Chapter 26
With every slash, Nathan looked right at Julia, his eyes wild, a twisted smile tugging at his lips.
“How about this? Does this pain make you feel better?”
“This one’s for everything you’ve suffered. This one’s for the kidney you lost. And this one–for your father’s death!“>
Each time he spoke, he stabbed himself again.”
Julia’s skin crawled. Her heart thudded out of control, panic crashing through her like a tidal wave.
“You’re insane! You’re completely insane!” she shouted, her voice shaking.
Suddenly, Vincent appeared behind her, fresh from the shower, a towel slung loosely around his waist. He gently covered her eyes with. his hand.
“Don’t look. Don’t be scared. Let me handle this,” he murmured, his voice steady and protective.}
He kept his eyes fixed on Nathan as he nudged Julia into the bedroom, speaking softly to calm her down. Then, without missing a beat, he pulled out his phone and called for an ambulance.
Once everything was set, Vincent shut the door and punched Nathan hard across the face.”
“If you want to die, do it somewhere else. Don’t you dare do it in front of Julia!”
“You actually think hurting yourself will make her forgive you? What you owe her–you’ll never pay back, not in this lifetime.”)
“Her father died because of you. She’ll never forgive you for that. If you’re still not satisfied, why not hand your father’s life over to Julia and watch him die?”
Nathan was ghostly pale, his lips bloodless. No one could tell if it was from the blood loss or Vincent’s words.
“No… No, if ! just try hard enough, Julia will forgive me… someday…” Nathan muttered, over and over, until his eyelids drooped and he finally passed out.
Vincent cursed under his breath but couldn’t just let him die. Thankfully, the paramedics showed up fast and rushed Nathan to the hospital.
wwwww
After calling someone to clean up the mess, Vincent finally went back to Julia’s room,
いない
“Don’t be scared. I’m here,” he whispered, pulling her gently into his arms. He cradled her head against his chest, softly kissing away the tears on her cheeks.
www
Julia was calmer now, her arms wrapped tight around Vincent’s waist. With her ear pressed to his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart, she finally started to feel safe again.
“Vincent, I regret everything I said. I regret wanting revenge. Nathan’s just… he’s out of his mind,” she choked out, her voice shaky. Vincent’s expression softened as he stroked her hair. “None of this is your fault. You have nothing to regret. Nathan is the one who hurt you–he deserves everything that happened tonight. He brought this all on himself.”
“If he hadn’t done it, I would’ve made sure he paid for what he did to you, sooner or later.”
“Thank you…. I’m just so grateful you’re here.” Julia leaned up and kissed him, warmth blooming in her chest.
She never expected that after moving abroad, her life would spin into another whirlwind romance so soon.}
Nathan had never stopped looking for her, using every trick he could think of. Even while she kept moving, trying to find small moments of peace and beauty along the way, living on the run exhausting.
She didn’t dare stop, terrified Nathan would eventually catch up.
One day, while escaping Nathan’s men, Julia accidentally found herself on Vincent’s private estate. She literally ran into him as he stepped out of his pool, water still dripping down his skin.
Vincent wasn’t exactly known for his patience. At first, he thought she was just another woman sent to please him and kept her around, treating her with cold suspicion.
But gradually, that suspicion turned into curiosity, and then something much deeper.
Living under Vincent’s roof, Julia finally felt safe. She could walk the city streets, grab coffee and pastries, and not worry about Nathan’s men finding her.
And for the first time, she got to share her photography with the world–her work published in glossy magazines, her name printed for everyone to see.
