Chapter 4

Audrey Quinn POV

Julian started to escalate. He no longer hid Chloe's presence, even brazenly bringing her into our shared villa.

"Her apartment is still under renovation, so she'll stay in the guest room for now," Julian announced, then instructed the staff to prepare Chloe's room.

I sat on the sofa, watching Chloe, who stood awkwardly in the center of the living room with a worn canvas bag, like Cinderella mistakenly entering a palace.

In the days that followed, this house, once filled with my essence, was slowly encroached upon by Chloe. She would fry eggs in the kitchen in the morning, wearing Julian's oversized shirt. In the evening, she'd sit on the living room rug, reading him boring novels. She even casually left her cheap plastic hair clips on my expensive vanity table.

Julian indulged all of it. The way he looked at Chloe increasingly resembled a father doting on a daughter who needed complete protection.

Until that afternoon. I returned from my shop and, just as I reached the door, heard a crisp shattering sound from the living room.

I hurried inside, to see Chloe sitting on the floor, flustered, surrounded by porcelain shards. It was the first ceramic cup I had ever fired myself. To achieve that unique color I loved most, I had failed hundreds of times, burning countless blisters on my hands. The day I succeeded, Julian had hugged me and spun me around three times, saying that cup was our family heirloom.

Now, the heirloom was shattered to dust.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…" Chloe cried as she tried to pick up the pieces, cutting her finger, which started to bleed.

Julian rushed out of his study, pushed me aside, and knelt down to suck Chloe's bleeding finger, his face filled with urgent worry.

"How could you be so careless? Does it hurt?"

Chloe leaned into his embrace, crying even harder. "Julian, I broke Ms. Quinn's cup, she's going to be so angry…"

Julian turned, his gaze cold as he looked at me.

"It's just a broken cup. So what if it's broken? Why are you putting on such a displeased face for everyone to see?"

I looked at the shards on the floor, my heart aching to the point of spasm.

"A broken cup?" My voice was hoarse. "Julian Vance, have you forgotten how that cup came to be?"

"All I see is Chloe's hand bleeding!" Julian harshly interrupted me. "Audrey Quinn, when did you become so heartless? No matter how precious an item is, can it be more important than a person's well-being?"

He picked up Chloe and strode towards the first-aid kit.

I stood rooted, looking at the mess on the floor. I knelt down, picking up the pieces one by one. The sharp porcelain cut my palm, and blood dripped onto the glazed surface of the shards, a stark sight. But Julian never even looked back.

A few days later, I saw a familiar wooden hair clip in Chloe's hair. It was a gift I had carved for Julian's birthday last year, using the finest wood, working three sleepless nights, carving every stroke with care. It bore the initials of our names.

"That hair clip…" I stared at Chloe's hair.

Chloe touched the clip in her hair, giving a shy smile. "Pretty, isn't it? Julian said it was just sitting idle in a drawer, and I thought the wood was nice, so I used it to decorate my hair."

I spun to look at Julian.

Julian was drinking coffee. Catching my gaze, he frowned slightly. "What is it? It's just a wooden hair clip. Chloe liked it, so I gave it to her. If you want one, I'll have someone buy you a whole bunch of better ones."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I finally understood: Julian hadn't forgotten the past. He simply didn't care anymore.