Chapter 4

Juliet was surprised to see Damien suddenly appear at the door. "It's nothing." She tried to brush it off, but he could tell something was off and locked his eyes on her. "Since when did you learn to lie? Where are you going with that plane ticket?" Faced with his questions, Juliet was briefly silent before answering in a hoarse voice, "You're about to get married, so where I go has nothing to do with you, does it?" Damien had been skeptical, and hearing that made him certain that she was up to something. His expression resumed its usual coolness as he replied, "You're right. It has nothing to do with me, but Callie was worried and sent me here to check on you." "I'm fine, Damien. Just leave." Her unusually distant tone caught him off guard. Just as he was about to speak, a nurse knocked and stepped in to say it was time for a check-up. With her leg injured, Juliet struggled to get down from the bed and almost tripped over. After Damien swiftly reached out to steady her, she murmured a soft "thank you" before trying to wheel herself away. Seeing her so bruised and unsteady, he couldn't help but step forward to push her wheelchair. "Where's the examination room? Let me take you there." "It's fine. I can manage." She rejected the help, but Damien insisted and wheeled her out anyway. Halfway down the hallway, they ran into Callie. When Damien saw her, he immediately let go of the wheelchair and rushed to her side. But the hallway was sloped slightly downward, and without any brakes to hold back, the wheelchair started speeding down the slope. Right before the wheelchair crashed into a flowerbed, Juliet threw herself off as her heart pounded fearfully at the narrow encounter. She hit the ground hard and ended up having her palms and knees scraped and seeping with blood. Groaning in pain, she clutched her torn wounds. Beads of cold sweat even dripped from her forehead. Meanwhile, the wheelchair lay nearby, broken into pieces. Even Callie looked startled. She quickly stepped forward to check on Juliet and tugged urgently at Damien's sleeves. "Julie's hurt, Damien. The wheelchair is ruined too. You should carry her inside and get her wounds treated." Damien's eyes flickered and landed on Juliet shuddering in pain on the ground. Then, he looked at Callie and slowly shook his head. "No. I'm about to get married. I should stay away from other women." Every word hit Juliet like a blade as she dug her nails into her palms until blood welled up between her fingers. Seeing that he wouldn't budge, Callie had him fetch another wheelchair instead. This time, he agreed and turned away. Once his figure disappeared around the corner, Callie held out a napkin and said, "That's how Damien's always been. He only listens to me, so don't mind him. What happened at the hotel and your injuries were partly my fault, but the baby's been sick, so I couldn't visit you myself. That's why I sent him to check on you. "Though we didn't mean for it to happen, it's still our fault, and I'm really sorry about that." Juliet wasn't sure what Callie was up to and forced herself to her feet as she endured the pain. "Like I said, I don't love Damien anymore, Callie. It doesn't matter to me whether you're getting married or just putting on a show." With that, she turned to limp away with unsteady steps, but Callie relentlessly followed. "So, you know that it's all an act—" Her voice was suddenly cut off with a sudden splash, making Juliet spin around, only to see that Callie had accidentally slipped into the pond. She was flailing and desperately crying out for help. Juliet hesitated briefly before stepping forward to reach out a helping hand. That was when Damien came running back. Seeing Callie gasping in the water, he dove in and pulled her out. As Callie coughed weakly against his chest, he turned to Juliet with cold, angry eyes. "I was gone for just two minutes, and you pushed her in?" Juliet had never expected him to push all the blame on her. Seeing how furious he was, she was about to explain, but he didn't give her the chance. Holding Callie, he got up and shoved Juliet into the water. "I tolerate everything you do, but Callie is where I draw the line. If you ever hurt her again, don't blame me for not showing mercy." His sharp and cold voice rang in her ears as the freezing water closed over her head. Before long, her blood mixed with the pond water, spreading into a faint red swirl. Since she couldn't swim, she flailed and gasped for air with all her might but failed terribly at getting anywhere near the edge. With her lungs running out of oxygen, her face started turning purple, and her pulse slowed. Waves of dizziness crashed over her, dragging her consciousness into complete darkness.