Julian and I had been tearing each other apart for six years, a constant war fought both in the open and in the shadows.
His cruelty had driven my mother to fall, leaving her paralyzed. In return, I leaked confidential information that led to his bankruptcy.
Everyone expected us to be locked in this cycle of torment forever.
When we met again, he had already made a spectacular comeback, effortlessly fielding reporters’ questions.
“Back in college, we all joked about finding love at 18, getting married by 25, and having a kid before 28. Julian, how far along are you?”
“Almost engaged.”
“Wow, you’re definitely ahead of the game!”
I twirled the ring on my left hand. Funny, I’d already hit all three milestones myself.
1
The girl who walked in was Julian’s fiancée.
She was young, beautiful, and polite.
She gave a polite nod to everyone, including me, before settling beside Julian.
He didn’t look at her, though. His gaze was fixed solely on me.
I could feel the probing glances from everyone around us, sharp and curious.
In the past, Julian and I had created enough public drama to make our story a household name.
I picked up my bag and started to leave.
The two people next to me, however, clearly thought I was about to storm the stage and claw that girl’s face off.
They instinctively held me back.
I raised an eyebrow at them.
“Ah, haha, Ava, where are you going?”
“Restroom.”
“Oh, haha, alright.”
They chuckled nervously, settling back into their seats.
Before I left, I overheard their whispered comments.
“Two years, and Ava’s definitely reined in her temper.”
“Seriously, I almost died of fright. Given her old personality, she’d have been up there clawing Chloe’s face to ribbons, wouldn’t she?”
“Still can’t let him go after two years. She sees Chloe and immediately has to escape, can’t stand to be in the same room.”
“Since nothing’s happening, tell them to pull back security.”
Only when I stepped outside did I see the two rows of bodyguards standing by the door.
They looked a little tense when they saw me.
The one in charge tapped his earpiece, then motioned his team to stand down.
I sat on the outdoor lawn, calling my daughter.
She was telling me a new story she’d learned today.
Julian’s interview also moved outside.
We always found each other in a crowd.
“Mr. Julian, regarding your previous bankruptcy, do you have anything to say to the person responsible?”
He chuckled softly, looking at the camera.
“I saw her today. Her eyes are still as beautiful as ever. If I get the chance, I’ll personally gouge them out and make them into a necklace for my fiancée.”
Everyone present was stunned by his words.
It was just a cruel threat, nothing out of the ordinary after six years of us hating each other’s guts.
“So, did you take any revenge back then?”
“Does crippling her mother count?”
I casually swirled my drink, watching a children’s story on my phone, gently coaxing my daughter to sleep.
My utterly nonchalant attitude clearly infuriated Julian.
Or perhaps, between the two of us, no reason was needed to wish for the other’s agonizing demise.
Julian sat down beside me, one finger pressing against my phone.
He glanced at it, then let out a snicker.
“Still pushing that ‘zen’ act, huh? Maybe a mindfulness podcast would be more your speed.”
Julian gestured to the person behind him. “Chloe, this is Ava, our former class president from college.”
Chloe smiled sweetly, extending her hand towards me.
“Ava, it’s so lovely to meet you! I’m Chloe, Julian’s fiancée.”
While they were all anticipating me to completely lose my mind,
I simply offered a casual, “Hi there.”
2
Julian narrowed his eyes, as if he wanted to see right through me.
Then he scoffed, a sneer twisting his lips, clearly believing I was overdoing the act.
While Julian was being interviewed, Chloe pulled my hand.
“You’re so gorgeous! I heard Julian’s ex-girlfriend, the one he dated for six years, is also here today. Do you happen to know who that is?”
I couldn’t be bothered to decipher the sincerity behind her words.
I pulled my hand away, a touch of my usual germaphobia kicking in, and wiped it with a tissue from my bag.
Chloe looked down, her face flushing with embarrassment.
“Ava, what’s with the act? You’ve been a total mess since college. Two years gone, and you’re still as fake as ever.”
Leo slouched opposite me, radiating his usual arrogant idleness.
“Leo, don’t say that! Ava isn’t like that.”
“Chloe, you’ve only met her once, and she’s already got you fooled. I’ve known her for six years! If it weren’t for her, my brother wouldn’t have gone bankrupt!”
“What do you mean?”
“Chloe, still clueless? She’s my brother’s trashy ex-girlfriend.”
Leo, with a defiant smirk, spat his gum in my direction.
I used my bag to block it, then stood up and slammed the bag into Leo’s face.
“Ava! What the hell was that?! Do you think I’m some commoner like you? I’m Leo Sullivan, the second son of the Sullivan empire! Who do you think you are, touching me? My brother will have your fingers chopped off, I swear!”
“Your Sullivan family means nothing to me. If I could make him go bankrupt once, I can do it again.”
This sudden, ugly confrontation completely derailed their interview.
Julian rushed back.
I looked down at the candy stain on my white bag.
I had germaphobia.
I held up the bag, looking him dead in the eye. “Ten grand.”
“You seriously expect my brother to pay you ten grand for that? You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? Looks like you haven’t been doing so hot these past two years, but your talent for seducing men sure has improved.”
I raised the bag again, ready to strike, but Julian clamped down on my wrist.
“What was the last thing you said?”
“Ten grand.”
“The one before that.”
I thought for a moment.
Unsure if that was the line he wanted.
But if he wanted to hear it, then he would.
“If I could make you go bankrupt once, I can do it again.”
Julian smiled.
It was the first genuine smile I’d seen on his face all night.
“I prefer you when you drop the act. You’re much more… tolerable.”
I pulled my hand free, my arm frozen mid-swing.
But he actually leaned his face closer.
“If that hand lands, I’ll make sure your mother’s upper body joins her lower one in paralysis.”
I was so disgusted I didn’t want to touch him, but the moment he finished speaking, my palm connected solidly with his face.
Leo rushed forward first.
“She actually hit you! Are you insane?!”
He grabbed my neck; I yanked his hair.
A clear glass stool crashed against Leo’s body, blood streaming down his head.
I picked up a shard of glass and slashed Julian’s arm.
Julian, with absolute force, shoved me into the pool.
We tumbled into the pool, our fight a chaotic, undignified mess.
“I heard you’ve been taking care of your mother these past two years. Must be exhausting, right? How about I arrange a little ‘accident’ for her? Then you won’t have to be tired anymore.”
“Your eyes are truly beautiful. Gouge them out and propose to Chloe with them; it would be stunning.”
I didn’t have as many meaningless words as he did.
I stared intensely at his chest and plunged the knife down.
I wanted to see him try to act tough and talk big then.
And then maybe, just maybe, I’d see him tremble and beg me to make it quick.
But the scene I imagined didn’t happen.
Chloe shielded him.
Blood bloomed on her white dress.
“What is wrong with you? Take your rage out on me! Why hurt her?! Don’t you know she has a condition, she can’t stop bleeding?!”
I twisted the knife even deeper.
“I do now.”
“Ava! Don’t you dare involve family!”
“Oh, so my mother deserved to be paralyzed then?”
3
Without a shred of mercy, I shoved Chloe into the pool.
Then I wiped the blood from the knife onto Julian’s shirt.
No one dared to step forward at the sudden turn of events.
Julian called me a psycho, but his eyes… they were clearly alight with a disturbing thrill.
“Psycho?”
“Isn’t this exactly what you wanted?”
He’d been pushing my buttons from the moment I arrived at this party.
Julian and I had fought for so long that I’d even forgotten what it felt like when we were in love.
On the day Julian proposed, I sold off his company’s top-secret files.
On the day I agreed to marry him, he had someone disconnect my mother’s oxygen tank.
That day, after his car accident, when he was being flown abroad for emergency treatment…
He was hooked up to countless tubes.
When he saw me, he ripped off his oxygen mask and bit savagely at my lips.
“Ava, if I die, promise me you’ll marry me in our next life. Let’s not torture each other anymore, okay?”
He slowly slumped, gasping for air, as I watched his hopeful eyes and shook my head.
“There is no ‘next life’ for us.”
At the hospital, Julian rolled up his sleeves. “We’re the same blood type. Take mine. If it’s not enough, drain me dry.”
When he stumbled out of the blood donation room, he was swaying on his feet.
He pressed on my shoulder, desperately wanting to prove himself.
“Ava, do you see? I know how to love now.”
“Bro, you’ve given too much blood. You’re not thinking straight. Let me help you.”
Julian pushed Leo away. “Get lost!”
“I’m not that out of it.”
He looked at me again. “Do you see now? I *can* love someone deeply! I can pick anyone, *anyone*, and love them with all my heart! Don’t you get it?!”
Red and blue police lights flashed across our faces.
I pushed him towards Leo, then, with my usual germaphobia, brushed off the spot where he’d touched me.
“The police are here. Time for statements. I’ll cover her medical bills.”
“Ava, I’m giving up first. Let’s just let each other go.”
I didn’t answer him.
I had already let him go two years ago.
At the precinct, we were placed in separate interrogation rooms.
After giving my statement, I just sat there.
The murmurs from the next room grew louder.
“Bro, you can fool others, but you can’t fool me. Is this another one of your schemes? You know she won’t marry you, so you’re trying to force her hand, just to spite her.”
“What about Chloe then? Oh, right, Chloe’s so obedient, she’d probably even be happy just being your mistress.”
“I’m serious. But until she agrees, I won’t break it off with Chloe. She’s young; it would be too much for her if I suddenly did.”
“Bro, she won’t hear us, will she?”
After a long silence, Julian’s voice finally came through.
“If she heard, she’d be in here in a flash, slapping us both without mercy. She’s not here, so she clearly can’t hear.”
I found it amusing. I lowered my head and made a call. “Hey, come pick me up.”
Less than ten minutes later, a police officer called my name.
“Ava, your family is here for you.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“You can leave after you sign.”
I walked out of the room, passing theirs.
Leo scoffed. “Family? Doesn’t she only have her paralyzed mother?”
“Probably a friend.”
Leo suddenly couldn’t resist. He pushed the door open with a grin. “Officer, who came to pick up Ava just now?”
4
“What business is that of yours? Go back inside.”
“Officer, don’t be like that~”
Leo stood on his tiptoes, peering around the hallway corner.
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