Ivy had always been arrogant, but she had never done anything as demeaning as this before. Aurora’s words, while somewhat considerate, were still harsh enough to sting. “I-I didn’t.” Ivy’s usual brashness had vanished.
Aurora stared at her intently. “Are you telling me you were sleepwalking? You like standing naked in front of my boyfriend, don’t you? Well, then, I’ll let him enjoy it to the fullest!” With that, she reached out and violently tore Ivy’s clothes, which were already quite flimsy and could not withstand such force.
As her clothes were ripped off, Ivy quickly covered her chest. “Aurora, you are going too far!”
“Don’t think you can succeed with the same tricks your mother used. Julian isn’t the fool my father was, and I’m certainly not the pushover my mother was. Put away your little schemes. If something like this happens again, I will make you regret being a woman for the rest of your life. Get out!” Aurora was truly enraged.
Firstly, she thought of how Genevieve had seduced her father, leading to their family’s ruin, and secondly, she was genuinely protective of Julian. Although Julian had only watched the scene as if Ivy were a clown, Aurora was still furious. Ivy, clutching her body, left.
Aurora violently kicked the door and turned around to see the instigator still laughing. It was the first time he had seen Aurora so angry, which indicated how deeply he was valued in her heart.
“Still laughing? Believe it or not, I will tear your mouth apart.” Aurora stormed over.
Julian, however, embraced her tightly. “Aurora, so you do care about me this much. I’m really happy.”
Recalling the two one-word text messages, Aurora finally understood his intention. “You deliberately sent one word to keep me from sleeping and to come looking for you? What if I didn’t catch your hint? Would you have spent the night with her?”
Aurora furiously pinched his body, and Julian’s face was aglow with delight.
“Aurora, how could you not notice the clues with your sharp mind? Besides, even if you didn’t, I was planning to tell you,” he said, taking out a text message he had prepared earlier.
Seeing the message, Aurora felt relieved, and she gradually regained her composure. “Did you know from the beginning that she was coming to seduce you?”
Aurora sent him the message only after returning from Oswaldo’s room. More than an hour had passed, and Ivy had clearly just arrived. There was only one explanation. Julian had known all along that Ivy would try to seduce him.
“Let me show you something.” Julian sat her on his lap and played a recording of a previous conversation between Genevieve and Ivy. Although the volume was low, it was clear who was speaking.
After listening to the record, Aurora realized that Julian hadn’t set this trap for anyone else but for her.
“You did all this just to see me angry?”
“No, I wanted to know if I was in your heart. From the beginning, I was silently watching you. I watched how sweet you and Hayden were. Three years ago, I finally decided that if you and Hayden continued to be that happy, I would let go. That night, heaven sent you to me, and you wouldn’t know how thrilled I was, even though you had completely forgotten me. At that time, all I wanted was for you to stay by my side. I would protect you well, and I would avenge you.”
“Little did I know that you would actually escape. Three years later, when we met again, it was a chase of you fleeing and me pursuing until you finally remembered everything from the past.”
“It took so much effort to finally catch up with you. I was both happy and scared. I didn’t know if you truly had a place for me in your heart.”
“Do you know why I always insist on sleeping beside you? It’s because I’m plagued with insecurity, afraid that one morning I’ll wake up to find you gone again.”
“I only feel at peace when I see you wake up beside me each morning. It gives my life meaning. I…”
Julian had never expressed these feelings before. Suddenly, Aurora began to understand his emotions. She had always thought she was the one who was hurt and insecure.
Throughout their time together, it had always been Julian taking the initiative, chasing after her, or bringing her many surprises.
Yet, she had never considered his feelings, nor had she realized that he too felt insecure, afraid of losing her.
She had never made any promises to him, which was why he went to such great lengths to know how much he mattered to her.
Looking into his cautious eyes, she felt like a fragile piece of porcelain he needed to handle with care.
She had forgotten that his past might also have been chaotic, that he too had been deeply hurt by others.
She gently placed her finger on Julian’s lips before she uttered. “Julian, I’m sorry. There’s something I forgot to tell you.”
“Hmm?” Julian looked at her, now calm, his eyes quietly studying her.
“Julian, I love you,” Aurora said slowly. Even when he wasn’t present, she had felt something.
She often sensed an inexplicable gaze on her, initially thinking it was her own fear after watching a horror movie. Only now did she realize it was Julian who had always been watching over her.
“Say that again!” Julian thought she would blame him, but he hadn’t expected these three words from her.
“I love you.”
“Aurora, you’re not mad at me?” He had worried it might upset Aurora, considering her past experiences.
“Why would I be mad at you? You didn’t like her. Your eyes were filled with disdain, and you didn’t lay a finger on her. I take it we watched a striptease for free.”
Aurora was familiar with his body. Even though Ivy dressed provocatively, it didn’t attract Julian at all.
When she sat on his lap earlier, Aurora clearly felt no reaction from him.
If a man could lie, his body certainly couldn’t. Julian felt his heart could soar at that moment.
“Do you know what I was thinking when she stood in front of me just now?” Julian whispered in her ear, enjoying the scent of her body.
“How would I know what you’re thinking?” Aurora had a hunch he wasn’t thinking anything decent.
“I was thinking what it would be like if you dressed like that. But I dared not fantasize about that image. Just a thought causes an erection. Maybe you should wear it for me to see.”
“You rogue!” Aurora, still moved by their earlier conversation, was taken aback by his sudden shift.