Before, she would never have dared to fight back against Julian.But now, with that over-the-shoulder throw, she hadn’t hesitated for a second.Julian was left completely stunned.He lay flat on the floor, motionless.Blinking up at the ceiling, it took him a moment to even register where he was.At first, Lily felt a flicker of regret, but the rush that came after was almost addictive.So, this was what it felt like to have the upper hand over a man.How had she never realized it before?Well, better late than never, especially now that she’d remembered who she was.“Alright, are you ready to talk to me properly now?”Hearing that, Julian had no fight left in him and simply nodded blankly.“Fine. I’ll do whatever you say.”A satisfied smile lit up Lily’s striking features.Arms folded, she nodded. “That’s more like it. Whatever happens, we should be able to talk things through.“I don’t want to use force on you. It’s you who pushed me to it.”Julian clambered up awkwardly, showing lit
At first, she really had thought that way.After all, the hurt Julian had caused her was still vivid in her mind.Those wounds were not something that could be mended overnight.But now, seeing him so pitiful and disheveled, she found that the resentment didn’t sting quite so much.Even the deepest grudges could loosen their hold in a moment like this.It was the same feeling as watching someone who had wronged her live better than she did—it had always been intolerable.That was why she’d been determined to see Julian crushed, unable to recover, trampled under her feet.Considering how he had treated her before, wanting revenge hadn’t felt wrong.When she hadn’t regained her memory, every day had felt like a year, and all she’d wanted was to find a way out of this place.But once her memories returned, the urgency seemed to fade.With her background as it was, what did a few petty clowns matter?And truthfully, despite keeping her captive, Julian had treated the amnesiac version of he
Seeing him ignore her, Lily reached out and patted his shoulder. “Why aren’t you saying anything? You don’t believe me, do you?“Julian, I’m telling you, everything I said is true. Let me go now, and I can still help you.”Julian had intended to ignore her, but the more she spoke, the more insistent she became.With no choice, he finally replied, “Alright, alright, I believe you. Now help me pack.”With that, he went back to gathering things.He knew every extra minute they stayed in Ravenshore meant more danger.It wasn’t just his parents chasing them anymore—there was also the police, and Grace.Under pressure from all sides, he had no idea how long he could keep hiding.The only option now was to leave this place as quickly as possible and put as much distance behind them as they could.The rest could only be figured out later.Lily, who had been holding herself together, flared up at his dismissive attitude.And with her memories of her background returning, so too did some of her
So even if she had feelings for him, it would only be for the man he used to be, not the man he was now.Julian was well aware of that truth.But Lily’s eyes shifted, and she quickly thought of a plan.“These past few days, I’ve remembered who I am.”She swallowed hard, then told Julian everything she had recalled.She knew this man must have been through something.Otherwise, he wouldn’t have changed so drastically.That alone proved he needed her help now more than ever.If she offered him a hand, surely he wouldn’t treat her the same way he had before.Her mind had never been clearer than it was in this moment.Julian eyed her serious expression, a hint of puzzlement in his voice. “You remembered your identity?”“Yes.”Lily rose slowly to her feet, an unintentional grace in her bearing that made him waver for a moment.A bold thought crossed his mind—could her background really be that impressive?If that were true, then his rise to power would be inevitable.He wouldn’t need to rel
Seeing this, Julian’s fists clenched, a deeper bitterness settling in his chest.So, in the days without him, had these people been living even better than before?He stood frozen, at a loss for words.Lily, gathering her courage, glanced at him.She hadn’t expected to see him like this.“You’re… Julian?”She truly wasn’t sure.Normally, he was meticulous in his appearance.No matter what he did, everything was always in perfect order.And he had a severe obsession with cleanliness.After being intimate, he would head straight for the shower—taking her with him as well.That was how she came to know just how extreme his need for cleanliness was.Now, seeing him in such a state, she couldn’t make sense of it.No wonder she hadn’t recognized his footsteps earlier. Looking at him now, it was hard enough to recognize his face—how could she have possibly recognized his voice?Julian caught the uncertainty in her expression, and the sense of mockery in his chest only grew.He let out a cold
The man with the camera glanced at the photo in his hand, a satisfied smile curling at his lips.“This one will definitely fetch a good price.”Not long ago, someone had hired him specifically to take photos of this woman.Now, with so many shots captured, they were sure to be worth quite a bit.The paparazzo’s grin nearly spilled over.An opportunity like this falling into his lap meant the road ahead would be even easier.For him, this was as simple as it got.And to top it off, it was right in his area of expertise.…In the outskirts of Ravenshore.Julian kept his attire low-key, even looking a little shabby.His hair was a messy tangle like wild grass.He glanced around, then tugged the brim of his baseball cap lower, hiding the shadow in his eyes.He looked toward the villa and felt an unexpected trace of comfort.His once-calm heart began to ripple again.He’d thought that after what happened with Tessa, he’d lost all interest in people and things.But now, he realized it was di