Chapter 4

Julian's POV

"Hayley, have you completely lost your mind?!"

I clutched my burning cheek, my enraged roar practically rattling the ceiling. All my life, people had put me on a pedestal. No woman had ever dared lay a hand on me! Let alone Hayley—the girl who, for three years, never even dared to raise her voice in front of me.

I glared into her flat, unbothered eyes, searching desperately for a trace of regret or terror, but there was nothing. This total loss of control sparked a humiliation and fury I had never felt before.

"Fine. Great!" I let out a furious laugh, pointing right in her face. "Since I make you so sick, then get the hell out! You think I can't survive without you? Let me tell you something—once you walk out that door, even if you beg on your knees, I won't look at you ever again!"

With that, I spun around, kicked over the floor lamp beside me, and stormed out into the night.

My sports car roared down the empty streets. I drove straight to our usual private lounge. In the VIP booth, several of my buddies were drinking with girls on their laps. Seeing my murderous expression, they quickly gathered around.

"Whoa, Julian, what's got you so pissed? Who dared to cross you?"

I threw back a heavy gulp of whiskey, yanked my tie off in frustration, and laid out the entire story of Hayley throwing a tantrum and trying to move out.

A guy in a patterned shirt burst out laughing after hearing it. "Julian, you're just not reading the room! Women, no matter how obedient they usually are, all love pulling this crap. You know what it's called? Playing hard to get! She's been with you for three years without a ring or a real title. Now that Clara's back, she's threatened. She's just trying to force you to pick a side!"

"Exactly," another chimed in. "Mark my words, within three days, she'll come crawling back to apologize. The more attention you give her right now, the worse she'll act. If you really want to put her in her place, you need to show her you've got endless options."

My hand paused on the glass. Playing hard to get? Right. That had to be it. Hayley loved me to death; how could she ever actually walk away? She had swallowed so much pride over the past three years without leaving. This sudden outburst was definitely just a cry for attention. With that thought, the knot in my chest loosened considerably. I smirked. "Fine. If she wants to play games, I'll play along."

The next day.

To completely crush Hayley's resolve, I canceled all my executive meetings and took Clara out to a scenic lakeside resort for a high-profile photoshoot. I even pulled strings behind the scenes to replace the booked photography crew with the boutique studio Hayley worked for.

When Hayley showed up on the lawn carrying heavy camera gear, a smug grin crept onto my face. I wanted to see just how long she could keep up this act.

Yet, when her eyes swept over me, it was like looking straight through empty air.

"You're Hayley, right?" Clara leaned delicately against my chest, dressed in an immaculate white gown, shooting Hayley a provocative look. "Thanks for your help today. Julian insisted on doing a mock run to get a feel for our future wedding photos. Make sure you capture my good angles."

"Please take your marks. Lighting, get ready," Hayley said, lifting her DSLR without an ounce of emotion. Her tone was completely flat, devoid of any inflection.

Throughout the shoot, I deliberately dialed up the intimacy. I pinned Clara against a tree trunk for a deep, passionate kiss; I tenderly tucked loose strands of hair behind her ear; I even scooped her up into my arms, gazing lovingly into her eyes right in front of the lens.

With every pose, I watched Hayley out of the corner of my eye. I waited for her eyes to turn red, for her to lose her mind with jealousy, or even to smash her camera in a fit of rage.

None of that happened.

Behind the lens, her eyes remained cool and hyper-focused. She clicked the shutter methodically, occasionally directing the lighting assistant, as if the two of us embracing were nothing more than lifeless plastic mannequins.

It felt like punching wet paper, and it drove me crazy.

"Julian, I'm so exhausted," Clara whined, rubbing her shoulder after two hours. She pointed toward the artificial lake nearby. "Can we rent a boat and take a break? I want to feed the swans in the middle of the lake."

"Sure, whatever you want." Without looking at Hayley, I guided Clara toward the dock.

As the hired photographer, Hayley had to board an older wooden boat behind us with her gear to capture candid shots across the water.

The autumn breeze carried a sharp chill over the water. Just as Clara leaned over the bow in excitement to reach for a black swan, our boat rocked violently off balance.

"Ah!"

With a piercing scream, Clara tumbled straight into the lake. At that exact second, the massive wake threw Hayley's weathered wooden boat off balance too, causing it to capsize and sending her and her heavy equipment crashing into the deep water.

Freezing water instantly flooded ears and lungs.

"Help! Julian, save me! I can't swim!" Clara thrashed wildly, her frantic shrieks shattering the calm of the lake.

I knew how to swim, and I dove in without a second thought. But I was only one man, and the two overturned boats were drifting in opposite directions.

Treading water, I looked back at Hayley, who was already struggling and sinking beneath the surface, then over at Clara, who was crying out and going under.

Without a split second of hesitation, I turned around and swam as hard as I could toward Clara.