With that, I hung up the phone.

I had once deluded myself into thinking that by leaving home and staying away from Julian, time might eventually wash away the love.

But I hadn't expected Julian to remain in my mind, lingering and refusing to fade.

Indeed, a decade of emotion isn't something that can be set down so easily.

While lost in thought, my phone rang. The name flashing on the screen was that very person.

My heart skipped a beat as I instinctively pressed answer.

Over the line, the man’s voice came through clearly: "Sienna, look down."

I followed his instructions without thinking.

Down on the asphalt road beneath the window, Julian stood there in a brown trench coat, looking up.

As our eyes met, I realized I had never known my heart could beat so fast.

I rushed downstairs as fast as I could.

Under the setting sun, Julian seemed to be surrounded by a faint glow, appearing incredibly radiant against the darkening sky.

In this moment, I didn't want to consider anything. I threw myself directly into his arms.

"Julian!"

Though we had been apart for less than half a month, I had missed him so, so much.

Julian caught me steadily. "Long time no see."

I looked up at him, and in that gaze, I could clearly see my own reflection in his eyes.

How I wished this moment could be frozen forever.

But very quickly, Julian released his embrace and stepped back, creating distance between us.

"You haven't had dinner yet, have you? What do you want to eat? It's on me."

As the warmth was pulled away, I instinctively reached out, wanting to hold on.

But in the end, I restrained myself, keeping my arms pressed tightly to my sides. "My treat. I just got my internship pay the day before yesterday."

Julian didn't refuse.

Afterward, we went to a restaurant near the university.

I watched the man across from me as he focused on his meal, my heart filled with joy but also confusion.

I didn't understand why Julian had come to see me.

Noticing my distraction, Julian put down his chopsticks and asked, "What’s wrong?"

"Why did you come to the city today? Was it..." To see me?

The second half of the sentence died in my throat before it could escape, silenced by Julian’s denial.

"Official business. I'm heading back tomorrow."

I choked up slightly. The delight that had surged from the moment I saw him slowly faded into a pale shadow.

It turned out I was just a "convenient" stop along the way of his business trip.

"I see..." I forced a smile, though my mouth tasted as bitter as gall. "By the way, lately I’ve been learning..."

I changed the subject, avoiding anything related to my feelings.

We chatted idly, just like a normal pair of university seniors and juniors.

After dinner, we walked along the street.

I watched our shadows stretch longer and longer under the streetlights and suddenly felt that being together or not didn't seem to matter as much.

If I could just keep walking with him like this, that would be enough.

That was my hope.

Just then, Julian suddenly stopped and looked at me. "By the way, there’s one more thing I came here for today."

I blinked. "What?"

Julian’s face was half-hidden in the shadows, making it hard to see clearly. "The blind date your mother arranged is also in the city. You must go meet him tomorrow."

Chapter 6

A wave of cold pierced through my heart. My hands turned icy, and my chest throbbed with pain.

What goes through your mind when the person you love most calmly pushes you toward someone else?

I didn't know about anyone else; I only had a sudden, desperate realization of the fact that Julian did not love me.

"So, the reason you came to see me today was to make sure I went on that blind date?" I asked, enduring the stabbing pain in my heart.

"Not entirely. You’ve been away from home for so long, and the family was worried. They asked me to check on you."

The family.

Listening to the reason he gave, the logic I used to play dumb completely shattered.

"I have a father, a mother, and even a brother. If they were worried, why didn't they come themselves? Why did they ask you?"

"Julian, by what right do you do this?"

Faced with my temper, Julian simply stood there, his eyes filled with the kind of tolerance one has for a child throwing a tantrum.

I hated that look. It felt as though, in his eyes, I would never grow up, and I would never be treated as an equal adult.

And consequently, that sincere piece of my heart was decisively categorized by Julian as a mistake.

My hands clenched at my sides as I announced my decision in a low voice: "I won't go."

With that, I turned to leave.

Julian reached out and grabbed me, his expression cold. "Sienna, don't be willful."

I shook his hand off. "I don't need you to care."

Julian’s usually calm face darkened. "If I don't care, who will? I’m your brother."

"We aren't blood-related!" I shouted hoarsely, staring into his eyes. I asked him word by word, "How can you still stand in the position of a brother and lecture me after I’ve kissed you?"

Julian frowned, clearly displeased.

But I didn't want to care anymore. I simply turned and walked away.

Julian didn't chase after me. He just stood there, watching as my figure disappeared into the night.

The next day, I obediently went to the blind date after all.

I wasn't a child anymore; I knew that some meetings were unavoidable.

I just hadn't expected to see Foster there.

I looked at the familiar man across from me in surprise. "Foster? What are you doing here?!"

Foster smiled. "It seems you didn't look at the files prepared beforehand. Let me re-introduce myself."

"Foster, senior lawyer at Nova Law Firm, annual salary around three million..."

He detailed his situation, finally adding a sentence: "The reason I agreed to this blind date is because... I like you."

I had never imagined that Foster could like me. I immediately felt restless and uneasy.

Seeing this, Foster comforted me, "Don't be nervous. I don't have any ulterior motives."

"I can tell that you probably already have someone you like. I just hope that if there's a chance, you might consider me."

Hearing this, I fell silent.

I also had someone I liked, and I used to think exactly like Foster.

But now, hadn't I also become greedy and dissatisfied?

"I’m sorry, Foster. I’m not considering those things at the moment."

Faced with my blunt rejection, Foster didn't say much. Seeing that I was in a bad mood, he gentlemanly offered to take me back.

But I refused him again.

I sat in the car alone on the way home.

I leaned my head against the window, staring blankly at the receding scenery.

Suddenly, the phone rang. It was my brother, Jude.

"Sienna, how have you been in the city lately? Julian mentioned you went to the blind date he arranged?"

The string of questions made my head buzz.

My throat was dry. "What did you just say... who arranged the date?"

"Julian did. Why, what’s wrong?"

I lost my voice instantly. So it was Julian. It was his decision, cruelly pushing me toward another man.

Bitterness rushed to my nose. I gripped the phone tightly, suppressing a sob. "It's nothing. I'm tired. Let’s talk later."

The moment I hung up, hot tears slid down my cheeks.

My chest felt so tight I could barely breathe. I bit down hard on my knuckles, not wanting to let myself cry out loud.

Yet my hand uncontrollably dialed Julian’s number.

The mechanical ringing tone stretched the waiting time into infinity.

It lasted so long I thought it would disconnect automatically before the call was finally picked up.

Immediately, a woman’s voice sounded from the other end: "Is this Sienna? Julian is in the shower. Is there something you need?"

The words were like a bucket of cold water poured over my head.

I hung up the phone in a panicked, disheveled mess, unable to regain my senses for a long time.

I knew who that voice belonged to—it was Yara.

Chapter 7

Julian and Yara were together.

This realization was like a sharp knife, brutally piercing through my heart.

I curled up on the floor, the coldness of the tiles seeping through my clothes and into my flesh.

I was completely oblivious to it, only bowing my head to drink alcohol, sip after sip.

The strong liquor burned as it went down my throat.

I sat there drinking, thinking of Julian.

The bottles slowly emptied, and I gradually lost consciousness...

When I woke up again, my body felt incredibly heavy, and there was a dull, stabbing pain in my stomach.