Love's Cunning Ruse novel Chapter 98

Kieran pressed Julie's face into his chest, making her listen to his strong heartbeat.

His steady breath flowed from above, and Julie felt her own heart begin to race. Her hands were tightly pinned to her chest, unable to move.

Julie opened her mouth and bit down on Kieran's chest.

She thought he was pretending to sleep, and that's why she bit him so hard.

“Little wildcat…” Kieran gently stroked her hair, saying, “Go to sleep. I'm a bit tired. If you keep squirming around, I'm afraid something might actually happen.”

“Then go sleep in your own room.” Julie's tone softened. She knew that fighting fire with fire wouldn't work on Kieran.

However, she didn't know that a gentle approach was still ineffective. Even though her tone softened, Kieran had no intention of letting her go.

He hugged Julie tightly. His voice sounded really tired, “Be good; let me hold you.”

With that, his actions became gentler. He was holding her as if she were a precious treasure.

His voice was already fatally attractive to Julie. Hearing him say this made her heart seem to skip a beat.

“Kieran…”

Julie called out but got no response.

She firmly called out again, “Kieran…”

Kieran reached out and turned off the bedside lamp.

“Answer a question for me first.” In the dark, Julie finally mustered the courage to look up at Kieran.

“Mmm.” His gentle voice came from above, sounding genuinely tired.

“The person who said you were her brother-in-law in the video call… is she a relative of Bertha?” Julie knew that, although Bertha was an orphan, she had always been looking for her relatives.

Therefore, when she heard someone calling Kieran 'brother-in-law,’ her first reaction was that the softly spoken woman must have something to do with Bertha. In her memory, Bertha was a very gentle person.

Kieran knew Julie would ask this question.

Hearing her somewhat nervous and cautious inquiry, Kieran gave her a positive response.

“Yes. Her name is Camilla.”

“Camilla…” Julie whispered. What a nice name.

She suddenly remembered Bertha's eyes staring at her before she died.

Bertha was very beautiful, with a completely different beauty from Julie. Daphne once described Julie's beauty as a pearl, because only those with the patience to open the shell could see her stunning beauty. But Bertha's beauty was apparent, like a diamond. Even if placed among ordinary stones, her dazzling light couldn't be overlooked.

Therefore, when Julie found out that Kieran had betrayed her and turned to Bertha, she had mixed feelings, but she could understand Kieran's choice. After all, everyone pursued beauty. Otherwise, she wouldn't have pursued Kieran so desperately.

After all that happened, Julie only remembered Bertha's clear eyes looking at her before she died. It was as if she had never been tainted by the world.

A thunderclap came from outside the window, scaring Julie into tightly gripping the man beside her.

This sudden embrace took Kieran by surprise. He suddenly remembered how, in past thunderstorms, Julie would always cling tightly to him, treating him as a lifesaver and never letting go.

It was as if she were in the sea, on the verge of drowning, and he was her only lifesaving float.

Every time there was a thunderstorm, Kieran would think of Julie who was afraid of thunder.

He knew Julie was afraid of thunderstorms because, many years ago, on a stormy night, she lost her parents and her only sister became a vegetable. And on the day she gave birth, he personally said he would choose to save Bertha's child.

Kieran gently patted Julie's back, soothing her.

It was just like the nights that they spent together many years ago.

Julie's eyes suddenly became moist.

She remembered the days she spent with Kieran, the nights they spent together, and the things they said and did.

Outside the window, the thunder drowned out all the noise, making the entire room unusually quiet. So quiet that the sound of her sniffling was clearly audible.

Julie's heart ached more and more as she remembered the past. She didn't know if it was the rainy night that made her vulnerable, or Kieran's presence that made her so sentimental.

She gently leaned into his arms, no longer thinking about resisting, and said in a haze, “Tell me, how did we end up like this?”

Kieran knew Julie wasn't really expecting an answer, so he just kept holding her.

Julie, coveting this familiar embrace, stopped struggling.

His voice suddenly came from above her head. He said, “This is good too. You're in my arms, and I'm in your heart.”