"Julian." Her voice was low and heavy. "What do you think you're doing?"

Vivian realized she had overstepped. She quickly released his hand and took a step back.

"I’m sorry, I just..."

Before she could finish, Scarlett walked in, her face cold.

"He needs rest." Her voice was like ice, her gaze sweeping over Vivian. "Please leave."

Vivian opened her mouth to speak but ultimately left under Scarlett’s oppressive stare.

Once the hospital room door closed, Xavier gently took Scarlett’s hand and said softly, "Scarlett, Julian is still young. It's understandable for him to be confused for a moment... I’ve already forgiven him, so don't be angry anymore."

Only then did Scarlett’s tense expression soften slightly.

Watching her follow Xavier’s lead so obediently, Julian felt as if an invisible hand were squeezing his heart.

Xavier poured a bowl of fish soup from a thermos and handed it over. "Julian, I simmered this soup for a long time. Why don't you try some?"

Julian looked at the milky white fish soup, his fingertips trembling slightly.

He was allergic to fish. He had nearly died from it when he was a child.

"I..."

Just as he was about to refuse, Xavier spoke again.

"Are you... still hating me?" Xavier’s voice wavered, as if he were the one being deeply wronged.

Seeing this, Scarlett frowned. "Julian, Xavier is setting aside the past to care for you, and this is your attitude?"

Julian’s throat tightened.

Scarlett had always known he was allergic to fish; because of that, fish had not appeared in the house for over a decade.

And now, simply to avoid upsetting Xavier, she was disregarding his safety...

Fine. If this was what she wanted, he would give it to her.

He lowered his eyes, took the bowl, and drank the fish soup mouthful by mouthful.

The soup was fresh, yet it was so bitter it made his eyes burn.

Seeing him finish, Scarlett’s expression cleared a bit. She got up and went to the hallway to take a work call.

As soon as she left, the tenderness on Xavier’s face vanished instantly.

"Julian, why are you acting so pathetic?" He sneered. "Scarlett is only looking after you out of past sentiment. Don't be ungrateful."

Julian’s throat had already begun to itch. Fine red rashes were spreading across his skin, and his breathing was becoming difficult.

He tried to press the call button for a doctor, but Xavier grabbed his wrist.

"I suggest you get lost as soon as possible," Xavier whispered. "Don't interfere with our happiness."

Julian struggled to push him away, but the allergic reaction left him devoid of strength.

At that moment, Scarlett pushed the door open and happened to see him reaching out to push Xavier.

Xavier stumbled back.

"Julian!" Scarlett rushed forward to support Xavier, her eyes turning icy as she looked at him. "What are you trying to do the moment my back is turned?"

"No..." Julian gasped with difficulty. "It's the allergy... need a doctor... accidentally..."

Scarlett didn't believe him at all. "I see you're clearly doing this on purpose! Julian, you really are beyond saving!"

Julian tried to explain again, but his throat was so swollen he couldn't make a sound.

Seeing his painful state, Scarlett didn't call a doctor; instead, she gave a cold order: "Lock him in the cold storage to reflect. Don't let him out until he apologizes!"

Julian’s pupils shrank.

The cold storage...

He had been locked in a cold storage room when he was a child and had nearly frozen to death. Since then, he had been terrified of the cold.

But Scarlett gave him no chance to explain, calling the bodyguards to drag him out.

The temperature in the cold storage was bone-chilling.

Julian curled up in a corner, shivering violently.

The allergic rash had spread to his neck, and his throat was so swollen he could hardly breathe.

He clawed at his throat, trying to vomit the fish soup, but he could do nothing but dry heave.

So cold... so much pain...

In his fading consciousness, he seemed to return to his childhood.

That year he had a persistent high fever, Scarlett had stayed by his bedside all night without sleep, changing his cold towels over and over.

"Auntie Scar..." He had been delirious with fever, clutching her hand and refusing to let go. "Don't leave..."

She had coaxed him in a gentle low voice: "I won't leave. Just sleep."

Later, when he learned piano and his fingers blistered and bled, she had frowned, held his hand, and personally applied medicine.

"If you don't want to practice, then don't," she said.

But he shook his head. "I want to play for you."

She was silent for a moment, then gently rubbed his hair.

Later still, on his fifteenth birthday, she had rented out the entire amusement park for him to play. He laughed like a child, while she stood aside, her eyes filled with a complex emotion he couldn't understand.

"Auntie Scar!" He waved at her. "Come play too! The roller coaster is really fun!"

She shook her head, yet when he stepped off the coaster with weak legs, she caught him steadily.

"Be careful," she said softly.

Back then, her heart and eyes were full of him.

And now...

Julian curled into a ball in the cold storage, his tears freezing into ice.

He finally understood that all that tenderness was never love.

It was only responsibility.

Not knowing how much time had passed, a cold voice rang out from above.

"Do you realize your mistake yet?"

Julian struggled to open his eyes and saw Scarlett standing before him, looking down at him with cold detachment.

His body was frozen, his throat was swollen and painful, and even breathing had become a labor.

Yet, he only gave a slight nod. "...I realize it."

Scarlett’s brow furrowed slightly, seemingly surprised by his compliance.

She gave him an allergy pill, then bent down to support him as she led him out of the cold storage and back home.

Inside the villa, Xavier had already moved in.

Seeing them return, he quickly stepped forward and took Scarlett’s arm. "Scarlett, I really like Julian’s room. It has such great sunlight and a wonderful view. Could I stay there?"

Scarlett looked at Julian, remained silent for a few seconds, and then nodded. "Alright."

She expected him to make a scene, to question her with tear-filled eyes just as he had in the past.

But Julian simply turned away in silence and went to pack his things.

Xavier followed behind him, critically pointing at the curtains and carpets he had chosen. "All of these need to be replaced. They’re too childish; they don't fit the style Scarlett and I share."

Julian didn't say a word, letting him direct the servants to throw his belongings out one by one.

Scarlett stood at the doorway, watching his quiet demeanor with a slight frown. "You’ve certainly become more sensible."

Julian kept his head down, the corners of his mouth twitching into a faint shadow of a smile.

It wasn't that he had become sensible; it was that he had decided to leave.

This place would no longer be his home.

He watched in silence as his things were cleared out, as if the memories of all those years were being erased along with them.

Finally, he took out his phone and contacted a pet shop, intending to find a new home for the cat he had raised for years.

But before the call could connect, he heard Xavier’s shout from upstairs—

"Damn cat! You dare scratch me?!"

Julian’s heart jolted. When he rushed upstairs, he saw Xavier holding Snowy by the scruff, dangling the cat outside the balcony railing.

"Stop!" He lunged forward to grab the cat, but Xavier shoved him aside.

"It scratched my hand!" Xavier smirked. "Disobedient creatures like this might bite someone next time. Better not to keep it!"

With that, he let go—

"No—!"

Julian threw himself against the balcony edge, only to see Snowy hit the ground hard, blood staining the pavement.

He trembled violently as tears instantly flooded his eyes.

"...Snowy?! Snowy?"

When he was sixteen and suffered from insomnia, Scarlett had bought this Ragdoll cat overnight to give to him.

"Let it keep you company," she had said, placing the kitten in his arms.

The kitten had let out a soft, tiny meow and nuzzled his finger.

He thought it would stay with him for a long, long time, until the very end of its life.

But now, it lay cold in his arms, never to wake again.

Footsteps sounded behind him.

"It’s just an animal, is it really worth all this?" Xavier laughed from above. "Julian, you’re just as redundant as this cat. If you don’t get out soon, you’ll end up the same way."

Julian didn't understand why. Even if his previous confession to Scarlett was known by everyone, he had already stepped aside for her and Xavier. Why did Xavier keep targeting him again and again?