Chapter 4

Christian moved quickly and yanked Jessica out of the way. The heavy metal stand slammed into my head instead. Heat spread across my forehead at once, and the smell of blood filled my nose.

I hit the ground and shoved the light stand off me with both hands. Pain flared through my body.

I had not even caught my breath when Jessica's voice echoed, already thick with tears. "Julie, why did you push the light stand? If Chris hadn't reacted in time, it would have hit me in the face. If I got disfigured, we would have to postpone the wedding."

Christian's expression hardened with cold understanding. He turned to me, his face chilly. "Juliana. No wonder you looked so calm watching Jessie and me take wedding photos. You had already planned how to ruin them."

He stared down at me, his voice hard. "You think if you stop our shoot, you'll get another chance with me? Keep dreaming."

He did not wait for a response. He turned and walked away with Jessica in his arms.

Through my blurred vision, I saw Jessica curve her red lips into a small, vicious smile.

The housekeeper arranged a car and sent me to the hospital.

After the doctor cleaned and bandaged the wound, I did not go home. I took the injury report straight to the police station and filed a report.

I did not expect it to be dismissed so quickly.

I was still on my way back when I received a call.

"Ms. Winslow, your case was just withdrawn. This is considered a family matter, so it isn't something we can interfere with much. You should discuss it with your family and handle it privately."

The officer kept it vague, but I understood at once. Someone had buried my report.

There were not many people in Sothoris with that kind of power, and even fewer who would use it to protect Jessica.

The answer was obvious. It was Christian.

My hand clenched around the phone until the edge bit into my palm.

The moment I pushed open the door to the Winslow house, Christian's icy voice cut across the room. "Jessie and I already let the light stand incident go. How do you still have the nerve to pretend you're the victim and call the police?"

Jessica shrank into his arms, her face full of grievance. "Exactly, Julie. You deliberately ruined our wedding shoot, and I didn't even make a fuss because you're my sister. But I never thought you would file a police report."

I looked at them, and a surge of anger slammed through my chest so hard my voice shook. "I'm pretending to be the victim? I deliberately ruined your shoot? Do you dare pull up the security footage and say that again?"

Christian looked completely fed up. "I don't need security footage. I just need you to remember this. Don't try any tricks to sabotage my wedding to Jessie. Juliana, the moment you walked away from me five years ago, you lost any right to regret it."

The whole thing was so absurd I almost laughed. I looked straight at him and spoke one word at a time. "I have never regretted leaving you."

I held his gaze. "And let me say this again. I didn't come back for you. I already have a husband and a child."

His face darkened at once.

I did not stay to watch. I turned and went back to my room.

I was afraid Virgil and Anna would see the cut on my forehead and worry, so I stopped our nightly video calls and switched to voice messages.

Virgil noticed something was off. He asked twice, but I gave vague answers both times and let it drop.

Once the wound had begun to heal, my father finally told me what he knew. "At tomorrow's auction, there will be a pendant your mother used to love."

I froze. My heart pounded against my ribs.

After my mother died at sea, most of her belongings had been thrown out by Jessica's mother or sold off piece by piece. In 12 years, this was the first real lead I had found on anything that had belonged to her.

I looked up at my father, but there was little gratitude in my eyes. "I understand."

…

The auction was held at one of the largest hotels downtown.

I arrived half an hour early on purpose. I had just found my seat when Christian and Jessica walked in. They wore matching colors. Their bodies leaned toward each other without thought. They looked every bit like a perfect couple.

When Jessica saw me, her eyes lit up at once. She caught Christian by the arm and hurried over, her voice bright with surprise. "Julie, you actually came to the auction? Did Dad tell you we'd be here, so you followed us? You never used to come to events like this."