Undeniably, Glades Horne, her soon-to-be brother-in-law, truly cared about her. She and her sister had grown up with the Horne brothers. Now, Glades Horne was in love with her sister, and they were even discussing marriage. Yet, Glades had always shown her an extra bit of care since childhood. He now had an even better reason: he was about to become her brother-in-law, and as he often said, a brother-in-law is like a father, so it was only right for him to care for her.
"I'm on…" Julia Bluen pulled over to the side of the road, looked around, and finally responded, "I'm heading home now."
When hurt, home is the best sanctuary.
"Then I'll wait for you at your house."
"Glades, there's no need. I'm fine. You forgot, I've always been a strong and independent woman of the new era," Julia Bluen said to Glades Horne on the other end of the phone, forcing a smile and trying to sound playful to avoid worrying him.
Although she was heartbroken and longed for someone to comfort her, she hadn't forgotten Glades Horne's identity: her future brother-in-law. Even if her sister said nothing about it, she didn't want to occupy Glades's time. Seeing her rush out in a panic early in the morning had already diverted some of his attention, which should have been for her sister. This made her feel slightly guilty.
Because every morning, her sister's first sight upon waking was Glades Horne.
"I'm driving, can't talk now." Julia Bluen didn't wait for Glades to speak again and decisively ended the call.
On the other end, when Glades Horne heard the BEEP BEEP of the disconnected call, a faintly indulgent smile appeared on his handsome face. Looking at the phone, he murmured softly, "This girl, trying to trick me at a time like this."
After putting away his phone, Glades Horne swiftly turned the car around and headed in the direction of the Grand Court Gardens.
「The Bluen Family's villa.」
On the top floor of the Main House was an open-air swimming pool. It wasn't very big, but the water was crystal clear. Next to the pool were two loungers, and a white, jade-like stone table was placed between them.
Julia Bluen lay on one of the loungers, gazing quietly at the azure sky above. The sun's somewhat sharp rays fell on her, yet she didn't feel hot at all. The painful scene she witnessed kept echoing in her mind, and it seemed she could still hear Nicholas Coldwell's ruthless words ringing in her ears.
The same Nicholas Coldwell, who, after three years of romance and constant vows to love her for a lifetime, now claimed *she* was the one pestering him. In front of so many people, he had trampled on her dignity mercilessly.
She really should have slapped him hard at that moment!
The sky was bright with sunshine, and a cool breeze rustled by. It was a beautiful, crisp autumn day, yet Julia Bluen felt exceptionally cold.
Is true love really that hard to find? If she looked for a boyfriend as the second miss of the Bluen Family, others would surely covet the Bluen wealth, and their affection for her would be tainted. These sorts of scenarios were often depicted on television. But when she concealed her identity, people complained that she had no money, that she couldn't save them from working hard for many years.
Money is important, she knew, but can money devour true love? Isn't it said that true love is priceless?
"Do you want to cry?"
Suddenly, Glades Horne's deep voice came from behind her. A moment later, his tall figure sat across from her.
"Cry for what?" Julia Bluen didn't look at him, her eyes cast down as she hoarsely asked in return.
Cry? Will that make Nicholas Coldwell turn around?
She had already shed tears in the Church.
Even though her heart was in agony, pure agony, and she longed to cry her heart out, her somewhat stubborn nature wouldn't allow her to weep for that unfaithful man again.
"Don't all women want to cry when they're heartbroken?" Glades Horne asked intently, looking at her. Did she think he couldn't guess the reason, and even now she wanted to hide it from him?
Julia Bluen suddenly turned to look at him. Receiving his somewhat intense gaze, she averted her eyes and spoke softly, "Glades, you know already?" She could no longer suppress the pain in her heart, and her voice betrayed her sadness.
"Glades, I gave him my true heart, but... why, why would he... I don't even know when he started seeing Diana Powell." Since they worked together at Cosmos Group, she and Nicholas Coldwell saw each other every day and were often together. She really didn't know when he had started two-timing her, eventually abandoning her after their three-year relationship.
Did their three-year relationship hold no standing in his heart at all?
Glades Horne remained silent. He pulled out his phone, his slender fingers moving back and forth across the screen. Soon, a message was quietly sent.
Two minutes later, he received a reply.
After reading the message, he passed the phone to Julia Bluen, saying, "Julia, take a look. See when the man you truly loved betrayed you."
Julia Bluen's eyes swept over the screen. Her face turned instantly pale upon reading the reply. Her lips quivered, and tears welled in her eyes but stubbornly refused to fall. She bit her lower lip hard, determined not to make a sound.
Nicholas Coldwell had been two-timing from the very beginning. On one hand, he coveted Julia's beauty and openly dated her; on the other, he secretly pursued Diana Powell, carrying on a clandestine affair. They had even progressed to making secret plans together.
It brought to mind how Diana Powell would always be rude to her at the company, even humiliating her—she had treated her as a love rival all along.
While she believed Nicholas Coldwell sincerely loved her, he had already set a wedding date with Diana Powell. Yet, he still wanted to deceive Julia, perhaps even intending to keep her as his mistress.
How detestable!
How hateful!
Nicholas Coldwell, you are so heartless!
In this moment, Julia Bluen was utterly disillusioned with Nicholas Coldwell; the one thing she hated most was a man who cheated, juggling two women at once.
"If you want to cry, go ahead and cry. I'll lend you a shoulder to lean on," Glades Horne said as he stood up, walked over, and crouched down in front of her, offering his strong, broad shoulder. His deep, dark eyes locked onto her pale face as he spoke in a teasing tone.
"I'm sorry, Glades, I think I'd like to be alone for a while," Julia Bluen said, declining Glades Horne's shoulder. Instead, she tilted her face up towards the azure sky, sniffed hard, and swallowed her pain. She tried to convince herself not to be heartbroken over that unfaithful man anymore; he wasn't worth it.