Don't Mind Loneliness, It's Better Than Loving You

Juliana lay on the floor like a broken doll. Bradley, now fully dressed, stood tall in front of her in his polished black shoes. Her trembling body recoiled as he tossed a check at her feet. "Quit the act. If you had real pride, you wouldn't take this money." The check read ten thousand dollars. Hugging herself tightly, Juliana let out a soft, bitter laugh. "Mr. Mccarty, how generous of you." Bradley paused, a mocking smile creeping onto his lips. His voice dripped with disdain. "Done pretending?" "You're right, Mr. Mccarty. There's no difference between once and a few more times." Bradley stepped closer, yanking her into his arms. Juliana bit her lip, suppressing the urge to push him away, enduring the humiliation. His eyes remained icy. He couldn't deny that this woman's body still fascinated him. She constantly stirred his desires. Juliana understood men too well. His fingers brushed her cheek before he harshly pushed her away. "I'm giving the money to you like I'd toss change to a beggar. Never show your face in front of me again. Get out." His words were sharp as blades, each one piercing her heart. Her entire being felt shattered by his cruelty. "If you hate me so much, why did you marry me?" "What do you think I would marry the person who killed Kianna?" Bradley sneered. Of course, it was for revenge. A check for a hundred thousand dollars fluttered down in front of her. With the check, her dignity crumbled alongside. Tears welled up in Juliana's eyes as she clenched the check in her hand. She hugged herself tightly, the echo of Bradley's scornful laughter ringing in her ears as she buried her head in her knees, large teardrops rolling down her face. She wanted to throw the check back in his face, to tell him to get lost, but her sister-in-law Jessie Logan's and Ayden's desperate cries still echoed in her mind. Three years ago, on the way to her wedding, Bradley's fiancee, Kianna, had a car accident, plunging off a cliff. Bradley believed that she had caused it and threw her into prison. After three years, Juliana was released, only to find that her once-prosperous brother and his family were now living in misery, all because of her. Her brother had tried everything to save her, but just when he thought he had succeeded, he was arrested for financial discrepancies in his reports. Her nephew had borrowed a hundred thousand dollars in loans. "They said if I gave them the money, they'd release my dad, but I gave it to them, and they disappeared." Ayden was still the same obedient child she remembered. He had secretly borrowed the money, trying to save his father. If it weren't for her, her brother, once a promising manager in a big company, wouldn't have ended up like this. It was all because of her. In Bradley's eyes, she was already guilty of murder, so selling her body for money wouldn't make a difference. Her tear-filled vision blurred as she clenched the check tightly. She didn't know how long she had cried, but eventually, her tears dried up. Slowly, she dragged herself to her feet and limped into the bathroom. The water from the shower-head fell on her body, and she scrubbed herself fiercely, her pale skin turning bright red. Bradley was right. Dirty. She felt so dirty.

Juliana returned groggily to her tiny rented room. As soon as she lay down, a low fever set in, and she was entangled in a vivid dream. A younger Kianna asked, "Juliana, what kind of boy do you like?" "Someone like Bradley," she replied, blushing with a racing heart. She could still remember the excitement she felt when she said those words. In the next scene, Kianna was kneeling before her, pleading. "Juliana, I don't love Bradley. I can't marry him. Please help me escape, okay?" She replied, "Kianna, Bradley is a great man. If you give it a chance, you'll surely fall in love with him." "Juliana, I know you like Bradley. Our families will be joined by marriage. You're just like my own sister. If you married him, it would be the same. Please, I really can't marry him. I'd be miserable for the rest of my life." That long-held secret was suddenly laid bare. With Kianna's desperate pleading, Juliana could no longer resist and agreed. Later, when Kianna had her accident, Juliana asked herself countless times the same question. If she hadn't harbored that small, selfish desire, would Kianna still be alive? The guilt gnawed at her heart. After Kianna's death, she never considered marrying Bradley. To her, Bradley always belonged to Kianna. She never dared take what was Kianna's. No matter how much she loved him, though it was ten long years of unspoken love. After the accident, she avoided Bradley at all costs. But one morning, she woke up beside him in the same bed. Bradley personally went to her adoptive father Tyrese to ask for her hand, vowing to take responsibility. At the time, she thought he had finally let go of his resentment, but she didn't realize it was only the beginning of his revenge. Later, after Tyrese passed away, Bradley threw her into prison for three years. He told her it was the debt she owed Kianna. The dream shifted again. She was back in the cold, dark prison. "I didn't kill my father! I didn't start that fire! I need to see a lawyer!" she screamed. Bradley, dressed in a silver-gray suit, entered. She rushed toward him in desperation, pleading, "You have to believe I'm innocent. Help me get a lawyer. They won't listen to me!" He kicked her aside, grabbed her by the chin, and lifted her face toward him. "I knew they wouldn't listen to you. I'm the one who made them do this." Her pupils dilated in shock. Bradley tossed her aside and gestured to a cruel-looking woman standing nearby, saying, "She's here to atone, not to vacation. Make sure you treat her accordingly." "Please don't! Don't kick my stomach! No!" The other prisoners ignored her pleas. Their fists rained down on her, and her stomach was brutally kicked several times. Pain shot through her abdomen, and her lower half was soaked in blood. Lying helpless on the ground, she didn't even think to call for help. Because Bradley wouldn't give her the chance. As she lay there, she felt the fragile life inside her slowly slipping away, along with any love she had dared to feel for Bradley. Juliana thought, Baby, I'm sorry. I'm the one who is to blame for it. I'm a sinner. I'm so sorry. From that day forward, she silently endured all the abuse. Even the leading prisoner thought she had gone mad. "Hey, do you not feel pain or something? You won't even cry out when we beat you?" Juliana forced a bitter smile. It wasn't that she didn't feel pain. It was just that the ache in her heart was a hundred times worse, a thousand times worse. That pain was given to her by Bradley, and it was the debt she owed her child. She would endure it all, without complaint. Every blow and every insult... She deserved it all!

Juliana spent a sickly week bedridden, and just as she returned to work, a swarm of reporters surrounded her. Flashing cameras blinded her, making it hard to keep her eyes open. "Ms. Juliana, after the tragic deaths of Ms. Kianna and Mr. Palmer, and with your brother now in jail, are you really the sole heir to the Palmer family? There are rumors that you plan to sell the company. Is it real?" "There are also reports of you meeting with a mysterious man at a hotel. Is that why you're selling the company?" "Ms. Juliana, you've been out of the public eye for three years since your adoptive father's death. Is your reappearance because of an impending marriage?" The barrage of questions overwhelmed her. But one word caught her attention. Instinctively, she blurted, "No, the company is my father's and brother's legacy. It cannot be sold." That simple statement made the reporters, like sharks smelling blood, fixate on her with excitement. The moment the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake. She had been secretly thrown into prison for three years, with no one knowing her whereabouts. "Ms. Juliana, can you tell us what your plans are for the company?" "Excuse me." Juliana mumbled as she pushed through the crowd, hailing a cab to escape. After that day, the reporters camped outside her workplace, making it impossible for her to continue. Eventually, she had no choice but to resign from the hard-won job. A month later, Juliana returned home after a long, exhausting day. She lived in a run-down apartment building on the outskirts of the city, the cheapest place she could find. The hallway light was broken, so she had to feel her way up the stairs in the dark. As she reached her door, she could see some lights of cigarette, and a hand grabbed her wrist, startling her. Just as she was about to scream for help, a familiar voice stopped her cold. "Juliana, you're quite something. I never realized you had such cunning." Bradley! It was Bradley's voice. Her heart pounded, but Bradley's harsh words quickly brought her back to reality. Juliana scolded herself in her heart, Idiot, what are you doing? Why is your heart racing? "I have no idea what you're talking about," she muttered, unlocking the door. But before she could shut it, Bradley forced his way inside. At almost seven feet tall, Bradley made the already cramped space feel even smaller. His sharp gaze quickly took in the dingy surroundings, and he scoffed, "A place like this, even beggars wouldn't stay here. You've gone to great lengths to avoid my investigation." He had been searching for her for a whole month, never expecting to find her living in such a squalid place. Given Juliana's supposed love for luxury, he wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. She must be plotting something big to get her hands on the Palmer family fortune, he thought. "The Palmer family's assets belong to Kianna. You really think you're going to steal them?" he sneered. "I never wanted any of it." She had been grateful enough for being adopted by the Palmer family. The estate of the Palmer family was never something she sought. "Then why did you invite reporters and say all that?" Bradley smirked coldly. She hadn't called those reporters. Juliana opened her mouth but stopped herself from speaking. "One week from now, you'll hold a press conference and sign this agreement in front of the reporters." Bradley tossed a contract onto the table. Juliana picked it up and skimmed through it. It was a transfer of shares, saying everything under Kianna's name would be signed over. Her fingers traced a line on the crisp paper as she closed the document and said, "These things were never mine to begin with. I'll sign the agreement." Bradley's brow furrowed in surprise. He hadn't expected her to agree so easily. The Palmer family's assets were worth billions of dollars. Anyone else would have clung to them for dear life. A small part of his heart wavered, but he quickly suppressed it, his voice cold once more. "Good. Don't try anything stupid, or I'll make sure you wish you were dead." With that, Bradley forced Juliana to return to the Mccarty's house. "Until the press conference, you're not going anywhere."

Juliana was being held under house arrest by Bradley at his family estate. Time passed quickly, and without warning, the press conference was set for the next day. Bradley's assistant suddenly brought Juliana to his office. "There's an agreement in the desk drawer. Take a look at it; this is a template. Tomorrow, we will present the actual contract for you to sign based on this." For a whole week, she hadn't been allowed to leave the house, confined like a prisoner. Bradley hadn't returned to the residence during that time. Today was the first time she had seen him again. Juliana gave a bitter smile. He hated her so much that he couldn't even stand to be in the same space as her. Juliana opened the drawer, and a blue box tumbled out. A Tiffany diamond ring rolled from the box onto the floor. She froze. Next to the box was the receipt for the ring, with the purchase date glaringly marked. It was bought just three days ago. He had bought it after bringing her back. Even though she knew it was impossible, her heart couldn't help but race. When Bradley saw her stand there without moving for a long time, his eyes darkened. He strode over, snatched the box from her hands, and said, "I told you to look at the documents, not mess with this!" Juliana's long eyelashes fluttered. She tore her gaze from the ring and picked up the document. After a minute, she put the paper down and let out a long breath. "No problems." Her mind was a jumble. In truth, she hadn't paid much attention to the contents of the document. No matter how much money the Palmer family's assets were worth, they had nothing to do with her. What consumed her thoughts was that ring. Bradley scoffed coldly. Today, Juliana was wearing a V-neck chiffon dress that outlined her slender figure, revealing her delicate collarbone with a beautiful curve. A few managers had come to his office earlier to give their reports, and he noticed them sneaking glances at this woman. Her head was bowed now, exposing a small strip of her black bra strap. Bradley's eyes darkened. He hooked his arm around Juliana's slim waist and pulled her into his embrace. Startled, Juliana lifted her head and met his gaze, filled with a predatory glint. She reached out to push him away. "You went through all this trouble to dress like this just to seduce me, didn't you?" Bradley sneered. "Mr. Mccarty, you must be joking. I am not that cheap. I wouldn't want someone else's fiance. I find it disgusting!" Bradley paused for a moment, tightening his grip on her waist, and chuckled darkly, "Then how do you explain what you did to Kianna? Save your lies. As long as you sign this agreement tomorrow, we'll call it even. You'll never appear in front of me again, and I'll let you and your brother go." "Bradley, this is your office. Aren't you afraid someone will walk in?" His eyes were filled with a crazed desire, and he wanted to do it here. But Juliana didn't want to lose even the last shred of her dignity. Her mind was filled with thoughts of the ring and his promise to end everything. Finally, there would be closure. … What Juliana didn't notice was the twisted-faced woman standing outside the office, watching everything unfold.

At the press conference, Juliana stood in the audience, guarded by two of Bradley's bodyguards. Bradley sat at the center of the stage, dressed sharply in a suit, his hair meticulously slicked back, revealing the handsome face that drove countless women wild. He held a microphone in his hand, and his deep, magnetic voice echoed through the speakers. "Thank you all for attending today's press conference. I have two announcements to make. First, I, Bradley, will be getting engaged to this beautiful lady." After his words, an elegant, stunning woman slowly walked over to him. Bradley took her hand, opened a ring box, and placed a dazzling diamond ring on her finger. The woman smiled shyly, nestling against him like a delicate bird. Juliana bit her lip from her spot in the audience. She recognized that ring, which was the very one she had accidentally seen that day. A strange, numbing pain pricked her heart. But wasn't this for the best? He had found his new happiness. Soon, they would live their lives apart and unrelated. Juliana's gaze wandered around the venue, waiting for this Chapter to finally end so she could escape this relationship that she could no longer face. Suddenly, she met a cold gaze. It was from Bradley's fiancee, her beautiful eyes filled with a chilling frost. Their eyes locked for only a moment before the woman quickly looked away. Juliana didn't know this woman. Knowing Bradley's personality, she thought he must have been just as serious about this ring as he was about the person who wore it. To him, she was nothing but dirt, so he wouldn't let his fiancee know of her existence. "Mr. Mccarty, didn't you say there were two announcements today?" "The second announcement is…" Bradley gave a signal, and the bodyguards pushed Juliana onto the stage. Before he could finish his sentence, a reporter interrupted with a question, "Mr. Mccarty, according to reliable sources, you and this woman have a secret, intimate relationship. Is today's event a declaration that you'll have two wives in the future?"