Chapter 5

Natalie’s POV

On the carousel, Leo rode a painted horse, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Daddy and Chloe are the best!"

Surrounding parents turned their heads, murmuring among themselves, a few pulling out their phones to record.

Julian acted as if he heard nothing, happily holding up his phone to capture the moment.

Chloe stood beside him, pretending to gently tug on Leo’s sleeve. "Shh, Leo, don't scream like that. People will misunderstand."

Her hands barely pulled him back, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

After the amusement park, Chloe suggested Korean BBQ. Julian agreed instantly, booking a VIP booth without even bothering to ask if I wanted to join.

I trailed behind them like an invisible ghost.

Inside the restaurant, Julian ordered an entire feast of Chloe’s favorites. Prime ribeye, marinated short ribs, and pork belly crowded the table, sizzling loudly on the grill.

I sat in the furthest corner, a single glass of water in front of me. Nobody had even bothered to set out a pair of silverware for me.

Beneath the table, I caught Chloe brushing her fingers against the back of Julian’s hand. Julian didn't pull away; instead, he turned his palm over and interlaced his fingers with hers.

Once the meat was cooked, he kept loading Chloe’s plate, carefully cutting every piece into bite-sized morsels before serving her.

"Why aren't you eating?" Julian finally noticed me. My bowl of white rice was untouched, the fork resting beside it.

"It's too greasy. My stomach can't take it," I said, chewing slowly on a small bite of plain rice.

Julian’s hand froze mid-air.

He suddenly remembered that I used to love grilled short ribs. Every time we went out, I would order them, praising how tender they were.

He opened his mouth. "Do you want me to order something else? A cold pasta? Some risotto?"

"No," I replied, shaking my head. "Bread is fine."

Suddenly, a young woman from the adjacent booth stood up, gasping as she stared at Chloe. "Wait... are you Chloe Harper? Oh my god! You're even prettier in person!"

Her eyes flicked to Julian, lighting up with excitement. "Are you two back together?! I saw the gossip blogs on TikTok! You guys look so perfect together!"

The restaurant went quiet. Several patrons turned to look, and a few teenagers began filming with their phones.

Julian glanced at me.

I kept my head down, chewing slowly on my dry rice, acting as if I hadn't heard a single word.

The girl continued gushing to her friend about spotting an influencer couple, her voice carrying clearly across the room.

Julian turned back to Chloe, offering the young fan a slow, confirming nod.

"I knew it!" the girl squealed. "True love always wins! Congratulations, you guys!"

Leo chimed in proudly, his small voice ringing loud and clear. "Daddy, does that mean I get a new mommy now? I want Chloe to be my mommy!"

Julian quickly clamped a hand over the boy’s mouth, lowering his voice as he looked at me defensively. "Don't overthink this, Natalie. I'm doing this for her career. She's rebuilding her brand right now, and she needs the public exposure—"

"I know," I cut him off, setting my fork down. "You don't need to explain."

Chloe nudged Julian with her foot. "Eat up, babe, the food's getting cold."

When we finally walked out of the restaurant, night had fallen. The city streetlights flickered to life.

Near the corner, a brawl suddenly broke out between two drunk men. One of them stumbled backward, lunging straight toward us with a shattered beer bottle in his hand.

Instinctively, Julian reached out, wrapping one arm around Chloe and yanking Leo behind him with the other, pulling them both into the safety of the doorway.

He completely forgot about me.

The drunken man slammed directly into me. The impact sent me flying backward. My back crashed violently onto the concrete sidewalk, my forehead smacking against the sharp curb, my knees scraping raw against the rough asphalt.

I lay on the ground, my vision swimming in darkness. The taste of metallic blood filled my mouth, and an agonizing ringing roared in my ears.

"Natalie!" Julian finally snapped back to reality. Panicked, he sprinted over and crouched down, his hands hovering over me, terrified of touching the wrong spot.

The pain stole my breath away. I weakly lifted my trembling hand, trying to grasp his fingers for support.

"Daddy!" Leo screamed from behind, his voice cracking with terror. "Chloe is fainting!"