It felt as though the seawater had rushed in, drowning him. On countless nights, he had watched her movies to fall asleep, telling himself that with her talent, she wouldn't be doing too badly after leaving him. He had comforted himself while his heart ached.

But right now, he wished she were a destitute beggar. How could she leave him to be tortured by the past while she carried those marks?

"Jade, what did our ten years together mean to you?"

Jade’s gaze shifted to Selina behind him, then back to Julian. "You and Selina already have a child. How do you have the nerve to bring up those ten years?"

Selina’s expression flickered. She stepped forward to pull at him. "Julian, Sophia still hasn't been found."

Julian’s reason returned, and he let go of Jade. "Is this why you kidnapped Sophia? To get revenge on Selina?"

Jade, who was buttoning her shirt, paused. Suddenly, she asked, "Do you know why I left you?"

"Because you never believed in me, and you never truly loved me."

Even after returning from the police station, Jade’s words continued to echo in Julian’s mind.

At 6:00 PM, the police finally found the missing Sophia. If they had been ten minutes later, the tide would have submerged the area. Seeing the trembling Sophia, covered in rope burns with no clear skin left, Julian felt a sharp pang in his heart.

He knelt down and asked, "Do you remember who took you there?"

Sophia’s feet were wrinkled and blue from the water. She sobbed for a long time but couldn't utter a word. She looked up and saw Selina’s dark expression; she immediately lowered her head and bit her lip.

Julian asked again, "Do you remember what the person looked like?"

Suddenly, Sophia rushed out and grabbed the hem of Jade’s dress. Jade, who had just returned from dinner with Lucas, was startled.

Seeing Julian, Lucas frowned and tried to pry Sophia’s hands away. "Don't pester her. Go to your father," he said in broken Chinese.

But Sophia held on tightly and refused to let go.

Selina screamed, "I told you it was Jade! Otherwise, why would Sophia cling to her!"

Julian’s face grew colder. "Jade, how do you explain this?"

Jade took off her coat and draped it over Sophia, asking softly, "Are you cold?"

Sophia, who had refused to speak until now, finally reacted. she nodded blankly, then shook her head. Looking at the girl’s frozen, red face, Jade’s heart softened, and she pulled Sophia into a hug. Surprisingly, Sophia didn't resist at all and let Jade pick her up.

Seeing this, Selina nearly ground her teeth to dust. Usually, when she tried to hug Sophia, the girl resisted; it took several beatings to make her comply.

Jade patted Sophia’s back and finally spoke: "If I really kidnapped her and tied her up with ropes, why would she react like this?"

The police officer realized the truth and shouted, "She’s not identifying a kidnapper—she’s afraid!"

Chapter 21

Selina’s face turned pale. She stepped forward to pull Sophia. "Sophia, be good. Don't pester the lady. Come to Mommy."

Sophia clung to Jade even tighter. As Selina reached for her, the girl turned pale and began to shake uncontrollably, tears welling in her eyes.

The police officer frowned and looked at Selina suspiciously. "Are you really her mother?"

Usually, a child is closest to their mother. After being rescued, they would typically cry in their mother’s arms. But Sophia’s reaction to Selina was suspicious.

Selina gritted her teeth, her smile stiff. "Of course! Sophia, let go of that woman right now!" Her sudden shouting terrified Sophia, and the girl’s tears finally spilled over.

The officer understood. He stepped forward and grabbed Selina. "Please come with us."

"On what grounds?! I’m Sophia’s mother! Why are you arresting me? You should be arresting that bitch Jade Yu!" Selina shrieked, reaching for Julian’s arm. "Julian, tell them, I really am the mother..."

Julian pulled his hand away coldly, his eyes like frozen blades. "Don't touch me."

Selina’s last shred of sanity snapped. Tears streamed down her distorted face. She grabbed Julian’s collar. "Julian Grant, how can you treat me like this?!"

"Fine! I planned the kidnapping. I thought the tide would kill her, and then your guilt would bind you to me forever!"

Everyone froze. Even a tiger doesn't eat its cubs; yet Selina was willing to kill her own child!

Jade tightened her hold on Sophia, her emotions swirling. Sensing Jade’s gaze, Selina let go of Julian and turned to look at her, laughing loudly.

"What’s the use of that brat clinging to you? You wanted a child so badly, yet you can't even give birth to one."

"Without a child, your marriage is destined to fail, just like yours with Julian!"

Jade’s face changed instantly. Julian’s rage was ignited.

With a sharp crack, a red handprint appeared on Selina’s face. "Selina, you don't deserve to be a mother."

Selina clutched her face and stared at Julian, her chest heaving. "Julian Grant, what right do you have to say that!"

"Are you a fit father? If you hadn't ignored Sophia, why would I have kidnapped her!" She pointed at Julian and Jade, her voice cracking. "It’s all because of you! You forced me to do this! You are the killers!"

The police could no longer listen. They dragged her away. In the pouring rain, Selina had lost her mind. A flash of lightning illuminated her twisted, grinning face.

"Julian Grant, you deserve to lose Jade! You deserve to never have a normal child! This is your retribution!"

Thunder rolled across the sky, echoing in Julian’s heart. His expression went blank, and he felt as though he were soaked in ice water.

Only when the cold wind blew in did Julian come to his senses and look up. Jade was patiently comforting Sophia, who had finally stopped crying. The girl soon fell asleep in her arms.

The future he had imagined with Jade so many times was right there in front of him. But the person standing beside her wasn't him—it was Lucas.

Chapter 22

Looking at the sleeping face of the child, Jade felt a surge of complex emotions. How did such a well-behaved child end up with a mother like Selina?

She carefully held Sophia and stepped forward, whispering, "Take her back to her room. We are heading back now."

Hearing the word "we," which clearly grouped her and Lucas together while excluding him, Julian felt a sharp pang in his chest. He looked deeply at Jade and reached out to take Sophia.

His unpracticed posture quickly woke the girl. She clung tightly to Jade, her eyes filling with tears once again. Julian frowned and coaxed her softly, "Be good, Sophia. Daddy is taking you back to the room."

But Sophia acted as if she hadn't heard him. She didn't even give him a glance. Her tear-filled eyes remained fixed on Jade as she sobbed, "No... don't want to..."

They say the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but the way Sophia suppressed her crying—unable to hold back her broken, stuttering words—was far more heartbreaking.

If my own child hadn't died, they would be about this age, Jade thought. She paused. "Let Sophia stay with us for the night."

"No."

Lucas rejected the suggestion instantly. He almost roughly pried Sophia’s hands away and shoved her into Julian’s arms without mercy, then pulled Jade away.

Jade frowned but said nothing, leaving with Lucas. Once they were behind closed doors, she finally asked, "Do you hate Sophia?"

For the first time, there was anger on Lucas’s face. "You like her? She is your ex-husband's child, not yours. Besides, her mother tried to frame you."

Jade replied, "Julian and Selina indeed represent an unpleasant past for me, but the child is innocent. Any normal person would feel heartache seeing such a young child being mistreated."

But Lucas couldn't listen. Many people had pursued Jade before, but he had never taken them to heart. Even Jade had once remarked, "You're too confident in me. What if I actually fell for one of them?"

At that time, Lucas had curled his lips into a dazzling, confident smile: "You won't. They can't compare to me."

But now, that confidence was shaken. During the argument in the lobby, Lucas had found himself unable to interject. He was never a sentimental man, but at 그 moment, he truly felt that between Jade and Julian, there was a past he could never enter.

"That is Julian’s family matter. Why should we care? If that child keeps clinging to you, are you going to stay in China for her sake?"

The fire of jealousy burned hotter, and his words spilled out before his reason could stop them. "Jade, ask yourself—do you truly feel for that child, or are you using her as an excuse because you want to reconcile with Julian?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Lucas regretted them. The light in Jade’s eyes dimmed instantly. A very faint sentence escaped her throat.