After the birthday celebration ended.
Grayson went to get the car while I waited by the entrance.
During this brief wait, Julian suddenly appeared and dragged me to a secluded corner.
His eyes were ice–cold as he looked at me, hissing through clenched teeth: “Cassidy Pierce, you did this on purpose, right? You and Uncle Grayson are just putting on a show for me, right?!”
I stared back at him. “You’re overthinking. If it were just an act, we wouldn’t have come here.”
After all, following Julian’s parents‘ divorce years ago, the families had been on terrible terms.
If not for me, Grayson would never have come voluntarily.
And more importantly, Grandfather Hart had always been genuinely good to me.
No matter what, I wouldn’t deceive him.
Julian knew all of this, but anger had clouded his judgment.
He laughed bitterly: “Then you’re doing this for revenge, aren’t you? Getting back at me for sending you to the countryside because of Eliza.”
“Cassidy, I’ve told you before, as long as you learned your lesson, you would become Mrs. Hart.”
“What are you doing now?”
Looking at his bloodshot eyes, I was suddenly reminded of the day Eliza first arrived at the Hart estate.
Julian had promised me that even ten thousand Elizas couldn’t compare to me. He said I would always be his princess, the one he loved most.
But later, he criticized me repeatedly for Eliza’s sake, and eventually even hit me.
I still remembered the crisp sound of my jade bracelet shattering on the floor–like my heart breaking into countless pieces.
I looked away from him, focusing on the vibrantly blooming flowers in the distance.
“Julian, from the moment you sheltered Eliza behind you, you should have known we had no future.”
“I’m not a magnanimous person–I can’t just forgive and forget. So what we had is like that broken jade bracelet. It can’t be put back together.”
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Chapter 9
“Now I’m married to Grayson, and you have Eliza. Let’s just leave it at that and live our separate lives.”
A complex expression flashed across Julian’s face.
After a moment of silence, he said: “Cassidy, how can you be so heartless? I do care about you, truly. I just felt sorry for Eliza–she had lost both her parents. She had no one.”
His voice trembled slightly, as if he was struggling to control his emotions.
Hearing this, I could only smile sarcastically.
So Eliza was pitiful because she lost her parents?
Then what about me?
I lost my parents when I was five, and my grandfather, my only remaining family, died when I was ten.
Wasn’t I deserving of pity too?
How biased did someone have to be to say such things?
If he truly cared for me, how could he have abandoned me in the countryside for three years without a single call or message?
I looked at him and asked softly:
‘Julian, do you remember why I came to the Hart family in the first place?”
Julian’s body stiffened, and the color drained from his face. He opened his mouth to explain but ultimately said nothing.
I didn’t notice his reaction. Instead, I rolled up my sleeve to show him the scar on my wrist.
“You probably don’t know this, but when you first sent me to the countryside, I developed severe depression. I tried to kill myself several times.”
“Many times, I thought I wouldn’t make it.”
“But thankfully, I pulled through and found someone who truly loves me.”
Just then, headlights flashed in the distance–Grayson had arrived.
“He’s here. I need to go.”
Julian remained silent, head bowed.
I pulled my arm from his grip and walked away.
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Chapter 5
After we had driven far from the estate, I received a message from Julian:
[Cassidy Pierce, you once said you would only marry me in this lifetime.]
Yes. When I was most in love with Julian, I had said that.
Back then, I believed I would definitely marry him one day. I thought Julian would love only me for his entire life.
So I had made that earnest promise.
But now, I had broken it.
Because you turned away first, Julian.
I didn’t reply to the message, casually tossing my phone onto the back seat.
Grayson glanced at me from the corner of his eye. “Was that from Julian?”
I nodded lightly. “Mm–hmm.”
“That boy has been completely out of line these past few years. He thinks everything belongs to him. He’ll figure it out eventually.”
At his words, I turned to look at him with a smile.
‘What, you’re not jealous?”
This man was hardly the generous type. He’d previously made me throw away everything I’d brought from the Hart estate to the countryside.
Grayson didn’t respond immediately, but soon found a secluded spot to park.
He nipped at my lips while growling possessively: “How could I not be jealous? But I love you, so I accept everything about you, including your past.”
‘Besides, you’re my wife now, and I’m not about to let you go.”
laughed as I returned his kisses.
Not only would he never let me go, but I would never let him go either.
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Chapter 6
I didn’t see Julian again after that day.
Riley invited me out shopping, and as we walked, she couldn’t stop trash–talking Julian.
“Julian Hart is seriously messed up in the head,” she fumed. “According to Aiden, on the night of my engagement party, he completely trashed a bar for no apparent reason. Anyone watching would think he had some secret crush on me or something!”
The thought sent her into a fit of laughter.
After her giggles subsided, she continued.
“Haven’t seen Julian around in forever though. Eliza was asking Aiden if he’d spotted him anywhere just the other day.”
“Where do you think that guy disappeared to anyway?”
I ran my fingers along a rack of clothes. “Who knows?”
That evening, I found myself cornered outside my house.
Julian, reeking of alcohol, blocked my path.
‘Cassidy Pierce, I had a nightmare last night,” he slurred. “I dreamed you got married… to my uncle. Tell me it’s not rue, okay?”
You promised you’d only marry me, that I was the only one you’d ever marry. How could you possibly marry someone else?”
I looked at him and took out my phone to call Grayson.
Just as the call connected, he grabbed my phone and smashed it violently on the ground.
His eyes were red–rimmed as he demanded: “Tell me, Cassidy!”
“Say you only love me, say you’ll only marry me, say it!”
“Tell me that you and Grayson are lying, that it’s all fake, right?”
He slowly sank to his knees before me, his tone pleading, almost begging.
This was a Julian I had never seen before.
He looked like he truly loved me.
Skrew You, izi My New Lifes Hotter Than Your Money!
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In the past, I would have embraced him and cried my heart out.
But now, everything had changed.
I looked down at him, my voice detached.
“Julian, if you want to play the devoted lover, go find Eliza.”
“I don’t need it.”
He kept his head lowered, hiding his expression from me.
After a long silence, he finally spoke: “Cassidy, I know I was wrong. I went to the countryside these past few days, traced all your steps from those three years, met with the therapist who treated you.”
“I understand my mistakes now. If possible, could you give me one chance to make up for all the hurt I’ve caused you? I can take you somewhere no one knows us, just the two of us together. I’ll make you the happiest woman in the world.”
“Please, Cassidy?”
Hearing him call me by my name again, I felt a moment of disorientation.
After all, since Eliza’s arrival, he had stopped calling me Cassidy, always using my full name.
Now he was calling me Cassidy again, but I felt no joy whatsoever.
“No,” I said. “What we had is over, just like my jade bracelet–shattered beyond repair.”
With that, I moved to walk past him.
He grabbed my arm, saying nothing, but I could feel his hand trembling slightly.
But I ignored him, just smiling as I saw a familiar figure approaching.
Grayson walked over with a grim expression, first prying Julian’s hand off my arm.
Then he pulled Julian to his feet.
One punch after another, each landing with brutal precision. Only after Julian’s face was bruised and swollen did he stop.
“Julian Hart, I’m letting you go this time because you’re my nephew.”
“But don’t ever let me see you again, and stay away from my wife.”
“Otherwise, I won’t be so nice.”
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After saying this, he wiped his hands clean and took mine, walking toward our home.
While Julian remained on the ground like a discarded rag, motionless.
