After leaving the villa that had been her home for the past three years, Julia did not speak much on the
way to Consuela's house.
On her arrival, Consuela looked at the absent-minded Julia and coaxed, "You should take a shower
first. I'll make breakfast for you."
Julia nodded and retreated to her room. She couldn't help rubbing her body hard at the thought of
Terence's violent look just now.
She wanted to wash away his smell. She wanted to scrub her body until she could no longer feel his
touch.
What the hell was that?
He hadn't touched her once after they got married. But he had craved and had sex with her repeatedly
soon after their divorce.
Julia forced all thoughts of Terence out of her mind. She took a warm shower, changed into comfortable
pajamas and felt relieved at once. When she came out feeling fresh, Consuela had already prepared
breakfast. There were two fried eggs, two glasses of milk, and some toast laid out on the table.
It smelled delicious and Julia enjoyed them more than she ever had.
"Are you done?" Consuela asked as Julia downed the last of her milk. The former placed her glass on
the table and gave Julia a stern look.
Julia raised her head and stared at Consuela. Her chubby face was full of seriousness. Behind her
thick glasses, Consuela's eyes were particularly frightening.
"Don't look at me like that." Julia lowered her head. She had always been open to Consuela about her
relationship with Terence. But this time, she didn't know why she was keeping things from her.
Julia was afraid that Consuela might think less of her.
She felt ashamed at the fact that she was the one always approaching Terence.
With a guilty conscience, Julia said, "I didn't want to get involved with him. I drank too much last night
and ran into him. I didn't expect..." She trailed off when she saw that Consuela was still giving her a
hard look.
She smiled bitterly and continued, "Don't worry, I will not be seeing Terence anymore. Please don't be
angry with me."
They were divorced now, they had no reason to meet anymore.
"Julia, you know I wasn't mad at you because of this." Consuela shook her head and let out a sigh.
Although she was only Julia's broker, Consuela treated her like a sister. "I told you that Terence wasn't
your Mr. Right, but you didn't listen to me. Now—"
"I know I was wrong," Julia interrupted. Though she was smiling, there was a hint of sadness in her
eyes. "I'm sad. Stop nagging me."
Consuela sighed and said, "If you had cared for my advice, you wouldn't end up like this."
Sighing again, she put her hand in her pocket and drew out a box of morning-after pills. She flung it in
Julia's direction and said, "It has already happened. Just take the pills and don't think too much. You
are already divorced and now you need to think about your future."
Julia hadn't considered if she would get pregnant, but Consuela had thought of everything. As Julia
showered, she had gone out and bought those pills.
Staring at the pills on the table, Julia had a faint guess what they were for. But she was having trouble
believing it. "Are these...?" she began, unable to complete her question.
"Yes, you are right." Consuela nodded, silently urging Julia to take them. "Julia, you should protect
yourself. Don't let something unexpected like this affect your future.
You and Terence are divorced. Even if you are pregnant, he will not come back to you. He will probably
think this is one of your schemes to get back with him." Consuela knew Terence had been blinded. He
would regret his decision to abandon Julia in the future.
"I bought the pills for you. Whether you take them or not, is your decision entirely," she said in a tone of
finality. They sat in silence for a few seconds. When Julia did not reply, Consuela gave up. "I haven't
slept all night since I was looking for you. So, I'm going upstairs to rest."
She stood up and walked towards her bedroom. When Consuela had shut the door to her room, Julia
stared at the pills on the table. Her head and heart were at war, unable to decide what to do. But she
finally filled a glass of water from the kitchen and popped a pill in her mouth.
'Consuela is right. I should plan for my future.'
Julia didn't want to live in Consuela's house forever. She had to rent her own. Thanks to Terence's
alimony payments, she didn't have to think about working for a living right now.
As Consuela slept, Julia left, trying to find a house to rent.
On the other hand, Jean was now bored with nothing to do at the hotel. She started to think about how
she hadn't met her mother, Mandy Zhao, ever since she had returned. Thus, she tidied herself up and
left the room.
Jean had never really been close to her mother.
Jean was a very self-serving person, who used people for her own selfish reasons and discarded them
when she did not need them anymore. Although Terence had divorced Julia, Jean had a feeling that he
was still in love with her.
So she decided to use her mother, a gambling addict, to deal with Julia.
Jean arrived at the door of the Gu family's house. Her memories from three years ago had brought her
to the right place. She knocked on the door several times, but no one answered. She took out her
phone and dialed Mandy Zhao's number. "Where are you?" Jean asked, irritated.
"Jean? What's wrong?" Mandy Zhao inquired, her voice as flattering as ever. "I am resting at home. I
am not feeling well."
"Stop lying. I am standing outside your house," Jean replied and hung up.
After a while, Mandy Zhao came back, sweating profusely. She smiled broadly and asked, "Why didn't
you tell me you were coming over? I would have cooked for you."
"No, thanks," Jean replied and gave Mandy Zhao an icy stare.
It seemed as if Jean was looking at a stranger rather than her own mother.
"I didn't come back to have lunch with you," Jean clarified coldly.
"Okay..." Jean thought of Mandy Zhao as only a maid. She made a disgusting face when her mother
flung open the door to the messy living room. A little embarrassed, Mandy Zhao began tidying it up.
She turned to Jean and gestured to a chair. "Take a seat. I'll bring you a glass of water."
But when she grabbed the thermos bottle and opened it, there was not even a single drop of water in it.
Jean frowned again. Seeing that her mother lived such a messy life, she could not help but ask, "Have
you always lived like this these years?"
When Jean's father was still alive, they were considerably well off. At least, they lived a comfortable life
without having to worry about food and clothes.
However, after he passed away, the family business suffered losses. Mandy Zhao lost whatever
property they had left due to her gambling. Now, she was stuck living in this dump that she rented.
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