Love’s Cunning Ruse

Christmas, your birthday Yes, I remember it was me who initiated it. I brought it upon myself. Are you

satisfied now? I, Julie, can’t let go. I have a good memory, so I remember these special dates and

places. I also remember what October 8th is, a date I will never forget in my life!!”

“You should remember, Kieran replied, looking at the emotional Julie. His emotions were stable, as

always.

Julie figured there were two reasons why a person could be so calm about this. Either he had

extraordinary emotional intelligence, able to control his emotions flawlessly, or… he simply didn’t care.

Because he didn’t care, he could stay so calm.

And Julie was inclined to believe the latter. She looked at Kieran and took a deep breath. She finally

managed to control her emotions and asked Kieran, “Bertha, did she really commit suicide?”

Kieran didn’t answer her, but he let go of her and sat down on the sofa. This time, Julie bravely

approached him and stood by his side. “1 asked Dylan this question, but he didn’t give me a direct

answer. Although the official statement is that she committed suicide, I don’t believe it. Kieran, she died

in front of me. Before she died, I saw fear in her eyes, deep fear. Why would a person who is

committing suicide have such a fearful expression?”

“Why are you bringing this up now?” Kieran suddenly looked up at Julie, “Why didn’t you mention it

when Bertha just died? If you didn’t say it then, why do you bring it up now?”

“I didn’t say it then because I knew you knew the truth. I want to tell you now because I want to know

the truth,” Julie took a deep breath, finally gathering the courage. Although her eyes were slightly red,

her gaze was unwavering, “I want to know, when you said you never slept with Bertha, was that true? I

want to know, when you said you didn’t love Bertha, was that true?

1 want to know, if you never had a relationship with her, why did you claim the child in her belly as

yours?

I want to know, when you said you didn’t love her, why did you say… to save her child… outside the

delivery room…

I want to know…” Her eyes were red, and before she could finish her sentence, she was pulled into a

strong, warm chest and her lips were covered in a deep, long kiss.

The kiss lasted for over ten minutes, from initial lip contact to intimate caress. He seemed to want to

make up for the lost five years

with this kiss.

He poured so much passion into the kiss that Julie was almost out of breath when he finally pulled

away a bit. Julie’s breath hitched, her cheeks flushed like a ripe fruit from lack of oxygen. Squinting her

beautiful eyes, she finally looked up at the handsome face so close to hers, her voice hoarse but

resolute, she asked him, “Why?”

The room was dead silent, so much so that all they could hear was each other’s close-up breathing,

even their irregular heartbeats. Unfortunately, Julie’s persistence didn’t get her an answer in the end.

What she got was his affectionate and tender tone, he said, “Babe, not all questions in this world have

answers,”

There was a pause before Julie lowered her gaze to look at Kieran, “So… there were really secrets

back then, right?”

“When you ask me this question, how do you want me to answer it? If I tell you there were no secrets,

that my initial choice back then was to save Bertha’s child, how are you planning to be react? Run

away again and lick your wounds in hiding?” Kieran squinted his eyes slowly, his affectionate face

looking deeply at Julie.

Kieran was right. When she plucked up the courage to ask this question, she really hadn’t prepared for

the worst-case scenario. She didn’t even know how she would handle her feelings when Kieran told her

that his first choice was always Bertha’s baby.

She thought she had mustered up the courage to ask this question after preparing for many years, but

it turned out that she hadn’t even figured out how to face it after all these years.

So Daphne was right, she did nothing but running away. Divorce was just a fancy excuse. What she

really couldn’t accept was not just the painful fact of losing a child, but also the truth that Kieran had

betrayed her

Many times, Julie felt that her affection for Kieran was pathetic. She often made the wrong choices, just

like back then, she had an one night stand and somehow ended up getting married? Married to a man

she loved, who didn’t love her back.

Marriage was her choice, divorce was also her choice. And like now, this messy entanglement was still

her choice.

In the past, it was her unrequited love that forcefully tred her and Kieran together. Later, it was because

of the child in her belly that they went through that marriage. Now, it was because of a contract, a debt,

a legal constraint, that she had to be entangled with Kieran.

She might have never really thought about what she wanted. She seemed indifferent about everything

else, but when it came Kieran, she became a confused sage. Many times, she couldn’t even make the

right decisions.

Julie stayed silent for a long time, then reached out and gently pushed the man’s shoulder, asking,

“Can you get off me now? I’m done asking questions.”

The man lying on her looked down at her quietly. “Aren’t you still waiting for your answer?”

“What answer I want, I don’t even know myself. Didn’t you say that not all questions in this world have

answers? Why am I still obsessing over this?”

“Is that really what you’re thinking?”

“No,” Julie looked straight into Kieran’s eyes, “I’m thinking, forcing someone who hates you to stay, how

is that any different from a tyrant? Or do you just like being mistreated, and you feel uncomfortable if no

one hates you? I believe Nexus’s appeal has something to do with you. I just don’t understand why you

brought our relationship to this stage with a contract, what’s the point of keeping me by your side?

We’ve been fine for the past five years, why show up in each other’s lives to bring each other pain

again?”

“Keep you by my side?” Kieran’s fingers gently touched her chin, his tone filled with nobility

He said, “Julie, remember, if one day you really decide to leave, I will not stop you. Now you should ask

yourself, are you really determined to leave?”

Julie’s gaze became lost in an instant Just then, her stomach made a noise.

Finally, Kieran let go of her, sat up, and then turned to walk towards the kitchen in the suite.