Chapter 5

To make up for what had happened, Keith stayed by Julia's side every day while she was in the hospital, taking care of her with the utmost care. Moments of warmth returned between them, and sometimes she found herself dazed, almost believing they were back at the very beginning—back when Catherine wasn't in the picture and he still loved her. But the peace didn't last long. The hospital door suddenly swung open, and Catherine walked in with a bouquet of lilies, guilt written all over her face. "Julia, are you feeling any better? It's all my fault. If Mr. Carson hadn't chosen to save me first, you wouldn't have gotten hurt so badly. This is all on me." "Cate," Keith cut her off, his tone unusually stern. "This wasn't your fault. You don't need to apologize or feel guilty. You were dragged into this too. The kidnapper knew too much about our relationship. He was clearly after me." Julia's lips curled into a faint, sarcastic smile. He always had a way of letting Catherine off the hook. Catherine's eyes welled up with tears. "But—" "That's enough." Keith softened his voice. "You should go back first. Jules needs to rest." Once Catherine was gone, the room fell back into silence. Keith tried to hold Julia's hand, but she subtly drew it back. "Jules, the doctor said you can be discharged," he said with a forced smile. "I'll come pick you up tomorrow." … On the day Julia left the hospital, the sun was so bright it made her dizzy. As soon as she stepped outside, she saw Keith standing beside Catherine in front of the car. Catherine was holding onto his arm with obvious affection and only let go grudgingly when she saw Julia. She jogged over, putting on a show of enthusiasm. "Julia! If it weren't for you and Mr. Carson, I honestly wouldn't have known what to do. You even lost the baby because of it. I feel terrible, so I made a reservation at a restaurant. I hope that's okay with you." Her act was flawless. If Julia hadn't already known the truth, she might've believed Catherine was genuinely here to apologize. She let out a cold laugh. "No need." Keith stepped forward and lowered his voice. "Jules, Cate's just trying to be thoughtful. Don't make it awkward for her." There it was again. He always put Catherine's feelings above hers. In the end, Julia was dragged along to the restaurant. The restaurant had a refined interior, softly lit by warm yellow lights. Catherine sat beside Keith, flipping through the menu with a sweet menu. "Mr. Carson, I remember you love spicy food. This place is famous for its spicy barbecue ribs!" She enthusiastically ordered several signature spicy dishes, then turned to Julia with feigned concern. "Julia, would you like to try some too?" Julia said nothing. She silently stared at the table crowded with dishes drenched in red sauce. Her stomach had always been sensitive, and she couldn't handle spicy food. Once, a housekeeper had accidentally served a spicy dish. After a single bite, she was writhing in pain, drenched in cold sweat as she curled up on the bed. Back then, Keith was so worried his face went pale. He even called in their private doctor in the middle of the night. From that moment on, no spicy dishes ever appeared on the table whenever he was around. But now that Catherine liked spicy food, everything was different. Keith seemed to have forgotten all of it. He spent the entire meal tending to Catherine—serving her food, refilling her glass, and even gently wiping the grease from the corner of her mouth. It wasn't until they were nearly done eating that he noticed Julia had barely touched the food. He frowned, assuming she was still sulking. He placed a buffalo wing in her bowl. "Jules, try it. Cate spent a long time choosing this restaurant. The food is really good." Julia pushed the bowl aside, her tone eerily calm. "I'm not hungry."