Chapter 2 No Longer Playing Along
1554 Words
May watched her, puzzled.
Over the years, Julia had bent over backward to whip up mouth-watering dishes for Evan, catering to his picky palate. He couldn't stomach anyone else's cooking. Even when she was under the weather, she'd force herself into the kitchen, terrified he'd go hungry.
Yet today, she seemed like a completely different person.
An hour later, Evan burst in, his voice booming, "Julia, what on earth are you up to?"
His gaze immediately fell on her head.
He paused, surprised, "What happened to your head?"
"Uh-huh."
Julia looked at Evan, her eyes calm and indifferent, "I got rear-ended in a car accident yesterday and took a trip to the hospital."
A flicker of guilt flashed in Evan's eyes as he hurriedly sat beside her, "How bad is it? Is this what you wanted to tell me yesterday?"
"Just a minor injury."
Julia edged away, her voice deliberate, "I'm serious about breaking off the engagement; and I want back the company shares that rightfully belong to me..."
Outsiders might not know, but Evan was well aware.
The Pierce family never really accepted him as an illegitimate child. His success in starting a business was entirely due to Julia's initial funding and support.
Julia had kept her assistance a secret to help him build a good image.
Now, as he was vying for the position of the Pierce family heir, he couldn't afford any slip-ups with the company.
Thinking of this, Evan frowned, "Julia, don't joke about this."
"Say it again." Julia stared into Evan's eyes, repeating firmly, "I'm serious."
Evan always thought he knew Julia inside out, but at this moment, he couldn't read her eyes at all.
"Julia, are you mad because I didn't spend time with you yesterday? I'll stay home with you today..."
"Were you really at the company yesterday?" Julia cut him off, "I called Leo, and he said you weren't there in the afternoon."
Evan's heart sank, instinctively protested, "I was out on an inspection. Leo must have forgotten."
"Is that so?" Julia said casually, "I never asked Leo."
Evan shot to his feet. "Are you messing with me?"
"If you have nothing to hide, how could I mess with you?" Julia shot back.
"You..."
Evan wasn't foolish; he suspected Julia might have discovered something.
"What did I do wrong? Just tell me, don't beat around the bush."
Evan looked troubled, rubbing his temples, "Julia, we're supposed to spend our lives together. You can't keep being so willful. This will only tire us both out."
Julia remained silent, simply watching Evan calmly.
Once, this man had held her in his arms, laughing and telling her to be herself, saying that's what made her lovable.
Turns out a man's patience has its limits; if not with her, then with someone else.
Under her gaze, Evan grew increasingly uneasy, pondering over his options, finally deciding to lower his stance.
He pleaded softly, "Julia, please stop this. What do you want? I'll give you anything."
"Do you like Luna?"
The sudden question caught Evan off guard.
He quickly denied it. "What nonsense are you talking about? Luna is your sister; how could I possibly like her?"
"Then why are you with her?"
Julia clenched her hands tightly, the throbbing in her head a constant reminder to keep her cool.
But inside, it felt like her heart was being sliced by a knife, her whole body trembling.
She fixed her gaze on Evan, stubborn and unyielding. "Why'd you lie to me? Why is it always Luna?"
Evan frowned, trying to explain. "Luna was just looking out for you, didn't want you to overthink things, so she asked me to keep it from you. I even told her you were cool-headed and wouldn't get jealous over nothing, but it seems her worries weren't unfounded. Julia, you need to know your limits. Luna is your sister, after all. What do you gain from constantly being at odds with her?"
Evan's voice rose, sharp with frustration. "And now you're suspecting us? Don't blow this out of proportion. Yesterday, Luna and I just happened to meet at an event. There was a mishap on stage, and I took her to the hospital. It's as simple as that. Believe it or not."
"You should calm down first," he said, striding away, leaving behind only a parting shot, "I'll pretend I didn't hear anything about breaking off the engagement."
As Evan walked away without a backward glance, Julia's head pounded, leaving her too exhausted to even call after him.
'Damn! This disease is a real nightmare!'
Not only Evan, but everyone who heard the news thought Julia was losing her mind.
For the rest of the day, Julia's phone rang incessantly until the battery died, and she didn't answer a single call.
She busied herself packing her bags, planning to move out of the villa.
*****
Across town, Evan walked into the hospital room, and Julia's parents immediately approached him.
"Evan, what does Julia's message mean? What is going on between you two?" Ruth Blair asked anxiously. "The engagement is next week. If something goes wrong, it would be such a scandal!"
"Now you're worried about scandal? It's your daughter causing all this trouble!" Chandler Blair shouted.
"Is it my fault? Growing up in that kind of family, what else could she become?" Ruth muttered under her breath.
Evan spoke up, glancing helplessly at Luna on the hospital bed, "I should have explained to her sooner. She saw me bringing Luna to the hospital yesterday."
"Ridiculous!" Ruth was furious. "Luna got hurt, and it was only right for you to bring her here. Not caring about her sister is one thing, but to..."
Halfway through her sentence, Ruth felt the sting of shame at having such a jealous daughter.
"Mom, don't blame Julia. This is my fault..." Luna murmured, her lips pursed. "I shouldn't have let Evan take me. There were so many staff members on site."
As she spoke, Luna looked at Evan, "Evan, this has caused Julia to want to break off the engagement. What should we do?"
"Our engagement won't be canceled," Evan said, his eyes darkening.
"The engagement party will go on as planned. Julia isn't someone who doesn't understand reason. She'll come around."
Hearing this, Julia's parents both breathed a sigh of relief.
Julia and Evan had been together for so long. If they broke up now, how could they face anyone in the future?
Moreover, with Evan likely to inherit the Pierce family, they couldn't afford to lose such a valuable son-in-law!
At that moment, everyone present had their own thoughts, and no one noticed the flash of resentment and anger in Luna's eyes.
*****
Three days later, Julia discovered, much to her dismay, that the engagement party was still on.
By then, she had already moved out of the villa and into an apartment in the city center, lounging on the sofa and playing with her phone.
Just as she began to unwind, her phone buzzed with a flurry of messages.
Chandler: Julia, family honor is above all. If you bring shame to our entire family, you don't deserve to be my daughter!
Ruth: Julia, the engagement day is almost here. You can't be willful now; you must attend.
Evan: Julia, stop this. The engagement news is already out. If you back out now, how will we all deal with it?
Julia clenched her phone, her knuckles whitening from the pressure.
After what felt like an eternity, Julia finally set her phone aside and massaged her aching temples.
Everyone around her seemed oblivious to her feelings, using every trick in the book to guilt-trip her into submission. They only cared about what they could gain from her or how to maximize their own benefits.
Evan hadn’t changed a bit, always expecting her to come crawling back, waving the white flag whenever there was a disagreement, as if it were her duty.
Though she had always complied, deep down, she was worn out to the bone, even starting to question herself... In Evan's eyes, just how spineless did he think she was?
This time, she was wide awake and determined to never let him walk all over her again!
Caught in the whirlwind of constant bickering and neglect, Julia had come to a stark realization that no matter how much she argued her case, no one would listen to her words.
Since that was the case, she knew actions would speak louder than words.
She was painfully aware that her decision might wound some innocent bystanders, especially Arthur Pierce, who had always treated her with kindness and care.
But at this critical moment, Julia had no other choice; she had to fight for the respect and freedom she deserved.
The day of the engagement party, she snuck up on her like a thief in the night.
Because Arthur held Julia in high regard, the engagement party was lavishly arranged, with many prominent figures in attendance.
The banquet hall was a kaleidoscope of glitz and glamour, bustling with lively chatter and excitement.
Evan stood at the entrance, greeting guests with a smile, but inside, he was a tangled mess of anxiety.
As the clock ticked closer to the appointed time, he couldn't shake the gnawing question: where in the world was Julia?
- Writer
