Chapter 4

Something so monstrous sounded so incredibly casual coming from his mouth.

I packed the last item into my suitcase. Just then, Martha pushed the door open.

Seeing the suitcase at my feet, she smirked, looking pleased.

"Well, at least you have some self-awareness. Since you weren't here, I let Chloe sleep in your bedroom. The study has been turned into a nursery. You can sleep on the couch tonight. If you don't like it, go pay for a hotel."

I was too exhausted to fight or look for a hotel, so I just nodded and decided to crash on the sofa.

But in the middle of the night, the baby's crying kept echoing from the master bedroom.

I tossed and turned, about to put in my earplugs, when I heard Chloe complaining.

"Julian, make the baby stop. He's keeping me awake."

Then came Julian's soft, doting laugh.

"You're my only baby, Chloe. I only care about keeping you happy. Let the kid cry a bit; it's good for his lungs."

I pulled the blanket over my head, trying desperately to block out their happy domestic sounds.

But the moment I closed my eyes, I remembered the way Julian looked when he first confessed his love to me. He had been so bright, so full of life, with eyes that saw only me.

But that Julian was dead.

I drifted through a sleepless night and left the apartment with my suitcase at dawn.

I went straight to the government office to deauthorize my domestic registry and finalize my international travel permits.

Because my deployment with the NGO was pre-approved, the paperwork went through incredibly fast. The clerk didn't ask many questions.

Right before I left, she handed me a small handful of fruit candies with a warm smile.

"Safe travels, doctor. Thank you for your service."

I smiled back, feeling a weight lift from my shoulders. I booked a cheap hotel nearby to store my luggage.

After dropping my bags, I went out to find something to eat, only to run straight into Julian, Chloe, and his parents.

Chloe was wearing a brand-new Patek Philippe bracelet, looking radiant and smug. She didn't look like someone on her deathbed at all.

"Elena! I told Julian that was you, but he insisted you wouldn't be around here~"

Her eyes locked onto the flyer in my hand, and her smile widened.

"Oh... are you looking for a job? But why on earth are you looking at waitress gigs?"

"Even if you're mad at Julian, you shouldn't degrade yourself like this..."

I stayed silent. The flyer had just been shoved into my hand by a young girl shivering in the cold. I had accepted it out of pity.

Seeing my silence, Chloe’s eyes flashed with triumphant glee.

"You should have told us you needed work! I could have helped you find something decent."

"We're family, after all. If you have a good job, Julian and the baby will have someone to rely on after I'm gone. It would give me peace of mind."

My silence was taken as a confession of defeat.

Julian’s puzzled expression instantly hardened into pure disgust.

His brows knit together, his lips curling into a sneer of utter contempt.

"Why bother helping her? She chose to throw away a perfectly good residency at the hospital. If she ends up starving on the streets, she deserves it."

"Elena, I can't believe you’d resort to playing the victim just to make me feel guilty about the baby. You are pathetic!"

I looked at his familiar face, now feeling absolutely nothing but detachment.

I remembered when we first got married. I had faced some heavy political drama at the hospital and wanted to quit medicine altogether.

Julian had held me in his arms, stroking my hair, whispering:

"We're a team, babe. Whatever you decide, I’m with you."

"Who cares about the hospital? I'll support you forever."

Yet here he was, standing by and letting another woman humiliate me.

He had forgotten every promise he ever made. He had forgotten the love we once shared.

Even Robert and Martha shook their heads in disgust.

"Elena, you’re just a barren woman who can't even carry the Miller family legacy, and you're never home. How could you ever compete with Chloe?"

"It's no wonder Julian had to look elsewhere. You only have your own lack of charm to blame!"

They spoke louder and louder, drawing stares from the pedestrians passing by.

My hands clenched into tight fists, my nails digging into my palms.

Before I could speak, Chloe stepped forward with a sweet smile.

"We’re actually on our way to get family portraits taken. Elena, why don't you join us? After all, you'll be the one taking care of Julian and the baby in the future."

I gave her a flat look, refusing to say a word.

Julian scoffed, wrapping his arm protectively around Chloe’s shoulders.

"Chloe, you're too sweet for your own good, but some people just don't appreciate kindness."

"Elena, drop the attitude. Nobody’s begging you to come. Frankly, you’d just ruin the aesthetic of our family photos anyway."

With that, he pulled Chloe away toward the photo studio.

"We'll be off then! Good luck with the job hunt, Elena~" Chloe waved, throwing one last condescending smirk over her shoulder.

Watching them walk away, my heart remained entirely still.

To any passerby, they looked like a perfect, happy family.

If this was the life Julian wanted, I was more than happy to let him have it.