I looked back at Celeste, who nervously clutched the hem of her dress.
Before, when she acted so cautiously, I would have felt sympathy for her.
But today, I just felt disgusted. I wanted to say, why bother putting on such an act?
“Julian, why the sudden change in attitude? Please don’t be like this, I’m scared.”
I sneered.
“Scared? You’re scared? Do you even know Aubrey is dead? She’s buried beneath the cold earth right now.”
“I’m sorry, Julian, but her death wasn’t my fault. You can’t blame me.”
“Yes, her sacrifice isn’t your fault, but please explain this to me.”
I opened my phone and played a video.
The video showed a conversation between her and her husband.
“Celeste, please don’t divorce me! I can’t lose you. I know I’m not as rich or powerful as Julian, but I’ll work hard to give you a
good life.”
In the video, the man was kneeling, begging her not to leave.
“Give it up. With how useless you are,
you’ll never amount to anything. I’ve waited six years for you, that’s enough. I *will* get a divorce. Sign the papers, and please, stop dragging me down.”
“Are you really going to gamble everything like this? And take our child with you? Do you think Julian will accept you? I don’t believe he’d raise someone else’s child.”
“Then don’t worry about it. Who I’m with in the fut
is
Giving your family a child, I’d say I’m being more than
none of your business. Oh, and once this baby is born, I’ll let you raise it.
generous,”
“Oh, that’s rich,” he sneered. “If it wasn’t for your ‘special condition‘ preventing you from getting an abortion, that kid would already be a bloody mess. Giving us the baby is just so it doesn’t get in the way of your grand plans.”
The video was long.
I pressed stop.
“Celeste, do you remember what you told
“You said your husband constantly abused you, that you were afraid to go back home. You begged me for help, for a place to
stay.
“Why is what I saw completely opposite to the lies you fabricated? Though one thing you said was right: your husband is poor, he has no money. But what I saw was that even as you trampled on his dignity, he didn’t raise his voice, he only wanted to keep
you.”
I rubbed
my forehead.
“Ultimately, you’re only capable of enjoying the good times, not enduring hardship. I also looked into your husband’s background. He used to be a rich heir, but three years ago, his family went bankrupt, and their financial situation plummeted. That’s when you started thinking about leaving, but you hadn’t met anyone who could give you that luxurious life again. Until you met me again at that dinner party. We were each other’s first loves once, and through that filter, I always believed you were wonderful, so pure. You tearfully told me you’d met a bad person, that he abused you after marriage. I was shocked and felt immense sympathy for you.
These memories now felt like invisible knives, slowly killing me.
“Later, you repeatedly reappeared in my life, and you made me feel like you hadn’t changed at all, still as innocent as you were in high school, just unlucky in love.”
