nicole muttered. "You know, Aston. You're not the only one who want to do the protection. I want to do the same. I really want you to share your worries and problems with me."

"Nicole -"

"I'm okay with it even if you come to me drunk but... what I care about is the reason because that's unlike you. We're dating and I want to know what's going on in your life." Nicole said. Her voice was calm all the time but Aston could felt her seriousness.

"I'm only afraid to make you worry." He replied in a low voice.

"I know but... you shouldn't bear everything alone. I'm here for you and I also want to know everything about you. I wish to be the one who provides you relief." Nicole paused and met his gaze. "I love you, Aston. Even if you can't share everything with me, don't leave me out when you're having a hard time. That's all I ask from you."

Aston raised a brow at her seemingly absurd request. However, when he thought about it, it wasn't absurd at all! If he was in her position, he would felt the same! Did he make her felt left out? He only wanted her not to worry about him. Was he wrong? He realized that in an attempt to shield her, he wasn't considerate of her feelings enough. That made him filled with guilty.

However, everything she said warmed up his heart and healed it. He felt so lucky to have her in his life. Her willingness healed his wounds. Then he hugged her. "I'm sorry, Nicole. I wasn't considerate enough. I should have thought about how you feel." He finally muttered, tightening his grip on her as if she was his lifeline.

For someone like him, her love was really a lifeline.....