Chapter 5
When Julia returned to the hospital the next day, gossip about her was rife. She was not concerned about it and went to her office to write her report. However, the organized materials she had prepared were nowhere to be found. “Where did I put them?” she muttered in confusion as she rummaged through the drawer. “Could they be in my suitcase?”
Julia returned to her dorm and searched the entire room, but the papers remained missing. ‘Could I have left them at the Mullins family’s place?‘ she wondered. It seemed like that was the case, as she remembered leaving them by her bedside before falling asleep.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Julia chewed her nails as she pondered for a while. Eventually, she decided to call Joseph to tell him that she needed to make a trip back. No one answered the phone after several attempts. Frustrated, she gave up and decided to take a cab directly to the Mullins family’s residence.
Standing outside the residence, Julia felt strangely unfamiliar with the place she had lived in for over a year. She shook her head and knocked on the door. After a short wait, a servant opened the door and was pleasantly surprised to see Julia. “Mrs. Mullins, you’re back?” she exclaimed.
Julia smiled and replied, “I’ve come back to retrieve something. I think I left it here.” She then made her way toward the master bedroom.
Suddenly, the door to the bedroom opened, and Amelie emerged with a smile on her face. “Julia, why are you here? Why didn’t you tell us before coming?” Amelie said gently as she looked down at her from the second floor.
Suppressing her irritation, Julia went up the stairs and said, “I left something here and came back to get it.” Then, standing in front of Amelie, she narrowed her eyes and continued, “And by the way, have you become the mistress of this place or something? By what authority do you question me?”
Amelie’s expression stiffened, but she quickly regained her smile. “Julia, how has your year–long self–deception been treating you? Seeing this house again, doesn’t it break your heart?” Her voice was soft, almost fragile, yet it felt like a sharp blade piercing Julia’s heart. Even though Julia had moved on, reopening old wounds still brought fresh pain.
“Julia…” Seeing that Julia’s expression had changed, Amelie reached out a hand.
Julia recovered from her daze. She furrowed her brow and grabbed her wrist instinctively. In the next instant, Amelie suddenly cried in a pitiful voice, “I know you’re just here to get something…” With a quick move, Amelie wrenched her hand from Julia’s grip and threw herself down the stairs.
Unbeknownst to Amelie, her arm had hit something, creating a deep, bleeding gash. She immediately burst into tears.
“Amelie!” a startled voice came from the doorway. Julia was left bewildered by the series of events. She stood in place, watching as Joseph rushed to Amelie’s side and lifted her. Julia held her breath, feeling like an outsider.
Even though Julia told herself that she would be fine and could endure it, she felt like there was a hole in her heart with a chilling breeze blowing through it. Bleeding was not part of Amelie’s plan, and she was genuinely scared, her face pale and tear–stained as she cried, “Joseph, it hurts! It hurts so much…”
Joseph picked her up in a princess hug and comforted her softly, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll take you to the hospital right away.” Then, he looked up at Julia, who had descended a few steps. Julia subconsciously tried to explain, “It wasn’t me. I didn’t…” But before she could finish, she froze when she saw Joseph’s cold, menacing gaze.
“Since we’re divorced, don’t let me see you here again.” His voice was icy, a tone Julia had never heard before, and it sent shivers down Julia’s spine.
