What If You Ran Away

At dinner that night, the whole family sat together in the dining room.

Seeing that Claire Bennett and Julian Sterling had reconciled and that nothing had happened, both Mr. and Mrs. Sterling smiled in relief. It made Claire Bennett feel a little embarrassed, and she silently lowered her head to eat.

Mrs. Sterling was still a little worried that Claire Bennett minded being deceived by Julian Sterling, so she said, "Claire, actually Julian didn't mean to deceive you. If you're angry, just tell me directly, and I'll teach this brat a lesson for you! Don't worry, I definitely won't go easy on him!"

She put on a stern face and glared at Julian Sterling.

In reality, there was no way she could truly discipline Julian Sterling. It was all for the sake of helping Claire Bennett vent her anger, and Claire Bennett understood that too.

The fact that Mrs. Sterling could say that already made her very happy.

"Mom, I'm not angry anymore. You don't need to scold him."

"Oh my, Claire really dotes on her husband. Where could you find a daughter-in-law like this?" Mrs. Sterling said as she looked at Julian Sterling. "From now on, you'd better treat Claire well. You're not allowed to lie to her again."

Julian Sterling naturally agreed. "Got it."

Ruby Sterling propped up her chin and stared eagerly at Julian Sterling and Claire Bennett, her eyes sparkling all over. She was practically a little fangirl, and now that she heard Claire Bennett say she wasn't angry anymore,

she gave a cheer and said with a smile, "That's great! Everything's finally blown over. My brother and I won't have to worry every second of every day about our identities being exposed anymore."

For this identity business, who knew how many brain cells she'd killed and how many lies she'd told.

Now that the identity issue had already been exposed, Julian Sterling and Claire Bennett naturally did not return to Parkview Heights, and they slept at the Sterling residence that night.

The bathroom was filled with the soft sound of running water. Claire Bennett had already showered, and she was now sitting on the bed, looking around at the room.

Julian Sterling's room at the Sterling residence was far more luxurious than the one at Parkview Heights, and it was also very large.

What had happened today still felt like a dream.

She was truly afraid that when she woke up the next day, she'd discover it had all just been a dream.

Claire Bennett reached out and pinched her own thigh. The pain that came through was crystal clear, which didn't seem like dreaming at all.

Click. The bathroom door opened, and Julian Sterling came out wreathed in steam. At a glance, he saw Claire Bennett on the bed abusing herself. The corners of his lips lifted into an amused smile as he asked, "Claire, what are you doing?"

"I'm checking whether I'm actually dreaming or not."

Julian Sterling let out a low laugh. He walked over and pulled Claire Bennett into his arms. "You're not dreaming. It's all real."

Only then did Claire Bennett come back to herself. Seeing Julian Sterling looking at her with a smile, she truly felt a little embarrassed. She covered her head, gave a light cough, and tried her best to stay calm. "You're done showering?"

"Mm." Julian Sterling lay down beside her.

At that moment, Claire Bennett remembered what had happened with Ian Walsh. She still hadn't asked clearly about it today.

She quickly grabbed Julian Sterling and said, "What happened with Ian Walsh? He really did want to do something to me, but he didn't get the chance. I was so scared then that I stabbed him. There was so much blood on him. I don't know whether he died or not."

When she brought up this matter, Claire Bennett still felt lingering fear. Her face turned pale, and her body couldn't help trembling.

Julian Sterling's expression darkened, and a flash of heartache crossed his eyes.

He immediately sat up and held Claire Bennett tightly in his arms, saying softly, "He didn't die, but his injuries are serious. You don't need to worry about what comes next. Anyone who bullies you, I won't let him off easy."

Leaning against his chest and listening to Julian Sterling's strong, steady heartbeat, Claire Bennett finally felt completely grounded.

Maybe before, she'd still thought it was unbelievable—how had her husband suddenly changed identities? But now she felt that he was still him, still that man who cherished her. What did identity matter anyway?

But...

Claire Bennett narrowed her eyes and stared at Julian Sterling as she demanded, "Did Hazel Lewis know your identity? Was she the wife your grandfather picked out for you?"

Julian Sterling sounded helpless. "Mm, but I ignored it."

"Your grandfather doesn't like me."

"Claire, it's enough that I like you. Whether Grandpa likes you or not is his business. The person who's going to spend a lifetime with you is me. If he doesn't like you, then we'll just see him less. I'll stay with you in Chicago."

Claire Bennett thought of Old Mrs. Sterling and Old Mr. Sterling. She hadn't expected the two of them to have that kind of status.

But aside from that, they were just two ordinary elderly people. That day in the little mountain village, Old Mrs. Sterling had sighed that her children and grandchildren didn't come visit them. Once you stripped away their status, they were also just pitiable old people.

She had no reason to let Julian Sterling become someone without family ties because of her.

Claire Bennett wrapped her arms around Julian Sterling in return and said softly, "It's okay. I'll work hard to earn Grandpa Sterling's approval. You don't have to feel too pressured either. I won't put you in the middle."

Julian Sterling was moved. He tightened his arms around Claire Bennett and kissed her on the cheek.

At first, he had only wanted to kiss her once, but unexpectedly, the two of them were like dry kindling and raging fire, and they ignited at once.

On their first day at the Sterling residence, they underwent a grand fusion of life.

The next day, when Claire Bennett got up, she was still worried that they might have been too noisy and that Mr. and Mrs. Sterling and Ruby Sterling might have heard them.

Fortunately, whether because the few of them understood without saying anything or because they hadn't heard, there were no unusual looks or expressions at all.