Chapter 2

Just as I finished all that, I heard the sound of an engine outside.

Julian quickly pushed the door open. The moment he saw me, his cold eyes softened, becoming as gentle as a spring stream.

"Iris, I'm home. Why are your eyes red?"

"Crying? Who upset you?"

Julian instinctively came to my side, pulled me into his arms, and tenderly kissed my cheek.

When he noticed my swollen eyes, his gaze instantly turned cold.

As Julian leaned in, I caught a faint scent of perfume on him—gardenia.

I remembered that scent; it was Serena's favorite perfume.

He couldn't even bother to cover his tracks after cheating?

My mood instantly plummeted. I conjured up a random excuse:

"The doctor told me today I'll never be able to have children. I'm a bit sad about it."

So that was it!

Julian let out a sigh of relief, then gently reassured me:

"It's alright if we don't have children. All that matters is having you by my side."

"If you ever feel bored, we can always adopt."

"We'll see."

I subtly moved away from Julian. I couldn't even stand being close to him now.

Six more days, I quietly told myself.

Six more days until I'm free.

After dinner, I went to bed early. Just as I was about to fall asleep, Julian came in with a basin of foot-soaking water.

He gently helped me sit up, then cradled my cold feet and lowered them into the herbal water.

"That herbalist said you were a bit frail and needed to soak your feet every night with his prescribed herbs."

"But every time I remind you, you don't do it! You're so lazy!"

Julian knelt before me, looking up with a helpless expression.

My face remained blank. In the past, I would've probably teased, "Don't I have you for that?"

Now, I had no desire to speak.

Julian noticed my low spirits, frowned slightly, and cautiously asked:

"Iris, what are you thinking about?"

I looked up, staring directly into Julian's eyes, and said softly:

"I was wondering, if Serena hadn't tried to bully me to death back then, would I have been able to have children?"

Hearing Serena's name, Julian's face momentarily stiffened.

The next second, his eyes filled with pain, and he kissed the winding scar on my right leg.

"That's all in the past, Iris."

"I promise you, Serena will not have an easy life."

Julian said earnestly.

I smiled, my voice sounding distant:

"Julian, remember what you said today."

"If I ever find out you lied to me, I'll leave you forever."

"That day will never come!"

Julian, seeing my cold expression, felt a surge of hidden panic and emphasized.

He would never let Iris leave him!

After he got into bed, he eagerly pulled me into his arms, wanting to be intimate.

"I'm not in the mood."

I pushed his hand away, turning my back to him.

Julian's body stiffened, then he gently patted my back and said hoarsely:

"Go to sleep."

It wasn't until his breathing grew shallow and steady that he slowly got up, hastily dressed, and drove out.

The moment he exited the bedroom, I opened my eyes.

I tiptoed to the window, standing still, and watched Julian's car drive away, hidden by the curtains.

Less than three minutes later, Serena's call came as expected. I answered calmly, and her brazen, provocative words poured through:

"My dear sister, did you not satisfy your husband in bed? Making him come looking for me in the middle of the night."

"Then again, with all those scars on your body, any normal man would find it disgusting."

"You have no idea how obsessed he is with my body, calling me 'baby' as he holds me."

"A tainted man like that, and you still treat him like a treasure."