There was a knock at the door of the room. Juliette, who was sadly gazing out the window, immediately turned towards the door upon hearing the knock. Initially, she was confused about who was visiting her because, according to what Robbin had said, he was the only one who knew that Juliette had had an accident and was being treated in the hospital. Furthermore, her room was private and could only be accessed by selected individuals, which Juliette meant as those trusted by Robbin. Not just anyone could enter. Not even the nurses who came were anything other than loyal to Robbin.
It wasn’t surprising since the man wanted to isolate Juliette from everyone and make her solely dependent on him. A sigh escaped Juliette’s lips. She still didn’t know what to do to repay Robbin. Juliette hadn’t found a new plan that could guarantee her freedom. Her mind was blank, and her thoughts drifted to Leo and her mother’s betrayal.
Her eyes blinked rapidly when the door was knocked on again. After Juliette allowed whoever was outside to come in, the doorknob turned, and the door slowly opened. Instantly, she glared sharply at Christian-her assigned caregiver-who walked in with a mysterious smile plastered on his face. In his hand, he held a folder containing a report Juliette guessed was her health report.
Realizing it was Christian, Juliette turned her gaze back to the window with a vacant expression. It would be pointless to go wild like a madwoman and scream or hurt Robbin. In the end, she would lose to the anesthetic needle, whether it was stuck in her neck or her arm. Somehow, someone always came to her room whenever she didn’t want to meet anyone. Juliette needed time to think and mourn. Leo had left her, and there was nothing she could do but blame herself.
She heard a soft cough, and from the corner of her eye, she could see Christian opening the report he had brought and reading the information it contained. Knowing this, Juliette redirected her focus to the bedroom window. The birds looked cheerful, flying freely in the air. The sky was bright, and the sun shone brightly. The trees occasionally swayed in the breeze. That day’s weather was bright, while Juliette’s heart was cloudy.
A few minutes later, Christian’s eyes shifted from the document and were directed towards Juliette. He observed the woman who had caught Robbin’s attention to the extent that his cousin was utterly obsessed. Christian knew that his uncle, Anthony, had remarried to a widow with a child, but he had never sought to learn about the child who was Robbin’s half-sibling. Christian, who had lived in London with his parents since childhood, had not even attended his uncle’s second wedding and had never imagined that his uncle would contact him and ask him to be one of the doctors at the De Lavigne family hospital. Of course, Christian, who had just received his medical certification and license after seven years of struggle, immediately accepted the offer.
After six months of working as a doctor, his cousin-Robbin-suddenly contacted him, instructing him to follow his orders, do something for his cousin, and at the same time, keep what he was doing a secret. Naturally, he didn’t question it because Robbin held a higher position in the family. He didn’t even suspect that a man like Robbin had taken an interest in his half-sister. Then came the incident of Daisy’s kidnapping, and finally, Christian could meet the mysterious half-sister in the hospital accidentally for the first time.
Once again, Christian looked at Juliette. It couldn’t be denied that Juliette was indeed beautiful and had an elegant aura, but what Christian noticed about her was that Juliette had a different charm that made a man like Robbin so fascinated that he dared to do extreme things. The woman’s eyes and gaze were so hypnotic. Not to mention when she smiled, revealing an adorable dimple on her right cheek. Oh, and let’s not forget her stubborn nature, which sometimes annoyed Christian. During the two weeks, he had been Juliette’s attending doctor and cared for her until she improved. It was the most challenging two weeks of his life, but that was the strength of the woman who was his patient. A strength and courage that Robbin wanted to conquer.
Christian returned to looking at the information before hearing the door open, followed by firm footsteps. Christian immediately read Juliette’s body language and braced for the worst. Still, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the woman remain silent wildly when Robbin kissed her forehead and lips. Christian cleared his throat again, and Robbin asked, “How is my kitten? Is there any progress?”
A slight nod answered Christian, and then he said, “All the reports I received today have good results. All the external wounds are still in the healing stage, while regarding the internal injuries, especially the one in her head, we will check again in a few days. If the results are also good, then Juliette will be allowed to go home.”
If that was good news for Robbin, his face showed happiness. Christian’s words were bad news for Juliette as the woman wore a very gloomy expression. “Juliette? Aren’t you happy to hear this?” Christian asked with an inquiring tone.
Juliette blinked her eyes and suddenly turned to Robbin. Her gaze met the dark eyes that were full of warnings for her. Since when was she not allowed to express how she felt? But of course, Juliette ignored Robbin, staring straight at Christian and answering, “I’m not happy because I’m here alive while my boyfriend is dead.” Moments later, Juliette grimaced in pain as Robbin’s grip on her arm tightened.
“How many times have I told you not to-”
“Stop!” Juliette cut off Robbin’s sharp sentence while trying to free her hand from his grip. Still, her efforts were in vain and only made his hold even stronger until a cry of pain escaped her lips.
“Robbin! Let go!”
Robbin shot Juliette a sharp, deadly glare before yanking his hand away. Then he stood up to walk towards Christian. “Keep monitoring her condition.”
“I understand.” Christian nodded briefly. “Where are you going?”
Looking back at Juliette over his shoulder, Robbin said, “Not your business. Just watch her.” After that, Robbin quickly walked toward the door and left without another word.
After Robbin left, Christian took a deep breath and told Juliette, “You shouldn’t always provoke his emotions; he can lose control. Juliette, I believe you’re a smart woman.”
“What am I supposed to say? Am I not right? Why should I pretend and cover everything up?”
“I know you’re upset with him, but wouldn’t it be better if you could distinguish the right time to keep quiet or provoke an argument?”
Juliette sighed heavily and closed her eyes. Christian’s words did have some truth to them. She shouldn’t provoke a fight with Robbin all the time. It would be better to keep quiet and retaliate against Robbin with actions. Venting her emotions wasn’t a good thing. It could very well be that what Christian said was true. How might someday Robbin lose control and hurt her? That was not an impossible thing to happen.
“Alright, if you understand what I mean, I’ll return tomorrow to check on you,” Christian said as he walked toward the exit. Still, his steps halted before the hospital room door. “Oh, by the way, someone wants to see you.”
“Someone? Who? Does Robbin know about this?” Juliette asked, seeking confirmation.
Without looking at her, Christian replied, “Robbin doesn’t need to know. I’m doing this because they begged me, and I feel guilty towards them.”
Christian then left the room, leaving Juliette alone, both confused and shocked. Once she snapped out of her surprise, she immediately scanned the room, searching for hidden cameras, as it wasn’t impossible that Robbin was watching her. However, if that were true, Christian would have known and wouldn’t risk acting behind Robbin’s back. This meant there were no cameras, and Robbin had granted her some privacy. Realizing this gave Juliette a sense of relief.
Shortly after Christian’s departure, the faint heels tapping echoed, gradually getting closer. She briefly heard a beep and the sound of the door opening before there was a knock. Juliette took a deep breath, curious about who would see her with Christian’s approval-especially someone loyal to Robbin. “Come in!”
Juliette’s hazel eyes were fixed straight at the door, not looking elsewhere. She didn’t even blink, eager to see who was visiting her and how they knew she was under Christian’s watch. Finally, the door opened, and someone stepped in. Juliette’s mouth dropped open in shock when her eyes landed on a familiar feminine face.
“Daisy?” Juliette murmured in disbelief. Daisy responded with a small smile.
.
.
.
A few days after Daisy’s visit, Juliette could finally go home. It was good news for her-and there was more good news. With enthusiasm, Juliette put on the clothes provided for her. She then looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her face still appeared pale, with a few scars here and there, but what captivated her wasn’t her physical appearance; it was the spark in her hazel eyes.
After so long being filled with sadness and sorrow, her eyes now held an unmistakable spark of spirit. The sadness was still there, but just a little.
“Leo…” Juliette whispered as she extended her hand, placing her palm on the mirror’s surface. She watched her reflection, and a small but meaningful smile appeared.
‘One day, I will avenge your death,’ she swore silently. With a determined nod, Juliette left the bathroom. She stopped when she saw Robbin standing in the middle of the room. The man appeared to be talking to someone on his phone, though his sharp gaze was fixed as she stepped out of the bathroom.
Robbin immediately ended the call, slipping his phone into his jacket pocket and adding, “Are you ready?” Juliette gave a brief nod. The last incident made her realize it was better to stay quiet and avoid trouble. Her tongue itched to throw a sarcastic remark at Robbin, but she held back. Robbin’s gentle but fake smile formed as he extended his hand toward Juliette, asking her to take it, and Juliette obeyed. She accepted his hand and allowed Robbin to hold it tightly.
Robbin plant-kissed Juliette’s temple briefly and said, “I spoke with Christian. He’ll be coming to the mansion every two days to check on you, so your condition will be monitored.” Robbin glanced at Juliette’s bandaged leg. How’s your leg?”
“Better, I guess,” Juliette replied indifferently. A second later, she processed what Robbin had said. “We’re going back to the De Lavigne estate?”
“Yes, of course. I have urgent business that requires me to travel a lot over the next few days. So, until my business is finished, and until our wedding day, it’s best for you to stay at the mansion. There will be plenty of people to take care of you.” Robbin lifted their intertwined hands and kissed the back of Juliette’s hand tenderly, “And I’m sure you want to plan the best wedding, don’t you?”
“Robbin… the wedding… I don’t-”
“No objections, kitten.” Robbin spoke in a soft hiss. “Besides, if they don’t approve of our marriage, bad luck will find them soon enough,” Robbin added with a mysterious tone.
They walked out of the room where Juliette had been recovering since the fatal accident. The beeping sound she had always wondered about was finally explained. No wonder only people trusted by Robbin could enter her room-because there was a large door with a unique lock to enter her room.
Like an ID card, it would be scanned through a machine. Juliette pressed her lips tightly. That meant if she ever tried to escape, she would fail. Juliette was like an animal trapped in a large cage with no chance of freedom.
“What about the other members of the De Lavigne family?” Juliette asked softly. “I’m Meryl’s daughter. What will they think of me?”
“We’ll inform them about the wedding next week at the family company’s anniversary event. I’m sure it will be the perfect time.”
Juliette thought for a moment. She figured that was enough time to devise a new plan. She would not let this wedding happen because, no matter what, she and Robbin could never be together. “Kitten.”
Juliette pressed her lips in displeasure but responded, “Yes?”
“Don’t try anything this time, or I won’t hesitate to make you crippled and unable to walk again.”
Thud. Juliette’s heart instantly stopped. She immediately froze, causing Robbin to stop as well. He turned and looked at Juliette with a terrifying glare. “I will do whatever it takes to keep you by my side, Juliette.”
“How could you even think of doing that? How could you bear to see me suffer, huh?” Juliette asked in a trembling voice. Robbin curled his lips into a smirk, walking toward Juliette and closing the distance between them. His free hand rose and gently caressed her cheek.
Then, suddenly, Robbin gripped her jaw tightly, forcing Juliette to lift her head, making her gaze directly into his eyes. “Robby…”
“I’ll be forced to do it if you don’t come to your senses and keep running from me. But don’t worry, if you can be a good kitten, I won’t have to. It’s all up to you, kitten.”
…