Husband By Contract, Lover By Heart

As soon as Juliana walked through the front door to the Stevens estate, a harsh male voice exploded through the room. At the same time, a glass was hurled straight toward her head.

"Where have you been? Janessa said you didn't come home all night. Have you forgotten that you're a married woman?"

Juliana quickly moved aside. The glass brushed against her cheek before it smashed against the pillar behind her with a sharp crash.

Louis sat in the middle of the couch in the living room. Anger covered his face. Beside him sat his wife, Sharon Stevens, and their daughter, Janessa.

The sight of the family of three made Juliana let out a mocking laugh.

When she was still a child, her father lost his life in a plane crash. Not long after his death, her mother, Sharon, married Louis, her father's younger brother. Together, they took control of her father's company and later welcomed a daughter named Janessa. From then on, Juliana never truly felt like she belonged in that house.

"Juliana, we tried calling you all night, but we couldn't get through. We were worried sick about you." Wearing a white dress, Janessa rose from her seat and linked her arm through Juliana's. Then her eyes landed on Juliana's neck. Suddenly, she pulled open Juliana's collar and let out a startled scream. "Oh my God, Juliana! Did you spend the night with a man?"

Both Louis and Sharon immediately came over. The moment they noticed the marks on Juliana's neck, their expressions turned grim.

Anger filled Sharon's face as she lifted her hand and slapped Juliana. "Juliana, is this what I taught you? Have you learned nothing except how to fool around with men?"

Pain spread across Juliana's cheek, and a trace of blood appeared at the corner of her mouth.

She slowly turned her face back toward Sharon. Her eyes were cold. "Mother, are you judging me before asking what actually happened?"

A trace of hesitation appeared on Sharon's face when she saw the pain in Juliana's eyes.

Louis struck the table with his palm and shouted, "If the Spencer family hears about this scandal, our entire family will be finished. You shameless woman, how could you betray your husband?"

Juliana met his anger with a cold laugh. "When Hugh came looking for a bride for his grandson, the person he chose was Janessa. You're the one who forced me to marry in her place. If this family goes down because of it, I don't care."

"You..." Louis choked on his words. Her response left him speechless, and his face turned red with fury.

Sharon looked at Juliana with disapproval. "Juliana, don't speak to your uncle that way."

Ignoring Sharon completely, Juliana shifted her attention to Janessa. "You switched my drink last night. You're the one who set me up."

Janessa lifted her head and blinked innocently. "What are you talking about? Why would I do that to you? What would I possibly gain from setting you up?"

Juliana narrowed her eyes while she looked straight at Janessa.

If the man from last night hadn't been Adrian, everything would have ended for her once the Spencers learned the truth.

Janessa had never gotten along with her. She knew Janessa would have been more than happy to watch her fall apart.

By then, Louis had already told a servant to bring him a whip. Putting on the air of the family head, he snapped, "Juliana, I'll make sure you learn your lesson today. After this, you'll know better than to bring trouble to this family again."

From the side, Janessa watched with cruel delight. Her eyes showed nothing but contempt for Juliana.

Louis lifted the whip. But before it could strike, Juliana reached out and caught it. Then she yanked it out of his hand and swung it straight back at Janessa.

Janessa failed to move away in time, and a bloody mark appeared on her arm at once. She screamed, "Juliana, have you lost your mind?"

Shock froze Louis for a moment. Then he pointed at Juliana and shouted in fury, "How dare you touch Janessa!"

Juliana faced them with cold eyes. "You'd better keep your precious daughter in line. If she tries to play tricks on me again, I won't let her off this easily."

After saying that, she threw the whip aside.

She brushed off her hands as though she had touched something filthy, then turned and marched out of the house. Behind her, their angry shouts and curses followed, but she didn't look back.

Once she returned to her own apartment, Juliana felt drained in both body and mind. Everything that had happened the previous night was still stuck in her thoughts, bothering her until she couldn't settle down.

While changing her clothes, she realized the pendant she always wore was gone. She wondered where it could have dropped.

She searched every corner of the apartment, but she still couldn't find it. Then a scene from last night suddenly came back to her, and she went still.

The pendant must have fallen off inside the hotel room.

Without hesitating, Juliana grabbed a coat and hurried out of the apartment.

That pendant had been left to her by her father, and it meant everything to her. No matter what, she had to recover it.

Soon, Juliana arrived back at the hotel. When she noticed that the room door was slightly open, she assumed Adrian had already checked out.

The moment she walked into the room again, her eyes landed on the large bed that was still in disarray. Heat instantly rose to her cheeks.

Memories from the previous night remained clear in her mind. She could still remember them wrapped in each other's arms and sharing heated kisses.

Forcing those thoughts aside, Juliana started looking around the room for her pendant.

Even after searching every corner of the room, she still came up empty-handed.

Had Adrian picked it up?

If he used that pendant to figure out that she was the woman from the previous night, she might not be able to divorce him smoothly in three months.

She made up her mind that she couldn't allow him to learn who she was.

Just then, a series of steady footsteps sounded from outside the room and drew closer to the door.