Chapter 4

Audrey's POV

When my friend Chloe came to see me, she brought the latest gossip from our circle.

"Did you hear? Julian and Stella had a huge fight at his birthday party. They say she scratched his face." Chloe scrolled through her phone, gloating. "Apparently, the trigger was because you didn't go."

I was wearing a face mask and didn't even lift an eyelid.

"They'll always make up," I mumbled, my voice muffled. "I'm always just a pawn in their toxic love story, aren't I?"

Chloe thought about it, decided I had a point, cursed "those two psychopaths," and tore open a bag of chips.

From then on, Julian started contacting me relentlessly.

Calls, texts, they flooded in like a bombardment.

At first, it was questioning. "What do you mean? Why aren't you answering?"

Later, it was commands. "Reply to my message now. Don't make me lose my temper."

I blocked his number and didn't answer any unknown calls.

My life lately was full and busy.

Shopping sprees, spa treatments, visiting the latest art exhibitions, planning global travel routes.

Julian was completely shut out of my new life.

One day, Chloe and I were shopping at the mall. I paused in front of a men's coat at a luxury brand store.

It was Julian's style.

For a moment, I lost myself in thought.

I remembered one winter, even though I was an heiress, I foolishly stood in line for five hours outside the boutique to buy him a limited edition coat.

That was when he was still an arrogant, struggling student.

When he received it, he just glanced at it indifferently.

Later, Stella came over and casually remarked that the coat's color was too old-fashioned. It didn't suit Julian.

The next day, I saw that coat on his driver.

I stood there, a dull, tearing pain in my chest.

Now, thinking about it, my heart no longer hurt.

Even that last bit of lingering warmth had completely faded.

"What are you looking at? Still thinking of buying something for that jerk?" Chloe leaned in, her face wary.

"No." I pulled my gaze away, taking her hand and walking forward, my voice light. "This coat isn't good enough for my future man."

His phone and text barrage failed, so Julian resorted to other means.

He sent messages through mutual friends, saying he wanted to meet me to talk.

He had Karl contact Chloe, but Chloe just cursed him out.

"You tell Julian to go away! Don't bother Audrey!"

That night, Chloe answered a call, then stormed into my room, her face ashen.

"Audrey, that bastard Julian, he sent people to harass your parents! He's checking the movements of your family's trust fund!"

My face instantly darkened.

My relationship with my parents had hit rock bottom because of Julian, but that didn't mean he could cross my line.

I walked onto the balcony and pulled out the second photo from the wedding album.

The lighter's flame flickered again, illuminating the night.

"You don't deserve to, and you have no right to disturb my family. Neither in the past, nor now." I watched the photo turn to ash, my voice cold. "Julian, this is the second time."

Afterward, I took a taxi to our old university.

The campus was quiet at night.

I walked to the artificial lake and sat on a bench for a long time.

This was where I had fallen in love with Julian at first sight.

That year, during freshman orientation, he spoke on stage as an outstanding student representative, in a white shirt and black pants, aloof and radiant, showing no hint of his modest background at the time.

I sat in the audience. In that instant, I was completely captivated.

I took out a faded, yellowed old photograph from my wallet-one I had secretly taken back then.

In the photo, Julian was holding a basketball, his forehead glistening with sweat, catching his breath. That was the best image of the boy I remembered.

I looked at it for a long time.

Then I tore it into countless pieces.

I raised my hand and scattered all the fragments into the dark lake water.

I stood up and walked away.

This time, I didn't look back.