Move aside.

A dark flame ignited, scorching Julian.

Was it displeasure? Or was his heart fundamentally rejecting this change?

If he didn't like this change, then what was it he hoped for?

Julian hadn't figured it out, but that didn't stop him from putting his thoughts into practice.

"I won't move." Julian reached out and touched my cheek.

I dodged slightly.

I was completely bewildered; I truly couldn't understand what was on Julian’s mind.

Julian only saw me as a sister—making such a move now was a total transgression!

But regardless of anything else, I was determined to stay far away from him, or else he really would take my life.

Suddenly, Julian lowered his head.

I felt him lean down, his warm breath fanning against my face.

I instinctively looked up, only to be caught in those dark pupils.

Warm lips were touched by another.

In an instant, an image of being tied to a hospital bed and struggling flashed through my mind—the version of me there was screaming in pain—

With a loud bang, Julian was pushed away with great force, crashing into the table behind him.

I was covered in a cold sweat, my face deathly pale.

Even though it was my first kiss, it didn't have the sweetness I had imagined; there was only endless fear and pain.

I reached out with trembling hands to cover my face—

I had been dragged back to hell by him.

Once again.

Chapter 19

In the silent private room, only the sound of my shallow breathing remained. Suddenly, I began to laugh.

The uncontrollable madness in my eyes poured out.

"What is your meaning?" I inquired. "You severed ties with me before, yet now you do this. Don't tell me you think I've grown up now, so it doesn't matter anymore."

Julian used the table to steady himself as he stood up. He said gravely, "The first moment I saw you, I had the urge to kiss you. I have always followed my own desires."

My eyes widened; I felt the world had gone mad. What an absurd reason.

"You do it just because you want to, but you don't love me at all," I said.

Julian remained silent.

That silence felt like a tacit admission.

The gaze I had held since childhood—once full of love—now held only suspicion and scrutiny.

Suddenly, I calmed down. Those dark emotions vanished, a shift even I found incredible.

I grabbed the door handle and said, "Julian, I don't care whether you love me or not anymore, but don't insult my love."

With that, I pushed the door open and left.

Leaving Julian there alone, he looked up and covered his eyes, realizing he had messed up.

After leaving the restaurant, the two of them saw me back to my rented room, and then each returned to their guesthouse.

At this time, the coffee shop hadn't closed yet, and Yu hadn't returned.

I counted out the pills and swallowed them one by one.

Today was truly a close call.

When Julian kissed me, I really wanted to kiss him back.

Even though he had said such heartless things, my heart still wanted to be with him.

I’ve truly gone mad.

After taking the medicine, the side effects made me drowsy, and I slept for an entire day.

When I next went to the coffee shop, only Jude was sitting at the window seat.

"Where is Julian?"

Jude: "He still has many things to do for his business trip. Your sister-in-law is overwhelmed taking care of your nephew, so I’ll be heading back in a couple of days. Remember to come back and see us for the New Year."

I was stunned. I hadn't realized that in these three years, I had even gained a nephew.

However, what surprised me was that Jude didn't try to force me to go home.

But since he put it that way, I could only nod and agree.

On the day Jude left, I was the only one to see him off. I didn't know where Julian had gone.

Julian’s disappearance over the past few days actually made me feel much more relaxed.

A few more days passed in the blink of an eye. I was once again immersed in developing coffee beans, the bitter fragrance slowly soothing my nerves.

Just as I was about to forget about Julian, he suddenly appeared again.

That night, Julian appeared at my door wearing a tracksuit that looked like a school uniform.

I was dazed for a long while; if I hadn't been so incredibly familiar with him, I really wouldn't have recognized him!

"Why are you..." Wearing that?

Before I could finish, Julian stepped forward and scooped me up, hoisting me directly onto his shoulder.

"Ah—" I screamed.

The sudden feeling of my feet leaving the ground was terrifying!

"Julian! Put me down!"

Quite a few people in the alley heard the scream and peered out curiously. Seeing that it was the young couple that had recently appeared, they pretended not to notice.

I beat against Julian’s back with force, crying out in a panic, "What are you doing?!"

Could it be that because what I said before was too harsh, Julian was seeking revenge?!

Julian carried me to the street without a word. Passersby began to gossip, making me cover my face in shame.

Then, Julian placed me on the back seat of a shared bicycle.

"Julian! If you don't explain yourself, I’m jumping off!" I threatened, though my hands were wrapped around his waist.

Julian suddenly stopped the bike.

My nose crashed directly into the man’s back.

"I want to apologize," Julian said suddenly.

I clutched my nose, not quite catching on. "What?"

Julian parked the bike and pulled me toward the park.

He continued, "Kissing you suddenly that day—I was wrong. I want to apologize."

The world before me suddenly brightened. The branches were hung with colored lights, stretching forward like a galaxy.

Balloons drifted everywhere, and various ribbons fluttered in the breeze.

People in mascot costumes were constantly interacting with children.

I stared blankly at Julian standing beneath a giant Winnie the Pooh.

His long lashes cast a faint shadow, and his dark eyes seemed to shimmer with a brilliant light.

In this moment, he was looking at me with total focus.

"I’m sorry, Sienna."

The corners of my eyes grew warm, and a tingling sensation spread throughout my body. Even my heart wouldn't stop trembling.

This "hell"—I was more than willing to enter it.

Chapter 20

"Children's Day?"

I was sucking on the milk candy Julian had stuffed into my mouth, and I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the words on the balloons.

Julian gave me a look of slight embarrassment and said, "I told you when we were kids that I’d spend every Children’s Day with you."

In a place where he was a total stranger, it couldn't have been easy for a workaholic like Julian to find a place holding such an event.

"Do you like it?" Julian asked.

I nodded. "I do."

Julian was momentarily at a loss for words. Although I seemed happy, he always felt as though he couldn't quite reach the depths of my heart.

In reality, I was so moved that I wanted to throw my arms around him.

I wanted to kiss him.

But I couldn't.

This was only a temporary happiness; on this Children's Day, I was still just Julian's "younger sister."

Because of this, his "constancy" once again pierced deep into my heart.

"Sienna..."

"Hey! There’s Tanghulu up ahead. I want the ones you buy for me!"

I grabbed Julian’s hand and ran forward.

Julian followed behind me, recalling the little girl with two ponytails who used to drag him all over the place.

Jude used to search for the two of us in agony while we were off having the time of our lives.

Back then, I only had to open my mouth and call people "Big Brother" or "Big Sister" to come home with a huge bag of snacks every time.

Jude would forgive us for the sake of the snacks, and it stayed that way every year.

Now, that little girl had grown up. Her long hair was pinned up, and she was an adult.

The person being "extorted" had changed from those strangers to him.

I ate all evening, as if by consuming these extra thoughts like food, they would disappear.

After the event ended, the adults and children slowly headed home.

Julian and I strolled side-by-side down the street.

Our hands, hanging at our sides, brushed lightly against each other. I pulled mine back instantly as if I’d been shocked.

Compared to Julian’s nervousness, I felt more of a sense of wariness.

The former seemed to read my emotions; he knit his brows slightly and moved faster, catching my slender hand in his.

I tried to pull away, but he held on so tightly that I couldn't budge.