Chapter 21 Fighting Fire With Fire
Perhaps Elizabeth’s patience and tolerance had finally reached their limit. Every word she spoke seemed designed to provoke me, as if she wanted us to fight and search for grounds for reconciliation.
I could only say her thinking was rather idealistic.
This so–called “grounds for reconciliation” had always been about my compromising on marriage and love.
But when the person who had constantly been wronged refused to take it anymore, where did all that reconciliation come from?
I shrugged. “Think whatever you want. Go ahead and believe I’m jealous. It doesn’t matter to me.”
I added dismissively, “You should get some rest.” Then I walked out of the office without waiting for her reaction.
I thought the evening was finally over, but to my surprise, Elizabeth chased after me.
She grabbed my arm with surprising strength and hissed, “Julian, my patience has limits!”
Her voice rose with each word. “I’ve tolerated you pushing my boundaries again and again because I value our marriage. But that’s not an invitation for you to keep pushing further!”
Chapter 21 Fighting Fire With Fire
She delivered her ultimatum without hesitation. “If you dare leave tonight, you’d better be prepared to face the consequences!”
She truly was an overbearing woman!
But I was no longer the person who trembled at the slightest change in her behavior.
2/8
When I stopped loving her, she became just like everyone else, nothing special.
“Hah, quit the drunk drama, Ms. Bennett. I have work tomorrow, so I’m leaving,” I chuckled softly, completely dismissing Elizabeth’s threats.
With a casual flick of my wrist, I broke free from her grip and walked away.
Behind me, Elizabeth stared at my retreating figure, her expression both shocked and defeated, unable to process what had just happened.
She never imagined that the husband she once considered utterly ordinary would dare to dismiss her words so completely.
It wasn’t until the elevator doors closed behind me that Elizabeth finally snapped out of her daze and shouted, losing her composure, “Julian, I won’t forget tonight! I’ll show you just how ridiculous you’re being!
Chapter 21 Fighting Fire With Fire
3/8
“And I’ll also tell you that there’s no point in being jealous in marriage. Even if our roles were reversed, no matter what you did, I wouldn’t be jealous as long as it wasn’t crossing the line!”
In the quiet night, Elizabeth’s voice echoed in my ears long after.
Even as I left the Bennett Group building, I couldn’t understand what she was trying to prove tonight.
Was she seeking reconciliation?
Or was she trying to prove she wouldn’t be jealous of me?
But we were about to get divorced–what was the point of these games now?
Standing by the road late at night, hailing a cab, I gradually pushed thoughts of Elizabeth from my mind.
Yet she refused to let me go, acting like someone on a drunken rampage, and called me again.
Once, seeing her name would have filled me with uncontrollable joy.
Now I had felt utter exasperation.
“Hello? Will you ever give it a rest?”
“No, I won’t! Julian, what did I do to offend you and make you so cold and distant?”
Chapter 21 Fighting Fire With Fire
4/8
Elizabeth stood at the massive floor–to–ceiling window of the executive office, watching the tall, striking figure on the street below with complex emotions swirling in her beautiful eyes.
She wanted to know my answer.
Elizabeth refused to believe that Julian, who had loved her so deeply, could cut off everything between them in just a few days.
“It’s not an offense, nor is it truly a clean break,” I said softly into the phone, my voice calm and gentle. “I’m not being stubborn with you. I’m just repeating your own words.”
“What did I say?” Elizabeth demanded, her voice rising sharply as her fingers gripped the phone so tightly her knuckles turned white.
“Those who practice Buddhism must avoid indulgence in desire,” I reminded her. “Intimacy is only permitted on the sixteenth day of each month.”
After five years, I had returned those exact words to her. Then I hung up, turned off my phone, and caught a taxi that had fortunately just arrived. I disappeared into the vast darkness of the night.
“Julian!” Elizabeth cried out desperately from the window, straining her eyes to see me, but ultimately finding nothing.
The phone slipped unconsciously from her fingertips as tears streamed down her face.
Chapter 21 Fighting Fire With Fire
5/8
Through the glittering cityscape, Elizabeth saw her reflection in the window glass–her face was already streaked with tears.
Her heart ached terribly, as if someone had plunged a knife deep
into it.
That night, Elizabeth couldn’t fall asleep no matter how hard
she tried.
Even though her mind had reached the point of exhaustion and her head was beginning to throb with pain, she refused to close her eyes.
Whenever she did, she felt a terrifying emptiness inside, as if she
had lost someone forever.
The next morning, Elizabeth sat motionless in her office, her face haggard, with bloodshot eyes and dark circles beneath them.
Just then, a knock sounded at her office door.
“Come in,” Elizabeth snapped out of her daze and responded, her voice hoarse.
“Yes, Ms. Bennett,” Edward replied.
“Ms. Bennett, what happened to you? Didn’t you sleep at all last night?” Edward asked as he entered the room, nearly dropping his jaw at the sight of Elizabeth looking so worn out.
In his mind, Elizabeth had always been powerful and beautiful.
Chapter 21 Fighting Fire With Fire
6/8
Even when drunk, she had never appeared this disheveled.
Hadn’t Mr. Thornton visited her last night? What could have happened between them?
Edward couldn’t help but wonder as Elizabeth’s gaze slowly shifted toward him.
“What do you want?” she asked flatly.
“Oh, Ms. Bennett, I apologize. It’s about the investigation you requested. I have news,” Edward replied quickly.
“What investigation?” Elizabeth’s eyes flickered with confusion, her exhaustion evident.
Now it was Edward’s turn to be confused. He remembered that Elizabeth had explicitly asked him last night in the car to investigate where Julian was living.
“Mr. Thornton’s current address–wasn’t that what you requested last night?” he asked hesitantly.
“Did I?” Elizabeth replied.
After a moment’s reflection, she nodded. “I had too much to drink last night. Many details are fuzzy.
“Just leave it here and you can go,” she dismissed him with a
wave.
“Of course, Ms. Bennett,” Edward responded, respectfully
Chapter 21 Fighting Fire With Fire
placing the folder on her desk before turning to leave the executive office, carefully closing the door behind him.
Judging by Elizabeth’s terrible state today, Edward doubted she’d be able to handle any meetings.
7/8
Sighing, he instructed the staff, “Ms. Bennett is unwell today. No one is to disturb her, and all meetings will be postponed until
tomorrow.”
It was simply part of his responsibilities as Elizabeth’s assistant.
Edward didn’t realize that Elizabeth had opened the folder back in her office and discovered that Julian had rented a house, apparently planning a long–term residence. This revelation left her completely unsettled.
“That bastard!” she fumed. “Does he even care about this home anymore? About our marriage?
“Julian, you’ve got some nerve! I asked you to stay somewhere else temporarily, and instead you’re setting up for a full separation!”
Elizabeth was absolutely furious, her beautiful eyes blazing with anger. She immediately called Edward back into her office.
“Ms. Bennett? What else can I do for you?” Edward asked in confusion as he entered, only to have the folder thrown directly at his feet.
Her Sacred Lie
