It had been twenty days since Julian and I started our cold war. Today, he posted a picture on Instagram. Fingers intertwined with the school’s most popular girl. Quietly, I logged into the college application portal and changed my top choice to Lancewood University, a thousand miles away. At a party, one of his buddies teased him, "Chloe, if you don't sweet-talk him soon, Julian's actually going to end up with someone else." I softly whispered an apology. Julian's lips twitched into a smirk. "Forget it. Go home and pack your bags. We're heading out tomorrow for the start of the semester." I offered a vague hum of agreement. Julian didn't know I had already bought a bus ticket to Lancewood for tonight. 1 I am the daughter of the housekeeper for Julian’s family. When I was seven, we moved into a small room on the first floor of their house. My duty was to take care of his everyday needs. For ten whole years, attending to him became a task etched into my bones. I was docile and well-behaved. Julian’s mother often praised me. But Julian hated me. The first time we met, he was standing on the staircase wearing a crisp white button-down and tailored shorts, looking as perfectly put together as a porcelain doll. I was wearing a faded, torn sundress, staring blankly at everything around me. The disgust in his eyes was impossible to hide. His mother introduced me. She told him I was Mary’s daughter, Chloe. My father had run off, and with nowhere else to go, we had come to stay with Mary. He didn't say a word, just turned and walked upstairs. His mother told me that from then on, I was responsible for taking care of Julian. My mother also warned me. She said the family situation was complicated, and it was a miracle we were allowed to stay. She told me to talk less, do more, and absolutely never make Julian angry. I knew Julian didn't like me. To make sure we could stay, I tried to make myself as invisible as possible. Every day, I quietly organized his clothes and cleaned his room. For the first three months, Julian didn't speak a single word to me. That year, he got sick. His mother had been in a bad mood and was traveling overseas. The family doctor came and prescribed medicine, but by nighttime, his coughing still hadn't stopped. I remembered a home remedy my grandmother used to make: poached pears with peppercorns. When I made it and brought it to him, Julian looked at it with absolute revulsion. "Chloe, are you trying to poison me? What kind of hillbilly concoction is this?" I replied timidly, "It's not poison. The pear is good for you. It stops the coughing." Julian looked annoyed. "If it doesn't work, will you get the hell out of my house?" I froze, standing to the side, not daring to breathe. Julian let out a scoff and drank it down. The next morning, his coughing was much better. 2 Before elementary school started, my mom found a boarding school for me. It was a bit remote, meaning I could only come back on weekends. I felt a wave of relief. Being away from my mom meant I wouldn't make things difficult for her in the house, and I wouldn't have to walk on eggshells around Julian anymore. While I was packing and waiting for the bus, my mom ran over, completely out of breath, to tell me the news. Julian's mother wanted me to attend the same elementary school as him. She wanted me to take care of him at school. I whispered, asking if I could just not go. My mom grabbed me by the shoulders. "Chloe, are you stupid? Julian's school is the best in the city. Do you know how many people would kill to get in?" I lowered my eyes and didn't say another word. 3 From that day on, I became Julian's shadow. I followed him from elementary school straight through middle school. I got his lunch, carried his backpack, and did his homework. Everyone knew I was a tail he couldn't shake off. By middle school, he had made a whole group of friends. And I was just the tail trailing far behind them. Always monitoring his mood, always anticipating his needs. His friends joked that I was his most loyal admirer. If Julian told me to go North, I wouldn't dare take a step South. The only thing that never changed was his disdain for me. In eighth grade, Julian went out with his friends and got his favorite jacket dirty. He dragged me out of bed in the middle of the night and ordered me to hand-wash it. I was wearing a thin spaghetti-strap nightgown, my face burning red with embarrassment. Julian looked away awkwardly and sneered, "With a body that flat, who'd even want to look?" The quiet insecurity of a teenage girl began to take root. During our sophomore year, the academic pressure was crushing. I stayed up day and night doing practice tests. On a whim, Julian decided he wanted to eat my cooking. He demanded I make his lunch every night and bring it to school for him the next day. By the time I finished my practice tests and cooked his meals, it was past midnight. Then I still had to wake up early to make sure he got to school on time. At lunch, I heated up the food and brought it to his desk. His friend threw an arm around him and teased, "Look at Julian, getting home-cooked meals from his little wife." Julian's face instantly turned to ice. With a look of pure disgust, he shoved the food I had just heated up over to his desk-mate to eat. I didn't say anything. I just waited quietly for them to finish, washed the container, and went back to my practice tests. That year, I finally started to develop, much later than the other girls. I absolutely hated running during P.E. class. But I couldn't get out of it. I wasn't Julian. During P.E., he usually just played basketball on the other court, and the teachers never bothered him. Whenever it was my turn to run, some guys would always whistle at me. I unconsciously slowed my pace. Oliver, a guy from the class next door, happened to walk by and handed me his uniform jacket. It caused a huge commotion. I had seen him at the opening assembly. Rumor had it his family's company was massive. He was polite and gentle, and both his looks and his grades were at the very top of the school. "Put this on. You still have half a mile to run." After a moment of hesitation, I took it. Later, someone spread a vicious rumor in class, saying I was shameless, deliberately trying to seduce Oliver, and even wearing his jacket to show off. Sitting in the back row, Julian violently kicked a desk over. It hit the floor with a deafening crash. Everyone instantly shut up. That evening, Julian didn't wait for me to walk home. He said since I was so capable, I should just have Oliver take me home. I sighed, dug out some change, and went to wait for the public bus. To my surprise, Oliver was there too. He was quietly listening to an audiobook, and he waved when he saw me. I sat next to him, and he took out an earbud. I knew the jacket incident had caused him trouble too, so I softly apologized. Oliver just smiled, unbothered. "Chloe, don't listen to the rumors. Just focus on your studying. You have two and a half years until college. Have you thought about where you want to go?" Oliver had the kind of gentle, elegant good looks that were the complete opposite of Julian's sharp, aggressive handsome face. I was stunned for a moment. Where did I want to go to college? I had never even thought about it. My only thought was how to get my grades higher, and then higher still. I couldn't afford tutoring, so my mom had managed to borrow Julian's old notes for me. I had to admit, Julian was smarter than me. He often understood a concept the first time he looked at it. I had to review and practice relentlessly just to grasp the basics. Having his notes was genuinely a huge help. My mom had told me to just apply to whatever colleges Julian chose. His family was wealthy and had connections; his choices would definitely be the right ones. I didn't know which college he was going to apply to. Oliver smiled gently. "Think about it carefully. Where do you really want to go?" When I got home, my mom told me Julian wasn't coming back for dinner. She asked where he was. I shook my head and said I didn't know. By the time Julian finally came home, it was past midnight. He looked exhausted, and there was blood on his hands. He walked in, gave me a cold glance, and went straight upstairs. I quietly asked if he needed me to help bandage his hands. He ignored me and kept walking. I went online and started researching different universities. It was the very first time. The first time I clearly realized I could leave Julian. I could go to a place I actually wanted to be. A while later, feeling uneasy, I asked my mom if she had ever thought about leaving the family. After all, we couldn't live here forever. My mom looked a bit lost. She said that ever since she divorced my dad, she had worked for them. Even though Julian had a terrible temper sometimes, his mother was relatively easy to get along with. In all these years, I had never once seen Julian's father at the house. I only knew bits and pieces from overheard conversations. His father's company was massive, and he was always busy. His parents had a terrible relationship; it was an arranged marriage. After Julian was born, his father practically moved in with his mistress. His mother raised him, but aside from working, she traveled constantly, leaving my mom to take care of the house. My mom said her original plan was to work here until I graduated college, then take her savings and start a small business. I softly asked if she had considered leaving as soon as I finished high school. My mom stayed silent, stroked my hair, and didn't say a word. 4 Ever since the jacket incident, Julian found new ways to torture me every single night. If it wasn't fetching him water, it was organizing his desk. Or changing his bedsheets, or washing his new clothes by hand. I was just thankful I wasn't sharing a bed with my mom anymore, so she didn't have to see it and worry. If Julian didn't sleep, I wasn't allowed to sleep either. I had to stay visible, constantly doing something. A few times, the exhaustion hit me so hard I just passed out. When I woke up, I was always on the sofa in his room. And Julian would already be gone. I started taking the public bus by myself. It took longer, but my heart felt lighter. I figured if I pissed him off enough, maybe he'd just ignore me forever. Of course, that was impossible right now. All I could do was use my studying as an excuse to stop spending all my time trying to please him. A week later, Julian had a basketball game. Normally, I'd buy his sports drinks and have his change of clothes ready. This time, I didn't go. I stayed in the classroom, memorizing vocabulary words. My mom called, saying Julian had been in a terrible mood lately. His mother had asked her to tell me to take better care of him. She had ordered bubble tea to the court and told me to go pick it up. I took the drinks and sat on the sidelines. A few girls were giggling and gossiping nearby. "Told you. She couldn't stay away. Julian ignores her for a few days, and she panics." "A lapdog needs to know its place. She tried to play hard to get, but she caved." I didn't say a word. On the court, Julian jumped and sank a perfect shot, drawing cheers from the crowd. He stared right at me and gestured for me to hand out the drinks. I handed them to the other players first. I brought the last cup over to him. He had his hands resting behind his back, looking at me with a malicious glint in his eye. I stood there in the sun, holding out the cup, absorbing the mocking stares of everyone around us. I said quietly, "Julian, your drink." He didn't look at me. His voice was lazy. "Hold it up to me. I sprained my wrist. It hurts." I unwrapped the straw, put it in the cup, and held it up to his mouth. Julian leaned down and took a few sips. His friends whistled and hollered at him. He just smirked, unbothered. I genuinely didn't understand what he was trying to prove. Until I turned around and saw Oliver sitting on the bleachers across from us. Was he trying to show off in front of Oliver? They both came from wealthy, influential families. Both were incredibly good-looking and at the top of the class. It was inevitable that people compared them. I just hadn't expected Julian, who usually ignored everyone, to start caring about Oliver. I didn't overthink it. I just did as I was told, holding the straw to his lips. At least if Julian was in a good mood, he wouldn't make my life miserable, and I'd be able to get some sleep tonight.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "447293", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel