Her dark thoughts remained hidden behind a carefully lowered gaze, unnoticed by Nick and Annie, both trapped in their own storms of realization.
Far away from them, Jules was living in a completely different apartnt, one that Lucas had quietly arranged for her.
Lucas had recently made a small profit through his company, and without hesitation, he rented a place for Jules.
It wasn’t her original ho, but it was close to Lucas’s own house, close enough that he could reach her at any mont.
When Jules tried to pay him back, Lucas had simply smiled and said, "You’re my fiancée now. The bills are my responsibility."
At first, she hadn’t understood why Lucas was so attentive. But after visiting his family a few tis, she slowly realized sothing.
Lucas’s family was... different.
Mary worked, even though her inco was far less than Adam’s, yet Adam never once asked her to quit.
He never forced her into household chores either. Everything was handled by hired help, not because Mary was incapable, but because Adam didn’t want his wife to suffer.
What touched Jules the most was the way Adam loved Mary, wholeheartedly, unwaveringly. As if there was no other woman in the world capable of catching his attention.
And Jules understood then.
That was the kind of love Lucas had grown up watching. The kind he wanted to replicate in his own life.
What ward her heart even more was Lucas’s quiet attentiveness.
He kept track of her cycle through an app, rembered her period dates, and always found excuses to feed her, slipping snacks into her hands, insisting she eat properly.
At first, she resisted. "There’s no need," she would say softly.
But over ti, she realized sothing important.
This was Lucas’s love language. He fed the people he loved. So she accepted it.
As a result, she had gained two pounds in a month. It wasn’t much compared to what the doctor wanted, but to Jules, it was a miracle.
Before this, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t even gain half a pound.
Now, she smiled every ti she stepped on the scale.
Feeling unusually at peace, Jules turned on her computer and began working.
Just as she imrsed herself in her docunts, an email notification popped up.
Her fingers froze above the keyboard.
The email address was one she hadn’t used in a long ti, one that Nick had contact with in the past. Apparently desperate, he had sent the sa template ssage across every possible channel: texts, calls, emails.
Jules stared at the screen, hesitation flickering across her face.
In the end, curiosity won.
It wasn’t that she wanted to hear Nick’s explanation. She simply wanted to know what kind of accusation or excuse, he would throw at her this ti.
She opened the email. Her expression stiffened. The ssage was filled with apologies.
He wrote about how sorry he was. How he wanted to make ands. There were things he needed to explain in person. He asked if she was free, if she would consider eting him just once.
At the end, he added:
Please contact if you see this. I really need to talk to you.
Jules stared at the ssage on the screen for a long ti, her gaze hollow and unfocused.
She didn’t move, didn’t blink, didn’t even breathe properly. It felt as if the words on the screen had reached out and pulled her soul away, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell.
Ti passed without her noticing.
It was only when footsteps entered the room that sothing shifted.
Lucas stopped short the mont he saw her expression. The room slled faintly of coffee and warm electronics, yet a cold tension hung in the air. Without hesitation, he crossed the distance between them and leaned closer.
"What happened?" he asked quietly. His fingers brushed against her hand.
That single touch grounded her.
Jules blinked as if waking from a daze, then shook her head slowly. "I... I was just lost for a mont."
Lucas didn’t look convinced. His eyes slid to the laptop screen, and the instant he read the ssage, his expression darkened visibly, the warmth in his gaze replaced by a sharp, protective chill.
Jules noticed it and looked up at him. "Why did he send this now?"
Lucas frowned, then slowly leaned forward so their eyes were level. His voice softened, but the question itself was heavy.
"Do you still have feelings for Nick?"
Jules stiffened, then imdiately shook her head, her voice firm. "No. He’s a monster. I would never love him."
She exhaled slowly, mories surfacing whether she wanted them to or not.
"Before I t you," she continued, "I honestly thought all n were the sa. They start off attentive, gentle... and then they lose interest, misunderstand everything, and turn cruel. Nick was just an extre version of that."
Her fingers curled unconsciously. "But after eting you, I realized sothing."
Lucas stayed silent, listening.
"If a man truly loves soone," Jules said softly, "he can’t stand seeing her suffer. Not even a little. If he caused that suffering, he apologizes and fixes it. If he didn’t cause it, he still apologizes and still fixes it. But he never just watches."
Her eyes lifted to et his. "And you taught sothing else too. A partner trusts the other partner."
A faint bitterness crept into her voice.
"That’s why it was so strange. Even after I kept telling Nick that I was innocent, he still chose to punish . He humiliated in front of others. And now... he’s apologizing."
She gave a small, humorless laugh. "It’s disgusting."
She closed the email without hesitation, then looked back at Lucas. He was watching her carefully, tension easing from his shoulders.
He smiled faintly.
"Good. I don’t like that kind of guy either. If you did, then I’d be seriously worried about your taste."
Lucas let out a quiet sigh of relief and reached for her hand.
"I’m glad you’re not going back to that abusive bastard."
Then his brows knitted slightly. "So... who exactly is this snake?"
Jules didn’t hesitate this ti. She told him everything, about the marriage, the accusations, the punishnt, the isolation. She didn’t hide the ugly parts.
Before she had briefed him about her situation, but it was never this detailed. This ti, she laid her heart bare for Lucas to see.
By the ti she finished, Lucas’s lips curled into a cold sneer.
"One day," he said calmly, "when my company completely takes off, I’ll teach that snake a lesson he won’t forget."
Jules chuckled softly and shook her head.
"You don’t need to take him seriously. He’s just a past Chapter. I won’t go back to him. Ever."
With that, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Lucas.
Lucas froze for a fraction of a second, then smiled and hugged her back, his hand resting gently on her back.
"What’s wrong?" he murmured.
Jules hesitated, then nodded against his chest. "I was just thinking... I’m really grateful."
Lucas raised an eyebrow but didn’t interrupt.
"Grateful to fate," she continued quietly, "for giving soone broken like a second chance. A chance to stand up again, even though I didn’t think I deserved it."
She pulled back slightly, her eyes sincere.
"If I had received this email a few months ago, when I was at my lowest, I might’ve run back to Nick. I might’ve endured everything all over again."
Her voice steadied. "But because of you, I healed. And now... I don’t care about him at all."
A faint, dangerous glint passed through her eyes. "I even thought about revenge once."
She laughed at herself. "All of that was possible because you were by my side."
Then she added playfully,
"If this were so drama, you’d be the male lead, and Nick would be the villain I never want in my life again."
She hugged Lucas again, smiling softly. "One day, I’ll repay you."
Lucas rolled his eyes dramatically. "Oh, you definitely can now. You’re just the one who keeps delaying."
Jules’s face instantly flushed red. She pulled away and slapped his arm lightly. "You’re shaless."
Lucas only smiled wider. "You look beautiful when you’re angry."
She rolled her eyes. "You really know how to tease."
.........................................
Far away from them, Aurora frowned in her sleep, her head resting on her desk. In her dream, scenes flickered rapidly: Jules’s life, her pain, her struggles, and the path she had walked.
When the dream reached its end, Aurora froze.
She suddenly sat upright.
The abrupt movent jolted her awake. She blinked in confusion, her heart pounding as fragnts of the dream faded.
Before she could process anything, a hand clasped hers tightly.
Mia, who had been sitting beside her, leaned closer, worry written all over her face.
"Aurora, what happened?" she asked anxiously. "Why did you suddenly stand up? Did you have a nightmare or sothing?"
"Nightmare? No! It was hell!" Aurora muttered, holding her forehead.
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