Chapter 2

Julian Thorne returned, his cherished first love, Veronica Reed, trailing behind him. He stood in the doorway, a flustered look on his face.

His lips parted slightly, then closed, hesitating for a long moment before he seemed to steel himself, gritting his teeth.

“Cassandra, this is… Veronica. She’s pregnant with my child, and I can’t leave her alone out there, without anyone…”

I froze, my mind blank for a split second, completely failing to grasp the true meaning behind his words.

Before I could even react, Veronica, who had been hiding behind Julian, stepped forward as if summoning all her courage.

She grabbed my arm tightly, her eyes welling up with tears, saying pitifully, “Sister, I didn’t mean to come between you two. It’s just that I desperately needed the money. I had nowhere else to turn, so I resorted to this…”

A wave of disgust washed over me. Instinctively, I recoiled, yanking my arm free. Seeing this, Julian immediately lunged forward, pulling Veronica close into his embrace.

His eyes were sharp with警惕, and he exclaimed, “Cassandra, if you have an issue, direct it at me. She’s pregnant; she can’t handle stress!”

After saying that, he seemed to realize his tone had been too harsh.

He paused, then quickly explained, “The pregnancy is unstable. The doctor said she can’t endure any stress, or it could be dangerous.”

I lowered my gaze, looking at the red marks Veronica had left on my wrist. A sharp pain pierced my heart, and I remained silent. Seeing my prolonged quiet, Julian finally looked down at me, only then noticing my wrist was completely red.

Veronica, noticing this, immediately put on a pained expression.

Her voice was laced with tears as she whimpered, “Oh, sister, I didn’t mean it. I really didn’t use much force…” Her voice trailed off, becoming an almost inaudible murmur between the two of them.

Julian, worried that Veronica might feel guilty, quickly turned to her, explaining gently, “It’s nothing. Her skin is just like that, it reddens with the slightest touch. It has nothing to do with you, don’t take it to heart.”

Listening to their back-and-forth, my mind was a tangled mess. I struggled to extract the key information from their conversation and asked, “What child?” Julian’s face instantly became awkward.

His eyes darted around, unable to meet mine, and he stammered, “Cassandra, she’s just staying here temporarily. It won’t affect your life. Once the child is born, nothing will change. We’ll go back to how things were.”

My heart ached so much I could barely breathe.

Each word felt squeezed through clenched teeth as I demanded, “If you want a child, we can adopt one from an orphanage. Why did you have to find someone else to have a baby for you?”

Julian frowned, a flicker of impatience crossing his face. He snapped, “Cassandra! A child from an orphanage wouldn’t be my blood! How could that be my child? It’s not the same!”

I looked at his expression, which didn’t seem like a lie.

A sudden, immense sense of absurdity washed over me, as if everything before my eyes was a ridiculous farce.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, and said, “But you didn’t discuss this with me beforehand. You only told me after she was pregnant. What kind of arrangement is this?”

Julian seemed provoked by my words. He loudly cut me off, “Isn’t it all your fault for not being able to have children!”

After saying that, he seemed to realize he had gone too far. He added, irritably, “I’m sorry, Cassandra. I didn’t mean it that way. Don’t take it to heart.”

I stared at this man, familiar yet so strange, a mix of emotions churning inside me.

We hadn’t been together for a day or two; he wasn’t learning about my condition for the first time.

Yet now he was using it to blame me. I bit my lip, enunciating each word: “Julian Thorne, in this house, it’s either her or me. Not both.”

With that, I stopped looking at his face, turned, walked into the bedroom, and slammed the door shut.

After a while, the conversation in the living room gradually quieted down. I didn’t know how he had settled Veronica.

Not long after, the bedroom door behind me gently opened, and Julian walked in.

He softly pulled me into his embrace, his voice low: “Cassandra, I’m sorry, but I really need a child. This is the only way my mom would agree to our marriage. Don’t worry, we’ve already discussed it. After she gives birth, she’ll disappear. She won’t come between us.”

I looked at him, full of questions and confusion. He sighed and continued, “My mother never accepted us. Then, she somehow found out you couldn’t have children and absolutely refused to let us marry. I had no choice but to come up with this plan…”

He didn’t finish, but I understood everything.

I looked at him coldly and said, “Julian Thorne, you shouldn’t have lied to me. And you definitely shouldn’t have waited until Veronica was pregnant to tell me. Did you even consider my feelings?”

Julian quickly said, “I’m sorry, Cassandra, I promise it won’t happen again! I, Julian Thorne, swear to God, if I ever deceive Cassandra Hayes again, may I be struck by lightning…”

I quickly covered his mouth, completing his unfinished oath for him: “May I never see Julian Thorne again, and lose the one I love forever.”

Julian listened, a hint of confusion on his face, as if he didn’t understand why he was making the oath, but the consequence would fall upon me.

Veronica was temporarily settled in our guest bedroom. At first, she would cautiously watch my every move, timid in everything she did.

It wasn’t until she realized I didn't pay much attention to her that she slowly began to assert herself.

In the past, Julian would leave for work without breakfast, and our housekeeper would only prepare meals after I woke up.

But after Veronica arrived, she insisted that skipping breakfast was unacceptable and started preparing breakfast for Julian where I couldn't see.

Elara, our housekeeper, tried to warn me several times, but seeing that I seemed indifferent even after accidentally witnessing it, she eventually gave up.

Perhaps my indifference emboldened Veronica, as she began to meddle in our household affairs. Initially, it was small things, like which brand of laundry detergent to use.

She claimed that a certain brand was better for pregnant women and replaced all the detergent we had used for years.

Then came the daily meals; she started making occasional requests – no cilantro, she loved winter melon, and so on. To me, these were minor matters, so I let her have her way.

But I never imagined she would dare to lay her hands on someone close to me.

Recently, wanting to avoid seeing Julian and Veronica, I confined myself to my room.

Elara Jenkins, the housekeeper, brought my three meals upstairs. Elara had been with me since I was a child; in my heart, she was like family. Besides Julian, she was the person I trusted most.

Yet, when I saw her again, she was lying in a pool of blood.

The sight was a blinding red. Elara lay on the ground, bleeding profusely; the scene was horrifying.

My mind went blank. I violently shoved Veronica, who was standing by the stairs, and frantically rushed downstairs, cradling Elara tightly in my arms.

My voice trembled as I cried, “Elara, hold on, I’m taking you to the hospital right now!”

Hearing the commotion, Julian rushed out of his study. Seeing the scene, he gasped, “What happened?!”

A large pool of blood had gathered at the bottom of the stairs. Upstairs, Veronica clutched her stomach, slowly crouching down, moaning in pain.

I desperately yelled at Julian, “Julian! Drive Elara to the hospital, now!”

But I saw his eyes fixed on Veronica, filled with worry.

He quickly ran upstairs, helped Veronica down, and said, “Cassandra, Veronica is pregnant. I have to take care of her first.”

“Go, now!” I shouted at Julian again, my voice sharp with urgency.

The 911 ambulance would still be a while, and I wanted Julian to rush Elara to the hospital, but he refused.

He frowned and said, “Cassandra, you should stay here and wait for the ambulance. Their equipment is better, and if anything happens to Elara on the way, they can handle it.”

“No! Julian Thorne, Elara’s situation is critical. Drive us, please!” Tears streamed down my face, my voice choked with sobs.

Veronica clutched her stomach, crying out in pain. Julian roughly shoved my hand away and helped Veronica into the car.

I clung to the car door, pleading desperately, “Julian Thorne, I’m begging you. Elara is bleeding so much, please.”

“I’ll kneel for you, Julian Thorne, if that’s what it takes.” I said, slowly bending my legs, kneeling on the ground. Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. “Please, Julian Thorne, save Elara.”