I came to my senses and took Julian’s hand, preparing to enter the house. But just before pushing open the gate, I paused.
“It has nothing to do with anything else.”
“Dominic, I simply don’t love you anymore.”
Once inside the courtyard, Julian’s expression remained troubled. I reached out to smooth his furrowed brow.
“He’s no one important. Don’t be upset.”
“Your secrets–I won’t ask about them now. You can tell me when you’re ready, okay?”
Hearing my words, Julian’s tense shoulders suddenly relaxed. He pulled me into his arms and held me tightly, saying nothing for a long time.
For reasons unknown, I didn’t see Dominic again until the wedding day.
The wedding proceeded exactly as Julian and I had planned–a dreamlike scene filled with flowers.
We walked step by step toward the priest at the altar, surrounded by the blessings of all our guests.
After exchanging rings, the priest looked at us kindly.
“Do you promise to stay with each other for life?”
But before we could answer, commotion outside caught everyone’s attention.
“Murder! Murder!”
“Help! Is anyone there?!”
Hearing these cries, everyone stood up to look outside.
Julian and I exchanged glances and quickly made our way to the door.
Outside stood Vivian and Dominic, who had appeared from nowhere.
Dominic was gripping a dagger, stabbing Vivian repeatedly and violently, while Vivian had already collapsed in a pool of blood, her condition uncertain.
But Dominic, as if he’d lost his mind, continued mechanically repeating the stabbing motion, his eyes unfocused.
“You whore, I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you. It’s all your fault. If not for you, I wouldn’t have ended up like this. You bitch.”
“Die, just die. Once you’re dead, Aria won’t be angry with me anymore.”
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Dominic’s behavior was so manic, and with the dagger in his hand, no one dared approach to stop him.
After countless stabs, Dominic finally stopped. His eyes regained focus.
Clatter–he dropped the dagger and stood up, a strange smile spreading across his face as he approached me step by
step.
“Aria, that whore is dead now. Don’t be angry anymore. Didn’t we agree to be together forever? Didn’t you say you’d wait for me?”
“Come on, let’s go inside and get married. We’ll be together forever.”
His face was spattered with blood, his clothes dripping with it–a truly terrifying sight.
I was frightened by his appearance and unconsciously stepped back.
Seeing my reaction, Dominic’s smile vanished, replaced by a vicious glare.
“Aria, are you avoiding me? Are you afraid of me? How can you fear me? Didn’t you say you loved me?”
“It’s alright, Aria. I forgive you. Come, come to me.”
Seeing Dominic’s unstable state, Julian shielded me behind him and signaled to nearby security guards.
The guards rushed forward, pinning Dominic to the ground and restraining him firmly.
Dominic continued to struggle violently, shouting and roaring.
“Aria Bailey! How dare you abandon me like this? I could give you anything you wanted. How dare you betray me?!”
“And you, Julian Thornton! Weren’t you supposed to be idiot? You were faking it! Was this deliberate? You’ve been watching her, right? You’ve been planning to steal her from me, right?!”
“I’ll kill you! Julian Thornton, I’ll kill you!”
Julian signaled to the guards again, and they dragged Dominic away like garbage.
After everything was settled, Julian noticed I was still standing frozen. He carefully took my hand.
“Ignore him. He’s gone mad, talking nonsense. Though one thing he said was right.”
“I have been watching you for a long time.”
A week later, Dominic was in police custody awaiting sentencing for murder, while Julian and I boarded our honeymoon flight.
On the plane, I finally learned Julian’s story-
When Julian was eight, his parents died unexpectedly. The Thornton family’s power structure was complex and
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tangled.
To protect Julian’s safety, his grandfather announced that Julian had been traumatized by his parents‘ death and become an idiot, keeping him away from the center of the Thornton family’s power struggles.
Only when Julian developed the ability to manage the Thorntons and protect himself did they reveal the truth.
I listened quietly to Julian’s story, but before I could respond, Julian reached out his hand to me.
In his palm lay two M&M’s.
I looked up suddenly, staring at the man before me.
He smiled gently.
“When I was seven, I met a five–year–old little girl. I bribed her with two M&M’s to be my wife someday.”
“Aria, I love you–far deeper and longer than you can imagine.”
“Aria, thank you for finally returning to my side.”
I hugged Julian tightly, feeling an unprecedented sense of security.
It’s I who should thank you, Julian Thornton.
Chapter 1
