Don't Move, Let Me Hold You for a Bit

Claire Bennett held the bowl out in front of him.

Julian Sterling didn't speak. His eyes were deep and shadowed, impossible to read.

A moment later, he finally drank some from her hand.

Very soon, the hangover soup was gone. Claire Bennett had just set the bowl on the nearby table when, unexpectedly, someone suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace.

Wrapped in Julian Sterling's scent, she froze all over, not knowing what this meant.

"Ju-Julian Sterling?"

"Don't move. Let me hold you for a bit."

Claire Bennett didn't dare move around anymore. At that moment, all she could think was what exactly Julian Sterling was doing.

Was the alcohol hitting him, making him this clingy?

Or did he just want to hold her?

Of course, Claire Bennett didn't think it could be the latter. He had to be drunk, which was why he was treating her like a body pillow.

Right! That had to be it!

Julian Sterling had his head buried in the crook of her neck, one arm lightly around her waist, looking extremely reluctant to let her go.

Claire Bennett felt her heartbeat suddenly speed up.

Her brain had already left home, and all she could do was obediently let him hold her like this.

A moment later, Claire Bennett suddenly heard Julian Sterling's voice by her ear as he said, "Let's void our contract. I'll set you free."

Claire Bennett froze. She hadn't expected Julian Sterling to say something like that. What did he mean?

Void the contract?

Hadn't he said before that if she broke the agreement, she'd have to pay an enormous amount of money in compensation? Why did he suddenly want to...

"W-what do you mean?"

"We only ended up married because of Ruby Sterling. You didn't do anything wrong, and the contract isn't fair to you. I'll cancel it. From now on, let's not contact each other anymore."

Julian Sterling was a generous man.

He admitted he had feelings for Claire Bennett, but he disdained using forceful means to ruin the relationship between Claire Bennett and Sean Shaw.

What Claire Bennett had done just now made him understand. He had decided to set her free so that she could be with Sean Shaw.

Bitterness spread through Julian Sterling's heart, and he reluctantly let Claire Bennett go.

This was the last time he would hold her.

"It's late. You should get some rest." After saying that, he stood up and walked toward the study.

Watching Julian Sterling's figure enter the study, Claire Bennett finally snapped back to herself. She jumped up from the couch and chased after him.

"Julian Sterling, wait!"

Hearing Claire Bennett's words, Julian Sterling stopped. He looked at her patiently, waiting for her to speak.

"Did... did you get mad because you didn't like the gift I gave you?"

"I'm sorry! I really didn't think things through this time. I didn't know you didn't like clothes from that brand. Next time I'll get you something better."

Julian Sterling stayed silent.

Claire Bennett was extremely upset with herself.

Sigh! It was all Sean Shaw's fault, saying that if you wanted to surprise someone, you should do it without them knowing anything beforehand.

If she'd just asked Julian Sterling directly at the time, this definitely wouldn't have happened.

Looking at Claire Bennett's troubled expression, Julian Sterling slowly curled his lips into a smile. His gaze turned gentle as he looked at her and said, "Don't burden yourself. I really like the gift you gave me."

"Then, then why..."

At the thought of Julian Sterling wanting to terminate the contract, Claire Bennett was so anxious she was on the verge of tears. She hadn't expected things to get this bad.

She didn't want to terminate the contract with Julian Sterling at all.

Because through everything that had happened and all the time they'd spent together, she'd realized that she'd fallen for him and wanted to be with him.

Julian Sterling reached out and patted Claire Bennett on the head. "Don't overthink it. Go to sleep early. Good night."

After saying that, he went straight into the room and shut the door.

Watching the door slam heavily shut in front of her, Claire Bennett felt as if her heart had fallen to the bottom of a valley.

It was like Julian Sterling had shut her out of his world.

...

The next morning, Claire Bennett had two huge dark circles under her eyes. She'd been awake all night, completely unable to sleep.

Julian Sterling had gotten up even earlier than she had. He was sitting at the dining table, his hair still looking slightly damp, clearly having just showered.

"Come eat breakfast."

Claire Bennett hesitated for a moment before sitting down in the chair.

She noticed that ever since they had moved, it seemed she no longer had to make breakfast, and she hadn't been making lunch anymore either.

Given her condition, there was no way she could have gotten up early to make breakfast. Julian Sterling really was considerate.

Did he still remember what he'd said last night?

Claire Bennett secretly glanced at Julian Sterling, but she couldn't see anything unusual on his face.

There were faint bloodshot streaks in Julian Sterling's eyes, and a trace of weariness on his handsome face. It was hard to tell whether it was the aftermath of being drunk or because he also hadn't slept well last night.

"Julian Sterling..."

Before Claire Bennett could finish speaking, Julian Sterling placed a peeled egg into the bowl in front of her.

"Thank you."

After hesitating for a moment, Claire Bennett still lifted her eyes to Julian Sterling and asked, "Last night, you..."