Chapter 2

Bianca had firmly refused to bear a child for Nathan. As punishment, her father, Douglas Prescott, made her kneel overnight in the Prescotts' memorial hall. She was not allowed to get up until she came to her senses. Julian had assumed she was still kneeling there, but when he had gone to check, the hall was empty. Staring at the scene before him now, he laughed bitterly. … The bed upstairs creaked endlessly, all through the night. It only fell silent as dawn began to break. Julian could not sleep at all. He contacted his lawyer and drafted the divorce papers as soon as morning arrived. Betrayal. Lies. Everyone treated him like a fool, staging this entire act right in front of him. He had been wrong about everything. If this was what marriage was, then he wanted no part of it anymore. Julian walked into Bianca's study with the divorce papers in hand. Once inside, he flipped it to the last page before passing it to her. "Sign here." Bianca signed it without hesitation. "You didn't even look before signing it," Julian said flatly. "What if I was selling you off?" "I wouldn't mind," Bianca replied sweetly. "I will sign it as long as you ask me to. Even if you were selling me off, I would walk right into it willingly." Bianca always had a way with words. Before, Julian thought it was her way of expressing her love. Now, however, he realized it had only been a sweet lie. When night fell, Douglas coldly ordered Bianca back to the memorial hall to kneel in repentance again. "Forget it, Dad," she said with firm resolve. "Even if I die kneeling, I will never agree to bear Nathan's child." She sounded so noble, but Julian heard those stifled moans from upstairs that night once again. Eventually, Bianca could no longer hold it in and shrieked in pleasure. And so it went, night after night. Pregnancy was never that easy. They had to try again and again, just to make sure. Julian could no longer sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, the same thought would come to mind. Just a few feet away, the woman he loved most in the world was writhing and moaning passionately beneath another man. The insomnia hollowed him out. As a result, his face grew sickly pale. Meanwhile, Nathan looked healthier by the day, positively beaming with energy. Clearly, he was well taken care of. Everyone else in the house was in high spirits. No one seemed to pay any attention to the dark circles under Julian's eyes, the blankness in his face, or how thin he had become. It was like he had become invisible to all. Yet, back when Nathan had begun to waste away, the entire family panicked for him. Carol had cooked fancy meals just to coax him into taking another bite. Their own parents, Richard Whitmore and Bella Green, would stay by Nathan's side anxiously, terrified that he would break down. Even Bianca had gone out of her way to plan little surprises to lift his spirits. Now that it was Julian who began to waste away, all he received were reprimands. "Why are you walking around with that look on your face? Had Bethany not died to save Bianca's life, you'd be alone right now!" "You have zero empathy for others. You won't even help your own brother!" That was when it hit him. It was not that they did not notice his sufferings. They simply did not care. Julian said nothing more. He gathered the documents and submitted a request to be sent abroad for work—all without telling anyone. If no one in this house cared about him, then he no longer needed to be here either. Soon enough, with Nathan's relentless efforts, Bianca found herself pregnant. The entire family erupted in joy. They even set off fireworks in celebration. Julian sat silently at the breakfast table, eating his oats calmly. He looked up at Bianca and asked, "Is that child really mine?" She froze, then quickly grew indignant. "What kind of a question is that, darling? Are you seriously doubting me?" To throw Julian off, Bianca had made sure to sleep with him a few times over the past weeks. He had resisted, disgusted at the thought of touching her. But one night, he got intoxicated. Even drunk, he remembered clearly that he had not touched her at all. Yet the next morning, Bianca clung to Julian coyly, praising him for how intense he had been the night before. "Darling, I know I haven't spent enough time with you lately. But come on, you know where I've been every night! I wasn't sneaking off with some pretty boy. I was punished in the memorial hall for you!" Her voice quivered as she wrapped her arms around Julian. "I stood up to my parents for you, and now you're accusing me of such a thing. Anyone else can doubt me, but not you, darling. I love you, and only you." Julian remained unmoved, quietly eating his oats. Bianca sighed softly. "I wasn't supposed to tell you this, but you're doubtful of me. I'll be honest. Dad arranged someone new for Nathan. She's Bethany's best friend. They just want a child between them. Now that she's here, I'm off the hook. "Keep it between us, okay? Now that I'm pregnant, we just need to focus on our baby. Jules, promise me that you'll love this child with your whole heart and protect them with your life!"