Chapter 4
How long had it been since I’d heard that title?
My breath caught as I frowned and looked up, colliding with those obsidian eyes that could melt ice and snow–Julian Blackwood’s cold, composed demeanor–as if the sickly boy who once hid an attic full of my portrait sketches wasn’t him.
I instinctively stepped back, but the man gripped my waist.
He gently shook the black umbrella, his thin lips curving slightly.
Those jet–black eyes stared at me without blinking.
“Step out any further, my lady, and I won’t be able to keep you dry.”
“Or perhaps you still want to run away, just like years ago?”
The umbrella kept tilting toward me, causing a blush to creep up my neck.
When I ran away to Westlake, I truly despised Julian.
The thought of spending my life with someone so sickly and dull made existence seem hopeless.
So, I fell for Rhys, his complete opposite, transforming myself into something deliberately provocative.
But now, facing Julian again, I was reduced to my original form.
I stood up awkwardly, pretending to be composed, yet unable to look him in the eye.
“Stop talking nonsense. If I get rained on, my dad will absolutely destroy you.”
This spoiled, rebellious nature was something Julian had indulged in me.
Behind me, Rhys’s pupils contracted sharply.
My last glimpse of him in the rearview mirror was of him standing silently in the rain.
Rhys was right about one thing–my ten years with him had been reckless.
My family had already paved my path–studying abroad with Julian, then returning to take over the family business.
Julian had been handpicked by my parents–refined, talented, with impeccable credentials…everything a proper suitor should be.
But I’d rebelled–on the day after my eighteenth birthday, I changed my university application and ran away under the pretense of
education.
For ten years, my family never came looking for me. I’d assumed they were ashamed, ready to cut ties completely.
Now as Julian steered his Mercedes through the rain–slick streets, he explained with characteristic calm: “I asked your parents not to
search for you.”
He was two years my senior, but carried himself with the assured confidence of someone who could read people effortlessly.
“I knew you’d come home when you were done playing your games. There was no rush.”
I dug my fingernails into my palms, suddenly embarrassed. Playing games? Is that what he called it? I was returning because a man had shattered my heart.
14:45
Our Vows Were Lies, But Your Revenge Will Be Very Real
67.4%
Chapter 4
Staring absently at the familiar landscape gradually emerging through the window, I whispered, “Julian, am I pathetic?”
The car’s interior smelled of sandalwood, matching Julian’s signature scent. Exhausted and still raw from crying, I was ready to drift off against the headrest when I heard this normally composed man lose his cool.
His knuckles whitened around the steering wheel as he spoke with unmistakable possessiveness: “Camden, has anyone ever taught you not to discuss ex in front of your fiancé?”
The air in the car seemed to freeze.
My oversized t–shirt slipped off one shoulder, exposing pale skin, which made Julian’s Adam’s apple bobbed visibly.
He hit the brakes as we stopped at a red light. During those 78 seconds of stillness, he sighed softly, unbuckled his seatbelt, and pulled me onto his lap. He removed my rain–soaked canvas shoes before carefully adjusting my slipped clothing.
When he returned me to the passenger seat, he simply stated: “Those ten years, he didn’t take proper care of you.”
It wasn’t a question but a declaration.
I wanted to argue, to defend Rhys, but my throat tightened traitorously. The warmth of the plush socks Julian had slipped onto my feet felt like an addiction I couldn’t shake.
I wanted nothing more than to curl into Julian’s arms and cry until I had nothing left.
As the car cut through the downpour, Julian glanced at my reddened eyes and softly suggested: “Camden, the best way to forget the past is to begin something new.”
With him, I’d always been impulsive, acting on my every whim.
The moment he finished speaking, I commanded: “Find somewhere to park.”
His hand hesitated on the wheel, but he complied without question.`
The instant he pulled the handbrake, I climbed over the center console and straddled his thighs.
Julian tensed beneath me, trying to lean back against his seat. The extra inches of space only fueled the darker part of me that craved to possess him.
With tear–stained eyes, I grabbed his tie, issuing a command that was both arrogant and uncertain: “Julian, kiss me.”
14:45
