Chapter 5

Julian pulled me to face him.

He saw the brokenness in my eyes. He looked at me.

It was as if he saw the light in my eyes dim, and he paused for a moment, his hands still.

As if he was afraid to see me like this.

He took a step back.

Then, he saw my eyes fixed stubbornly on him, and I said with defiance,

“Of course I understand that I have no right to be angry with you.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t understand. After Brittany crashed the wedding.

I knew that I could never compare to Brittany.

And I couldn’t rival Brittany’s presence throughout Julian’s entire childhood and youth.

I was late, I missed the best years of Julian.

But, I always held onto hope.

As long as I stayed with Julian a little longer, as long as I treated him a little better.

As long as Julian was willing to let me stay, I would eventually help him move past the past and slowly come to my side.

I would always have a chance to enter Julian’s heart, to become the person in his heart.

I had always held onto a fragile hope for this marriage, because I always felt that Julian truly cared for me.

In the three years without Brittany.

Julian would hold an umbrella for me in the rain, and would take me to see the ocean and the snowy landscapes.

He would drive from the south side of the city to the north side just because I said I liked a certain dessert, waiting in a long line for me.

We had lived like an ordinary couple.

Not all of our memories were unpleasant.

But then.

“Mr. Hayes.”

My heart was tearing inch by inch, the broken glass on the floor reflecting years of my own pathetic delusion.

“Do you remember the house you prepared in advance for the baby?”

From the day Julian decided to have a child, he had looked at countless houses in Metropolis, finally choosing a luxury penthouse apartment perfectly suited for a family.

The day he took me to see the house, the weather was bright, and sunlight streamed into the living room.

Julian hugged me from behind, his head resting on my neck, breathing warmly.

“In the future, this apartment will be our child’s welcome gift.”

“It’s the first present Daddy will give her.”

Julian said.

“I hope it’s a girl, like you – quiet and sweet. I’ll spoil her like a princess.”

That day.

The sunlight cast Julian’s shadow, his silhouette overlapping mine, like an inseparable, perfect match.

My heart filled with sweetness, and I began to imagine.

What kind of mother I would be.

What kind of father Julian would become. I eagerly awaited this child.

I awaited.

What I believed was the fruit of Julian’s and my love.

I couldn’t wait to tell Julian the good news. For the first time, I disregarded etiquette and rushed into Julian’s office.

But I didn’t see Julian, only heard his secretary mention that Julian had gone to pick someone up, his sister was back.

Brittany Hayes was back.

It hit me like a lightning bolt. I sat frozen on the couch, unable to process anything.

By the time I came to my senses, I was already dialing Julian’s number.

I wanted to tell Julian.

They had a child.

They had their own baby.

But Julian didn’t answer.

I called many times, but he still didn’t answer.

I couldn’t find Julian, but on Ins, I saw a post from someone else: Julian and Brittany hugging at the airport.

Julian’s face was soft with a gentle smile, looking at Brittany with doting affection.

6.

Brittany and he looked like a couple.

My heart plummeted. I stood up from the sofa, walked to the office door, and heard the secretary whispering.

“Mr. Hayes has always liked his foster sister. It’s just that his parents separated them, believing their relationship would be criticized, which is why they sent her away. Otherwise, how would this country bumpkin have had a chance to climb up?”

“If you ask me, I’d prefer his sister too. She’s outgoing and generous, nothing like that pauper, who always looks like death warmed over, as if everyone owes her a million dollars. Ugh!”

Julian and I were mismatched.

I had always known it. The first time I went with Julian to meet his friends, I was mocked as an uncultured pauper.

Some even joked about Julian’s bad taste, saying he ignored the jewel at home to rummage for trash.

I had my pride; how could I not care?

I looked at Julian, hoping he’d say something for me. Julian just smiled, squeezed my hand, and told me,

“Don’t mind them. These people are used to being wild, their words aren’t pleasant, but there’s no malice.”

He always knew they were scrutinizing me with malice.

He also knew I was constantly the butt of jokes in their circle.

But even knowing this.

Julian never thought to defend me.

It wasn’t that Julian didn’t understand, it was simply that Julian didn’t think it was worth arguing with his friends over.

So much so.

I thought Julian was just like that.

Polite in any situation, for any reason, with anyone.

He didn't like to make things awkward, so I comforted myself, *Julian is just naturally like this.*

But then I saw Brittany cause trouble, hitting his good friend’s sister.

His good friend, enraged, demanded an explanation, yet Julian, unreasonably, tore into his friend, shielding Brittany in his arms.

It was then I realized.

Julian wasn’t ignorant, wasn’t incapable, wasn’t against it.

It was just that I wasn’t worthy.

I wasn’t Brittany, I wasn’t Julian’s exception or special treatment. I didn’t have that privilege, so I naturally didn’t receive Julian’s doting affection.

I looked at Julian, his expression flickering with a hint of guilt when I mentioned the baby. But he quickly composed himself and asked her,

“What do you want to say?”

I didn’t want to say anything, nor did I want to argue anymore. My voice was very soft, my expression very calm.

“Could you come with me to see the house again?”

My eyes were still red-rimmed, my throat felt ripped, hoarse beyond recognition.

“I prepared a gift for the baby there. I want to see it, if that’s okay?”

Julian was about to agree.

His phone, resting nearby, rang. It was Brittany.

Brittany had recorded a voice reminder on his phone herself.

So, when the phone rang, Julian instinctively reached to hang up, but I interrupted him.

“Aren’t you going to answer?”

My expression was calm, tear streaks still on my face, making me look fragile and pitiful.

Julian felt a flicker of guilt.

“It’s nothing major.”

“Brittany was just worried about you,” Julian always instinctively defended Brittany when she was mentioned.

“She’s a bit wild, but she truly has no ill intentions.”

“Don’t mind her.”

Julian looked at me.

“Her words today were only because she didn’t want me to be blamed by the family, and besides, you were the one who made the mistake in this matter.”

Julian’s protectiveness was obvious.

How could I not understand? I silently looked at Julian, making him more and more uneasy.

When Brittany’s call rang again, he picked up his phone, not daring to look at me.

7

“I’ll take this. Maybe it’s something from home.”

He didn’t wait for my response, grabbing his phone and stepping out of the ward.

It was late at night.

The corridor was quiet.

The ward door was left ajar, a tiny crack letting the white light from the corridor reflect into the room.

Like a long string, it carried Julian’s voice from the other end.

Julian’s tone was reassuring, entirely different from how he spoke to me.

His voice was so gentle it could melt butter, and every now and then, soft laughter escaped him.

His laughter echoed in my ears, like countless tiny needles piercing my heart, making it ache so much I could barely breathe.

Not long after.

I saw Julian hang up the phone, but he lingered outside, reluctant to come in.

My heart already understood.

When Julian finally came in after a few minutes, I, being the understanding one, spoke up for him.

“Go.”

Julian lowered his head in shame, wanting to explain, but feeling that any words would be futile.

He simply picked up his now-damp jacket and told me,

“I’ll be back soon.”

Julian walked to the door, then paused.

“When you’re discharged,”

He spoke as if out of guilt, seeking to compensate.

“I’ll go with you.”

Julian left.

The ward fell silent again.

The previous liveliness vanished.

I looked at the mess on the floor, propped myself up from the bed.

I picked up my phone and dialed the number of Zara, the sister who had left our village with me years ago.

The call connected quickly.

Zara’s gentle voice came through.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

The moment I heard Zara’s voice.

All the unresolved, painful emotions hidden deep in my heart came flooding in, overwhelming me.

They turned into a torrent of tears that streamed down my face.

I tried hard to stifle my sobs, but I couldn’t hold back, bursting into desperate tears.

“Sis…”

I choked for a long time, calling her,

“Sister, I don’t want to stay in this city anymore.”

“Can… can you take me away?”

Before.

Zara had come looking for me.

Zara’s mother was bought by Zara’s father for $4,000, and that’s how Zara came into the world.

Zara’s mother hated her.

But she also constantly instilled in her the idea that men were untrustworthy.

This led Zara to develop the notion from a young age that she had to escape the countryside.

And the year she escaped.

I helped her.

After I received a scholarship and left the countryside, I studied desperately, participated in competitions.

I worked part-time whenever I could, and later saved a sum of money.

The day I took Zara away, I gave her all my savings, telling her to live a good life.

At that time, Zara said.

“If one day, you need me, I will give you everything.”

Zara never approved of the unequal love between Julian and me.

So, she had tried to persuade me.

But I was deeply in love, I couldn’t hear or see anyone else but Julian.

It was my own fault.

I cried, asking Zara,

“Can I still go with you?”

Zara agreed without hesitation.

“I’ll come pick you up right away.”

When she learned I had an abortion and Julian was still with Brittany, she was furious.

“He’s an animal!”

Still, she respected my wishes.

After I said I wanted to say a proper goodbye to Julian, Zara agreed.

“Whenever you’re ready, I’ll take you.”

Since Brittany returned.

Whenever I opened Ins, I always saw Julian and Brittany attending various events together.

Julian broke his promise.

Even on the day I was discharged, he didn’t spare a single moment to visit me.

Even though I knew Julian wouldn’t come.

Every time a doctor or nurse opened that door, I would instinctively look outside.

Instinctively hope, then retract my gaze, suppressing the disappointment in my heart, pretending nothing had happened.

8

The day I left the hospital.

The Hayes household was bustling. Mr. and Mrs. Hayes were there.

Brittany sat at the dining table. Seeing me, she said impatiently.

“Finally, she’s back.”

Brittany’s tone was accusatory.

“It just goes to show, country people have no manners. She knows we’re having a family dinner today, but she drags her feet, making everyone wait for her.”

Mrs. Hayes raised a hand and slapped Brittany.

“If you can’t say anything nice, shut up. Do you want to go abroad for another few years of ‘further education’?”

Brittany felt wronged by the slap.

“Mom!”

Then, seeing Mrs. Hayes unresponsive, she went to tug on Julian, who had just stepped out of the elevator.

“Bro, Mom always hits me when I talk. Aren’t you going to do something?”

Julian gently patted Brittany’s hand, asking what happened.

Then he looked up and saw me, standing by the door with my luggage.

Julian’s expression froze, and his hands stilled.

His eyes flickered.

He finally remembered that today was my discharge day.

Mrs. Hayes had even reminded him that morning to pick me up.

But, because Brittany said her stomach hurt that morning, he panicked and called the family doctor to examine her.

The doctor checked her thoroughly.

But couldn’t find any reason.

Later, Brittany hugged his arm and pouted, saying,

“I probably just didn’t eat. I’m hungry.”

Brittany swayed his arm.

“Brother, you’re not mad at me, are you?”

Julian was a little annoyed.

But seeing Brittany was fine, he ultimately sighed in relief.

More than being angry, Julian cared more about Brittany’s health.

So, with that delay, it was already noon, and I had returned by myself.

Julian’s heart skipped a beat.

He was actually afraid that I would see him being too close with Brittany. He immediately withdrew his hand from Brittany’s shoulder and walked to me.

“I was just about to pick you up.”

Julian explained.

“Why didn’t you wait for me?”

Mrs. Hayes saw the scene and chimed in.

“Julian had the housekeeper buy all your favorite dishes this morning. You must be tired from your hospital stay, come sit down. Let’s have a nice family meal.”

I looked at the interaction between Julian and Brittany, my disappointment deepening.

I couldn’t believe Julian didn’t notice Brittany’s constant hostility towards me, nor did I believe he was unaware of her cold sarcasm.

He wasn’t unaware.

He simply didn’t want to see it, nor did he want to displease Brittany for my sake.

In Julian’s heart, the one he truly loved and cared about most was only Brittany.

A bitter smile touched my lips, and I didn’t respond to Julian.

I didn’t wait for him not because the doctors were about to leave, and I’d have to wait until the afternoon.

Instead, I turned to Mrs. Hayes and said,

“Okay, thank you, Mom.”

I followed Mrs. Hayes to the dining table. Julian’s expression stiffened slightly.

He couldn’t describe the feeling in his heart, so he just followed. Brittany, however, rolled her eyes at me.

“So dramatic.”

I sat at the dining table, looking at the array of dishes, all of which had cilantro, which I detested.

My forks were in my hand, but I didn’t know where to start eating.

Julian had already picked up a shrimp and placed it in my bowl.

“Eat more. I remember you love shrimp.”

Julian’s polite and attentive gesture made everyone at the table pause their movements.

Mrs. Hayes looked at Julian with an unreadable expression.

Even Mr. Hayes’s face showed displeasure.

Only Julian was oblivious.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

“No appetite?”

Julian maintained his remaining gentlemanly demeanor, smiling at me.

I stirred the white rice in my bowl, then placed the shrimp on the side plate, my voice very faint.

“Mr. Hayes, I’m allergic to shrimp.”

“.......”

Julian was momentarily at a loss. Brittany was quicker, snatching the shrimp from the side plate.

“You’re so fussy. I love shrimp. I’ve loved it since I was little.”

9

“And I’ve never seen anyone get an allergy. A country bumpkin, so many demands, she really thinks she’s a socialite.”

Brittany chewed on the peeled shrimp.

Her mockery of me was undisguised. I was used to her targeting me like this.

I watched Brittany eat her shrimp, the bitterness in my mouth intensifying.

I suddenly didn’t want to tolerate it anymore.

“Brittany Hayes.”

I put down my forks.

“Whether I’m a country woman or not, it’s not for you to judge.”

“In this family, you should at least call me sister-in-law. You don’t even know basic etiquette,”

My voice was very calm.

“Do you want people to say that the Hayes family has a bad reputation, or poor upbringing?”

Brittany couldn’t stand it when people called me her sister-in-law.

In her eyes, Julian belonged only to her.

Never to anyone else.

As soon as she heard those words, she couldn’t help but explode. She picked up her forks and hurled them at me across the table.

“You country bumpkin, what right do you have to make me call you sister-in-law?”

“What right do you have to be my brother’s wife, to be my sister-in-law? What do you think you are?”

Brittany grabbed the tablecloth, flipping the entire table over.

“You’re just a cheap woman, climbing into my brother’s bed with dirty tricks! Do you really think my brother cares about you, or that my parents genuinely consider you their daughter-in-law?”

Seeing Brittany about to go even crazier.

Mrs. Hayes sharply reprimanded her.

“Shut up!”

Brittany still wouldn’t stop.

“My parents only used you to silence outside rumors! My brother just used you to vent his loneliness and boredom because I wasn’t here! In the end, you’re nothing but a tool!”

Brittany’s voice was sharp.

It echoed throughout the Hayes’s living room.

Mr. and Mrs. Hayes’s faces were ashen with rage, and Julian’s face turned pale.

Only I remained, sitting in my seat, stained with the soup that had splattered when Brittany threw the forks.

The soup dripped down my forehead, mixing with my fringe.

I looked up at Brittany, calmly picking up my water glass that had rolled a few times on the floor.

Then I opened the cap and splashed it at Brittany.

But.

The scalding tea didn’t land on Brittany.

The moment Julian noticed my movement, he instinctively moved to protect Brittany.

Julian held Brittany tightly, the hot water scalding his back. He hissed in pain, then turned, furious, to scold me.

“Are you crazy?!”

Julian stood in front of Brittany.

“She’s still just a child, she doesn’t know any better. Don’t you know any better?!”

Julian listed my faults.

“Are you going to argue so much with a child? Are you even fit to be her sister-in-law?! Have you forgotten basic etiquette and manners?!”

I looked at Julian, then at Brittany, who was hiding behind him, smirking triumphantly at me.

Suddenly, I felt so tired.

It wasn’t that I hadn’t fought for it. Before, when I learned about Julian and Brittany’s past relationship, I had also fought.

I told Julian.

From now on, I would be with him, I would be his ultimate support.

I wouldn’t let Julian be caught in a dilemma again. Whenever Julian needed me, I would bravely fight for him.

At that time, Julian looked at me, and his eyes, too, held a light.

Julian’s eyes, too, were filled with starlight.

He smiled, pinching my cheek.

“What foolish talk. Do I really need you to protect me? Since you’re with me, you’re my person. No one out there can bully you. From now on, I’ll always stand by you.”

10

In the beginning.

Julian used to protect me.

In college, some people mocked her for being a country bumpkin, an uncultured pauper.

They told me to go back to the countryside and never come out.

At that time, I was ridiculed, isolated, and mocked.

It was Julian who stood in front of me, just as he stood in front of Brittany today, shielding me behind him, telling those people,

“When you belittle others, you’re already the ones without class.”

Julian appeared before me like a guardian.

I looked at Julian, and for the first time, felt a ripple in my calm heart.

For the first time, just looking at someone, made my heart flutter.

Julian told those people.

“She is part of the Hayes family, she is my person. When you try to bully her, consider if you can afford to offend the Hayes family in Metropolis.”

The Hayes family of Metropolis.

Renowned.

Who wouldn’t know the Hayes family?

Those people quickly apologized and fled.

I stood there, at a loss, until Julian gripped my shoulders, making me look up.

He told me not to be afraid, to bravely accept everything.

It was Julian who whispered in my ear.

“As long as I’m here, you don’t have to be afraid.”

As long as he was there.

I wouldn’t have to fear anything.

I looked at Julian, who was tightly shielding Brittany.

I wondered if he could still remember how he once protected me in his arms, treating me like a treasure no one could bully.

My chest ached.

I still felt sad because of Julian. I was still that unaccomplished girl.

Still the girl from the village, who revolved entirely around Julian.

I looked at Julian.

Amidst his anger, I asked him,

“Then what should I do?”

I stood up. The spot where I was hit was red.

It made me look especially disheveled, causing Julian to falter for a moment.

How could he have forgotten that I had just been discharged? How could he scold me like this?

Guilt flooded his heart.

Meeting my gaze, he instinctively averted his eyes.

“Forget it.”

Julian couldn’t look at her.

“Don’t let it happen again.”

He was afraid to look at me, afraid to face me.

He suddenly acted like a fugitive, dropping a quick,

“You women’s drama is such a pain.”

Then.

Julian walked away without looking back.

Brittany, seeing Julian didn’t help her continue to scold me, stomped her foot in frustration.

She glared fiercely at me:

“Don’t get too smug. My brother will always be mine, and you’ll never take him!”

“Bro.”

Brittany kicked a chair, expressing her anger, and chased after Julian.

In the dining room.

Only I, Mr. Hayes, and Mrs. Hayes remained.

Mr. Hayes was a man of few words, but Mrs. Hayes comforted me.

“Brittany didn’t do well, it’s our fault for not raising her properly. I’ll talk to Julian too. Don’t take it too much to heart.”

Seeing no reaction from me.

Mrs. Hayes took out a card.

“You’ve been wronged. Take this and buy yourself something nice.”

Mrs. Hayes was generous.

Every time Brittany hit me or did something outrageous, Mrs. Hayes would give me a card.

Over the years, the cards I stored in my cabinet could almost make a stacking game.

I looked at Mrs. Hayes’s beautiful hands, her jeweled nails sparkling.

Those were hands I had never seen in the slums.

Beautiful, delicate, so captivating I couldn’t look away.

Completely different from the women in the slums, the women she had seen since childhood were rough, tanned, not allowed to eat at the table.

How could they be like Mrs. Hayes, radiant and elegant, like a queen out of a fairy tale?

But a queen, after all, was not my mother.

I took the card and thanked Mrs. Hayes.

I assured her I wouldn’t take these things to heart.

I saw relief and a sigh of contentment in Mrs. Hayes’s eyes, but no pity.