Chapter 6

Aria's POV

The snow was still falling heavily. Standing on the freezing stone floor in nothing but my thin indoor clothes, the cold bit into my bones, and my knees began to ache with a blinding, white-hot agony.

When we were kids at the orphanage, Seven had fallen through thin ice into a freezing pond. I had jumped in without a second thought, dragging him out with all my might.

Since then, I had suffered from chronic joint pain.

Seven knew how much I feared the cold. Back then, he would wrap his oversized coat around me.

"Candy, as long as I'm here, I'll never let you freeze."

I also remembered Julian holding me on winter nights, whispering, "My sweet girl is so sensitive to the cold. I'll never let you freeze."

Yet now, they had pushed me into the freezing winter night themselves.

While they sat inside the warm, heated living room, whispering comforting words to Chloe.

My heart died completely. The last spark of warmth in my soul was extinguished.

I don't know how long I stood there before my legs finally gave out, and I collapsed into the snow.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a hospital bed.

The doctor looked at me with deep sympathy. "The chronic damage in your knees is severe. If you don't take care of them, you might lose the ability to walk properly."

I nodded silently.

The door opened, and Julian walked in, his face filled with worry and regret.

Seeing him, the doctor scolded, "Are you her husband? How could you let her get this cold? Her joints cannot take this kind of trauma!"

Julian looked incredibly guilty. He sat on the edge of the bed, pulling me into his arms and kissing my lips softly.

"I'm so sorry, Aria. I didn't mean to leave you out there for so long. It's just... Chloe was in so much pain, and we had to rush her to the ER, so I..."

I closed my eyes, refusing to look at him.

So he simply forgot about me.

Julian squeezed my hand. "You guys were classmates. Let bygones be bygones. You're my wife now. You need to be magnanimous and kind, not petty and resentful."

My eyes remained dead and hollow.

On the day I was discharged, Julian drove me home, only for us to find Chloe already settled in our villa. She was wearing my silk pajamas and my slippers, lounging on our sofa like she owned the place.

I froze at the entrance.

How could he? How dared he let Chloe move into our home?

But Julian acted as if it were completely normal. "Aria, the Albright family has gone bankrupt, and Chloe has nowhere to go. Staying at a hotel is so lonely, so I invited them to stay with us for a while."

Hunter walked down the stairs, casting a cold, indifferent glance at me. "Is Julian's wife really that fragile? A little cold and she ends up in the hospital?"

Julian explained, "Aria has a chronic knee injury from childhood. She fell into freezing water and is extremely sensitive to the cold."

Hunter's eyes flickered. He seemed about to ask something.

But Chloe quickly interrupted, "I'm tired, Hunter. Let's go rest."

Hunter's expression softened. "Go on up, Chloe."

They walked up the stairs together, hand in hand.

I watched them disappear around the corner of the hallway, listening to their bedroom door click shut. Forcing down the agony in my chest, I walked silently back to my own room.

Julian saw the way I looked at Hunter. His face darkened, and he followed me into the bedroom, locking the door.

He crawled onto the bed, pinning me down and biting my earlobe with a possessive grip. "Aria, your man is right here. Stop staring at another man's fiancé, understand?"

Anger flared in my chest. I wanted to scream the truth in his face, to tear off his mask of lies.

But I forced myself to hold back.

I had more important things to do.

"I understand," I whispered.

Seeing my obedience, Julian's mood seemed to improve. He stroked my hair.

"We are married now, Aria. You need to drop your bad habits. Just be a good, obedient girl, okay?"

I lowered my eyes, hiding the utter disgust in them.

His hands began to slide under my clothes. "Aria..."

My body went stiff as a board, a wave of nausea washing over me. "I'm on my period. It's not convenient."

Julian frowned slightly, but eventually let go of me. "Fine. Just let me hold you."

Before long, the sound of his steady, heavy breathing filled the room.

I opened my eyes, waiting until I was absolutely sure he was asleep before gently slipping his phone from the nightstand.

I had never looked at his phone before, and I didn't know his passcode.

I tried my birthday. Error.

I tried his birthday. Error.

Finally, I typed in Chloe's birthday.

The screen unlocked.