Chapter 5

Julia lowered her gaze and lied to Dylan, "Tessa is here to visit me. I told her she could leave because I'm doing fine now." Tessa immediately played along and said a few words to Julia to fake concern. She excused herself soon after, leaving Dylan with Julia in the room. "About the accident…" Dylan began. He made his way to her bed and said stiffly, "I didn't have time to react because it all happened so fast." She grunted. "I know. It's fine." He looked surprised. "Aren't you angry?" "No." He searched her eyes for hints of grievance or anger, but they betrayed no emotions. Irritated, he reached out to touch her face. "Don't throw tantrums. I…" "I'm not." Julia moved away to shun his contact. Sounding soft yet determined, she insisted, "I'd like to rest. Ms. Lynch is hurt too. Why don't you spend time with her?" She closed her eyes and turned away from him in bed. She sensed him staring at her for a prolonged time. Finally, he left the room and closed the door. … Dylan visited Julia for the next few days. He'd work by her bed, occasionally checking if she was in pain, but she'd shake her head and deny it. Every time she woke up, Dylan was gone. She'd hear the nurses whisper amongst themselves. "How nice is the boyfriend of Ms. Lynch's boyfriend from the VIP room next door!" "I heard he's the heir of Schneider Group. He's hot and loyal." Julia closed her eyes, pretending that she didn't hear the gossip. … Dylan personally picked her up from the hospital on the day she was discharged. She limped to the car, still recovering from her ankle injury. However, she froze when she opened the car door. Kaitlyn beamed at her from the front passenger seat. "Ms. Thalman, do you mind if I hitch a ride back home? I have to take the front seat because I'm carsick." Dylan's brows furrowed. He wanted to explain the situation, but Julia replied, "It's fine." She calmly walked into the backseat and stared at the two of them from behind like she was an outsider. Dylan stole a glance at her through the rearview mirror, but he said nothing in the end. It wasn't until they pulled up before a luxury villa that Julia realized Dylan wasn't driving her home. Instead, he had brought her to attend a 50th wedding anniversary celebration of two respected figures in his social circle. "Isn't that Mr. Schneider? Why is he with two ladies?" "Is that woman in white Julia Thalman? I heard she grew up in the slums. Her family background is ordinary at best." "Ms. Lynch and Mr. Schneider are a match made in heaven." The guests gossiped without a care. Julia stood in a corner as though she hadn't heard them. Throughout the event, Dylan kept Kaitlyn company, holding her drink and putting a jacket over her shoulders. His eyes were filled with tenderness. "Ms. Lynch, I'll introduce you to a few friends." Kaitlyn approached Julia unprompted. She grabbed Julia's arm in a friendly manner, not giving Julia time to turn down. "This is Julia Thalman. She's Dylan's … girlfriend," Kaitlyn introduced Julia with a smile before switching to Gremanian and conversing fluently with the socialites. The socialites were stunned but soon switched to Gremanian. Laughter punctuated their conversation while Julia stood there like a fish out of water, shut out due to the language barrier. "Ms. Thalman, what do you think?" Suddenly, Kaitlyn asked Julia in Calonian. "What?" "Oh, I forgot you're not a Gremanian speaker." Seemingly apologetic, Kaitlyn turned to explain to the others, "Ms. Thalman has never learned a foreign language. Please be understanding." The chuckles around Julia made her uncomfortable. "It's okay. Take your time to learn it." Kaitlyn patted the back of Julia's hand, sounding condescending like she was addressing a child with learning disabilities. Julia cast her eyes to the ground and dug her nails deep into her palm. She felt like she was being stripped naked in public, and every breath she took hurt.