Julius froze mid-motion. For a split second, panic flashed across his deep, dark eyes.

“That’s ridiculous. We work at the same company. It's impossible not to run into each other. If you don’t like her, I’ll have her transferred. Okay?”

I took a deep breath, ready to throw the photo in front of him and demand an explanation. However, before I could speak, a shrill scream suddenly came from outside.

“Mr. Carter! I'm scared! Please don't leave me alone!”

A flicker of concern appeared in Julius's eyes. Yet, just as quickly, he lowered his gaze. When he looked at me again, he was once more the gentle, attentive fiancé everyone admired.

“You weren’t frightened, were you? Don’t worry about her. You don’t look well. You should go back to the room and get some rest.”

As he spoke, he guided me toward the bedroom, but his eyes kept drifting toward the door. Watching his distracted expression, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

“Go check on her. A young woman came all this way at night because of you. If something happens to her, how will you explain yourself?”

Julius looked at me. He hesitated a little before he finally nodded.

“Clara, it’s late. Stay inside, and whatever happens, don’t come out. I'll... walk her home. I’ll be back soon.”

With the click of the lock, the front door closed.

I stood up and pulled back the curtains. As I watched the taillights disappear into the distance, I felt strangely calm.

Hours passed, and the rain grew heavier, but Julius still hadn’t returned. Lightning split the night sky, followed by a deafening crash of thunder. The sound instantly pulled me back three years. Back to the night I was kidnapped, it had been storming just like this.

As the memories came flooding back, I instinctively curled up, trembling, and let out a cry without realizing it.

“Julius…”

However, the empty room swallowed my voice whole.

Tears rolled silently down my cheeks. Back then, when I was terrified and screaming for help, I had called his name the same way, and he had appeared like a light in the darkness. Without a second thought, he had rushed to my side and shielded me. Yet now, he was with another woman.

Just then, my phone vibrated. A text message from an unknown number interrupted my thoughts.

[Miss Sink, thank you for lending Julius to me. He said he'll be spending the night with me. You don't mind, do you?]

I stared at the cheap trick, finding it ridiculous, and immediately locked my phone screen.

Once upon a time, I believed Julius was my entire world. For him, I had given up my dream of becoming a professional dancer. Yet now, with surprising calmness, I opened the Rusco Ballet Academy’s website, completed an application form, and purchased a plane ticket for seven days later to Rusco.

Even after midnight, Julius still hadn’t come home. Just when I thought he wasn’t coming back at all, my phone suddenly rang.

The voice on the other end sounded frantic.

“Miss Sink? Your husband, Julius Carter, has been in a car accident! He's at Central City Hospital and urgently needs a blood transfusion!”

When the call ended, the text message from the anonymous sender was still displayed on my screen. I let out a quiet laugh before grabbing the suitcase I had packed and heading to the hospital.

In the blood transfusion room, I calmly completed the tests and sat through the transfusion. As I watched the blood bag slowly fill, exhaustion washed over me.

Before I left, a nurse stopped and looked at me with admiration.

“You and your husband are so lucky. You're both RH-negative. It's such a rare blood type. You must be soulmates. Coming all the way here in a storm like this… You both must be so in love.”

I lowered my head and smiled faintly. In love? Maybe we were once. After all, when I was in a car accident years ago, Julius had also risked everything to donate his blood for me.

At that thought, I heaved a long sigh, and my mind became clearer than it had been in years.

I said to myself, ‘Julius, we’re even now.’

Almost unconsciously, I made my way toward Julius's hospital room, thinking I would take one last look at him. However, before I got to the door, a sweet voice drifted out from inside. Through the glass window, I saw Lea lying on top of him.

“I’m sorry, Julius. If you hadn’t been protecting me, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

Julius looked at her with dark, unreadable eyes.

“If you hadn’t shown up at my house without warning, none of this would’ve happened. If Clara finds out, I won’t let you off the hook.”

Lea pouted playfully as her hands wandered across his chest.

“You’re so mean. And what exactly are you going to do to me?”

The next second, desire filled Julius's gaze, and he lowered his head to kiss her neck.

“Just you wait…” he muttered, his voice rough with unbridled ferocity.

Watching the two of them kissing passionately, I simply raised my phone and recorded the disgusting scene before me.

Right at that moment, my phone rang, and everything inside the room froze. Through a single pane of glass, Julius and I locked eyes.

“Clara!”

I instinctively walked away, but in the next second, Julius rushed in front of me and grabbed my wrist. His voice was filled with panic and desperation.

“Clara, listen to me. It's not what it looks like. I just had something in my eye. Don't misunderstand.”

At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to throw the video in his face and see how he could explain his way out of it.

However, before I could speak, Lea cut in with a gentle voice. “Clara, please don’t be upset. There’s really nothing going on between Julius and me…”

Watching them play their parts so perfectly, I suddenly lost all interest in exposing them. Instead, I flashed Julius a bright smile.

“You don’t need to explain. I trust you.”

Relief flickered across his eyes the moment he saw I wasn’t making a scene. Then, he turned to Lea and spoke firmly.

“That’s enough. You should go.”

Lea looked unwilling to leave but eventually turned around and walked away. Only then did Julius's gaze fall to my soaked pant legs. The concern in his eyes was obvious.

“I’m sorry, Clara, for making you worry. It’s just a few scrapes. It’s nothing serious. I’ll be discharged soon.”

I didn’t respond.

After we got home, he prepared a cup of warm hot chocolate for me and blow-dried my hair. When his warm lips brushed the side of my neck, he leaned down, intending to press his lips against my chest. However, I instinctively turned away and avoided his affection.

“Not tonight. I'm tired.”

He paused. Then, he twirled a strand of my hair around his finger as he said softly, “Do you remember when we first got together? Every time there was a thunderstorm, you’d crawl into my arms and leave marks all over my arm from how tightly you held on–”

In the darkness, I cut him off. “Julius, if I had never woken up… would you have found someone who looked like me to take my place?”

After a long silence, he pulled me closer. His voice was hoarse but unwavering.

“No. Clara, nobody could ever replace you. You're the only woman I've ever loved.”

I closed my eyes, finding it ridiculous, and didn’t say another word.

The next day, Julius canceled his meetings and took me to a bridal boutique for a custom wedding dress fitting. Once upon a time, I had dreamed of wearing a wedding gown. Now, staring at my reflection in the mirror, all I felt was bitter irony.

Suddenly, a sharp voice rang out beside me.

“So? Why did you ask me here? To show off that you’re finally marrying my son?” Mrs. Carter, Julius’s mother, sized me up with open disdain and added, “Lea has called Julius away. Whatever you have to say, say it quickly.”

As soon as she said that, a text message from Julius appeared on my phone.

[Sorry. Something urgent came up at the office. Pick whatever you like. If you love it, we'll buy it.]

A snicker escaped me. Even on a day like this, he couldn’t stay away from her.

Looking at Mrs. Carter’s smug expression, I finally said, “You once said that if I left Julius, you’d give me ten million dollars. I want you to help me get the divorce papers done. I’ll leave on the wedding day.”

A mocking smile curled on her lips. “And here I thought you had some pride.”

Not long afterward, she arranged for someone to deliver divorce papers that already bore Julius’s signature.

“Don’t even think about playing games with me. You’ll get the money when the divorce is finalized.”

Gripping the documents tightly in my hands, I finally realized that my freedom was here.

When I returned home, Julius was sitting in the living room with a grim expression. The moment he saw me, he looked up.

“Clara, what did my mother say to you today?”

“It’s nothing,” I said calmly. “She just congratulated us. She said she’ll attend in person.”

The moment Julius heard that, he visibly relaxed, and a relieved smile returned to his face.

“That’s good. It means she’s finally moved on. I can’t wait to see you in your wedding dress.”

Looking at the anticipation in his eyes, I couldn’t help but smile back.

Over the next few days, Julius settled down and focused entirely on preparing for the wedding. Every detail, down to the flower bouquet and even the wedding music, he personally oversaw. At the same time, I quietly made a trip to the courthouse and obtained a divorce decree, waiting for the wedding day to arrive.

That afternoon, while Julius was out handling some business, Lea’s social media was updated. In the corner of one of her photos, a man’s hand was visible, and I immediately recognized it as Julius’s hand.

I stared at the image for a long moment, then calmly printed out all the previous posts I had saved and packed them neatly into a box.

“What are you up to?”

Julius’s surprised voice suddenly came from behind me. His eyes fell on the box in my hands, and then he smiled.

“Is this another surprise?”

Looking at how seriously he believed in us, I smiled and asked quietly, “You’re that sure I’m going to marry you? Aren’t you afraid I’ll run away on the wedding day?”

His smile only deepened. He patted my head as he said, “Don’t be ridiculous. No matter where you go, I’ll find you.”

I said nothing. Instead, I handed him the box.

“Yes, it’s a surprise for you. Don’t forget to open it at the wedding.”

He held the box tightly with a warm smile on his face. He was completely unaware of anything unusual.

Soon, it was the day of the wedding. I was in the back room making final adjustments when Mrs. Carter walked in. Without a word, she pushed a bank card in front of me.

“Here’s your ten million dollars. Where’s the divorce decree?”

I handed her the divorce papers.

She flipped through it briefly, and a mocking smile curled on her lips. “Good. At least you know your place. When you’re done, get out.”

Outside, through the half-open door, I could see Julius speaking and laughing with the guests. Maybe this really was the last time we would ever cross paths like this.

As if sensing something, he suddenly turned around, and his eyes met mine. He walked toward me immediately.

“Clara,” he said gently. “Why do you look pale? Are you nervous?”

Before he could finish, his gaze landed on the documents in Mrs. Carter’s hands. The smile on his face froze.

“Mom, what is that?”

Before anyone could answer, a bright voice suddenly rang out from behind. “Congratulations, Mr. Carter!”

Seeing Lea enter gracefully, Mrs. Carter immediately grabbed the girl’s hand and glanced at me with a knowing smile.

When Julius saw Lea, he frowned, and his voice turned colder. “What are you doing here? I said I’m not handling business today.”

After that, he turned back to me and said, “Clara, wait for me.”

Struggling to contain his anger, he grabbed Lea and pulled her away.

I watched the two of them tugging at each other down the hallway until they finally stopped at the corner and started arguing about something. Then, I removed my wedding dress and, without looking back, left through the side exit.

Meanwhile, Julius walked back into the room with a relaxed expression. He had made it clear to Lea that he would send her abroad and that, from now on, they were even.

He hurried to the backroom, suddenly wondering if I would get the wrong idea since he’d been gone for half an hour. A slight unease crept into his chest as he pushed the door open. Inside were Mrs. Carter and the makeup artist, and I was nowhere to be found.

“Where’s Clara?” he asked immediately.

For some reason, he felt a sense of emptiness wash over him, and his face went pale.

Just as Mrs. Carter snickered and was about to say something, his assistant rushed in and said shakily, “Mr. Carter, something’s wrong. The airline just called. The plane Ms. Sink was on has crashed.”