Chapter 1028 The Past Unknown to Him
Chapter 1028 The Past Unknown to Him
"If it's so important, then why are you keeping me in the dark? Would you rather turn to a stranger for help than to me? Or do you think I'm a man who can't be trusted?" Julien had no clue what was going on in Sydney's mind. He only wanted to clear things up with her.
Seeing that he doubted his importance in her heart again, Sydney shook her head. "No, it's not like that. The reason I didn't tell you and didn't come to you is that I don't want to depend on you for everything. I told you this before, and you agreed. I was honest with you. I'm afraid that if I ask for your help every time something happens, I'll lose my ability to handle things on my own. I'll become someone who can't stand on her own feet, who only thinks of you when she's in trouble. I don't want to be like that. And..."
"And?" Julien tightened his lips.
She indeed had told him that before.
He had been supportive.
But how could he expect that she would take it to such an extreme, refusing to tell him anything or ask him for help?
He felt like an outsider.
Worse than an outsider.
At least she turned to outsiders for help.
But he had never considered him.
"And," Sydney rubbed her brow wearily, "I don't want people to think of me as just Julien's woman whenever they mention men and that my company developed well because of you. It makes me
feel like I'm your accessory, a parasitic plant, only fit to be seen with you, not as an independent person, a boss of her own company. I don't want people to think that I have no skills but just got lucky by hooking up with the most capable man, and that's how I got where I am today and grew my company."
Sydney flashed a bitter smile, and her voice cracked. "I've never told you these things before, but they have always been like a stone, pressing down on my heart. Many times, they have made me breathless. You know, after getting back together with you, I've been under pressure all the time because the Raines family and Skylight Corporation are going down. You have no idea how scared I am when people say in front of me that I don't deserve you, that I don't have a good family background, that how I have the nerve to be with you, and that no one is there to back me up if you fight or break up with me because I don't have parents..."
Bang!
A loud noise cut off Sydney's anguished words.
Julien slammed the table and stood up, his body radiating a freezing coldness, his face dark and grim. "You are my woman, who dares to say that about you!"
Sydney gave a bitter smile. "Sure, they don't dare to say anything in front of you. And ever since we got back together, I haven't heard anyone say anything either. But can you swear that they don't talk behind our backs, in places we can't see or hear?"
Julien fell silent, unable to answer.
He knew he couldn't guarantee that.
After all, he had no control over what others said in private.
Even if he was powerful, he couldn't know what they whispered behind his back, could he?
Seeing that Julien didn't say anything, Sydney sighed. "See? You can't guarantee that. And these words, even if I don't hear them now, I've heard them too many times in the past six years."
"What?" Julien's face changed and his eyes widened. "You've heard them say this before?"
Sydney hummed. "For six long years, you didn't spare me a single glance. My father passed away and Skylight Corporation changed hands. I was left alone, with no one to defend me. I felt it all too keenly. Your stepmother, your brother, your business partners, and all those who admired you taunted me and humiliated me. They had no fear because you didn't care about me. You didn't see me. For six years, I endured the worst cruelty the world could offer.”
She said it calmly, but Julien felt as if a hand was squeezing his heart, making it ache so much that he could barely breathe. His handsome face turned pale and his lips twitched before he managed to speak in a hoarse voice. "I didn't know. I'm sorry."
He really didn't know about this.
He only knew that Velma and Jayden had been cruel to her in the past.
But he never expected that there were others too.
Sydney shook her head. "It's normal that you didn't know. After all, this kind of thing, no one would be dumb enough to say this kind of thing in front of you. I was your nominal wife anyway. They were not sure if you'd go after them after you found out about their bullying me. So, they naturally kept it from you."
Julien pushed his chair aside and walked around the dining table with long strides. He reached Sydney's side and bent down to hug her tightly. He buried his head in the crook of her neck and kept saying sorry.
He didn't hypocritically ask her why she didn't tell him these things earlier.
He knew the answer very well. He was still under hypnosis at that time, obsessed with Lyra. Even if she had told him, he probably would not have stood up for her.
How could he be so blind to Velma and Jayden's schemes?
He knew well how they treated her, but he never did anything, even after he found out the truth.
He didn't even stop his family, not to mention outsiders.
"I'm sorry. I'm such an asshole!"
Julien embraced Sydney tightly, hiding his face that was filled with resentment and hatred in a spot that Sydney couldn't see.
He loathed Lyra with every fiber of his being. He wanted to tear her apart!
If it wasn't for Lyra, he wouldn't have been hypnotized or committed the unforgivable sin of hurting his beloved woman.
Even though he realized now that those actions were not his own will, he still couldn't deny that he was the one who did them. Material © NôvelDrama.Org.
How could he inflict such pain on his love?
He was determined to make Lyra suffer once he found her.
Julien lifted his head slightly, his red eyes staring into the void behind Sydney, as if he could see Lyra through the emptiness.
Sydney paid no heed to his thoughts. She gently patted his trembling back and lowered her eyes, saying nothing. She didn’t offer any words of comfort or reassurance, nor did she absolve him of blame."
Yes, she forgave him.
But in her heart, there was still some bitterness left.
She understood that what he did in the past was not his choice. He was hypnotized and a victim himself.
But in the end, what difference did it make? Those things were still done by him.
So, there was still an unresolved knot in her heart.
After hugging for a while, Sydney pushed the man away gently, and under the man's bloodshot eyes, she smiled and continued, "At first, I was so hurt by their bullying, but after the divorce, I suddenly saw things clearly."