Love's Cunning Ruse




Watching the emotional rollercoaster that Julie was on, Kieran couldn't help but understand.

He flashed a helpless smile, tinged with fond indulgence, and took a seat beside the bed. He gently tugged at the duvet, "Babe, what's wrong?"

Julie felt an increasing tightness in her chest. Even wrapped in the duvet, you could see it trembling slightly. She finally managed to contain her emotions, covering her mouth with her hand.

Her voice, muffled and weak like a distant buzz, filtered through the fabric, "Can you... can you step out for a bit, please?"

She wasn't ready to face the man sitting beside her. Her mind was a jumble of fragments, unable to piece together a coherent picture. It was as if she was experiencing intermittent amnesia, but through the haze, she remembered seeing Rowan's face...

"Babe, was it that bad with me?" Kieran's voice was gentle as he patted her back, sounding almost more aggrieved than her.

Startled, Julie sobbed and asked, "What did you say?"

"What, were you dreaming of rolling in the hay with someone else?" Seeing that she wouldn't come out from under the duvet, Kieran decided to pick up the entire thing, wrapping her in it as he sat on the bed, cradling her like a baby swaddled in her blankets.

Despite his tender coaxing, despite him insisting he was the hero of her story, she still couldn't believe...

He peeled back the duvet to reveal her tear-stained face, her eyes red-rimmed and bloodshot, a picture of misery and mistrust... and guilt.

She must have convinced herself that it was someone else she'd been with, which is why she felt so torn up and sorry.

From within the duvet, Julie's fingers clutched the fabric tightly. Her eyes, clouded with confusion, looked at him as she asked timidly, "You're still... still sweet-talking me... I'm such a mess, and you... you're still sweet-talking me..."

A tear rolled down her fair cheek, and she pulled the duvet tighter around herself.

Kieran finally flipped the duvet open, revealing a Julie panicked and marked all over. Not wanting to be seen in such a state, she wrapped herself in the duvet like a fox with its tail on fire.

Kieran reached for her, but she kept scooting back until she was almost at the edge of the bed. Quickly, he scooped her into his arms, pulling her back and pinning her down on the bed.

With a touch of exasperation, he said, "Silly girl, why won't you believe me? You really want to try it out with someone else that badly?"

She shook her head vigorously. Normally so strong, her tears just wouldn't stop in front of him. Eventually, she became almost furiously embarrassed, reaching out to grab his shoulders, "Kieran, stop it... Get mad at me, yell at me, despise me, anything... just don't lie to me. I can't remember what happened... My mind's a mess, I can't piece together who it was... I only have this vague memory of Rowan... I don't even know why I woke up here. I left the shooting range this afternoon, I had a timed text set up, Rowan didn't hassle me, I was going to cancel the text... then there was a sudden brake in front of me, I rear-ended the car, went to negotiate with the driver, but several burly men got out, and then someone hit me from behind... I'm sorry, Kieran, I love you, I..."

Her words were a chaotic stream, and eventually, Julie didn't know how to continue.

What she felt was remorse. It was her body that was hurt, but it was probably Kieran who felt the pain. Why did this happen? Julie bit her lip and wept...

It must be said, Mrs. Hernandez's heartfelt 'I love you' made Mr. Hernandez's heart bloom with joy.

Suddenly, Kieran released Julie and sat down on her duvet, starting to strip off his clothes.

Julie, overwhelmed with grief, was shocked and furrowed her brow at Kieran, wondering what he was up to.

It wasn't until he deftly removed his jacket and started on his shirt buttons that Julie realized what he intended...

"No, Kieran... not now, I... I want to take a shower," she said, grabbing his hands to stop him from undressing.

A shower? Did she feel dirty? If he hadn't arrived in time today, if Rowan had truly acted the beast, would his little wife be as distraught and as lowly as she was now?

He grasped her hand and one by one pried open her stubborn fingers, telling her, "What shower? You've already been cleaned up."

Julie suddenly felt her strength waning, her eyes too shy to meet his gaze, whispering almost to herself, "So that's it..."

Did he think she was dirty? What to do? She hated herself for being so defenseless, for ending up in such a state without any clue as to who was responsible.

Kieran didn't comfort his aggrieved little wife. Instead, he stripped himself clean and pointed to the scratches and varying shades of marks on his body, saying to Julie, "Darling, I think it's time we trim those nails of yours!"

Julie stared at the marks on the man's body, clearly understanding their origin. She was taken aback...

"These are?" Her fingertip gently traced his skin, her voice tentative as she lifted her head to ask him.

He pulled her wrist towards him,

pressing her hand firmly against his

et

skin, "Marks from a little wildcat. Those nails are quite sharp. You've

been all over me since the afternoon untilate at night. Now you're crying and fussing wanting me to console you, demanding that I seold you despise you. Alright, you deserve a scolding! Keeping your nails so long, were they just to torment me?" Content belongs to Novelxo.org

Julie was stunned...

The plot twist was too marvelous.

Kieran let out a long sigh, exasperated as he held onto his lady's hand. "Look at these scratch

marks all over me. Think about it if

these are from you, then doesn't that

mean I was with you in bed just now? And if not, then some other dame has marked her territory Which would mean betrayed you slept with someone else. How could I possibly have the gall to be mad at you? To blame or look down on you?" Content belongs to

Novelxo.org

"Then... are these marks from another woman?" she asked softly, tracing the red

lines.

Kieran released Julie's wrist with a frustrated breath. "Great, married to a nutcase, thank God our kid got my brains."

"Look at these scratches. Do you

really think let anyone but you do this to me?" He pulled her up, seated her properly, and wrapped her in the comforter before he continued "Honey, while you've been waking

up, I've been doing a lot of thinking. If I had been even a minute late today, if something had really happened between you and Rowan... I might have shot him, or taken o

knife to him evertit meant we'd both end up six feet under. I'd hate him, hate you, and hate myself for not protecting you, for letting you be mistreated. No matter what, I love you. I love you whole, I love you broken, and even if all that's left is

bones, as long as I'm alive, as long as I'm conscious, my love doesn't change..." Content belongs to Novelxo.org

"Kieran..." Julie threw herself into his arms, finally letting her tears flow freely.

Kieran never made grand promises, never spun sweet nothings like some silver-

tongued devils, but his words just now-they pierced her heart, settled into her bones, and touched her soul.

After releasing all her pent-up emotions, she finally remembered what she wanted to say. She cradled his head, kissed his forehead, his brows, his nose, his lips... With eyes brimming with tears, she earnestly told him, "Kieran, it's the same for me.

I love your perfections and your flaws. Even if all that's left of you is bones, as long

as I'm alive, as long as I'm aware, my love for you only grows-deeper by the day,

truer by the year."

"Mhm, got it."

Silly girl...

He reclined on the bed, holding her close, gently patting her back, and asked softly,

"Need more rest?"

She clung to his waist, shaking her head, afraid of letting go, not wanting more rest,

but instead asking him, "How did you find me?"

"Intuition. You believe that?" he asked with a smile.

Julie nodded. "I believe you."

"That's exactly why you keep falling for things, because you trust others too easily!"

Kieran said bluntly.

"..." Julie's smile froze. What happened to the tender moment they were having?

"Know how I got you back?" he asked.

Julie shook her head.

"I snatched you back. Fished you right out of the aquarium in Rowan's presidential

suite."

Julie looked up at him in shock. "How could that be? The person who knocked me out..."

"It wasn't him," Kieran replied.

After a moment of thought, Julie realized it made sense. She wasn't some knockout

beauty to go to such lengths for. Rowan had no reason to go through all that trouble.

If he wanted to grab her, he could have done it at the shooting range; why wait until she was in the car unless he was trying to avoid suspicion?

It didn't add up. If Rowan wanted to avoid suspicion, he wouldn't have brought her

back to the presidential suite. Moreover, he had no beef with Kieran and surely no interest in her. There was no motive.

That left Julie even more puzzled. What kind of trouble had she stumbled into? It

was either being run over by a car or being tied up and thrown onto someone else's

bed...

Kieran looked down at the contemplative woman in his arms. "Tell me exactly what happened today."