Chapter 6

The meal ended in an awkward haste. When it was time to leave, Catherine headed straight for the driver's seat. "Mr. Carson just had some drinks. He shouldn't be driving," she said, then glanced at Julia with a hint of something behind her words. "I'm familiar with his car. Let me drive this time." Keith didn't think anything of it and handed her the keys without hesitation. In the past, seeing him so at ease with someone else would have broken her heart. But now, Julia suddenly realized she felt nothing at all. Maybe she really had scraped Keith out of her heart, little by little. She got into the car without a word, listening as Catherine spoke and Keith responded to her every line. Ignoring the smug look in the rearview mirror, she closed her eyes to rest. Perhaps Catherine was too caught up in the conversation, but as the car passed through an intersection, she didn't even look at the traffic light and drove straight past it. At that moment, a large truck came barreling in from the side. The blaring horn and shrinking distance sent Catherine's mind into a blank panic. All she could do was scream. Just as the vehicles were about to collide, Keith lunged forward, grabbed the steering wheel, and swerved it hard—toward Julia's side. A loud bang echoed through the street. The violent jolt slammed Julia against the car door. Pain spread through her body in an instant. Right before she blacked out, she caught a blurry glimpse. Keith's first instinct was to shield Catherine in the driver's seat. … When Julia regained consciousness, the pain coursing through her body made her let out a muffled groan. Keith sat at her bedside, his face lighting up with overwhelming relief when he saw she was awake. The dark circles under his eyes hinted he hadn't slept all night. He immediately grabbed her hand, pressed it to his cheek, apologizing over and over. "Jules, I'm sorry. All I could think about was protecting Catherine, so I forgot about you. I'm just glad you're okay. If anything had happened to you, I'd never forgive myself." His rough stubble scratched her palm. She saw the guilt and exhaustion on his face, but she felt nothing. In fact, she almost wanted to laugh. It wasn't that he forgot. It was just that, in his heart, Catherine's safety mattered more than hers. It was true during the kidnapping, and it was true now. Her silence unsettled Keith. He quickly pulled a card from his pocket and said in a trembling voice, "Jules, I'm using one of my forgiveness cards. Please don't be upset, alright?" Julia looked at the card, then suddenly laughed. She replied softly, "Alright." Out of 100 forgiveness cards, Keith had already used 99. Now, there was only one left. … Julia spent several days recovering in the hospital, and Keith stayed by her side the entire time. But each time, he had barely sat down when a call would come through. Then, he'd glance at her with a guilty look and say, "Jules, something came up at the company. I have to go take care of it. Get some rest. I'll come back to see you tomorrow." He was lying. There was no company emergency. It was just an excuse to go be with Catherine. Every time he left, it wouldn't be long before Julia saw him appear on Catherine's social media account. Sometimes, it was at a fancy restaurant, where he smiled as he cut Catherine's steak for her. Other times, it was at a shopping mall, their arms full of luxury shopping bags as he followed behind her. Once, it was at an amusement park, where he sat with Catherine on the carousel. He smiled as he looked up at her, his eyes filled with tenderness. That was the look he had once reserved for Julia alone. Even though his lies were flimsy, Julia pretended not to notice. She never called him out. She turned off her phone and sat in silence, staring out the window. She had stopped feeling sad a long time ago.