7
Julian wouldn’t listen. His treatment of me showed how cruel he was at heart. So, he
swore to make Chloe pay back a hundredfold. Chloe was driven mad with fear.
She was constantly enveloped by terror, both from me and from Julian.
Afraid of my revenge. And afraid of Julian’s revenge. So, she quickly lost her mind, no longer even recognizing who Julian was.
Julian sent her to a mental hospital. He had people keep a constant watch on her, making
sure she wouldn’t have an easy time, even if she remembered nothing.
Elder Rhys, the shaman Julian found, was truly capable.
He placed Julian in the Underworld even before Julian died. He let Julian follow the red
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Sun, o
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thread until he found me.
And there, Julian saw me sitting on a high platform, looking at him the same way I looked
at other souls awaiting judgment.
Julian flinched under my gaze, a raw sting of pain. He rushed forward, asking if I still
remembered him.
I waved away the shadow guards who tried to seize him. Julian’s eyes were filled with eager anticipation as I nodded.
“But,” I saw a flicker in Julian’s eyes, “our fate together has ended. You will continue to
reincarnate, but you and I will have no further connection.”
Julian shook his head frantically. He kept begging me to give him another chance. I chuckled softly. “I’ve given you enough chances.”
“Those sticks of incense I used? Only three have been made in five hundred years.
*Julian, I have no more chances to give you.”
Julian desperately pulled out the unused stick of incense. “This time, no matter what kind
of dream you want to make, I’ll go with you.”
“I swear, I’ll definitely show you my true heart.”
He was hell–bent on proving himself right, no matter the cost. So, I lit the last stick of
incense, sending us back to our wedding day. But I erased Julian’s future memories.
So, on our wedding day, Sterling Group announced that the heir was Julian’s younger brother, his stepmother’s son. Julian was lost in thought for a long time.
I asked him, “Are you regretting it? You can still give up marrying me and go back to inherit the Sterling family fortune.
Julian snapped back to reality and smiled brightly. “How could I regret it? Anya, you don’t know how much I love you.”
“Money is just material; it’s not even worth a single strand of your hair.”
13:40 Sun, 6 Jul
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“And believe me, I will definitely establish my own Sterling Group. I won’t let you suffer with me.”
Of all those words, only one came true: he did establish his own Sterling Group.
That same evening, Julian still received a taunting message from his stepmother. She sent him the transaction record with me.
“Julian, you’re quite the romantic, aren’t you?”
“I only spent $50,000, and I found you such a wonderful wife. Shouldn’t you thank me?”
“Oh, right, you gave up the Sterling family fortune for her. You must truly, truly love her.”
“Now that you know the person you love most betrayed you, how does that feel?”
“If I were you, I’d just jump off a building.”
Julian’s stepmother’s words, in fact, only had one main point: she wanted to break Julian’s psychological defenses.
If Julian committed suicide or fell into despair, then Sterling Group would forever belong
to her son.
Unfortunately, she didn’t know that Julian was the kind of person who thrived on challenges, growing stronger with every setback.
He smashed everything in our newlywed home. He pointed at me, asking if I had deliberately seduced him.
All for his stepmother’s $50,000. He asked if I had a heart at all. Before, I could only cry.
I knew in my heart that my mother might have taken the money, but I didn’t know how to tell Julian or how to quell his anger.
But this time, I simply asked him calmly, “Ask your own heart, was my affection and love
for you sincere?”
“Could there be a misunderstanding about this?”
Hesitation flickered in Julian’s eyes: I was suddenly curious, too, how he would think this time. But Julian’s voice only weakened slightly, and he still dismissed me.
“Sincere? What’s sincerity worth?”
“The facts are laid out before us now. How can you expect me to believe you?”
I genuinely smiled, from the bottom of my heart. Sure enough, no matter how many chances I gave Julian, his choice would never change.
Before he walked out the door, I reminded him, in a good mood, “If you walk out that door today, we’re getting a divorce?
But those words only delayed Julian for ten seconds. After he walked out the door, he didn’t even spare me a glance.
The dream dissolved.
Julian and I returned to reality. Facing my playful gaze, Julian mumbled, his face pale, “How could this be?”
“This shouldn’t be… How could I…”
How could he betray me again? Without giving me a shred of trust. I looked at Julian calmly.
“The person you love most will always be yourself.”
The red thread on his hand snapped. I sent Julian out of the Underworld. “Don’t meet
again.”
“But even if we do meet again, you might not recognize me.”
“You’ve only lived a few decades. I’ve lived tens of thousands of years.”
He might as well treat all of this as a dream. I, for the sake of this love trial, did not
pursue the harm he inflicted on me. What price he would have to pay for his actions after
his death, he knew well.
[THE END]
Yesterday
