Chapter 4 The Cruelest Betrayal
688 Words
Evelyn stepped in carrying a thermal container. When she saw Serena, she paused.
"Julian, a guest?"
Julian's expression changed instantly. He rushed to Evelyn, took the container from her hands, and spoke softly.
"What are you doing here? Didn't we agree I'd pick you up after work?"
"I missed you." Evelyn smiled sweetly, but her eyes flicked to Serena. "And this is…?"
Julian hesitated, pressed his lips together.
Serena's heart tightened. She was waiting for him to introduce her, even as just a friend. But what he said instead froze her in place.
"I don't know her. Probably some salesperson who wandered in." He pressed the intercom. "Security, come upstairs. Someone is causing trouble in the Executive Office."
Serena stood frozen. Her blood seemed to drain, leaving her limbs ice-cold.
Evelyn made an "oh" sound, glancing at Serena again. Then she paused, as if recognizing something. "Wait… I think I've seen you somewhere… Aren't you the one from that online video…"
The implication was clear.
Serena clenched her fists until her nails dug into her palms. She stared at Julian.
"Julian, will you at least tell her who I am?"
Julian's eyes darkened. He stepped close, lowering his voice so only she could hear. "Serena, don't push me."
"Push you?" Serena laughed bitterly, tears welling in her eyes.
"How dare I push the great Mr. Shaw? I just want to know where I stand in your heart."
She turned to Evelyn and drew a deep breath. "Miss Sutton, Julian and I…"
"Serena!" Julian's sharp voice cut her off. His gaze burned with a coldness and fury she had never seen. "Do you really need me to spell it out? Fine. Then listen carefully. You, Serena, are nothing to me but a call-anytime s*x worker. I give the money, you provide the service. That's it. Now leave."
Serena felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She staggered back, staring at him in disbelief.
's*x worker. A straightforward transaction. Ten years, three thousand six hundred fifty days, reduced to brutal words.'
Evelyn looked startled. "Julian, don't be so harsh. She looks… pitiful."
"Pitiful?" Julian sneered. "Evelyn, you're too naive. Women like her do anything for money. You know what? She was r***d at eighteen. She's not pure anymore…"
"Julian!" Serena screamed, cutting him off. Tears poured down, her body trembling violently, yet she bit her lips to stop herself from sobbing out loud.
That past was her deepest wound. At eighteen, she had been attacked on her way home from work. Julian happened to pass by and saved her.
She had believed it was fate's compensation. When he asked her out, she agreed without hesitation.
Even after discovering his controlling tendencies, even after the injuries he inflicted, even after he never made their relationship public, she endured it all.
Because she thought he was her savior, the only light in her dark life.
But now, it was all a lie. She was completely, utterly wrong.
"Julian, how could you humiliate me with this?" Her voice trembled, barely recognizable.
She had never imagined that the trust she gave, revealing her past and her vulnerabilities to the one she loved, would be used as a weapon against her.
Julian froze, as if suddenly realizing the words he had spoken.
His face paled. He opened his mouth to explain, but under Evelyn's gaze, he turned away, refusing to meet Serena's eyes.
The security guards arrived, one on each side, grabbing her arms.
"Julian." Serena looked at him one last time, her eyes hollow and empty like still water. "You'll regret this."
Julian's back was to her. His voice was ice-cold.
"The thing I regret most in my life… is that I interfered back then and saved you."
Serena laughed. Her tears streamed freely.
The guards dragged her out onto the busy street. Her knees and elbows were scraped, burning with pain, yet it was nothing compared to the ache in her heart.
Julian's words cut deeper than any wound, twisting and turning the knife:
"The thing I regret most in my life… is that I interfered back then and saved you."
- Writer
