Chapter 2 An Indifferent Man

James suddenly frowned and asked, "Are you really...?"

Julie bit her lip hard and nodded. "Yes, I'm pregnant," she announced, struggling to straighten up.

James's eyes were stony. After a long time, he said, "So when you called me just now..."

He stared hard at Julie and asked, "Did you really abort the baby when I said I didn't want it? You are such a heartless woman!"

"I don't want my child to grow up feeling unwanted by its own father! It would be the most terrible thing in the world for that child.

Besides, it's good for both of us, isn't it?" she asked mockingly, sadness filling her pale face.

Pursing his lips, James squinted at Julie. "Yes, you're right. It's good for both of us."

Julie laughed bitterly and all the strength drained out of her body. She collapsed on the ground.

When Julie woke up from her nightmare, she was back in the villa where she and James lived. She raised her hand and wiped the perspiration off her forehead. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down.

The nightmare, which felt so real only moments ago, became blurry. She frowned, trying hard to recollect what it was about, but couldn't remember. However, she was sure of one thing: she never wanted to relive it.

Julie turned her head and looked out of the window. It was bright outside. She seemed to have slept through the whole night. It suddenly occurred to her that she met James before she passed out.

Would James be so nice as to bring her back to the villa? After all, he was the kind of person who would shamelessly abandon her even if she had fainted.

Julie felt a headache coming on and immediately raised her hand to massage her forehead. Three years ago, Julie had been in a car accident, which made her lose part of her memory. The headaches were also a result of the accident.

Julie couldn't help but think that if it hadn't been for the car accident, she might have been able to retain her mother's legacy and not depend on the Leng family for financial support.

When Julie tried to move her head, she felt a sharp pain, as if her head was going to explode. She desperately needed some painkillers. As soon as she walked into the dining room, she spotted James sitting there.

He pretended to not notice her and continued eating. Julie was stunned for a moment. She didn't expect James to be home.

After hesitating for a while, she asked softly, "You brought me back here yesterday, didn't you? Thank you for that."

"I just didn't want you to attract undue attention outside the hospital. The reporters would swoop in and make a circus out of it again," James said, raising his head. He shot a frosty glance at Julie. "You're very good at playing the victim and attracting reporters to gain sympathy, aren't you? Don't worry. I won't let you die a horrible death. It will disgrace the Leng family," he said brutally.

Julie bit her pale lip hard, leaving a red mark. Noticing Julie's action, James's eyes moved down to her collarbone. The bite mark that he had left three months ago was still faintly visible.

One could imagine how violent James was that night. Even if it was consensual sex, he had been so rough with her. It was no different than rape.

James avoided her gaze and lowered his voice. "There is porridge in the kitchen. Go and eat some. If you get too sick, it'll set off the gossip mill again."

Julie nodded sadly and replied, "Yes, I know."

She knew that James didn't care about her. He was only looking after her because his company was in the midst of expansion and merging with other large companies. He wanted to avoid any kind of negative publicity right now. So he was being extra cautious. Julie ambled over to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. She swallowed the painkiller and then proceeded to serve herself some porridge. Standing behind Julie, James made a face when he saw her taking the medicine.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Their maid, Cherry Li, immediately went to open the door, and two women entered. One of them was a middle-aged woman with short hair and exquisite makeup. She looked furious. The other woman was in her early 20s and was wearing designer clothes. When she saw Julie, she smiled smugly.

The middle-aged woman was Julie's mother-in-law, Miranda Xu. The younger one was Julie's half-sister, Alice Lin.

When Alice Lin saw Julie, she immediately flew to her. "Sister!"

Julie looked away and didn't respond to her greeting. Alice Lin smoothed her hair and turned to James sweetly. "My brother-in-law, I haven't seen you for a long time. You..."

Before Alice Lin could finish her words, Miranda Xu stepped forward, intending to interrogate Julie. "Your sister told me that someone saw you at the hospital yesterday. Why were you there? You'd better tell me the truth, or I will make you suffer once I find it out."

Alice Lin smiled wickedly and instantly chimed in, "Sister, I inquired about it. You went there to get an abortion. What's wrong with you? Why did you do it?"

Ignoring Alice Lin's snide remarks, Julie turned to Miranda Xu and tried to clarify, "Mom, I..."

Julie was slapped on her face before she could finish speaking.

Miranda Xu slapped her hard and scowled at her. "Don't forget how you knelt in front of me and said that you would be the right fit for our family. You promised to fulfill all the duties of a daughter-in-law. That's why I consented to your marriage with James!"

Not wanting to waste an opportunity to embarrass her sister, Alice Lin swooped in with an ingratiating smile. "Auntie, it's time for you to teach my sister a lesson. How can the Leng family's daughter-in-law behave so callously? She had an abortion without even telling anybody that she was pregnant. Why would she do that unless the child was not James's? I think it's very possible. After all, James dislikes her. How could he sleep with my sister? I'm sure my sister couldn't bear the loneliness and went to find another man!"

Hearing this, Miranda glowered at Julie and barked, "Tell me! Did you have this baby with another man?"

Before Julie could answer, Miranda Xu, who was in no mood to listen, raised her hand to hit Julie once again.