Love Stopped Before I Left Novel by DaphenRosa _ Novel





Love Stopped Before I Left Chapter 01

When Julian Vance came to pick me up from work at the county clerk's office, he suddenly handed me a marriage certificate through the window:
"Actually, our certificate is fake. Remarrying you was just a joke to tease you."
Before I could react, he waved the brand-new marriage certificate in his hand, a mischievous, lingering smirk on his face:
"Yesterday, Clara sat on my lap and kissed me. It felt so good that I couldn't fight the urge, so I got a real one with her."
The second betrayal felt like a bucket of ice water poured right over my head.
I looked at him in disbelief, my voice trembling as I demanded, "Why?"
"Because you're stupid."
He narrowed his eyes, regarding my reddening eyes with condescending amusement, and handed me a tissue with a half-smile:
"Before, Clara and I had an illicit affair for three years before you finally caught on."
"So she and I made a bet on how long it would take you to find out about us this time."
His gaze fell on the unfaded hickey on my neck. He paused for a second, then shrugged:
"She bet a year at most, so I intentionally left plenty of clues over the past year."
"But I grew tired of putting on an act, and you still didn't notice."
"Today is the last day of the bet. I want her to win and make her happy."
"I have no choice but to just confess to you myself."
Even when I sat down on the sofa, my whole body was still shaking.
Julian was amused by my devastated look.
He stuffed the crushed rose in his hand into mine and patted my head soothingly:
"Remember the day of your dad's funeral? Clara and I were right next door. We used up a whole box of condoms."
"Separated by just a wall, she moaned louder than you cried. It was quite a thrill."
"It was my first time seeing a girl as bold and wild as her, completely different from you. That was when I first got drawn to her."
A loud buzz exploded in my head, and my eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
That day, I broke down so hard at the memorial hall that I almost fainted from crying.
But when we were helped out, Clara's legs were trembling, and her steps even more unsteady than mine.
Julian was standing right beside me at that time. Glancing at her retreating figure, he said softly:
"She is your best friend, after all. With your father passing away, it's no easy thing for her to accept this loss."
I believed them.
One was my best friend, and the other was the man I loved most.
I never had the slightest doubt about them.
Yet their subsequent betrayal cut into me like frozen blades, hurting me all over.
The day I first caught them, I thought I would never forgive them, but later my mother fell seriously ill, and I fainted outside the operating room.
Julian anxiously ran around taking care of everything, while Clara held me, crying uncontrollably.
Perhaps people are just easily swayed when they are vulnerable.
Julian seemed to read my mind and sneered:
"You really are too soft-hearted, Serena. I just put on an act kneeling by your mom's hospital bed and sent a few bouquets of flowers, and you agreed to remarry me."
"Do you have any idea how she cackled with glee?"
My fingers suddenly clenched tight, and then I heard his tone shift:
"But Clara thought your expression was incredibly amusing the first time you caught us in bed together."
"So she had me arrange for you to work at the county clerk's office. She wanted to know what kind of face you'd make when you discovered the marriage certificate was fake, realizing firsthand that you'd been fooled a second time."
My entire body froze.
By the time I came to my senses, I had already slapped him hard across the face.
I practically lost my mind, grabbing anything within reach and hurling it at him, my whole body trembling:
"Why would you do this to me?!"
A hint of surprise flashed in Julian's eyes.
He turned his head to wipe the corner of his mouth, then suddenly let out a soft chuckle:
"How was it? Did you enjoy the show, my lady?"
I froze, staring at him in utter confusion.
The next second, his phone lit up without warning, and Clara let out a mocking snicker through the screen:
"Great performance, hubby. I'll let you take the top tonight as your reward~"
I stared up in shock, my blood turning cold in an instant.
"Clara was really looking forward to seeing you lose your composure after finding out the truth, so she insisted I livestream it."
"She wouldn't stop throwing a tantrum if I didn't agree. You know how she is with her spoiled princess temper, so hard to deal with..."
Watching his mouth open and close, my ears buzzed, and my vision went black for a second.
I instinctively grabbed the edge of the table, barely steadying myself from collapsing.
"Smack." Clara leaned closer to the camera and gave Julian a kiss: "Hurry back, I'm waiting for you."
After saying that, she tilted her chin at me: "Serena, you cried a bit uglier this time than the last. I'm very satisfied."
After the screen went dark, Julian acted as if nothing had happened.
His eyes swept indifferently over me, then suddenly stilled. Frowning, he pulled my hand into his: "How did this happen?"

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