“are you certain you wish to inherit your father’s badge number and follow in his footsteps as an undercover officer?” Beneath the solemn national emblem, I nodded firmly. “I am.” Becoming an undercover officer meant, first and foremost, erasing every trace of my former life. My name would vanish from this world entirely. So, the agency would arrange my fake death, after which I would live again as someone else. Back from the precinct, I hadn’t even reached my bedroom door when I heard a woman’s soft voice from inside. My expression numb, I stared at the wide-open door, mentally counting how many women Julian Thorne had brought home this time. Three years of marriage, and every single day he brought home a woman who looked just like me. He’d leave the door wide open, making love without a shred of discretion, right in front of my face. All to get back at me for abandoning him years ago. But this time, when the woman inside spoke, I froze. Lost in thought, the two inside had already finished. Julian, wrapped in a bath towel, walked out. He looked at me, his eyes cold. “Perfect timing. We’re out of protection. Go out and buy a few boxes.” With that, he pulled a thick wad of cash from a nearby drawer and tossed it directly at my face. “Consider the rest your payment, your little bonus. Isn’t money all you crave?” My face stung from the impact of the cash. I didn’t bother picking up the bills scattered on the floor. Instead, I looked at him, my eyes red-rimmed. “You’ve slept with so many women over the years, Julian, why couldn’t you even spare Cassie Bell?” Even in revenge, there’s a line you don’t cross. He knew Cassie was my best friend. Julian’s narrow eyes gleamed with a cold light. He sneered, “Did you spare me, all those years ago?” A sharp pang went through my heart. Those memories came crashing back, a tidal wave of pain and regret. Julian and I fell in love when we were young. She was the campus queen, he was the golden boy – the school’s most famous IT couple. They had promised to marry once they were old enough, but at the peak of our love, I suddenly broke up with him and left the country with a rich kid, Bryce Miller. The day I broke up with him, he chased after my car, his eyes red and swollen. He, such a proud man, begged me over and over not to leave him, swore he’d make something of himself one day. He pleaded with me not to rush, to wait for him, pleaded with me not to fall for anyone else. But I was so cold, refusing to say even a single word to him. I even watched him get into a car accident while chasing my car, and I never looked back. The accident was severe. He ruptured a kidney and needed a transplant to survive. He lay on the operating table, covered in blood, yet he insisted on climbing up to call me. But the calls he made, desperately, were all hung up. Love, when deepest, turns into the most profound hatred. From that day on, Julian hated me with every fiber of his being. It took him four years to reach the pinnacle of the business world, becoming a formidable billionaire. And the first thing he did after achieving success was to leverage his immense power to force me into marriage. Then, he brought one woman after another home, solely to humiliate me. But only I knew that our separation back then wasn’t because I stopped loving him, nor because I was a gold-digger. It was out of sheer necessity. My father was an undercover police officer. His mission failed, his identity exposed to the drug lord. After killing my father, the criminal organization began retaliating against his family. Upon receiving the news, we fled our home. To avoid implicating Julian, I had no choice but to break up with him. Midway, I learned about his car accident. I risked my life, rushed to the hospital, and donated my kidney to him. I couldn’t even wait for him to wake up before hurrying home. But I never imagined that all four of our elderly relatives, along with my mother and sister, would be brutally murdered by the drug traffickers. Only I, by some twisted stroke of luck, escaped with my life. Thinking of my family’s horrific deaths, my eyes involuntarily turned bloodshot. Seeing the redness in my eyes, Julian spoke, his voice ice-cold, though a hint of expectation flickered within his gaze. “What, are you going to say you had a reason back then?” Snapping out of my thoughts, I simply shook my head firmly. “No reason. You weren’t wrong. I was just a greedy, status-obsessed woman.” I couldn’t tell him the truth back then, and I certainly couldn’t now. I carried the weight of my family’s brutal murders, and there was no future for Julian and me in this lifetime. These past years felt like borrowed time. Now, I was determined to inherit my father’s badge number. This mission was a one-way ticket, a life-or-death gamble. I would likely be reuniting with my family very soon. Seeing my resolve, Julian’s face darkened further. He stared at me, his voice laced with anger. “If you have nothing to say, then get out and buy those condoms.” I said nothing, picked up the money from the floor, and walked out. After buying the items, I placed the bag by the door and then returned to my own room, locking the door behind me. That night, the sounds from the next room never ceased. As if to deliberately spite me, Julian, while in bed, tenderly whispered sweet nothings to Cassie. “Baby, you smell so good. I love you so much.” “Promise you’ll always love me, always stay with me, okay?” These were the same endearments he used to whisper to me when we were together. Back then, we didn’t have much. We lived in a tiny apartment, barely twenty square feet, but our love was boundless. I had fantasized countless times about growing old with Julian, having a son and a daughter, and living happily ever after. But those memories were nothing more than a beautiful illusion, forever beyond my grasp. I cried all night, waking up to a pillow soaked with tears. I told myself this was the last time I would cry for him. When I went downstairs, they were both awake. All the other women he’d brought home before never stayed the night. Cassie was the first, and only, to eat breakfast here. The house staff seemed busier than usual. I soon learned it was Cassie’s birthday today, and Julian was throwing a grand birthday party for her at the house. When the party began, the room filled with familiar faces from their circle. They all warmly greeted Cassie as if *she* were the lady of the house. Julian certainly gave her his full attention, holding her hand as they accepted toasts from everyone. After Cassie blew out the candles and made her wish, he spared no expense, gifting her a diamond necklace valued at millions. Lost in the moment, they shared a deep, passionate kiss for all to see. Thunderous applause erupted, and the pity in everyone’s eyes was impossible to ignore. “To be a wife treated like this, it’s truly pathetic.” “Everyone knows she’s the laughingstock of the entire social circle. If I were her, I’d just crawl into a hole and disappear.” “But she acts like nothing’s wrong, completely unfazed.” I managed a bitter, strained smile. I had suffered too much pain already; this level of torment was nothing. Midway through the party, Cassie found me in a secluded spot. “It’s been a day. Aren’t you going to ask me why?” I shook my head faintly. “There’s no need to know.” Cassie was my best friend, so I knew what had happened all those years ago. Over the years, I’d witnessed my own agony. Countless times, I’d found myself weeping, red-eyed, over the intimate photos Julian sent. My heart would ache so much that I’d almost call him, desperate to tell him the truth. But it was *I* who stopped myself, knowing that nothing I did could change our ultimate fate. Now, Cassie looked at me, her eyes red-rimmed, concealing a myriad of emotions I couldn’t decipher. “Sera, you know I hate it when you act like nothing bothers you. You don’t know anything, so you wouldn’t know that I’ve secretly loved Julian for many years.” “But his heart was only ever for you. I know you’ve been heartbroken for him all these years, but do you know what kind of life *he* lived after you left?” “He drank himself to oblivion every day because of you, drinking until he coughed up blood. He’d stay alone in your old rented apartment, sometimes all night. The photos you left him stayed in his wallet for years. Once, he was mugged, and he’d rather take multiple stab wounds than let them steal that wallet, just to protect the only memory you left him. He even married you after he became successful, bringing all those women home, only hoping you’d soften, hoping you’d just say you still loved him. If you had, he would have dropped everything and reconciled with you instantly.” “Sera, he’s such a proud man, yet he humbled himself to that extent for you. He hated you, but he loved you more.” She paused, then continued, “And you know what? I hate you too. I hate that even after everything you did to him, he still couldn’t let you go.” “Actually, Julian never intended to keep me. All the women he brought back over the years looked like you, but I don’t look like you at all. Yet, I’ll be the woman who stays by his side the longest.” “Do you know why? Because I lied to him. I told him that the kidney he received back then, *I* was the one who donated it.” I listened silently, not saying a word. Seeing my continued silence, Cassie’s breathing grew ragged. After a long moment, she spoke again. “Sera, you haven’t given me a birthday present this year, but there’s only one thing I want. I want you to give Julian to me.” I remained silent for a long time. Just as Cassie thought I wouldn’t answer, I finally spoke. “Okay.” Cassie smiled, tears in her eyes. “If you’re going to give him up, then do it completely. Make sure there’s absolutely nothing left of you in his heart.” The words hung in the air. I let go of the banister, closed my eyes, and fell backward, plunging into the dark abyss. The loud crash startled everyone. Julian’s face turned as dark as thunder when he saw Cassie lying on the floor, covered in blood. “Sera! You’re trying to die!” He scooped Cassie into his arms and rushed out the door.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “298780”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic
Leave a Reply