For the next few days, Julian cleared his schedule and stayed by Ivy's side the whole time. He cooked and cleaned and tended her wounds, but she remained indifferent.
To lift her mood, he suggested they go on a date.
At the café, he ordered her favorite latte and tiramisu, saying gently, "You've been feeling down lately, so take a break from your part-time jobs. Just get some rest and relax for a while."
Ivy said nothing and quietly stirred her coffee.
Just then, Sophia walked in and sat by the window. She elegantly picked up her mug of hot chocolate and "accidentally" spilled it over her hand before letting out a dramatic cry of pain.
Julian's attention immediately snapped toward her, and he frowned.
"I need to take a call," he said, offering Ivy a quick explanation before walking off. But instead of heading toward the exit to take the call, he went straight to the pharmacy across the street.
Ivy watched him leave, smiling bitterly.
Sophia shot her a smug glance before getting up to approach her table. Waving her red, swollen hand, she said, "See that? He can't bear for me to be even a little hurt."
Ivy looked at her and calmly said, "So?"
"So, you should understand that I'm the one he loves the most. You're poor and ordinary; what do you even have to compete with me?" she leaned down, whispering into Ivy's ear.
Ivy was about to reply when she caught a whiff of something overly sweet in the air. The next second, her consciousness slipped into darkness.
…
When Ivy woke up, the pungent smell of gasoline choked her and made her cough uncontrollably.
She realized she was tied to a pillar with Sophia bound beside her. What was even more terrifying was that bombs were strapped to their chests, the red countdown ticking ominously in the dark. It was a timer slowly ticking and counting down from five minutes.
Ivy struggled desperately, but the thick ropes didn't budge.
The warehouse doors were kicked open with a loud crash. Julian rushed in with a pale face. "Ivy! Sophia!"
Time was running out, and he had to choose between saving either of them.
When Ivy looked up at him, her heart felt as if it were gripped by an invisible, crushing force. Who would he choose?
The next second, he bolted toward Sophia.
"Hang on, Ivy! I'll come back for you right after this!" he shouted over his shoulder while frantically untying Sophia's ropes.
Ivy watched him anxiously fuss over Sophia and burst out laughing. Sure enough, she would never be his first choice. Once the ropes came loose, he scooped Sophia into his arms and ran out, never once looking back.
Ivy bit down hard on her lip and forced herself to stay calm. Groping for the rope's knot, she began to free herself.
Richard had taught her emergency escape techniques when she was a child.
At the 30-second mark, she finally broke free and sprinted toward the exit with everything she had.
A deafening explosion erupted behind her as the searing blast wave flung her through the air and slammed her into the ground. At the last moment, she saw a flash of memory from four years ago. Julian was standing under her apartment, appearing to be full of hope as he shouted, "Ivy, I like you! Let's date!"
Now, he was carrying another woman as he ran away, never once sparing her a single glance.
…
It was raining when Ivy woke up at the hospital. The raindrops tapped gently against the hospital window, pricking her heart like needles.
Sitting by her bed, Julian immediately leaned in when he saw her open her eyes. The dark circles under his eyes made it clear he hadn't slept all night.
"Ivy, you're finally awake."
He reached out to touch her face, but she turned away. His finger froze in midair, and his voice was hoarse as he said, "Ivy, you know I've always owed Ms. Lane. If something had happened to her, I would've had to pay a heavier price. That's why I saved her first."
Ivy smiled with tears shimmering in her eyes. Even now, he was still lying to her. Again and again, he always chose Sophia yet stubbornly refused to break up with Ivy. What did he want? Was he still playing some kind of game to get back at Sophia?
"I'll stay with you these next few days. Don't be upset, alright?" he said softly as if he were coaxing a child. And true to his word, he did stay.
In the days that followed, he rarely left her side.
When feeding her soup, he carefully blew on each spoonful to cool it down. When wiping her face, his touch was gentle as if she were made of glass. When she woke up from nightmares, he was already there beside her.
He handled everything himself as though trying to make up for all the wrongs he had done, but it all stopped the moment he received a phone call.
"A last-minute order just came in, Ivy. I'll be right back," Julian said as he hurriedly got up. He could barely hide the panic in his voice.
Seeing through his poorly made up lies, Ivy calmly nodded. "Okay."
Later that night, just as she had fallen asleep, the door to the ward was suddenly thrown open. Sophia stormed in with several bodyguards and yanked off Ivy's blanket. "Get up! Something has happened to Julian!"
Still weak and injured, Ivy could barely react before she was violently dragged out of bed. She stumbled all the way to the emergency room and saw Julian lying on the operating table with a pale, lifeless face.
"He took a stab for me and now needs blood. Only yours is a match," Sophia said. Her eyes were red, but her voice was tinged with triumph.
Before Ivy could respond, a bodyguard had pinned down her arm and plunged a needle into her vein.
One pint… Two pints… Three pints…
The more her face paled, the more her vision started to blur.
"You can't draw anymore! She'll go into shock!" a nurse anxiously cried out as she tried to stop them.
Sophia sneered, "Keep going. Her life is cheap anyway, and her blood's the only thing that's valuable. Give her some money, and she'll get over it." She gave Ivy's ghostly face a look of utter disdain.
Ivy tried to resist, but she didn't even have the strength to speak. By the fifth pint, her world turned black, and she passed out.
By the time she woke up, she found herself lying outside the emergency room. The chill from the cold floor seeped through her skin as her body ached and throbbed terribly.
Sophia stood over her, holding a stack of cash. "There's a few hundred thousand dollars here. Consider it payment for your blood. Take it and get lost."
With a flick of her wrist, the bodyguards tossed the cash onto Ivy. Banknotes fluttered down like snow, covering her pale face.
"I don't need money, and I don't want your filthy cash either," Ivy said, using the last of her strength to shove Sophia away. Then, she dragged herself up and staggered back to the ward.
Behind her came Sophia's cold sneer. "Let's see if you can still act this tough when Julian dumps you."
Ivy didn't look back. Julian would never dump her because this time, she would be the one to leave him.
…
On the day she was discharged, Ivy wheeled her suitcase past Julian's ward. She paused as she overheard a conversation from behind the half-closed door.
"Why would you give me blood? You're terrified of needles." Julian's voice was hoarse.
"Julian, I just wanted to make up for the mistakes I made back then…"
Ivy froze. That was her blood, and she was nearly drained dry after donating it, and now, Sophia was taking the credit for it.
In the ward, Sophia's voice trembled with emotion as she continued, "I was young and wilful when I ran off with that poor painter. I just wanted something new and exciting… But after all these years of suffering, I've finally realized who truly cares for me and who I should've loved all along…"
She reached for Julian's hand, but he subtly pulled away.
Her expression faltered, and tears began to stream down her face as she said, "Do you remember? When I scraped myself as a kid, you carried me past three blocks to the hospital. When I had a fever, you stayed up all night changing my towels. When I wanted that limited edition necklace, you flew to Florraine just to get it…"
Julian clenched his jaw tight and said nothing.
"I know you're dating that poor bumpkin just to piss me off and punish me for choosing a worthless man over you. But I know I've made a mistake, and everyone makes mistakes, don't they? Haven't I tried hard enough to make things right?" She sobbed, sitting by the bed.
Ivy noticed Julian's fingers were trembling.
"Julian, just forgive me one last time… Give me another chance, and let's date again…"
Silence spread through the ward. After a long moment, Julian pulled his hand away and replied in a cold voice, "No."
He paused and added, "I'm joining the Bennett's family suitor gala in a few days."
Sophia paled. "No! You can't! If you go, you'll definitely be chosen!"
"That's none of your business."
She stiffened before bursting into laughter through the tears. "You're right. It has nothing to do with me, and I can't stop you. But if you leave me, what's the point of continuing to live? I might as well die now!"
With that, she flung herself toward the window with half her body hanging outside.
"Sophia! Are you insane!" Julian flew out of bed and scrambled forward to grab her.
"Then answer me! Do you want to date me or not!" she screamed hysterically, her body teetering over the edge.
