07
Hillary felt a churning in her stomach, a wave of nausea rising within her. The sound of movement made the two of them look over. Willow, her face flushed with embarrassment, quickly stepped down from the table. “Hillary, don’t misunderstand! We didn’t do anything.”
Julian grimaced as he looked at the cut on her face. “What happened to your cheek?”
Looking at him, Hillary felt nothing but disgust. The scene from earlier replayed in her mind, making her stomach churn even more. Her voice was ice–cold. “None of your business.”
Julian’s expression darkened instantly. He let out a cold snort and sized her up. “Hillary, where have you been these past few days? Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were out fooling around. Don’t forget, you are still my wife!”
Willow’s expression stiffened at his words, but she forced a smile “Hillary, were you out having fun with Charles?
He’s quite handsome, but he does have a penchant for rough stuff. Could that wound on your face be from him getting a little too excited in bed?”
When those words left her mouth, Hillary could no longer hold back. She stepped forward and slapped Willow hard across the face. She stared at Willow’s shocked expression, her body trembling with suppressed fury. “Willow, do you enjoy pretending like this?”
Willow was stunned. She had never expected Hillary to slap her. Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over instantly as she turned to Julian, her face full of grievance. “Julian, I don’t understand what Hillary is saying. Aml scratched? My face hurts so much.”
Julian cradled her face in his hands, gently blowing on it. “You’re not scratched. Willow, you’re still just as beautiful.”
Then, his expression turned as dark as a storm cloud. His sharp gaze locked onto Hillary as he grabbed her wrist. “Hillary, apologize to Willow. Or else “His voice trailed off, cut short by the sight of Hillary crying
Hillary’s eyes were red–rimmed and she couldn’t hold back her tears. She tightened her fists in rage and scowled at Willow. “Julian, you don’t know how vicious she is.)
It was the first time Julian had seen her cry, the scalding tears falling onto the back of his hand. He recoiled as if burned, instantly releasing her. His heart softened for a moment, but Hillary’s following words hardened his resolve. “Hillary, can’t you be reasonable?”
Willow’s eyes flashed a malicious glimmer as she saw this. This bitch, why won’t she just die already? But seeing Hillary’s agitated state, she couldn’t help but wonder if someone had defiled her
Hillary stared directly at Willow, her voice trembling as she spoke to Julian. “I will never apologize. She doesn’t deserve it. Do you know she tried to have me killed?”
Julian’s eyes turned completely cold. “What nonsense are you spouting? It’s bad enough you were fooling around outside, but now you’re making up wild accusations. Have you lost your mind?”
Willow wiped her tears and looked heartbroken. “I’ve been home with Julian these past few days. How could I have tried to kill you? It’s you who’s been staying out all night and now you’re making such absurd accusations. If you don’t want me here, I’ll leave.”
Hillary stared at her coldly, each word cutting like a knife. “Yes, you couldn’t have come to kill me yourself, but you could have found someone else to do it.”
Even now, she couldn’t understand how Willow could be so cruel. Not only did she want to kill her, but she also wanted to destroy her reputation and dignity before she died. Hillary’s voice was chilling. “I’ll find the evidence, Willow. I won’t let you off easy.”
1:37 PM
He Large Your Substitute Love, My Ex maland
A flicker of panic crossed Willow’s eyes, but Julian seemed to have reached his limit. He glared at Hillary, his. voice filled with rage. “Apologize to Willow!”
Seeing his fury, Hillary felt as if a knife was twisting in her heart. The pain was suffocating. She composed. herself, raising a hand to wipe away the tears on her face. Her voice was stern as she spoke. “I won’t apologize. You have to believe me. She’s not the person you think she is.”
Julian’s eyes burned with rage as he finally lost control and struck her hard across the face. Hillary’s already weakened body crashed to the ground. Her pupils trembled and her face contorted in pain, but she ignored it. She slowly raised her eyes to look at him, only to see Julian standing protectively in front of Willow.
His gaze was icy as he looked down at her. “Whether there’s evidence or not, the Willow I know isn’t capable of such things. Hillary, you’ve disappointed me too much. This slap is for Willow”
After that, Julian turned and left with Willow. Hillary stared at the empty house, a bitter smile twisting her lips.
She should have known from the moment she was framed that Julian would always believe Willow without question.
Yet she had foolishly clung to the hope that he might take her side.
In the days that followed, Julian took Willow out for a vacation and every day, Hillary would learn of their
whereabouts because Julian kept posting updates on social media. They went to a haunted house, where Willow cried in fear and Julian held her close to comfort her. In another post, Julian was wearing a silly frog costume, making her laugh
Hillary stared at the photos in silence. Julian had never treated her this way. She suddenly thought back to their school days. She had once watched him play basketball, his youthful spirit shining brightly. Back then, he had accidentally hit the ball toward her and had run over to apologize with a warm smile. “Sorry! Did it hit you?”
Hillary shook her head and that day, Julian bought her a cup of milk tea. The milk tea was warm and at that time, she had already liked him for a long time. Holding the warm cup of milk tea in her hands, she watched him play basketball on the snowy winter day. The sight of him sweating on the court had made her wonder how a person could change so quickly
Hillary’s heart ached with a dull pain. She took a deep breath, telling herself it didn’t matter. She would soon be leaving this place. Seven days In seven days, they would never see each other again.
