Chapter 4Seven Years of Love: All a Lie

When I entered the living room, Julian and Serena were sitting side-by-side on the sofa, laughing intimately.

The moment they saw me, they sprang apart.

"Tim, you're finally here!" Serena rushed over. "I was so worried! Why didn't you answer when the driver called?"

"My phone died," I said calmly. In the sub-zero temperatures, the battery hadn't stood a chance.

"Oh, Tim, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." Guilt washed over her face as she took in my snow-covered clothes. She led me to the sofa.

Her parents came over, fussing over me and scolding their daughter for leaving me stranded. Julian sat to the side, looking profoundly awkward.

I glanced at him. There was a small bruise on his forehead.

Meanwhile, I had been freezing in a blizzard for over two hours. I couldn't feel my legs.

Dinner was a lavish spread of all my favorite dishes. It was clear my in-laws had gone to great lengths to welcome me.

Serena stayed close by my side, and the family cheerfully discussed names for the baby.

I don't remember the taste of the food, nor do I remember what names they chose.

I only remember the furious, possessive jealousy in Julian's eyes.

After dinner, I went to rest in the guest room.

Suddenly, the door flew open and Julian stormed in. He kicked me hard in my injured leg.

Pain exploded through my body, and I collapsed to the floor, writhing. He loomed over me, his face a twisted mask of rage.

"Tim, there's something you need to know," he sneered. "That baby in Serena's belly? It's not yours. It's mine!"

"So you have no right to discuss its name! You're nothing but a pathetic cripple, a waste of space!"

"Eight years ago, I took the woman you loved most right from under your nose, and you didn't do a damn thing!"

"And today, you're still the same useless trash."

"Heather was mine, and Serena is mine too! You will always be nothing but a pathetic joke!"

"Oh, and one more thing."

"Eight years ago, your mother didn't have to die."

"After she was admitted to the hospital, someone pulled a few strings and had one of her life-saving medications switched."

His words struck me like a bolt of lightning. My entire body seized.

"Who was it?" My mother's death was a wound that had never healed.

I struggled to my feet, desperate for an answer, but Julian suddenly grabbed a fruit knife from the coffee table, reversed the blade, and plunged it into his own shoulder.

I froze, stunned. Why would he do that?

A piercing scream ripped through the air as Serena burst into the room.

Julian clutched his shoulder, crying out, "Tim, no! Please don't hurt me! I didn't mean to take Heather from you all those years ago! Please, forgive me!"

Blood streamed through his fingers, staining the brand-new, multi-million-dollar watch on his wrist.

Serena's face went purple with rage. She slapped me across the face, the crack echoing in the silent room.

"Tim, what the hell are you doing? Are you insane?"

"Julian came in here to check on you because you weren't feeling well, and you attack him with a knife over something that happened years ago?"

The way my in-laws looked at me changed completely. They could never have imagined that the gentle, mild-mannered man they knew could be capable of such violence.

Julian, playing the victim perfectly, whimpered, "Serena, don't blame Tim. It's my fault. I shouldn't have called you, and I shouldn't have fallen. It's my fault he had to walk so far in the snow. And it's true, I ruined his wedding eight years ago. I deserve this. I'm the one to blame."

Tears of sympathy welled in Serena's eyes. "No, Julian, you did nothing wrong. Heather left him because she never loved him. It had nothing to do with you! And tonight, I came to get you because I wanted to. You're not to blame for that either."

I didn't hear a word she said. My eyes, bloodshot and burning, were locked on Julian. All I wanted was the answer. Who killed my mother?

Shielded by Serena, he shot me a look of pure, triumphant provocation.

I lunged at him like a madman, but my in-laws grabbed me, holding me back.

Serena, at the end of her patience, ordered the servants to throw me out of the house.

"Tim, if it weren't for our years of marriage, I would have called the police! Go home and cool off! If you ever pull a stunt like this again, we're getting a divorce!"

The moment the heavy villa gates slammed shut, my heart turned to ash. Without a moment's hesitation, I turned and walked away, disappearing into the dark, swirling snow.