Love’s Cunning Ruse

Chapter 79

This was the first time Julie had been angry like this since the hospital incident five years ago.

Even when she proposed the divorce to Kieran back then, she hadn’t bared her emotions like she was

doing now.

Having asked the questions and vented her feelings, Julie was ready for an answer. She wasn’t about

to turn around and leave. Instead, she stood opposite Kieran, waiting for his response.

Yet Kieran remained silent, seemingly deep in thought

After a long silence, he suddenly looked up at Julie and asked, “Would you marry someone you don’t

love?”

“No, that’s why I married you,” Julie replied firmly, without a trace of dishonesty.

She said, “I was so blinded by love that I was willing to marry you even though you didn’t love me. I

thought it was enough as long as I loved you deeply, but I forgot that you could fall in love with

someone else.”

Julie’s tone was filled with the indifference that comes with extreme disappointment

Kieran’s deep gaze remained fixed on Julie’s beautiful face

Her face was now tinged with a blush from the recent outburst of anger, and there was no warmth to be

found in her clear eyes.

Kieran and Julie gazed at each other for a long time before he finally spoke.

He said, “Julie, I wouldn’t either.”

He wouldn’t what? Not believe in love or marry someone he didn’t love?

Julie didn’t understand what Kieran meant by that.

All she knew was that he had called her Ms. Abraham, Attorney Abraham, and Joyce, but he had never

addressed her as Julie.

Judging from Kieran’s current expression, Julie knew he was serious. Very serious.

Feeling that his previous statement wasn’t clear enough, Kieran added, “I wouldn’t marry a woman |

didn’t love, no matter in the past, the present, or the future.”

Marriage was no child’s play, and he had always been serious about it. From the moment he married

her to the moment he watched her sign the divorce papers, every decision he made was well thought

out.

When he said he wouldn’t marry a woman he didn’t love, Julie’s eyes welled up with tears, but the look

in her tearful eyes was full of ironic laughter

“So that’s your answer?” she asked, staring at Kieran with red, tear-filled eyes, doing her best to hold

back the tears

‘How fickle can a man be to say something like that?” she sneered at him, “Are you trying to say that

you loved me when you married me?”

Of course, he loved. Who could force him into marriage or force him to choose a lifelong partner if he

wasn’t willing?

That’s what Julie had thought at first.

But now, having heard Kieran’s declaration, Julie’s mocking smile widened, “Yes, you loved me. You

loved me when we got married. But you stopped loving me after we got married because you fell in

love with my bestie! Or perhaps, you loved me, but you loved Bertha more. So you never proposed a

divorce. You were a faithful husband at home, but also a man who disregards morals outside. Your love

is so great, so extensive.”

“Bertha…” Kieran murmured the name, and then looked at Julie with deep eyes, asking her, “What do

you think makes her worthy of my love?

Exactly, what makes her worthy?

Julie had spent countless nights pondering this question.

But love itself doesn’t have reason, logic, or coherence. She had loved Kieran for so many years,

wasn’t that out of reason too?

Her eyes were red as she looked at Kieran with a smile. You might have forgotten. I was stu pid

enough to ask you the same question once.”

That day. Bertha came to Noblewood Retreat with her pregnancy test report, knelt in front of Julie, and

pleaded for her to let her keep the baby, claiming It was Kieran’s.

Bertha might have thought Kieran was not at home that day because Kieran was supposed to be at

work. But that afternoon, Julie had an appointment to go to the hospital for a check-up. Kieran could

have left her alone, but he decided to work from home that morning

Julie, not wanting to interrupt Kieran’s work, went downstairs to watch TV.

Coincidentally, Bertha called to meet up, and the unsuspecting Julie warmly invited her to Noblewood

Retreat.

But she never expected Bertha to tell her that she was pregnant with Kierans child.

Bertha insisted on keeping the baby, saying Kieran had agreed to let her do it.

That was the first time Julie found out about Kieran’s affair.

And the other woman was her best friend Bertha, the friend who had once said they would share

happiness and face difficulties together.

She didn’t know how she managed to keep her emotions in check at that moment, she only

remembered that she was able to keep a straight face and walk upstairs while Bertha was kneeling in

the hall, crying.

It took everything she had to hold back her anger and calmly open the door to the study room.

Klelan, seeing her come in, put down the pen he was signing with, walked up to her, and gently hugged

her from behind, “Bored?”

He was so good, so gentle to her.

She had her back to Kieran, so he couldn’t see her red eyes.

She tried to keep her voice steady, “Can we not have the baby?”

At that moment, Kieran had quickly turned her around, his serious face with a hint of displeasure,

“What are you talking about? It is our baby and how could we not want it?”

“So you want every baby that’s yours, right?” Julie was so upset. She wanted to cry, her nose turning

red.

Kieran instantly understood from Julie’s expression. He let go of her shoulder, seemingly knowing

everything, he frowned slightly and asked, “Bertha is here?”

From Julie’s silence, Kieran got his answer

He turned to walk towards the door.

Suddenly, Julie grabbed the sleeve of his shirt, crying softly, asking him, “Where did I go wrong?”

Kieran stopped, turned around, gently stroked her soft hair, and said. “You did nothing wrong”

“Bertha said it’s your baby she’s carrying… Kieran, she’s lying to me, you’re lying to me, you’re both

playing me, right? She’s not pregnant, is she?”

“Sweetie, it’s not what you think. Give me some time, and ill explain everything” After he said this,

Kieran gently and tenderly unclasped Julie’s hand from his sleeve, and then rushed downstairs.

Oh, how naive Julie was back then!

She deceived herself into believing Kieran just because he promised to explain, convinced that he

wasn’t that kind of guy and he wouldn’t really be with

Bertha

But reality proved to be a cruel joke.

By the time Julie emerged from the study room, she learned from the serv ants that Kieran had left with

Bertha.

He didnt come back until the next morning.

Julie waited for him the whole day and night, not eating, just waiting for him to come back and explain.

She called his cell for countless times, but what she got in the end was Kieran firmly telling her, “Joyce,

the baby in Bertha’s belly is my heir so I can’t abandon it. The one in your belly is also my child. You

should stay home and take care of yourself but you can’t hurt the baby in Bertha’s belly”

After waiting a day and night, she never expected this to be the explanation.

It felt like Kieran had taken a handful of broken glass and viciously stabbed it into Julie’s heart. She

was in so much pain at first that she couldn’t breathe. but eventually, she became numb

Seeing the orange-red lipstick mark on the collar of his white shirt, which was Bertha’s favorite lipstick

color, how could she not know?

She reached out, grabbing the man’s collar, “This is your explanation? How could you do this to me,

protecting the child in her belly? What about mine? What am I supposed to do?”

Julie pointed at her own belly. “This is also your child! If I don’t touch her, can you guarantee she won’t

hurt me?”

“Joyce, listen to me, don’t hurt the baby in Bertha’s belly. I swear to you. Bertha wont do anything to the

child in your belly. I promise she won’t show up in front of you during your pregnancy”

“Are you even human? How could you let her carry your child? How could you? Why, why her? Why

does it have to be her?”

“Joyce, dont compare you with her. You’re not her” He hugged her tightly, as if wanting to meld her into

his bones and blood

She thought these old memories had disappeared with her broken marriage, but who knew that just

one casual remark from Kieran could cause her to remember everything so vividly.

She coldly looked at Kieran and said, “You once told me not to compare me with her. You said I’m not

her. I was so naive, defeated so easily by your sweet words, fooled by your feigned tenderness. I

always thought you were with me every day during my pregnancy because you loved me. I thought the

countless nights you spent with me and our child would at least make you feel some remorse, but the

moment you decided to save Bertha outside the operating room, you were so resolute.”

Julie finally broke down in tears, her hoa rse voice calling out to Kieran, “That was our child, how could

you decide so easily not to save him? Why did you let me alive, why didnt you let me leave this world

with our child? I’m already all alone in this world…”

Before she could finish her desperate words, Kieran grabbed her waist and pulled her into his arms,

sealing her lips with a kiss.