Chapter 2
“I can’t believe you’re still using the phone I bought you.”
Celeste connected her phone to the computer, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on her lips.
“Of course,” Julian said, wrapping his arms around Celeste from behind, resting his chin on her neck as he watched her work.
“It was the first gift you ever gave me. Not long after that, you… how could I ever bring myself to replace it?”
No wonder Julian refused to get a new phone.
I curved my lips into a self-deprecating smile, but tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.
That old phone often acted up, dying suddenly.
Once, Julian was on a FaceTime call with me while driving, and it abruptly cut out. When I tried to call back, his phone was off.
Julian never let his phone run out of battery. I immediately thought he’d been in an accident.
My world crumbled. I trembled as I drove to his usual route to find him.
In my panic, I rear-ended another car. My leg was broken, but I didn’t even care. I cried, crawling out of the car, desperate to find Julian. It was only when his assistant called to tell me he’d safely arrived at work that I finally calmed down.
When he heard I’d been in an accident trying to find him, he didn’t even come to see me. He just said, “You’re overreacting.”
That old phone had caused so many problems, yet Julian never once thought about replacing it.
I thought it was because he’d gotten into the habit of being frugal over the years. I never imagined that the phone held such significant meaning for him.
After all, his tolerance for that phone far exceeded his tolerance for me.
Halfway through the data transfer, Celeste mumbled, “You still need to replace it. The memory is full. Transfer failed.”
“How can that be?” Julian frowned. After a quick check, he simply deleted all his chat records with me. “There. Plenty of space now.”
Celeste’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Is that okay? Aren’t you afraid your wife will be mad?”
Julian shrugged indifferently. “They’re just unimportant messages anyway. Doesn’t matter.”
Though it was only for a moment, I saw that Julian had set my messages to ‘Do Not Disturb.’
Unimportant messages, indeed.
After all, the entire chat thread was just me harassing Julian with one-sided messages. He had never replied once.
I used to think he just didn’t reply. Now I realized he hadn’t even looked.
The message count on the right side of the chat box was a red half-ellipsis, indicating countless unread messages.
The pain in my heart was no less agonizing than the fatal blow to my head.
I crouched down, burying my head between my knees, unwilling to watch their intimacy any longer.
Once the data transfer was complete, Julian carefully put away his phone, then spoke with a serious tone:
“What exactly happened that year? Your brother told me you had a sudden heart attack.
By the time I rushed back to your apartment, all your personal belongings had been taken by your family.
They didn’t even let me attend your funeral, and I didn’t know where your hometown was…”
Recalling the past, Julian shuddered, the memory still haunting him. He pulled Celeste into another tight embrace.
“All these years, I’ve blamed myself for not becoming successful sooner, for letting you suffer so much, which led to you overworking and having a heart attack. Your family wouldn’t even let me see you one last time.”
Celeste’s gaze darted away, and she lowered her head.
“It doesn’t matter anymore, Julian. Since you’re already married to Ms. Vera, and your career is back on track with her help, you should focus on your life with her.
Pretend you never saw me today. I won’t interfere with your life.”
They were perfectly normal words, yet Julian’s face instantly darkened.
“Vera threatened you, forced you to fake your death, didn’t she? She’d always wanted to be with me. I never imagined she’d resort to such despicable tactics to get me!
My company’s bankruptcy back then was orchestrated by someone. I’ve been investigating who leaked the project’s confidential data, but I never once suspected her!”
Celeste was stunned. I was stunned too.
But she didn’t say a word in rebuttal, and I couldn’t say a word in rebuttal.
Julian’s large hand gently caressed the back of Celeste’s head.
“Celeste, it must have been so hard for you all these years. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Vera pays double for all the suffering you’ve endured!”
I touched the back of my own head, thinking, You’ve already made her pay. Celeste’s faked death has nothing to do with me, but I truly died because of her.