Love's Cunning Ruse novel Chapter 169

Julie hadn't had a nightmare in ages.

Maybe it was because she was back in a familiar environment, which triggered some scenes from her subconscious mind.

She dreamt of teenaged Sansa in a white ballet dress, dancing elegantly in the living room, as Darcey, with a gentle smile on her face, guided Sansa’s dance moves with satisfaction.

Julie sat by practicing her handwriting with a pen, making a mess of it, and even splashing ink on herself. Darcey frowned and scolded her while Sansa continued to spin gracefully.

Padgett came back from work and said to Darcey, "Honey, you must be tired from all that scolding. Have some water, I'll take over."

Then he turned to Sansa and said, "Sansa, get your mom a glass of water."

Sansa, who finally got a break from her dance practice, winked happily at Julie and ran to the kitchen to get some water.

Darcey sat on the sofa drinking water in a huff, while Padgett put his hands on his hips and looked at Julie sternly, "Little Julie, why do you always make your mother worry?"

Padgett winked at Julie and said, "You're being naughty, now go clean up the weeds in the garden!"

Little did he know that Julie would rather pull weeds than practice writing. So, she happily picked up a comic book, tucked it into her pocket, and ran cheerfully towards the garden.

However, when she pushed the backyard gate open, the scene changed dramatically.

Instead of a beautiful garden, there was a winding tarred road.

Julie turned around instantly. The sunlit living room turned pitch black, with no end in sight. Sansa’s gentle and serene smile gradually disappeared.

Suddenly, heavy rain started to pour, and raindrops splashed on her face, her body...

A thunderclap roared in the sky, causing Julie to jolt in fear.

Then, there was a loud bang behind her.

Frightened, Julie spun around. She saw two cars colliding at the turn of the road. The screeching sound of brakes pierced through Julie's eardrums. She clearly saw the bloody faces of Sansa and Darcey...

"Ah!" A scream suddenly echoed in the villa.

Julie sat up in bed, drenched in sweat.

Kieran, who was sleeping lightly next door, heard Julie's scream and immediately got up and opened her bedroom door.

In the faint moonlight, he saw Julie curled up in a corner of the bed, hugging her legs, and trembling slightly.

"Julie." He called her name softly and slowly approached her.

Despite his gentle approach, Julie was startled and moved away quickly, murmuring, "Don't come over..."

Her voice was trembling with strong resistance, obviously terrified of Kieran coming closer.

Still, Kieran held her hand and pulled her into his arms, "Joyce, it's me, Kieran..."

His familiar voice finally reached Julie's ears.

Under the moonlight, she lifted her pale face. The sweat on her forehead was especially clear in the moonlight.

He wiped the sweat from her forehead and comforted her softly, "Don't be scared, I'm here."

Julie's trembling body gradually calmed down.

"Did you have a nightmare?" He covered her tiny body with a blanket, gently cradled her in his arms, and adjusted the blanket for her.

Julie finally found her voice and nodded gently.

"Go back to sleep..." Kieran lay down holding Julie, placing her head on his chest. His arm was on Julie's back, gently soothing her.

Julie, lying in Kieran’s arms, felt like a child being carefully held in the palm of his hand. His steady heartbeat rhythmically echoed in his chest. With her ear pressed against his chest, she heard it very clearly.

As a child, Julie always fantasized about a prince riding a white horse and giving her a passionate love story. But now she realized that the person who was there for her when she needed comfort, however plain it may be, could make her heart flutter.

Her mind was a mess, but for some reason, listening to his steady breathing and smelling the familiar scent deeply ingrained in her memory, she fell into a deep and sweet sleep.

The nightmare didn't bother her again that night. It was only when she woke up the next morning that she realized she had overslept and was half an hour late for work.

And it wasn't just her who was late, it was Kieran too!

Her head was resting on his arm and she was curled up peacefully in his arms. Kieran had his eyes closed, seemingly asleep. Looking at the time on her phone, Julie felt like giving up on going to work. But eventually, she managed to wriggle free from Kieran’s hand around her waist.

But before she could get up, the hand returned to her waist.

"Mr. Hernandez, we're late!" Julie said helplessly.

But the man beside her, as if he hadn't heard her, kept his hand on her waist and continued sleeping.

Julie didn't believe that a man who could be woken up by the sound of footsteps could not hear her loud voice.