Julian had barely left when the doorbell rang.
Phoenix opened it to find a woman holding an elegant pastry box.
“Hello, I’m Elise–the one who messaged you.” She smiled, both gracious and provocative. “Julian has been so attentive to me lately, so I made these pastries as thanks. You wouldn’t turn away a guest, right?”
Without waiting for an answer, Elise walked in and began touring the house.
Passing the garden, she paused. “These roses are my favorite variety. I’m surprised Julian still grows them.”
Phoenix’s fingers trembled. She remembered how Julian personally tended these flowers every morning, never delegating the task. She’d thought it his personal passion.
By the pond, several turtles lazily sunbathed.
“Ah, they’re still alive!” Elise exclaimed delightedly. “I raised these as a child. I abandoned them when I went abroad, thought they’d died long ago.”
Phoenix recalled Julian faithfully feeding these turtles daily, her chest tightening.
In the living room, Elise’s gaze swept over display–case figurines: “These are my favorite collectibles.”
She looked around: “Even the furniture follows my preferred Scandinavian minimalist style.”
Phoenix followed behind her, each step feeling like treading on knives.
This home where she’d lived for two years suddenly felt foreign.
In the bedroom, Elise stroked the suits and ties in the closet: “These are gifts I gave him. He’s kept them in such good condition.”
Phoenix remembered ironing these clothes daily, her throat constricting.
So when Julian never let her touch these items, it wasn’t his fastidiousness–it was preserving Elise’s presence.
Finally, Elise stopped before their wedding portrait.
“What a coincidence,” she tilted her head smiling. “Julian and I once discussed taking three themed shoots–desert, ocean, forest. How interesting you chose the same three.”
Phoenix’s face instantly paled. During their wedding photography, Julian had insisted on these three themes. She’d thought he
loved nature’s romance.
“What are you doing here?”
Julian’s voice suddenly came from the doorway as he strode in, looking displeased.
17:18
Track 1.
Chapter 3
Elise immediately switched to a sweet smile: “I brought pastries. Your lovely wife warmly invited me in, even offered dinner.”
Julian’s brow relaxed as he turned to Phoenix: “This is Elise, my childhood neighbor. We grew up like siblings. She’s been abroad until recently, which is why you haven’t met her.”
Phoenix stared at him silently.
Childhood neighbor? Siblings?
He’d hidden their relationship so masterfully.
Elise played along: “Yes, Julian’s always taken care of me. When I was a picky eater, he learned cooking specially for me. His sweet and sour ribs are my absolute favorite.”
Phoenix’s fingers dug into her palms. This was exactly the dish Julian most frequently cooked. She’d naively believed it was because she liked it.
Feigning illness, she excused herself upstairs.
Soon after, Elise knocked on her door with a bowl of medicine.
“Julian made this herbal tonic for your pregnancy. He asked me to bring it up.” She smiled innocently. “Drink while it’s hot.”
Phoenix accepted the bowl, the medicinal smell pungent.
“By the way…” Elise suddenly asked, “Your baby’s name wouldn’t happen to be River if it’s a boy and Lily if it’s a girl? Those were names Julian and I planned long ago.”
Phoenix’s hand shook, nearly spilling the medicine.
These were exactly the names Julian had chosen when she first became pregnant.
So even their child would be named in Elise’s memory?
Her heart suddenly contracted painfully-
“Oh no!”
Elise “accidentally” knocked over the bowl, spilling scalding liquid on Phoenix’s arm, immediately raising red blisters.
Phoenix gasped in pain, ignoring Elise’s apologies as she headed downstairs for ointment.
But as she passed the staircase, something forcefully pushed her from behind.
“Aah!”
Phoenix tumbled down the stairs, landing hard on the ground floor. Blood immediately spread beneath her, staining the beige
carpet.
Inexplicably, Elise also tumbled down after her.
From the kitchen, Julian heard the commotion and rushed out.
17:18
Chapter 3
Seeing the scene, his pupils contracted in shock.
“Elise!” He ran to catch the stumbling woman, anxiously checking her ankle. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” Elise replied weakly. “Check on Phoenix…”
Julian glanced at Phoenix lying in the pool of blood, but Elise suddenly “fainted” in his arms.
“Elise!”
His typically composed voice filled with urgency as he scooped her up and strode out, not even sparing Phoenix a second glance.
Phoenix watched their retreating figures, consciousness fading.
In her last moment before darkness claimed her, she glimpsed the refrigerator door slightly ajar, the box with her “gift” partially visible…
When Phoenix next awoke, harsh white light made her squint.
A doctor was examining her while Julian stood nearby, his expression grave.
“How’s the baby?” he asked the doctor.
The doctor looked up in surprise: “Baby? Didn’t Ms. Reed already terminate her pregnancy?”
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