8
Seeing my smile, Julian seemed momentarily entranced.
His expression was both nostalgic and melancholic.
I didn’t know what memories had surfaced for him, nor did I care to know.
I tucked a strand of wind–blown hair behind my ear, preparing to leave.
Just as I was about to walk past him, he suddenly extended his hand toward me.
I instinctively stepped back, then steadied myself and finally saw what he was holding–a jade bracelet. It looked about seventy percent like the one my parents had left me.
He said: “This bracelet is to make up for breaking yours. Do you think it looks like your original one?”
His tone carried a hint of hope.
But my attention wasn’t on the bracelet–it was on the scar on his wrist–a scar very similar to mine.
Noticing my gaze, he gave a bleak smile.
“I thought at least we’d have one thing in common.”
I looked up at him. Then, with a sigh, I said:
“Julian, you should know.”
“What we had ended three years ago.”
“Everything you’re doing now is just causing me trouble. Believe it or not, I’m married. So please, stop appearing in front of me, okay?”
With each sentence I spoke, Julian’s face grew paler.
When I finished, I didn’t wait for his response but walked past him.
Behind me came the sound of the jade bracelet hitting the floor, followed by muffled sobs.
After that day, I truly never saw Julian again.
Even when I visited Grandfather Hart, Julian was nowhere to be seen.
Even Eliza had disappeared.
Later I learned that Eliza had moved out of the Hart estate–on Julian’s orders.
Moreover, Julian had cut all contact with Eliza.
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Chapter 8
During this time, Eliza had been searching everywhere for Julian, but he deliberately avoided her.
For this, she even came looking for me several times.
However, each time she appeared, someone would forcibly remove her within minutes.
I asked Grayson about it, but it wasn’t his doing.
I thought this would be how things continued.
But I never imagined I would receive news about Julian in such a way.
His friends called me, their voices filled with anger.
They said for the past six months, he’d been drinking heavily, hardly ever sober. But two nights ago, he woke up in
the middle of the night, insisting on finding me.
Then the result was a car accident.
They saved his life, but his legs were severely injured–he might never walk again.
“We all tried to stop him, but he wouldn’t listen,” Blake said, his voice hoarse. “He was sobbing about how tomorrow
is your birthday, and he’d already missed three years of them. Said he couldn’t miss this one too.”
“He was crying so heartbrokenly that we felt awful just watching.”
“If only we’d known, we would never have let him go.”
“Cassidy, he did all this for you!”
I leaned against Grayson’s chest, stroking my belly as I silently ended the call.
Grayson kissed the top of my head, comforting me: “This isn’t your fault.”
I knew that.
It just felt completely absurd–when someone is by your side, you don’t cherish them; once they’re gone, why
pretend to be heartbroken?
Love that comes too late is worse than worthless!
This was a lesson I’d always understood.
So, I never went to see him, not once.
Two weeks later, in the middle of the night, I received a message from Julian.
[Cassidy Pierce, I’m sorry.]
I didn’t reply.
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Chapter 8
Because my story with Julian had already reached its conclusion.
From now on, we would remain strangers through all seasons, with love and longing no longer between us.
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