Chapter 2

After a detailed prenatal scan confirmed I was having the daughter I’d always dreamed of, I excitedly went home with a huge haul of pink baby essentials, planning to surprise Julian.

It was indeed a grand "surprise."

A faint, almost ethereal perfume scent hung in the air, not overpowering, but undeniably suggestive. It meant another woman was here. My sense of smell had become incredibly sensitive since I got pregnant; I couldn't stand perfume.

I walked up the stairs, step by step, seeing clothes strewn along the way—men's ties and dress pants, women's lingerie and slip dresses. They lay tangled together, a suggestive trail leading right to the slightly ajar master bedroom door. The disgusting sounds coming from inside the room twisted a knife in my heart.

I took a deep breath, my nails digging into my palms. I looked down, realizing the shopping bags I’d just bought had slipped from my hands at some point, spilling their contents around my feet. They mixed with the discarded clothes on the floor, a heartbreaking mess.

The scene before me made me fully realize that I had been reborn.

In my previous life, I had impulsively pushed the door open, fought with those despicable people inside, and ultimately died with my child, consumed by hatred. This time, I simply walked back down the stairs, slowly, clinging to the wall, and quietly sat on the sofa to wait.

I don’t know how much time passed until Julian finally appeared, wrapped in a bathrobe, reeking of recent intimacy. It was sickening. He watched me dry-heaving, his face utterly blank.

"Do you have a guest over?" I wiped my mouth, my voice surprisingly calm, devoid of any emotion.

Julian nodded casually, walking towards me, unhurried, step by step. I stood up, holding my belly, and took a step back, asking again, "And this guest is currently in *our* bedroom?"

Julian paused, probably surprised that this time I hadn't completely broken down, despite catching them red-handed, unlike the countless times before. But he still nodded. Just as he was about to speak, a woman descended the stairs barefoot, elegantly, draped in my silk nightgown. I recognized her as Serena Hayes, the lead actress from the historical drama I’d been watching last night.

She linked her arm through Julian’s, her eyes fluttering. "Julian, darling, who is this...?" As she spoke, she deliberately flaunted the marks covering a large expanse of skin on her chest.

Julian wrapped an arm around Serena, provocatively squeezing that soft expanse. "Her? She's my wife... oh no, I mean, she's Mrs. Thorne of Thorne Enterprises."

Serena gasped, covering her mouth with her hand, her innocent-looking eyes widening dramatically, even her voice trembling with feigned shock. "Oh? You're so naughty, why didn't you tell me your wife would be back...?"

Julian pecked a kiss on her neck, his laugh dripping with lust. "What's there to be afraid of? Isn't this more exciting? Besides—" He looked at me with a sneer. "Mrs. Thorne, didn't we agree long ago that this marriage was purely transactional, and we wouldn't interfere with each other's lives?"

"These past six years, you haven't really lost out. The Thorne family has been more than generous to the Kings."

He wasn't wrong. Without the two hundred million dollars in betrothal gifts, the King family would have gone bankrupt long ago. How else could my parents and brother maintain their lavish lifestyle, relying on the Thorne family's influence and name?

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly nodded. "I understand. I'm sorry, I seem to have interrupted you."

I walked to the entrance, put on the shoes I'd just taken off, opened the door, and walked out, step by step. It was as if he sensed that I was now walking out of his life forever.

"Wait!" Julian called out, his voice shaking.

I didn't look back.

I didn't say goodbye.

Julian Thorne, I won't wait for you anymore.