Chapter 2

Keith came back late in the evening. Julia was lying on the bed with her back to him, completely silent, as if she had already fallen asleep. But it was far earlier than her usual bedtime. He figured she was still sulking, so he climbed into bed and gently pulled her into his arms. "Come on. Didn't I already use a forgiveness card? I've sent the pendant to get repaired too. Can you stop being mad?" She didn't pull away, but she didn't respond either. Just as he was about to say more, his phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, he hesitated for a moment, then stepped away and answered the call. "What's wrong?" he asked. Catherine's tearful voice came through at once. "Mr. Carson, I'm all alone at the hospital. I'm really scared…" Keith instinctively glanced over at Julia. When he saw she hadn't moved at all, he lowered his voice, speaking with a mix of helplessness and affection. "Hang on. I'll be right there." He didn't hang up until Catherine's crying had eased. Then, he walked back over to the bedside. "Jules, something urgent came up at the company. I need to go take care of it. Just get some rest, alright?" Without waiting for her reply, Keith turned and hurried out of the room. Once the room fell silent again, Julia slowly opened her eyes. She looked toward the door and let out a wry smile. Even though he had gone out to the balcony to take the call, she had still heard every word loud and clear. She couldn't tell if she felt more sorrow or relief. All she could do was reassure herself that it was alright. There were only three chances left anyway. … The days crept by, and Keith started coming home later and later. One evening, shortly after 7:00 pm, Julia got a message from him. The contents were the same as every day before. "Jules, things are busy at work today. I won't be able to leave, so don't wait for me for dinner." She knew full well that the excuse about work was nothing but a lie. Not long after, her phone buzzed again. This time, it was a photo from Catherine. In the photo, Keith had his sleeves rolled up, and he wore an apron as he made some chicken soup. It had become a daily routine. Keith would say he was stuck at work, and soon after, Catherine would send her pictures and videos just to provoke her. There were videos of him feeding Catherine chicken soup by hand, watching fireworks with her, or sitting beside her at the movies. And every single time, Julia acted like she hadn't seen a thing. … One day, when her phone chimed again, Julia thought it was just another taunt from Catherine and was about to delete it. But the moment she opened the message and saw the brief line of text, surprise flickered across her face. "Ms. Nolan, your emerald pendant has been repaired and is ready for pickup." Without hesitation, she changed clothes and headed out, following the address to the largest mall in Jorvain. As she stepped out of the pendant repair shop, a familiar voice rang out from the side. She turned her head and saw Catherine, her arms full of shopping bags, pouting sweetly at Keith. "Mr. Carson, I just got a tiny injury. Do you really need to buy me so many gifts just to make me feel better?" Keith smiled. His gaze was gentle, and his tone was full of indulgence. "Do you think this is a lot? If you like it, I'd buy out this entire mall for you." Catherine squealed with delight at his words. Just then, Keith happened to look up, and his eyes met Julia's head-on. A flicker of panic rose in his chest. He instinctively put some space between himself and Catherine. "Jules, what are you doing here?" "The pendant's been fixed. I came to pick it up. Didn't you say you had work to do?" Her voice was so calm that it was as if she hadn't witnessed anything at all. But that very calmness made Keith uneasy. When he saw her gaze land on Catherine, he quickly began to explain. "There was work. I was supposed to bring Catherine with me to check on things. We happened to pass by the mall, so I thought I'd grab a few gifts for the Carson Group staff as rewards." It was a flimsy lie. Julia stared at him without saying a word. She didn't ask why a CEO had to buy the gifts himself. She didn't question why, if it was just about shopping, he had to be so close to Catherine. And she said nothing about the promise to buy the entire mall if that was what Catherine wanted. She opened her mouth to speak, but a sudden commotion broke out nearby. "Run! The psycho is attacking people!" Screams and shouts rang out one after another. People fled in all directions, turning the mall into instant chaos. The three of them turned instinctively toward the disturbance and saw a man in striped hospital clothes pull out a knife and lash out blindly.