Storms of the Heart novel Chapter 24

Four words, spoken with absolute finality, leaving no room for doubt or compromise.

The car fell into silence again, leaving only the low hum of the engine.

Julian's cheek muscles twitched ever so slightly, and the last flicker of light in his eyes was snuffed out, leaving only a fathomless darkness.

When they returned to that familiar townhouse, nothing seemed to have changed. The furniture she once liked, the items she had used, even the few potted plants she had cared for, had all been carefully maintained.

Yet everything felt different—it was more luxurious, more refined than before, like a meticulously crafted gilded cage.

Julian had indeed confined her.

Under the guise of protection, he assigned someone to monitor her 24 hours a day, but in reality, she was under constant surveillance.

She couldn't leave the house at will, and all her communication devices had been confiscated, cutting her off entirely from the outside world.

Trina didn't cry, throw herself into hysterics, or resist. Instead, she accepted everything with an eerie calm.

She ate, slept, strolled through the garden, and occasionally picked up her paintbrushes, losing herself in painting at the easel to pass the time.

But she completely ignored Julian's presence.

Whether he was home or not, and no matter what he said to her, she treated him like air—as if he were transparent, nonexistent.

When her eyes passed over him, there was no flicker of emotion, as if she were glancing at a piece of furniture or a blank wall.

This utter indifference was far more unbearable for Julian than hatred, yelling, or any overt resistance.

At least, hatred was an intense emotion—it would prove she still cared. But indifference meant she couldn't even be bothered to hate him. To her, he had completely become irrelevant.

At night, Julian often returned home late, reeking of alcohol.

He would quietly push open the bedroom door and, in the pale glow of moonlight spilling through the window, see Trina curled up on one side of the bed, her back to him, seemingly asleep.

He carefully climbed into bed, not daring to disturb her.

But after a while, he could no longer hold back. He reached out from behind, gently yet with an unyielding grip, pulling her into his embrace.

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