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Hillary hadn’t even spoken when she saw Julian cast a sidelong glance at her, his expression displeased. “You should be grateful just to have a seat in my car. Or do you think you can fight Willow for the front seat?”
His tone carried a sense of condescension and Hillary instinctively moved toward the back seat. Still, a thought struck her as she watched Willow sitting there so comfortably.
Back at home, she had always been adored by her family. No matter what she did, her parents indulged her When had she gotten so used to backing down? Her relatives had warned her before she got married and now, looking at Julian, she felt nothing but irony. Compromising–was this the price she had paid for three years of marriage?
For the first time, she didn’t want to give in Hillary looked straight at Julian and said, “I get carsick too.” It wasn’t a lie. Her carsickness was severe. Initially, Julian never allowed her to sit in the passenger seat. It was only because of this that he later agreed to let her sit beside him.
Julian seemed to recall this as well. Just as he was about to say something, Willow let out a soft chuckle. “Why
arm copying me, Hillary? If you want the passenger seat I’m happy to give it to you. There’s no need to lie. After
all, you are Julian’s beloved wife
H
The moment those words fell, Julian’s eyes darkened. Willow made a show of moving to get up, but he stopped her. He cast a cold glance at Hillary. “The back seat is the only option. If you don’t want it, then forget it.”
Hillary hesitated. She was about to get out of the car and drive herself instead, but Willow suddenly grabbed her hand. “Come on, Hillary. Don’t be stubborn. We’ll be there soon,”
The car door was closed. Hillary hadn’t fastened her seat belt yet when the car flew out. She leaned forward uncontrollably and hit the back of the seat in front of her Tears suddenly rushed out and she couldn’t help but cry out in pain.
Julian abruptly slammed on the brakes, turning back to look at her. His expression was instantly filled with panic. With a stern face, he got out of the car to check her injuries. “Why can’t you even fasten your seatbelt
properly?”
Hillary y was still dazed. Who knew he would drive off so quickly? But before she could speak, she saw him grimly fastening her seatbelt for her.
Willow’s gaze somewhat flickered, but she quickly smiled and said nonchalantly. “It’s just a little blood. Let’s go. We shouldn’t keep everyone waiting.”
Hillary endured the throbbing pain and calmly said, “I’m fine now.”
Julian’s brows were furrowed with irritation. Hearing her words, he snapped angrily, “Shut up!”
Without another word, he turned the car around and drove straight to the hospital. Hillary’s head was spinning. her face pale–she really did get car sick. The next moment, Julian pulled her out of the car and carried her in his arms. Hillary instinctively clung to his neck, her heart pounding as she gazed at his sharp features up close.
Despite her efforts to restrain herself, she couldn’t help but wonder if Julian had even a sliver of affection for her. Otherwise, why would he be so concerned about her? But would someone who truly loved her treat her like this?
She bit her lip and looked away. “I can walk by myself.”
Julian scoffed. His voice was laced with mockery. “I’ve never seen anyone as foolish as you.”
By the time they left the hospital and headed to the banquet, her fleeting hope had vanished entirely. The bar’s private room was filled with music. Julian and Willow walked in side by side, with Hillary trailing behind them.
Someone called out, “You two are late! You’ll each have to down a drink as a penalty.”
Not rege Your Substitute Livet, My Ex Husband
Julian sank into the couch. His brows had been tightly knit on the way there. Now, he exuded a languid air. reaching for a glass of wine. “Well, we had a little incident on the way.”
His friends turned their attention to Willow. “Willow, you’re late too.”
Willow sat down naturally beside him, smiling as she replied, “I’m a bit dizzy and can’t drink. You can’t force me.” Julian looked at her with tenderness, taking the glass of wine in front of her and draining it in one gulp. “I’ll drink
for you.”
Hillary, who was just about to enter, stopped in her tracks at the sight of this. She felt a pang of self–deprecation for the thought that had crossed her mind earlier.
How pathetic was she to think that just because of a tiny moment of concern, he might actually love her?
Inside, Willow cast a provocative and triumphant look at her. Willow beckoned to her with a smile before everyone. “Hillary, why don’t you come in?”
Her words drew everyone’s attention to Hillary. She paused for a few seconds before walking in, creating a momentary hush in the atmosphere. Someone couldn’t help but question who she was and Julian stayed seated on the couch, without even glancing at her or bothering to introduce her.
Hillary lowered her gaze, then looked up calmly. “I’m Hillary.”
The atmosphere stiffened. Some of the people there forced a chuckle. “Oh, so you’re… his wife?
Others looked confused. “Wait, I thought his wife was Willow?”
Willow giggled “Since Hillary is still here, you shouldn’t call me that. Though soon enough, I will be ”
Julian played cards with a nonchalant expression, neither confirming nor denying her words. The atmosphere instantly became awkward.
Hillary lowered her eyes, her heart clenching at the scene before her. Ever since she arrived, the atmosphere seemed to have frozen over. Midway through, she felt a wave of dizziness and went to the restroom to splash some
water on her face to clear her head.
When she returned to the private room, she overheard them talking about her. “You can’t be serious, Julian. How
could you do this to Willow and actually marry someone else?”
Someone scoffed, “You’ve just come back, so you don’t know. They’ve been married for ages. Besides, she was the one who ran away from the wedding back then. She has no one to blame but herself.”
Willow looked aggrieved when she heard this. Julian’s face was highly handsome under the blue light. He, who
had been silent all this time, slowly spoke, “It was Hillary who threatened Willow back then. It was not Willow’s fault.”