Chapter 1

Julian Reed and I had been in a cold war for a year.

During this year, he completely vanished from my life, never once reaching out.

But nobody knew that during the days my father was in critical condition and passed away, I was entirely on my own. I signed the critical condition forms alone, waited outside the ER alone, and arranged the funeral alone.

Meanwhile, Julian was by his first love’s side, taking care of everything after her own father passed away.

Later, he returned, trying to play the doting, attentive husband again, hoping to slowly patch up our broken marriage.

But he didn't realize that the moment he abandoned me during the darkest days of my life, we were already over.

This time, I didn't need him anymore.

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Julian and I had been separated for a year.

During this year, he spent almost all his time in Los Angeles, helping Vivian handle the lawsuits and debts left behind after her father’s death.

From the hospital to the financial audits, from the lawyers to the funeral home, he did everything himself.

People on the outside praised Julian for being a man of great honor and loyalty.

They said he even carried his ex-girlfriend’s family burdens all the way to the end.

But nobody knew that during that exact same time, my father had also just passed away.

The day he left, we had a terrible fight. I had just come back from the funeral home, feeling completely hollowed out, emotionally wrecked, and speaking without filters.

"Julian, her dad dies and you rush over there to take care of it."

"But what about my dad?"

"My dad just passed away. Why didn't you think about staying to support me?"

Julian’s eyes lost their usual calm and gentle look, narrowing slightly as he stared at me with a chilling coldness.

His voice was flat and deep.

"Chloe."

"Do you really have to say things like that right now?"

I let out a bitter laugh, but tears suddenly spilled over.

"And what about you?"

"Julian, when you chose her, did you ever once think about me?"

He didn't say another word.

That was the last time we saw each other. The very next day, Julian flew to Los Angeles.

When Julian finally came back, he acted as if nothing had ever happened, smoothly stepping back into the role of a caring, perfect husband.

My friend Elena asked me:

"Chloe, Julian has been back for a month now. Are you really going to keep freezing him out like this?"

"He's gorgeous and filthy rich. Plenty of girls are keeping their eyes on him."

Julian was the darling of heaven, born into an incredibly prominent family.

There were indeed plenty of women at his company who wanted to slide into his life.

But he had been gone for a year, and too much had happened during those twelve months.

During the first month of his absence, I actually still hoped he would call or text.

But he never did.

Afterward, I even felt regret, wondering if the harsh words I said had pushed him away.

I let out a dry chuckle, unable to help but complain.

"I'm not freezing him out. There’s just literally nothing left for us to talk about."

"And honestly, sharing a room with him is just incredibly awkward."

Elena’s gaze drifted past me, looking right behind my shoulder. Her expression froze, and she started making frantic faces at me.

I asked her:

"What's wrong?"

"Is there something in your eye?"

She blinked even harder.

I turned around and saw Julian standing there, tall and still. He was frozen in place, his face turning pale.

My lips twitched in awkwardness.

His eyes locked onto me, a storm of emotions swirling in his dark pupils.

Julian walked over to me, and without a word, he grabbed my wrist.

I tried to pull away, but I couldn't.

His grip was too tight.

Once we got out of the elevator, he practically shoved me into the passenger seat of his car.

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. His expression was incredibly dark.

A year ago, our marriage was kept strictly secret.

The media had no idea Julian was even married.

But they definitely knew about his past romance with Vivian.

The moment the car started, the radio turned on, automatically shuffling to an entertainment news channel.

"Recently, netizens leaked that Julian Reed, CEO of Nova Tech, was spotted multiple times in Los Angeles over the past year, accompanying a young woman to hospitals, law firms, and funeral homes."

"According to insiders, Julian stayed in LA long-term to help his first love handle the debts and lawsuits left by her late father. The two are suspected to have rekindled their old flame..."

Julian immediately cut off the radio.

I didn't demand answers from him like I did a year ago. There was simply no point anymore.

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