Aurora took leave specifically to care for Hayden, and thinking of how Julian had stayed up all night, she suggested, “Julian, you’ve been busy all night without closing your eyes, let me watch over him while you get some rest.”
However, Julian didn’t say anything; he simply picked her up and placed her on the adjacent caregiver’s bed.
The caregiver’s bed had been prepared by Julian with clean sheets and covers. He looked at her tenderly and said, “You haven’t slept all night either. I can still hold on. You sleep for a bit now. Aren’t you supposed to go home for dinner tonight?”
He reminded her, and Aurora nearly forgot about it. It had been hard to invite Tina back to the Montgomery family for dinner, an opportunity she couldn’t miss.
“Then, Julian, I’ll sleep for a little while and then get up to relieve you,” Aurora said, truly exhausted. She had been scared and worried the previous night and had been running around all morning, wearing herself out.
“Sweetheart, go to sleep. I’ll watch over you,” Julian said as he took off her shoes and covered her with a blanket, his movements smooth and practiced.
Susan and Hayden looked on thoughtfully. Susan was both jealous and envious; as a woman, Aurora had secured the most perfect love.
No matter how cunningly she had snatched Hayden away, he could never treat her the way he treated Aurora.
It was only now that Hayden realized the true nature of Julian and Aurora’s relationship. Previously, he had thought their compatibility was merely superficial, but now he saw that this was their genuine way of interacting.
Julian truly doted on her, far surpassing how he had been treated himself in the past.
Because of Julian’s presence, Aurora quickly fell asleep despite the other people in the room.
Julian returned to his desk to attend to his own affairs. Hayden, observing his resolute figure, recalled how he had always looked up to him from childhood.
Back then, Julian, an illegitimate son hidden from the public and favored by Joaquin, was both the person Hayden had admired most and loathed. From a young age, Hayden knew he was competing with Julian for their father’s fortune and approval.
Later, he realized that no matter how hard he tried, he could never surpass him, much like playing the piano.
Julian was naturally gifted, and even after Hayden practiced tirelessly in secret, the best compliment he ever received from a renowned master was, “It doesn’t touch the heart; no matter how skilled, it’s futile.”
He couldn’t remember when he started seeing Julian as a rival, an enemy, coming to understand him better than anyone else.
One day, he unintentionally entered Julian’s studio and uncovered his secret; the seemingly flawless man had his vulnerabilities.
He loved a girl, though Hayden didn’t know why he chose to silently protect her without getting close, but this became his weapon to defeat him.
With little effort, he learned of her identity, the daughter of the Montgomery family, which sounded impressive but was merely a figurehead. She was fairly attractive, but was that worth Julian’s years of protection?
He wanted to see what made her so special, capable of moving such a guarded man. Coincidentally attending the same school, he had arranged to follow the same schedule as hers.
On the orientation day, his appearance wasn’t accidental; he had been waiting for her.
He saw her arriving, carrying her luggage without any servants or even a car to drop her off-truly pitiable.
Her face was makeup-free, radiating a pure and sunny aura, her white dress fluttering like butterfly wings, delicate yet beautiful.
He approached her deliberately, intending to steal the heart of Julian’s beloved and make her his girlfriend, thus breaking Julian’s heart.
Everything went according to his plan. After he started dating her, the composed man was no longer calm, his gaze filled with hatred.
With splendid eyes, he finally tasted defeat; the feeling of victory was overwhelming. Was this how he felt before? In this game called love, he had always used her as a weapon against Julian, ruthlessly exploiting her to hurt him deeply. Knowing he would secretly watch at the school gate, he deliberately held her hand and kissed her cheek as they left school. Her blush, bright as peach blossoms, contrasted with his helpless, beast-like fury, hidden again in the shadows. He reveled in such games.
Yet, at some point, he began to care deeply for her, feeling for the girl who, despite her wealthy background, lived like Cinderella. No matter how much she was bullied, she never complained in his presence, instead greeting him with a smile that shone like a ray of sunlight into his heart.
In that moment, he understood Julian’s fascination with her; her laughter seemed to light up the dark corners of his soul, healing him, making it hard to hurt her. Gradually, he stopped treating her as a toy and truly began to love her, wanting to protect her and her beautiful smile.
Thus, he planned to propose to her on her eighteenth birthday, disregarding the Alvarez family’s possible reactions, to ensure no one could ever hurt her again and she would become his wife.
But he never anticipated falling into Susan’s trap that night, deeply wounding Aurora and irreversibly losing her. He had always been confident, believing that even if she hated him now, she still loved him deep down. He thought he’d bring her back once he had everything, his ample capabilities fully developed to protect her, creating a perfect ending.
But fate often defies human calculations; things were not as simple as he thought. Some paths, once taken, cannot be retraced, and some mistakes must be continued even when recognized. Some people, once lost, can never be found again.
Looking at the woman sleeping on the bedside chair, her peaceful face was just as serene as before. He used to watch her sleep during rest periods, her angelic appearance making it difficult to wake her until the class bell rang, and she would scold him for not waking her earlier.
He always just smiled, knowing the real reason was that he couldn’t bear to wake her. Now, seeing this familiar scene again stirred endless sorrow within him; her beautiful sleeping face was the same, but the person watching over her had changed.
“Hayden, you haven’t slept all night either; rest for a while, I’ll watch over her,” Susan said, aware of his gaze. In the past, while he watched Aurora, she was watching him. Life is never smooth; the one you love may not love you back, their heart belonging to someone else. If you find someone who loves you as you love them, cherish them, because unrequited love is all too common.
Aurora slept peacefully beside him, her presence in this way bringing him a sense of peace as he slowly closed his eyes. Susan had stayed up all night, her eyes red, yet she couldn’t sleep, watching over the person who was earnestly working, just like her, each guarding their loved one in their own way.