Late into the night, Judy Herman returned home, shattered.
Entering the living room, she looked up to see Jayden Paul sitting on the sofa, his face a thundercloud, radiating menace.
Seeing her, he rose and advanced. Before she could speak, his hand clamped viciously around her wrist, slamming her against the wall!
The pain in her back was fiery, but it was nothing compared to the agony in her heart.
Judy blinked her swollen, aching eyes, fighting back tears. The man's furious expression felt like knife wounds slicing into her soul.
He was enraged. Because she hadn't obeyed. Because she hadn't left.
Hah. After five years with him, only now did she understand: in Jayden Paul's eyes, she was nothing but a high-class bed warmer.
"Judy Herman, what are you trying to pull?" Jayden Paul's fist slammed into the wall beside her ear, the impact rattling her skull.
Judy felt utterly drained. Her eyes, hollow, fixed on him. A sudden, self-mocking laugh escaped her lips. The sound made Jayden Paul's brow furrow in displeasure.
The woman who was always obedient, always compliant, was now looking at him with cold scorn. Jayden Paul's eyes narrowed, his fury intensifying.
Judy Herman, however, asked with unnerving calm, "You deliberately kept the news of the Herman family business collapse from me, didn't you?"
Her eyes were utterly lifeless, filled only with desolation and despair.
"I gave you five years of my life. Wasn't that enough to earn even a shred of mercy for my family's business? Jayden Paul, even if I was just a bed warmer, I didn't deserve this..." Her voice cracked, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.
She was furious to her core. Despairing to her core... Her five years with him weren't even a joke—they were less than nothing.
Jayden Paul's brow knitted. "Judy Herman, don't be ungrateful. If I hadn't taken over, your father's fate would have been far worse. Not telling you was for your own good. You'd severed ties anyway; not knowing was better. Your father wouldn't have wanted you to know—"
"Jayden Paul!" Judy couldn't listen anymore. How utterly absurd! Why did he always have a justification?
Why did he always act with such self-righteousness, as if the world revolved around him? Take her when he wanted, discard her when he didn't. Even his wrongdoing came with ready-made excuses!
"And my father's death?" Judy gritted her teeth, her jaw trembling. "I am his daughter! I didn't even get to see him one last time! Jayden Paul, why are you so cruel to me?"
The woman's hysterical accusation stunned Jayden Paul. Seeing the raw, red pain and fury in her eyes, his gaze darkened. "You're saying Mr. Herman passed away?"
"Jayden Paul, enough." Judy Herman let out a cold laugh, though it dissolved into uncontrollable sobs. "Jayden Paul, stop pretending. Who do you think you are? How could you not know? But to you, Judy Herman is just trash. A lowly woman who abandoned her family for you. So you thought I should be your puppet, just sitting quietly by your side. Did my feelings ever matter to you?"
That was her father. How could he be so cruel? Was her father's death truly so insignificant to him? He hadn't even let her see him one last time. She only found out now...
Judy Herman, you unfilial wretch. You deserve the deepest pits of hell.
"Judy." Jayden Paul's expression was stern. Watching her lose control, clutching her hair as if trying to hurt herself, a strange pang touched his heart. He pulled her against him, murmuring low, "Don't be so upset. Be good."
Judy struggled, pushing against him with all her might. She was sick of his honeyed words, sick of his false concern! But the man easily overpowered her, pinning her against his chest until her struggles weakened. Only then did the tension in his brow ease slightly.
Judy lifted her tear-streaked face, seeing that flicker of worry on his. She feared it was just an illusion. Her voice softened, pleading, "Jayden, tell me... tell me all of this is just a nightmare. Please?"
She couldn't bear it. This wasn't how it was supposed to be! This wasn't the ending!
"Say something!" She gripped his arms, trembling violently, her eyes wide with desperate hope. "Tell me you haven't abandoned me. Tell me my father is still alive and well. Jayden, we promised to grow old together... you said you'd only ever have me..."
"Jayden." A woman's voice cut her off.
Judy froze. Slowly, she turned towards the sound. Lorelei Voss descended the stairs gracefully, wearing a silk nightgown and a smoke-gray shawl.
Her lips curved slightly, an aura of serene elegance surrounding her, forming a stark contrast to Judy Herman's disheveled misery.
Judy's hands slipped limply from Jayden Paul's arms. Why was Lorelei Voss here? A bitter, cold laugh bubbled up inside her. She looked slowly back at Jayden Paul. How utterly pathetic she was! What was she still deceiving herself about?
He was desperate to ship her off. Desperate to move Lorelei Voss in.
He wouldn't even leave her a shred of delusion!
"Oh, it's Judy." Lorelei Voss glided over, her posture swaying beautifully. Her smile was dazzlingly charming.
Judy silently clenched her fists, unable to utter a single word.
"Don't just stand in the doorway. Come in." Lorelei Voss spoke as the undisputed lady of the house, gracious and poised, while Judy felt like an outsider, a mere guest...
Lorelei Voss took Judy's wrist, leading her into the living room. She glanced back at Jayden Paul. "Why are you standing there? Judy just came in from outside; her hands are freezing. Tell a maid to bring some hot tea."
Jayden Paul gave a slight nod. As he walked away, Judy took in the familiar space she had called home for five years.
But this home... felt different. The furniture seemed replaced, rearranged. There were several new maids.
An icy chill spread from Judy's limbs, freezing her heart solid. She had chosen all the old furniture herself, poured her heart into decorating this place.
Jayden Paul had said, "As long as you like it, do whatever you want," letting her fill the house with a young woman's whimsy. He'd said he didn't want others disturbing their world, so there were no live-in staff.
But now... everything was different.
Judy's heart ached so fiercely she could barely stand. Was it because this home had a new mistress?
"I don't care for all those bright colors," Lorelei Voss remarked casually, as if making conversation. "Jayden had it all changed. He's always been like that, thinking of everything for me. Afraid I'd tire myself, he hired four or five maids. He really is... such a good man." As she spoke, Lorelei Voss couldn't help but smile, her face radiant with happiness. Judy felt as if each word was a needle piercing her heart, over and over.
A good man.
Hah. He was only a truly good man when it came to Lorelei Voss.
Judy felt restless, out of place. She knew she should get up and leave. There was no place for her here anymore. But... where could she go? She had left the cemetery hating Jayden Paul, yet she realized the only place she could return to was here.
She couldn't let her mother know her situation; it would destroy her. She needed an answer. Had she given up everything only to end like this? She couldn't accept it. She wouldn't accept it!