"That was… a goodbye kiss!"

Yes, that was what it was.

Eliana had come to a decision. She could see that Preston cared about the children a lot. If he found out the truth, he would probably try to take Aileen and Adrian away from her. Eliana couldn't take that risk. She had to cut Preston off completely. She couldn't see him again. Eliana's heart hurt.

"A goodbye kiss? What do you mean by that? You want to end this because I discovered your secret? Eliana, this is foolish."

Maurice clenched his teeth and gripped Eliana's shoulders. "Tell me the truth — are the children mine?"

Eliana tried as hard as she could to keep her expression under control and put on a righteous tone. "Of course not. Their mother is my best friend, Nana. She used to be a star and had to hide her children to protect her career."

"I don't believe it. If they are Nana's, why did you have to hide them from me?" Maurice demanded.

"I had to hide them because Nana is my best friend. To protect her future, I would gladly keep this secret from everyone, even you."

As she went on, her words became more eloquent. Even now, she was still lying to him…

Maurice had to hold his feelings back. He felt angry enough to hurt her. The ache in his heart was nearly unbearable. But he felt powerless as well.

He couldn't even remember how many times she had said goodbye since they first met. She could push him away so ruthlessly. It seemed so easy for her to say they should separate. Like it was only a trivial thing to her.

Frustration put every nerve in Maurice's body on edge. There was a wall in Eliana's heart that he could never break through. He didn't know how to continue to face Eliana as Preston.

"Okay. I understand what you mean." Maurice let go of Eliana. His expression became calm, but a hint of redness in the corners of his eyes betrayed the strong emotions that raged inside him.

He reached out for the ring in her hand. "If it is your wish, then I will not appear in your life again."

The words pierced Eliana's heart like a knife. She knew that Preston meant what he said.

She should be happy. She would no longer have to deal with the problem of the ring, and she wouldn't have to fear that he would one day find out about the children and take them from her. She should be happy… But her heart felt like it was being torn to shreds.

Eliana clenched her fists so hard that her nails pierced into her flesh.

"But Eliana, it's your fault that my precious ring was lost for a long time. Surely it's reasonable for me to charge you something in return?"

The hoarseness in his voice made Eliana's toes curl. When she met his gaze, his eyes were full of intensity.

"What do you want?" Eliana swallowed.

"You know what I want."

As soon as he said those words, Maurice stepped forward and kissed Eliana passionately.

Eliana's first instinct was to pull away, but then she thought about how she would never see Preston again. She didn't want to resist anymore. She wanted to indulge herself this time. She relaxed and leaned into Preston.

Their kiss was full of bittersweet emotion. This was the real goodbye.

What happened next was a natural continuation of their embrace. This time, there was no outside influence — only two hearts longing for each other.

Maurice held her close, his eyes full of devotion. Eliana's vision was blurred. She raised her head and opened her lips slightly, letting herself sink into the moment.

A cold tear fell from the corner of her eye. The two beautiful souls intertwined.

It was an emotional scene.

Meanwhile, Nana had finally escaped with the twins. Everything had happened so suddenly that they had no time to find a house to stay in. They were discussing finding a hotel to stay in temporarily.

On the way, Nana got the feeling that they were being followed. She was right. Someone had secretly followed them ever since they left home.

The spy was Corbin.