Love's Cunning Ruse novel Chapter 379

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...