After I Died, He Married My Photo

Chapter 4

Julienne turned her head in utter disbelief, only to see Renald taking the letter they'd written seven years ago from the employee's hands.

And then, right in front of her, he ripped it in half.

In that exact moment, Julienne felt like her own heart was being torn apart.

Her lips parted slightly, but she could only stand there and watch as Renald turned on his heel and walked away.

Like a shadow, she followed him out. She watched him walk into a handmade jewelry shop, and then saw him holding Victoria's hand, sliding a ring onto her finger.

Julienne felt completely dazed. Years ago, when she and Renald had come to West Street to write their letters, they had talked about this exact shop.

The cheapest piece in there started at six figures. Back then, Renald had told her, "Just wait for me a little longer. I'm going to buy the best ring in here to be your wedding ring."

With a sharp jingle of the shop's door chime, before Julienne could even react, Renald pushed the door open and stepped right out.

Their eyes locked, and Renald's face instantly clouded over. "Julienne, what are you doing here?"

Julienne felt like the air had been completely knocked out of her lungs.

This time, there was no screen between them. He was standing right there in the flesh, so close she could have touched him if she just reached out.

Julienne dug her fingernails hard into her palms, forcing herself to keep it together.

Renald, though, looked her up and down with a mocking sneer. "Looks like you haven't been living the high life after running off with the cash."

Julienne's heart dropped. Without the video beauty filters to back her up, she really couldn't fake a healthy look.

She pulled her lips into a casual smile and tossed back, "The young guy I'm keeping didn't really know when to stop yesterday, so he kept me up all night."

Just then, Victoria walked out of the shop too. She froze for a second when she saw Julienne, but quickly looped her arm through Renald's.

"Julienne, what a coincidence. But Renald and I are catching a play in a bit, so we can't really stay and chat."

Julienne smiled and nodded. "Please, go ahead."

Watching the two of them walk away hand in hand, she felt a sudden, metallic taste rush up her throat, and she doubled over, coughing violently.

As a trace of blood wiped onto her hand, Carmen came rushing over.

Seeing Julienne like this, Carmen instantly burst into tears. "Julienne, let's just go to Stellar Biotech, okay?

"I'll sign up using my name so Renald never finds out! I'm begging you!"

Her tears splashed onto the back of Julienne's hand, making her shiver slightly from the heat of them.

After a long silence, she finally gave a slow nod. "Alright."

Just as they were turning to leave, Julienne suddenly asked, "Carmen, where's that play showing today?"

"I heard Renald say he was going, and I want to watch it too."

Carmen squeezed her hand, trying to tease her to lighten the mood. "Julienne, do you actually want to watch the play, or do you just want an excuse to look at him?"

Julienne smiled softly. "Both."

The two of them quickly grabbed tickets and headed into the theater.

Under the dim house lights, Julienne scanned the crowd and easily spotted Renald sitting right in the front row.

He was leaning over, talking to Victoria with a completely doting look on his face.

The play started soon after. It was The Lady of the Camellias, the tragic story of Marguerite and Armand.

By the time the curtains fell, the audience was totally wrecked by the heartbreaking ending, leaving the entire theater in dead silence.

Just as everyone started gathering their things to leave, the main lights failed to turn back on. Instead, the host's voice boomed over the speakers.

"We have a special surprise tonight! We're going to randomly pick two audience members to come up on stage and perform a scene!"

With a sudden burst of upbeat music, a spotlight landed squarely on Julienne.

At the exact same time, another beam of light cut through the dark, hitting Renald's seat.

Julienne gave a bitter smile, thinking there was no way in hell Renald would ever agree to go up there with her. But a second later, she watched the man stand up and walk straight toward the stage.

Left with no choice, Julienne could only head up too. But the moment the host handed her the script, she completely froze.

The scene they'd been given just happened to be the one where the female lead dies of illness, leaving the male lead completely broken.

Since it was an impromptu thing, the script was short, and they finished reading through it quickly.

Julienne put down the pages. When she looked up and saw the intense grief and love swirling in Renald's eyes across from her, her heart skipped a beat.

She whispered, "Renald, your acting is pretty realistic."

Renald sneered, "If Victoria hadn't wanted to watch this, do you think I would've even stepped foot on this stage?"

Soon, the two of them started delivering their lines.

Renald spoke, his voice completely devoid of any real emotion, "Why didn't you tell me you were sick?"

A sudden wave of sadness hit Julienne, making her nose sting. "I didn't want you to suffer with me. I wanted to stay the heartless woman who abandoned you in your memory, rather than the pathetic wretch I am now."

Renald took a step forward. "I can face it with you. Even if it's just for a single day, it'll mean forever to us."

Hearing those words, Julienne didn't dare look up at all, terrified of revealing her bloodshot eyes.

Forcing back her sobs, she choked out the final line, "Maybe it's better to just live on in your heart. In your heart, the world won't be able to see me anymore."

As the music swelled, thunderous applause erupted from the audience, and Julienne let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Without a single hint of lingering attachment, Renald turned on his heel and walked away.

Julienne subconsciously followed him. But as she was heading down the steps, a sudden, blinding pain pierced her brain, making her stumble and lose her footing completely.

In the next instant, a powerful hand gripped her arm firmly.

Renald frowned. "What do you think you're...?"

Before he could even finish his sentence, he watched as Julienne coughed up a mouthful of blood, splattering like dark flowers across his white suit jacket.