James has always been deeply emotional. There was a time when I went to see a girl, and he nearly ran me over with his car. I couldn’t help but ask, “Do you really like her that much?” James replied with a chilling tone, “She would take a bullet for me, would you?” I laughed, “Of course not.” James had been hiding a lover behind my back for six months, and I had no clue. It wasn’t until a week ago, when I was dealing with my period, that he suddenly commented, “You never seem to be in much pain.” I was taken aback, and it dawned on me that this jerk must have someone else who suffers a lot during hers. So I casually remarked, “Dennie has been helping me with some remedies, just a few doses and I’m fine.” James didn’t flinch, just gave a nonchalant “Hmm.” Three days later, I went abroad, and he took that girl to the same place. When the photo reached me, it was too blurry to make out any faces. But James’s radiant demeanor was unmistakable. I’m not shocked that James would cheat. I’m shocked that he’s so invested. What kind of girl could she be? Out of curiosity, I returned to the country without informing James. I had Katy drive me to where James was hiding her. By chance, James was stepping out of his Cullinan, throwing his custom suit into the car, and putting on a cheap jacket. Then he added glasses, ruffled his hair, and picked up a laptop bag. I couldn’t help but laugh. “Is he trying to look like Kevin the programmer?” Katy kept her head down, as quiet as a mouse. Once James was upstairs, I opened the car door. “Wait here, I’ll go check it out.” “Lila…” “What are you afraid of? He can’t kill me, right?” ………… “And he won’t kill you either!”
Anyone would know that once I go up there and confront him, things between James and me could never be the same. Especially these past two years, our conflicts have only increased. Silent treatments, arguments, breaking things—it’s become routine. The most recent was half a month ago. I can’t even remember what sparked it. In the end, I threw a water cup at him. He could have dodged, but he didn’t. Let the blood run down from his forehead, his gaze icy cold. “Do you even resemble the person you used to be?” How absurd. If I’ve changed, hasn’t he changed too? He changes, and it’s justified. I change, and it’s unforgivable? I knocked on the door. James opened it, still wearing that gentle smile, looking inside. “Leave it, I’ll handle it.” He turned back, and the moment he saw me, his smile broke, his gentle gaze turning to ice. “Who is it?” A cute girl peeked out from behind James. Meeting her gaze, I was momentarily stunned. James shifted slightly. “You go inside first.” His deep, serious voice left the girl a bit confused. A smile crept onto my face unexpectedly. I quickly extended my hand. “Hello, I’m James’s colleague, here to discuss some work matters with him.” James glanced at me lightly, acknowledging my excuse. “You stay home; we’ll talk outside.” “Is it inconvenient? Did I disturb Mrs. Xie?” The girl blushed, waving her hands quickly. “No, I’m not Mrs. Xie, we haven’t…” “Not married yet? Then it must be soon. I’ll want a drink at your wedding.” The girl’s face turned even redder, shyly sneaking glances at James. My smile widened. “By the way, I’m Lila, what’s your name?” “Lily, nice to meet you!”
Lily, 19 years old, a student at Harvard, excellent in both character and academics. That’s all the information I could find. The rest was hidden by James. In the end, I still didn’t get into their house. Under James’s extremely cold gaze, I followed him down the stairs obediently. “How did you get here?” ………… “Why didn’t you tell me you returned to the country?” ………… “How long have you known?” ………… James took a deep drag of his cigarette. “What do you want?” I sneered. Finally, we were getting to the point. “What do you think I should do?” James tilted his head, looking at me. “It’s not as sordid as you think between her and me.” “She’s not well, I’m just taking care of her, that’s all.” I let out a casual “Oh.” “What if I don’t believe you?” James’s face suddenly turned gloomy. My warm demeanor disappeared completely. I got out of the car, slamming the door shut. “Lila.” I turned around. The next second, the roar of the engine filled the air. James gripped the steering wheel with one hand. As the car sped toward me, his gaze never left me. Watching my pupils dilate, my body stiffen. The screeching brakes. The car’s front stopped at my knees. Brakes engaged. My mind went blank for a moment, as if a thunderclap exploded in my ears. The car reversed, changed direction, and drove to my side. James looked up at me. “Don’t touch her.” This wasn’t a plea. It was a warning. “Lila, are you alright?” Katy stumbled over, her face ashen, eyes full of fear. As I collapsed, I suddenly understood it wasn’t my imagination—he really intended to kill me.
James was never a saint. He, a middle school dropout, has come this far by being ruthless to others and even more so to himself. When he was six, our deadbeat dad used the excuse of taking me out to secretly meet his mistress. They rolled around in the suite while James watched Tom and Jerry with me in the living room. I didn’t understand why there were those sounds coming from the suite. Curiously, I asked, “Brother, what are Dad and Auntie doing?” He turned up the TV volume and covered my ears. “It’s dirty, don’t listen.” He was only a year older than me but took care of me well. Not because he liked me. His mom told him if he kept me in line, she’d give him a hundred bucks. That was his weekly living allowance. At fourteen, my dad eloped with his mom. My mom set the house on fire. It was James who carried me out of the flames. Half his arm still bears burn scars. He had no money for school, so he dropped out and worked odd jobs. I smashed his place with a baseball bat and paid him two grand. He still didn’t go back to school, instead went far to collect goods. He used his first earnings to buy me a princess dress. That year, I was fifteen, he was sixteen. My mom went hysterical. “Your dad ran off with a whore, and you still want to be with the bastard she bore?” “You’re truly your dad’s spawn; I should’ve strangled you at birth.” I guess I should’ve sided with my mom. But, unfortunately, I was raised by James. In the years my dad was busy cheating, and my mom busy catching him, I lived like an outcast. James didn’t charge me. He might be filthy, but I had to be clean. He could be bruised and battered, but no one could touch a hair on my head. He wouldn’t let me tell anyone about us; he feared he couldn’t protect me. He feared my tears the most, awkwardly wiping them away. Fiercely telling me to hold them back. But later, when I truly stopped crying, he didn’t seem that delighted. “If you cried and made a scene, I’d give in to you.” “Why do you have to be so stubborn with me?”
I spent a day and a half in the hospital. Eric suggested I continue pretending to be out of it. “Alright then, hand me a pack of cigarettes.” “You can’t smoke in the hospital.” “Then I want to check out.” “Can’t you just quit smoking?” “Just like that? I might as well be dead.” Eric rolled his eyes, clearly fed up with me. “What’s going on between you and James?” “Normally, he panics over a scratch. But this time, he hasn’t even shown up.” I let out a cold laugh. “Finally curious enough to ask?” “Bet it was eating you up inside.” Evan burst into the hospital just as I was about to leave, almost running into me. He looked worried, his face a bit pale. “Hey, sis, are you alright?” “What are you doing here?” “Are you hurt anywhere?” “Who told you to come back?” “Where’s James?” “Have you finished what you needed to do?” “I’m going to kill him!” Not a single word I wanted to hear. I kicked his leg. He didn’t dodge, just took it quietly and even bent down to my level. “Sis, I’m sorry.” I gave him a light slap. “Did Katy tell you?” “No, I figured it out myself.” This kid is getting smarter and more capable as he grows. Daring to check up on me, huh? “How’s the situation in the South?” “They can handle it.” He still sounded a bit defiant. “I couldn’t just not come back.” I laughed in exasperation. “Alright, you win.” Evan followed me around, whining like a puppy. And then we ran into James. He looked indifferent, holding Lily’s hand. Guess they weren’t hiding it anymore. Evan froze for a few seconds, then charged forward furiously, but I kicked him back. Eric stood aside, his face changing colors rapidly. What a spectacle. “Lila, are you not feeling well either?” Lily’s innocent voice broke the tension. I smiled at her. “Just a minor issue. What about you?” She seemed a bit embarrassed. “I have a scar, wondering if it can be removed.” I realized, “With modern medicine, it’s not a problem. Pretty girls like you shouldn’t have any flaws.” Lily blushed. “You’re very pretty too, Lila.” James tightened his grip on her hand. “We need to leave, the specialist is waiting.” “Bye, Lila.” As we passed each other, James nodded politely at me. Such a formal nodding acquaintance. On the way back, Evan’s face was as dark as coal. I couldn’t help teasing him. “What, if I hadn’t stopped you, would you really fight James?” “Shouldn’t I?” “Not scared of him now?” He pressed his lips together. “Sis, you should break it off with him.” Ha! Naive kid.
I found Evan when I was twenty, in the hallway. He was eleven then, locked out by his biological father and stepmother. Wearing spring clothes in the dead of winter, shivering with cold, bruises all over. Clinging to my pant leg, murmuring he was hungry. So I took him home, made him a bowl of instant noodles, and added a sausage. Back then, things were tense between James and me. He didn’t want me involved in his affairs, told me to focus on my studies. But he kept getting hurt. I couldn’t stand it. Money, those few bucks, could really be life-threatening. I compromised with my mom, saying I broke up with James and would come home to inherit the family business. She mocked me. But she also knew, the shares my grandparents left were only mine to control. She hated me. But she needed me. She couldn’t do anything to me, so she recorded what I said and played it for James. James didn’t believe it. He believed in me. So he felt incredibly guilty. Guilty for not protecting me. Guilt turned into arguments. From arguing about things to arguing about feelings. Then making up. Over and over. Evan was an accident. I fed him on and off for half a year. James didn’t care, wasn’t bothered. But because he always had a cold face, Evan was afraid of him. Later, Evan’s father found out about our relationship. His murky eyes ogled me up and down, lust clear as day. Evan must have overheard something, he spent his last pocket money on a knife. Scared and desperate. I cooked him a bowl of noodles, took the knife away, told him not to worry about anything. I let the man into my house, tore my clothes, pinned me to the bed. I watched as the woman followed him. They fought, and the man stabbed the woman in the stomach. He fled in panic, taking all the cash from my safe. The newly installed surveillance recorded the whole thing. He was caught, sentenced heavily. To me back then, it was a perfect setup. James said nothing, silently applied medicine to my wounds. After a long time, he spoke. “You shouldn’t have used yourself as bait.” “What if something happened to you?” Those words stuck with me. But there was another sentence, which I understood years later. He said, “You’re filthy, go take a shower.”
When James came back, I was reading in the living room. “Why aren’t you asleep yet?” “Waiting for you.” A rather rhetorical question. He knew I was waiting for him. Just as I knew he would come back. For no other reason than I had Lily’s medical file. James paused while putting down his keys. He took off his tie and sat across from me. “What do you want to talk about?” His calmness was stifling. I looked at him quietly. “What if I told Lily everything?” James looked up, his eyes cold. “I told you, don’t touch her.” “What if I insist? What will you do? Run me over?” “Lila, I won’t hurt you. But I can hurt a lot of people.” That made my face go cold. As I stood up, the book fell to the floor with a dull thud. I picked up a baseball bat. “I won’t touch her.” “An arm or a leg, your choice.” James stood up. After a long stare, he extended his left hand. Without hesitation, the bat came down heavy. I heard the bone crack. James’s face turned pale, a muffled groan escaping. He gritted his teeth, looking at me. “Happy now?” “Get lost.” He cradled his arm, walking out. I couldn’t help but ask, “Do you really like her that much?” James stopped, blurting out. “She took a knife for me, can you do that?” For a moment, the air was completely still. I watched James’s tense back. He turned abruptly. Paler than before. His lips moved. “I…” I just laughed. Leaning back lazily. “Of course not.”
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295591”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #重生Reborn
Leave a Reply