Chapter 24

Four words, spoken with absolute finality, leaving no room for doubt or compromise. The car fell into silence again, leaving only the low hum of the engine. Julian's cheek muscles twitched ever so slightly, and the last flicker of light in his eyes was snuffed out, leaving only a fathomless darkness. When they returned to that familiar townhouse, nothing seemed to have changed. The furniture she once liked, the items she had used, even the few potted plants she had cared for, had all been carefully maintained. Yet everything felt different—it was more luxurious, more refined than before, like a meticulously crafted gilded cage. Julian had indeed confined her. Under the guise of protection, he assigned someone to monitor her 24 hours a day, but in reality, she was under constant surveillance. She couldn't leave the house at will, and all her communication devices had been confiscated, cutting her off entirely from the outside world. Trina didn't cry, throw herself into hysteri