Lydia threw herself into Eddie’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
When he saw the red slap marks on her face, Eddie turned to me without a second thought—and shoved me to the ground.
“Juliana, how could you be so heartless? She’s sick and you still hit her?”
The sharp ringing in my ears mixed with the pain shooting through my body.
And just like that, I was dragged back to that nightmare of a week.
On foreign streets, surrounded by gunfire.
I had wandered like a rootless water lily, teetering between life and death.
Back then, it was this very man, Eddie, who had pulled me from the flames and promised to love me forever.
Yet now, for Lydia’s sake, he used that same hand to push me into a bottomless abyss.
The pain of the past collided violently with the present and my whole body began to tremble.
Tears streamed uncontrollably down my cheeks.
Eddie, suddenly realizing what he had done, looked shaken. He rushed toward me.
“Juliana, don’t cry, I didn’t mean it. I just acted on impulse... I wasn’t thinking…”
Lydia stood quietly beside him, eyes shimmering with tears.
“This is all my fault,” she whispered. “I shouldn’t have come here and caused more trouble.”
“Juliana, I’m already married. I know I did terrible things to you before, but now I just want to live a quiet, happy life with my husband.”
“If you really hate me that much… then I’ll disappear from your life forever!”
With that, she bolted into the street, straight into traffic.
Eddie looked at me, conflicted.
He hesitated for just a second—then ran after her.
I swallowed the bitter lump in my throat and wiped away my tears.
Under the curious, judging eyes of passersby, I slowly picked myself up and left.
On my way home, a message from Eddie lit up my phone.
[Juliana, don’t be angry. Lydia is an important client of our company. I only gave her the medical plant for the sake of business cooperation.]
[I didn’t mean to hurt you—I mistook her for someone else. She’s not well, so please be understanding. Don’t hold a grudge against a sick person. I’ll make it up to you when I get home.]
A weak excuse. A half-hearted explanation.
He truly didn’t care about the damage he’d done.
He believed I loved him so deeply that I’d keep forgiving him, over and over again.
But how could a woman whose heart has long turned cold still believe in love?
Brice’s betrayal had already left my body and mind shattered.
And Eddie’s lies… had finally broken me.
I didn’t even have the strength to cry anymore.
I turned to the passing scenery outside the car window and let out a silent sigh.
Eddie, when you see my “body” tomorrow,
I hope you’ll be just as indifferent as you are now.
When I got home, I began sorting through all the gifts Eddie had given me over the years.
Gifts that had once moved me to tears.
But now, with clear eyes, I saw them for what they were—tokens meant to earn points in Lydia’s game of affection.
Then there were the photos.
Eddie held my hand, smiled at the camera…
But his eyes had never really looked at me.
It was as if he were gazing through the lens at someone else—someone he was still dreaming about.
Biting down the pain, I gathered everything and threw it all into the trash.
Along with Eddie’s “love,” I deleted him from my world.
By the time I finished, the sun had already risen.
Eddie still hadn’t come home.
Instead, he sent his assistant, who arrived with armfuls of expensive gifts.
The assistant gave me an awkward smile. “Mr. Trulock really does love you, Madam. He’s just so busy with work right now… but even so, he made sure to send you these gifts.”
I didn’t respond.
After he left, I opened the string of messages Lydia had sent me.
There was a video of Eddie carrying her into the hospital.
Photos of him kneeling to massage her feet.
