"Elena, if Sebastian were truly devoted to you, why would he bring Summer along?"

Elena didn't answer, standing by the door:

"Get out."

Julian said stubbornly:

"Come back with me, Elena. I promise I will never manipulate your life again. Whatever you want to do, I’ll accompany you, okay?"

Elena said impatiently:

"What I want most right now is for you to leave and never be seen by me again."

Julian wanted to say more, but the door was suddenly pushed open.

Sebastian looked flustered; he hadn't even brought his glasses. Seeing Julian, he said coldly:

"If you pester Elena again, I will make you pay the price."

Julian, however, smiled:

"Do you dare say you didn't have selfish motives bringing Summer here? Mr. Sebastian, I’m a man too; do you think I don't know what’s on your mind?"

"I will never let Elena be let down!"

Sebastian glanced at the calm Elena and laughed sarcastically:

"Julian, you think everyone is just like you because that’s what kind of person you are."

"Miss Summer was only brought here because Elena asked for it. In this lifetime, I will only ever love Elena."

Julian looked at Elena in disbelief.

Elena froze and didn't speak for a while. Summer stood in front of her:

"Sister Elena is a truly wonderful person! That day in the alleyway, I met many hoodlums. If Sister Elena hadn't saved me, I might have..."

Julian felt a buzz in his mind and said stiffly:

"What did you say?!"

Elena’s expression was blank, and Summer didn't seem to be lying...

【I never expected the heroine to be the one speaking up for the second female lead... Sigh.】

【Julian says he won't manipulate Elena, but he doesn't believe a word she says!】

Julian took a deep breath.

He had actually believed those men back then, concluding that it was Elena who couldn't stand Summer and had hired people to defile her...

He had left Elena alone there, facing endless malice!

Julian couldn't imagine how the exhausted Elena had made it through that night.

He knelt down abruptly and slapped himself hard across the face.

Chapter 20

The sound of the slap was crisp and loud. Elena stood before him, looking down at him from her height.

Julian said hoarsely:

"I'm sorry..."

Elena smiled:

"You have too much to apologize for. I don't need you to make amends; just stop disturbing my life, that’s all."

Julian fell silent, only to raise his hand once more and strike his own cheek hard.

He did it again and again. His face soon swelled, and blood seeped from the corner of his lips.

Elena shielded Summer behind her, and Sebastian stepped forward and dragged him away.

Julian knelt before the closed door, still mechanically slapping himself over and over.

His mind was a blank slate as he murmured:

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

Once Julian was cleared away, Elena finally felt like she could breathe in the same space as Sebastian, not knowing where to put her hands or feet.

Summer looked at the two of them, and tactfully retreated to her room.

Elena opened her mouth, but before she could speak, she was hurriedly interrupted by Sebastian:

"I just meant... anyway, don't feel any pressure."

It was the first time Elena had seen him in such a flustered state, and she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Sebastian seemed terrified she might say something to reject him; he mumbled a few excuses and hurried away.

【The doctor is definitely interested in Elena! I'm shipping this!】

【Elena is finally going to live a good life, sob.】

But Elena’s heart was a chaotic mess, and she had no idea how to respond.

She was physically and mentally exhausted from her previous unequal relationship that had ended in nothing, and she simply had no time or energy to engage in a new romantic connection.

Sebastian didn't come by for a long time.

Julian also vanished; he had rented a room not far from Elena.

His depression gradually worsened, and he suffered from insomnia every night. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Elena’s paper-thin figure in that alleyway.

Julian threw away all his medication, letting the illness torment him, and the psychosomatic symptoms became increasingly apparent.

He always kept a fruit knife by his side, and whenever the pain became unbearable, he would cut his wrists.

He had only brought two things back from his country: one was the mask belonging to "Elena," which he had spent a fortune to have restored.

The other was the suicide note he had written right after Elena left. He secretly swore to himself that if he couldn't bring Elena back, he would never return to his country.

But now, Julian had even lost the courage to appear before Elena.

He couldn't stop wondering: if only he had believed Elena back then...

But there had been too many errors caused by his lack of trust, and there was no such thing as "if" in this world.

【Is the banquet the doctor is hosting actually an academic exchange?】

【Elena is actually going? Didn't she say she wasn't interested in those kinds of occasions?】

【In the past, whenever she attended a banquet, she could only trail behind Julian, listening to the people around them curse her as "a loyal dog." Would you be happy to go if you were her?】

Julian pursed his dry, chapped lips and tightened his fist.

He had heard those comments with his own ears countless times, yet he had never stopped them...

One last time, Julian told himself. I'll try one last time. If I fail, I'll leave.

Two days later, Julian arrived at the banquet location right on time.

Elena wore a dark red evening gown, looking bright and moving, but many people stopped their approach when they saw the scars, large and small, on her body.

Julian’s gaze lingered on her with an almost obsessive obsession.

Just then, the crowd slowly parted. Sebastian walked up to Elena and bent down:

"May I have this dance?"

Elena was stunned for a moment before placing her hand in his.

The two danced slowly to the music. Sebastian’s gaze remained gently fixed on Elena’s face.

Elena’s dance steps were light, and her face was brimming with a relaxed smile.

Julian couldn't remember how long it had been since he had seen her smile from the heart.

He suddenly remembered that he, too, had once had the opportunity to dance with Elena.

But what had that been for?

It had been to let Elena dance with him while injured, all to ensure Summer wouldn't feel so guilty...

He hadn't even had the slightest impression of Elena at that time.

Julian’s gaze fell on the unhealed scars covering Elena’s body, and he closed his eyes in despair.

All of Elena’s pain had been caused by him.

He suddenly realized he didn't even have the chance to try anymore.

Chapter 21

The banquet ended, and Elena bid farewell to Sebastian, taking the tipsy Summer with her.

Halfway there, her footsteps suddenly came to a halt.

Over a dozen black-clad bodyguards stood silently, and Cole was bathed in shadows, staring fixedly at them.

"No wonder Summer has been so abnormal lately; it turns out she was corrupted by you..."

"My Summer should have been obedient like a little bird. How could she leave me and even sneak drinks?"

【My god, the male lead is so yandere, I love it!】

【If you like it so much, marry him yourself! He doesn't give Summer any freedom at all! How is he any different from the second male lead!】

In her daze, Summer heard something. She looked up, and the alcohol instantly cleared from her system.

She pushed Elena and said tremblingly:

"Sister Elena, hurry, run..."

Cole beckoned to her:

"Summer, be a good girl and come over."

Elena grabbed Summer, who was stumbling, and said coldly:

"She doesn't want to go back with you."

She had suffered countless hurts herself and didn't want Summer to end up covered in wounds just like her.

Cole’s face changed instantly. With a wave of his hand, over a dozen bodyguards drew their blades.

In an instant, they all lunged forward!

Elena could only push Summer away and brace herself to block a few strikes, but she was soon overwhelmed.

"Sister Elena! Look out behind you!"

The moment the scream erupted, Elena felt her scalp go numb, but it was already too late.

Just as she prepared herself to take a blade, a muffled grunt came from behind her.

She turned her head stiffly to see a pale Julian.

Julian had intended to leave after the banquet, but worried that something might happen to Elena in the poorly secured M-Country, he had followed her the whole way.

Elena bit her lip:

"Didn't I tell you not to appear?"

Julian’s eyes were filled with desolation:

"One last time. Elena, let me protect you this time."

The attack didn't stop because of his arrival. At the critical moment, Summer picked up the knife on the ground and held it against her own throat.