He indeed said those words.
But he also said that they could never last, reality and ti destined them to part ways.
At that ti, when Scarlett Shaw heard Julian Ford say these words, she was mostly speechless and even naturally thought that he was right.
Yet at that mont, rely thinking of such a possibility made her feel so distressed that she could hardly breathe. Julian’s promise of not reneging seed like a firm guarantee to her, but in Scarlett’s ears, it was like a harbinger of an unacceptable future.
In the silence, Scarlett slowly raised her eyes and t Julian’s deep, dark gaze.
He watched as her pale pink lips slightly parted, then pressed together, as if wanting to speak but holding back.
Julian Ford: "If you’ve got sothing to say, just say it. Don’t hold it in."
Scarlett Shaw: "Don’t be too good to , I’m scared."
"Scared of what?"
"Scared I’ll like you more and more."
And then that liking would beco uncontrollable, turning into love.
At the mont Scarlett said this, a flash of pain crossed Julian’s calm, water-like black eyes—sothing even he hadn’t anticipated.
Probably due to never having received such sincere feelings before, Julian’s first reaction was to pull Scarlett into his arms, shielding her view, not allowing her to see his expression.
He heard his own voice, unfamiliar, in a tone of gentleness never before used:
"I’ll accompany you tomorrow, alright?"
Scarlett didn’t reject Julian, and the next day, the two of them went together to the neighborhood where Anna Ford once lived.
Anna’s address was in an old neighborhood, populated mostly by elderly people. Scarlett asked several neighbors, and the answers were all the sa—that Anna had lived here since childhood, and ten years ago, she suddenly disappeared, never returning.
It felt like they had hit a dead end.
If Anna was truly a native of Cloud Harbor, then she wasn’t Serena Ford.
But would there really be strangers in the world who looked so alike?
And the ten years—such a coincidence.
"There are two possibilities: one, Anna really isn’t Serena, the resemblance is re coincidence," Julian analyzed clearly, "the other is Serena transford into Anna, living on with the latter’s identity."
Scarlett leaned towards the latter.
A resemblance could be coincidental, but the sense of familiarity couldn’t lie.
She could distinctly feel a familiar aura on Anna.
However, Scarlett remained puzzled, "I really can’t understand how, not to ntion why my mother... Serena was able to change her identity silently, and why would she live using soone else’s identity."
At least in her mory, nothing happened to Serena that would require her to change her identity.
"Perhaps soone wanted her to beco another person."
Julian suddenly said.
Scarlett looked up, and when she saw the coldness in Julian’s eyes, she was suddenly stunned.
Previously, the cool mint-like chill Julian emanated felt like a distant aloofness, keeping people at bay.
But at this mont, the chill seed soaked with a biting coldness, bringing a terrifying dread.
Almost without thinking, Scarlett acted on instinct, grabbing his hand, asking worriedly: "What’s wrong with you?"
His fingertips were enveloped by her small, soft hands, as if a warmth was coursing through.
Julian lowered his gaze, looking at her tightly clenched, bleached fingers.
"It’s nothing," he softly replied, paused, and brought the topic back, saying, "Rather than making baseless guesses here, why not directly ask Anna herself? Didn’t you say she was invited to Zoe’s wedding? If you want, I can ask Josiah to help facilitate."
Scarlett hesitated, "Wouldn’t that alert her?"
"Alert who, about what?" Julian looked at her and asked.
Scarlett lowered her eyes and didn’t respond.
Overlooking her, Julian could clearly see her trembling, fluttering eyelashes.
"Actually, you’re afraid of getting close to the answer," he said straightforwardly.
Scarlett pursed her lips, "Yes."
Afraid Anna wasn’t Serena, and it would all be for naught.
But also afraid Anna was, and it would unravel many things she’d rather not face.
Scarlett instinctively glanced at Julian, who t her eyes and said, "If you don’t want to know right now, then let’s wait, after all, Anna is abroad, so many years have passed; it won’t make a difference."
"Not necessarily abroad."
"?"
Facing Julian’s scrutinizing gaze filled with doubt, Scarlett’s heart sank.
Oops, slipped up.
Julian’s familiarity with Scarlett’s guilty expressions was unparalleled, knowing she was hiding sothing from him.
At this mont, Scarlett’s face was full of stealth.
Julian didn’t bother to argue, smiling without warmth as he looked at Scarlett, saying, "Co on, what did you do, confess truthfully."
Scarlett: "..."
"You’d better not be thinking about trying to muddle through again."
Julian’s pace was smooth, neither fast nor slow.
Scarlett felt a bit numb.
With Julian’s intelligence, the more she resisted, the more likely he would guess the truth, and if he figured it out himself, the consequences could be far worse than confessing honestly.
So she simply raised the white flag, and admitted honestly, "I need to get in touch with Ryan, he’s recently been monitoring Anna, and Anna might still be in Capitoline."
"Ryan?"
"...Yes."
Julian: "When did you et him."
"On the third day of the New Year."
"So, the whole day you ignored was because you were with Ryan."
"..."
Julian’s tone was calm yet dangerous, and Scarlett even felt as though she had committed so grave mistake.
Yet Julian’s questioning wasn’t over.
Followed by, "You want to investigate soone, and the first person you think of isn’t , your boyfriend, but your ex-boyfriend?"
"I was wrong, I was being stupid at that mont."
To act humble before Julian, Scarlett was already quite practiced.
Before they dated, facing his high and mighty deanor, she had already beco proficient in admitting fault.
Now that he was her boyfriend, it was nothing but sweet talk and soft words.
Scarlett stepped forward, closed the distance between herself and Julian, grabbed his suit jacket, tiptoed, and planted a kiss on his chin, sincerely saying: "Next ti I need sothing, you’ll be the first person I contact, okay?"
Julian lowered his gaze, looking at her.
In his dark eyes, there was a waver, but he still said nothing.
Scarlett thought for a mont, her eyes misting over, "Julian, don’t push too far. My mother’s matter is still a pain in my heart. If you keep confronting , aren’t you afraid I’ll be heartbroken?"
Her words were reproachful, but her tone was soft, her beautiful mist-filled eyes full of unbeknownst grace.
Julian lowered his head, gently biting her pale pink lower lip.
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