After getting married, Willow no longer wore white dresses. She switched to cold, formal business suits, accompanying him to various business events. She became the perfect daughter–in–law of the Ziegler family.
Julian remained silent.
Dominic was a wise man. He believed his grandson could still be saved. “Julian, think carefully. Love isn’t a fixed asset that just sits there, never changing. People’s hearts waver.”
Julian clenched his teeth. “Grandpa, you’re right.”
Dominic got angry again. “Get up and go to the hospital to atone for your sins! Your wife won’t forgive you so easily. With all her good qualities, why should she settle for you? What do you even have to offer?
“Besides a few lousy dollars, do you have any real strengths? This pretty face of yours? Ha! There are plenty of good–looking male celebrities nowadays. Use your damn brain!”
Julian nodded.
He struggled to stand, and Dominic’s attendant reached out to help him. “Mr. Julian, be careful.”
Julian blocked the hand and said flatly, “It’s just a minor injury. It’s nothing.”
Dominic snorted. “You’re one tough cookie.”
Julian didn’t respond. He braced himself against the pain, slowly wiped off the bloodstains, and put his black dress shirt back on.
Just as he was halfway through putting it on, Melanie barged in.
The moment she stepped inside, she saw the bloody welts on Julian’s back. She froze for a moment, then let out a sharp, grief–stricken cry, ” Julian!”
Dominic was displeased. A teacup shattered onto the floor. “What are you screaming for? Are you trying to shatter the windows?”
Late at night, Julian rushed back to the hospital.
When the car came to a stop, he sat inside and smoked a cigarette before getting out. The hospital at night was eerily quiet, not a single sign of life, carrying an unsettling sense of dread.
Julian had brought Willow her favorite porridge, but when he arrived at the ICU, she wasn’t there. Instead, the caretaker she had hired was keeping watch.
Maureen told Julian, “Ms. Harper went to the chapel to pray. She’s been gone for about an hour.”
She wiped her tears. “Ms. Harper, she’s run out of options. All she can do now is hope for divine mercy. She carries too much pain in her heart, but someone like you would never understand.”
Julian barely touched the ground as he rushed to Cornerstone.
Cornerstone was located at the northernmost part of Brindley, towering and solemn. The car could drive all the way up the mountain.
The night wind howled. Willow, dressed in plain garments, was kneeling before the altar. With every verse she recited, she bowed her head to the ground in devotion.
She pleaded with God to have mercy on her, to let her grandmother stay in this world for a few more years. She was willing to bear all selfish desires and reckless ambitions alone, even if it meant giving up everything she had…
He stepped forward, but Willow stopped him in a hushed voice. “Don’t come any closer, Julian. Stay away. I’m afraid your filthy body will desecrate the altar and stain this sacred hall.”
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