LOGINVanessa rather liked the sound of coffee beans being ground. Standing by the bar, she listened as Julian explained from behind her, "So, you’re going to be Adrian’s stand-in, taking care of Leila.""Not taking care of her, just giving her a place to stay."That sounded really nice. Anyone who didn't know better would think Julian was a saint."Is this for Ivy?"Julian tasted the coffee Vanessa had personally ground. He added some milk and sugar; it was a bit too sweet. "I suppose so. You know I have no feelings for Leila. Why else would I have sent her to Adrian?""Isn’t it because there’s a dirty trade between you two, using women for personal gain?"Vanessa showed absolutely no mercy. "Julian, I don’t care how you arrange things for Leila. And don't bother pretending you're asking for my opinion. Our marriage is fake to begin with.""Vanessa, for me, this is my only marriage."Vanessa turned, a slight smile playing on her lip
The call from Leila came in the dead of night, jarring Julian awake. They hadn't spoken in two years, not since Adrian's birthday party. He hesitated, a fleeting thought, then answered, propping himself against the headboard. His gaze drifted to the figure beside him, Vanessa, her back to him, deep in sleep. Every night since their marriage, it had been the same. An embrace? That was an even more distant memory.Leila's choked sobs shattered the quiet stillness. "Julian, please, can you come get me? Adrian kicked me out. My sister... even for my sister's sake, please.""Why would he kick you out?""I don't know," she whimpered. "He just said it was because of my sister."Leila, bundled with her luggage, was sitting by the main gate. "Julian, please hurry. It's freezing out here.""Leila," he warned, his voice low. "You had better not be lying to me.""I'm not!" she insisted. "Have I come seeking you out at all these past few years?"S
Evelyn's mental state wasn't good. Her mind was fixated solely on Vanessa, leading her to violently lash out at Cameron. Cameron initially just wanted to calm her down, intending to restrain her. Unexpectedly, she started mumbling and shouting Ivy's name.When Adrian entered, Cameron, in a fit of panic, violently slapped Evelyn across the face to silence her."Mom—!" Adrian rushed in, pushing Cameron away and cradling Evelyn in his arms, his brows furrowed in a deep frown. "Dad, how could you lay a hand on her? Don't you know she's sick?""Even if she's sick, that's no excuse to act insane. If she doesn't improve, send her to the hospital and get a caregiver to watch her.""What, after driving away your own daughter, now you're going to drive away your wife?" Adrian's words dripped with disdain for his hypocritical father. "I truly admire you, being able to hide for so many years. And Ivy, she harmed Vanessa, and now you want to harm my mom. Do you believ
No matter what Adrian said, Vanessa remained unwavering, dead-set on severing ties with the Voss family and never contacting them again.Seeing her like this, Julian's emotions were complex. If she could treat the mother who had loved and protected her like that, how could she possibly still harbor any feelings for him?But he was a stubborn man.No feelings.Then he would simply take the person."Vanessa, you're being a little heartless."Julian wiped the blood from his hand, uttering the words as if an afterthought. Vanessa's eyes snapped into focus, staring at him with profound disbelief — the man who had promised to make amends again and again, only to wound her repeatedly. "Am I heartless? Who was it that knew I was innocent, yet still threw me into the eye of the storm?"Julian had brought it up casually, not expecting such a fierce reaction from Vanessa. "You misunderstand. Back then, no one knew you were innocent. Who el
Julian had been injured, though not as severely as expected.The Voss' first floor was silent, the interwoven breaths of everyone present forming a suffocating net. Vanessa felt breathless as she stepped inside, her eyes immediately drawn to Julian sitting on the sofa, blood still trickling from the back of his hand. Blood also smeared his face, his pupils dark, as if harboring an unvented hatred.Cameron's blood pressure surged with rage, his face a mask of fury. The moment Vanessa entered, he abruptly stood, glaring at her not like a father at his daughter, but like a judge at an unpardonable criminal. "Get this person out of here right now! I haven't called the police this time, all for your sake.""Then you should just call the police. I don't want that consideration," Vanessa retorted. She glanced at the Voss' reception hall, which remained untouched, unlike the living room she'd passed on her way in, now a complete wreck.Cameron, still fuming from Julian's earlier antics, now h
Vanessa was at the piano store when she received a call from the Voss family. After a moment of hesitation, she picked it up.She walked aside, away from Cameron, and Cameron's voice came through the receiver, "Vanessa, come home immediately and take your husband away.""Julian?" Vanessa didn't understand Cameron's words. "Why is Julian at the Voss family home?""He's here for Ivy. You married him, yet you can't even keep an eye on your own husband. And even now, he's still coming to me for another woman, isn't he?" Cameron found the mere thought absurd, let alone the fact that it was actually happening, Julian right before his eyes, undeniably real.Vanessa still didn't understand, but she caught the note of reprimand in Cameron's voice. She no longer called him 'Dad'; he had no right to lecture her."So what if we're married? Didn't Aunt Evelyn fail to keep an eye on you?" Vanessa was not fragile. Her previous demeanor was a result of being terrified of life, having endured enough b
A blur flashed before her, and Vanessa raised her hand, delivering a sharp slap to Julian’s face. He lowered his eyes, hesitantly raising a hand to touch his cheek, a dark and brutal ferocity instantly surfacing in his pupils.That slap nearly cost Vanessa her life.If it hadn’t been for the call f
Looking up at Vanessa, she felt only endless sorrow.“…Miss, I almost didn’t see you again.”Vanessa forced herself to suppress the violently surging emotions. “How did it become like this?”“It’s nothing, just had some conflicts with others inside.”Julian had clearly promised to only detain him,
Vanessa pursed her lips, remaining silent."Are you listening to me?"Clutching her skirt tightly, Vanessa choked back a breath, cautiously saying, "...Could we try it, for a month?"Bart was pig-headed, not understanding. "What do you mean?""It's just, we spend a month together. If it doesn't wor
Evelyn’s heart ached, a sharp, stinging pain that made her nose tingle. Bringing Vanessa back this time was something she’d insisted on, but it came with conditions. She couldn’t indulge Vanessa anymore, couldn’t spoil her rotten again. If she offended the wrong people, no one would be able to save







