Cole’s expression changed:

"Stop!"

Summer’s eyes were filled with tears:

"Even if I die, I will never go back with you!"

After a long standoff, Cole gritted his teeth:

"You just wait."

After Cole left, Elena finally let out a sigh of relief. She wanted to take Julian to the hospital, but he was incredibly resistant.

There was no other choice; Elena followed the address he gave, sent him home, and treated his wounds simply.

【Elena, look at the wall, sob! He has been keeping your mask all along!】

【And the suicide note on the table; the second male lead really is about to shatter into pieces...】

Elena paused and looked at the wall, indeed discovering the mask she had once snapped in half.

That was two years of her blood and tears, the pain of her past.

She took the mask and decisively threw it into the fireplace.

Julian opened his eyes at the sound. Upon seeing the mask in the roaring flames, his eyes widened, and he lunged toward it without a moment's hesitation!

His scarred hands reached into the fire, fumbling to retrieve the mask.

But after he put out the flames, the mask was already charred black.

Julian’s hands were a bloody mess, yet he ignored it, cradling the mask in his arms as he muttered:

"This is the last thing Elena left me..."

Elena watched his insane, agonizing appearance with a complex expression, falling into silence.

Julian knelt on the ground and looked up at her:

"Please, Elena, don't take everything away, okay..."

Elena’s gaze fell upon the suicide note on the table; she saw her own name written densely across it.

After a long while, she sighed:

"Fine. Burn the suicide note, and live a good life."

Julian grabbed the note and threw it straight into the fire, nodding repeatedly:

"I promise you, I will live."

At the very least, before he could ensure Elena was absolutely safe, he had to live.

Chapter 22

After Elena left, Julian received a call from the owner of the underground boxing ring.

There was a loud commotion on the other end. Julian only heard the owner’s hysterical roaring:

"Julian! How dare you move against the underground boxing ring!"

"Is it just death? Do you think I’m afraid?! Let me tell you, now that the ring is gone, you can wait for endless retaliation!"

【The second male lead is also an innocent victim... It was clearly Dr. Sebastian who sent people to do it! All because Julian drew too much hatred before.】

【I never expected Sebastian to be more than just a doctor; he has such power and property in M-Country...】

Julian did not explain.

Elena had suffered enough, and he could tell she had feelings for Sebastian as well.

If Sebastian were to be targeted again, Julian couldn't imagine how Elena would collapse.

He was just about to hang up when he heard the owner laughing like a madman:

"You love that Elena, don't you? Julian, do you know how much effort she spent just to leave you?"

"She begged me for the fake-death drug, and the condition was to protect you for seven days. She almost died several times, all just to get away from you!"

Having said that, the owner let out a scream, and the phone was abruptly hung up.

Julian held the phone blankly, his pupils shaking violently.

No wonder... no wonder no matter how he tormented Elena, she had shielded him without a single complaint.

When Elena jumped into the sea, she had said:

"I promised..."

What she had promised was that deal with the ring owner!

She had meticulously planned her escape, while Julian had remained entirely ignorant, instead feeling relieved by her sacrifice.

As for the underground boxing ring, that kind of place shouldn't have existed in the first place.

Just then, he received a call from his secretary, whose tone was frantic:

"Mr. Julian, the Cole Group has unilaterally canceled our cooperation and, and they’ve exposed your past in the boxing ring."

"Our stock is plummeting significantly, and two major companies have also canceled their cooperation with us because of this..."

【The male lead still hasn't woken up to the truth. It’s clear he forced the female lead to divorce him, yet he only knows how to retaliate wildly at others!】

【The second and second female leads are truly innocent victims...】

【If it were me, I wouldn't cooperate with someone with such a terrifying past either.】

Julian’s eyes were hollow. A long while later, he laughed lowly:

"Then bring it on."

He had long held a grudge over Cole hurting Elena.

Since Elena didn't want him anymore, being able to eliminate the threats around her was, to Julian, a business transaction where he couldn't lose.

Julian directly exposed evidence of Cole’s debauchery and laid bare the fact that Cole had wielded a knife in M-Country.

Before long, the two companies were at each other’s throats, resulting in both sides suffering heavy losses and their status in the business world plummeting.

The Cole corporation eventually went bankrupt, and Julian’s company was also on the verge of collapse.

Julian went to see Elena one more time in secret, and confirming that she was living happily and securely, prepared to return to his country.

The next day, on the ferry, Julian looked out from afar at the land drifting further and further away, his vision going black.

Just then, the person behind him—who had previously looked like a leisurely tourist—changed their expression and violently pushed him overboard!

Julian only had enough time to turn around, recognizing in his blurred vision that the person was a subordinate of the ring owner.

Cold seawater poured down his throat. Julian felt the shouts of alarm on the ferry growing further and further away.

【Sigh, there’s no one to save him this time.】

【Elena doesn't even know Julian has left; she’s already preparing to open a flower shop!】

Julian stopped struggling.

He suddenly imagined what it would look like for Elena to be arranging flowers.

In his memory, she had always been very interested in flowers, but Julian was allergic to pollen, so she had never touched them.

Now, she could finally do what she loved.

At this moment, Julian suddenly wasn't afraid of the sea anymore.

He smiled, closed his eyes peacefully, and let the waves roll him into the deep sea.

Chapter 23

When Julian awoke again, he was in a dilapidated little wooden cabin.

A gray-haired woman was changing a towel by the bedside. Seeing him wake up, she said with surprise:

"You finally woke up! How do you feel?"

As it turned out, after Julian fell into the sea, he had been washed ashore by the waves and saved by a fisherman.

Julian opened his mouth and finally said hoarsely:

"…Thank you."

The woman shook out the towel and called toward the doorway:

"Old Zhang, he’s awake!"

A man with tanned skin walked in from outside. He set down the fishing net in his hand and pressed his hand on the woman’s shoulder:

"You go rest; I’ll handle the care."

The mundane yet warm interaction between the two made Julian’s nose ache.

If he could choose again, he would willingly give up all his wealth and status just to be with Elena.

Even if it meant living an ordinary life, he would accept it with joy.

Julian gave the fisherman and his wife a sum of money and left, ignoring their attempts to persuade him to stay.

He should have been buried in the sea, just like the time Elena had died before.

He looked blankly toward the direction of M-Country, silently repeating Elena’s name in his heart.

M-Country.

Elena had just returned home from the flower shop when she saw Summer hurriedly hanging up the phone.

She walked forward and asked suspiciously:

"Who are you calling? You look so happy."

Summer’s eyes darted around, and she brushed it off with a random excuse.

Elena didn't take it to heart and returned to her room with a smile.

Summer sighed in relief. Only after confirming that Elena had left did she open the chat box with Sebastian:

"Don't worry, Dr. Sebastian, I will definitely bring Elena there on time!"

Elena remained completely unaware.

In the afternoon, Summer kept insisting on eating at a restaurant near Sebastian’s villa. Elena glanced at her, her face flushed with excitement, and laughed:

"What? Is Cole there?"

Summer was choked by the question, stomping her feet in annoyance:

"Sister Elena! You clearly know that Cole and I are already over!"

【I never expected the male lead to have fallen so low; he’s reduced to digging through trash cans in the middle of the night?】

【Isn't this all Julian’s fault? Insisting on dragging everyone down with him—nobody’s having a good time.】

【Is no one going to mention the second male lead is also miserable? He almost drowned...】

Elena paused for a moment.

Summer blinked, thinking she had discovered something, and said cautiously: