CHAPTER 72: CHAPTER 72: HIS PASSIONATE KISS, HER TEARFUL REJECTION BREAKS HIS HEART

The stinging pain on his cheek struck, igniting anger and humiliation in Julian Lawson’s heart.

In his 28 years of life, no one had ever dared to insult him like this!

His anger surged, and Julian turned back furiously.

He was about to say something, but he saw Serena’s tear-filled eyes.

She stood there in front of him, appearing thin and weak in the moonlight, her face pale, but her eyes were bloodshot from crying.

Her tears...

Seemed endless, quietly falling without words, but the sight pierced his heart.

He was reminded of the day they lost their child in Frelia.

That day, she had cried bitterly too.

Back then she sobbed quietly in his arms, and now she was silent, yet it broke his heart all the same.

His heart ached heavily; he never wanted to see her cry like this again.

Julian reached out, trying to wipe the tears from Serena’s face, but she pushed his hand away.

"Julian Lawson." Serena’s hand trembled slightly with force.

She looked at him.

"I’m Serena Sterling, I won’t be brought to this!"

Tears uncontrollably streamed down, Serena clenched her fists, refusing to appear weak.

"You said Vera Hansen won’t live past six months, and that you need to care for her, fine."

"You said you wanted to divorce me to fulfill her last wish, so I went with you to the civil office and completed the formalities."

"I don’t care about your affair with her."

"But how can you humiliate me like this, humiliate my child!"

Serena spoke softly, each word clear in the quiet moonlight.

"Julian Lawson, in this world, it’s not just you and Vera Hansen who have feelings, it’s not only your pain that’s real."

"I admit I loved the wrong person, in love I can concede defeat and leave, but how can you... bully me and my child like this."

Serena’s lips quivered, struggling to hold back a sob at the final words.

Her fingertips dug into her palm.

She pressed her lips together, trying to appear stronger; it was her dignity.

"Serena."

Julian’s brows furrowed deeply, each of her words struck his heart painfully.

"The matter with Vera..."

He wanted to say something, but he couldn’t speak after all.

Moonlight flowed like water, illuminating the earth with a cold, whitened glow.

"Six months." After a long silence, finally, he said, "She only has six months left."

Serena suddenly laughed sarcastically.

She lifted her head, her gaze shifted from his face to the black sky.

Why had things turned out this way.

Why did she have to suffer so?

Serena reached up, wiping away her tears.

Not wanting to say more, she turned to leave.

Yet he held her hand once again.

"Serena." He stubbornly called her name.

She didn’t even want to say "let go," just tried forcefully to break free.

But his grip only tightened.

Under the moonlight, his eyes were red, stubbornly holding her hand, refusing to let go.

Serena struggled hard, she no longer wanted to stay here.

But as the wind blew across the lake, a wave of dizziness hit her again.

That glass of wine...

She had accompanied Julian Lawson to various occasions over the years, sipping enough to roughly gauge the alcohol content.

She knew her limits, by logic, this glass shouldn’t be much for her today.

Having frequently negotiated abroad, she was wary of tampering, and this wine should not have any such substances, Isla Lawson wouldn’t have had a reason to do that.

So...

In a daze, she saw her slender wrist held in Julian’s grip.

Since falling down the stairs and miscarrying last time, she hadn’t been well.

Adding the wind after drinking,

A rush of drunkenness almost made her unable to stand.

She couldn’t stay here any longer.

She reached out to push Julian away, wanting him to release her.

But she hadn’t realized she was already swaying.

"Serena?" Julian’s brows knitted tightly.

She didn’t respond to him.

He reached out, encircled her waist, lifted her.

Serena felt herself lifted off the ground, tried to push him, but her efforts were feeble.

"You drank." His chest rumbled, Julian’s voice was muffled.

"Put me down." Serena said.

Yet Julian ignored her, taking her high heels, carrying her inside the villa.

Along the path through the woods, she felt dizzy, looking up to see moonlight filtering through the dense trees.

Those beams of moonlight falling on him blurred the present and memories.

She was truly a bit drunk.

Walking all the way to the villa, he pressed his fingerprint to unlock the door, in the vestibule, he set her down.

Seeing her stand against the wall, he reached out to close the door.

She was still crying, as he looked at her, sadness welled inside.

Carrying her earlier, he felt she was much lighter than before.

A lot lighter.

She had always been slender, now even more so.

"You’re a bit drunk, planning to leave like this?" Julian said.

It would be dangerous on the road.

"I don’t need your concern." Her voice was thick with tears.

Julian was helpless.

"It’s hard to get a taxi near Moonlight Manor; how will you leave, walk?" He explained patiently.

Although situated on the precious Northgate Loop, there were security measures around Moonlight Manor.

The Lawson Family didn’t want people constantly sneaking around, nor did they want to be a tourist attraction.

Security considerations needed addressing as well.

Usually, they had manor staff driving them in and out; there were no worries there.

But Serena clearly intended to leave alone now.

Seeing Serena press her lips stubbornly silent, he spoke again:

"I saw your car on the way here; do you plan to drive drunk? Serena, you can’t even walk steadily now."

Serena still didn’t respond, tears ceaselessly streaming down.

"Stop crying."

He said, under the dim light of the vestibule, her crying shattered his heart.

But she merely turned her head aside.

He sighed deeply, lowered himself, cupped her cheeks, and reached to wipe her tears.

At such a close distance, he could clearly see the tears on her lashes.

Then, he kissed her.

His lips wandered across hers, tasting her tears.

Her fists softly pounded against him, offering no resistance.

Julian applied more force, lifted Serena, carried her to the bedroom on the first floor.

The fragrance of white wine lingered on her, and before she could speak, he kissed her again.

He didn’t want to hear her talk.

The room’s temperature quickly escalated, he held her down, his other hand roamed over her.

He loved her body, cherished the nights they spent together, whispering sweet nothings.

He loved to see her tremble gently in his arms, loved the way her eyes were full of him.

But, she truly had lost a lot of weight.

Her already slender waist was now barely graspable, and...

"Nora..."

He called her name, kissed her.

"Serena."

Kissed again.

Breath intertwined.