Chapter 4

In that moment, I was speechless.

I knew any further explanation would be useless. Julian wouldn’t believe me, so I simply stopped talking.

Seeing that he still hadn't left.

I broke the silence. "Do you want to come in and sit down?"

Then, I opened the door and stepped inside.

Julian followed her in, scanning the room.

The cramped room was sparsely furnished.

Only a bed, an old table, and a chipped wardrobe.

There was nowhere to sit.

Suddenly, Julian’s eyes darkened.

He immediately spotted the bedhead, covered with clippings of his photos from newspapers.

I followed his gaze, realizing I had completely forgotten about them.

I hurried to tear down the photos.

"Don't misunderstand. My place is so run-down, so I just used these newspaper clippings to cover the mold on the wall."

Julian didn't expose my lie.

I felt his gaze on me, like a knife slowly carving away at my self-esteem.

"Do you have anything else? If not, I won't keep you."

Julian pulled out a card and handed it to me.

"There's ten thousand in here, enough to live on for a while. Don't do anything illegal again."

"Find a decent job."

I clenched my hand, my palm bleeding from my nails digging in.

I pushed Julian's hand away.

"No thanks. I can earn my own money. I don't need your help."

Julian looked at my stubbornness, a flicker of something unusual in his eyes.

"This money is from your sister."

My heart seized. I couldn't help but ask.

"Julian, can I ask you something?"

"Seven years ago, when I confessed to you, you said I was just a kid. But why are you now with my sister, who's only two years older than me?"

Julian was silent for a moment, then looked into my eyes, speaking each word distinctly.

"Your sister is different from you."

With that one sentence, my heart utterly died.

I stood there, stunned, unable to speak.

I could only watch as Julian placed an invitation and the card on the table beside me.

"Violet and I are getting married on September 30th."

"Your sister hopes you can dress appropriately and attend our wedding."

So Julian had come specifically to give me money, afraid I would embarrass them at the wedding.

My emotions were a messy tangle.

After Julian left, I walked to the table and tucked both the invitation and the card into a drawer.

I wouldn't go looking for humiliation.

After doing everything.

I lay on the bed, and an overwhelming wave of fatigue swept over me.

I had a dream, of more than a decade ago, the first time I met Julian.

Julian was wearing a dark overcoat, smiling as he asked me.

"Little girl, what's your name?"

In that moment, my heart melted.

I woke up the next morning.

I was roused by the ringing of my phone.

Still half-asleep, I grabbed the phone from my bedside table and answered. My sister Violet Hayes's impatient voice came through the line.

"Hello! What are you waiting for? Mom had an accident, the bed is all wet!"

"I'm on my way."

I skipped breakfast, washed up quickly, and rushed to the hospital.

As soon as I entered the ward, I heard Violet's sharp voice.

"I told you already, we have no relationship anymore. Can you please stop bothering me?"