Chapter 753

That night, Juniper applied an ice pack to her face, but it was still swollen.

Hera had slapped her hard, venting all her anger as if she wanted to kill her.

But Juniper didn't even have the strength to argue; she deserved that slap.

Her phone rang; it was Anthony calling.

Juniper stared at the screen for a moment until it went dark.

She didn't know how to communicate with him now.

Two minutes later, the screen flashed again with a text message.

Anthony: [I'm downstairs.]

Juniper quickly hid behind the curtain and saw Anthony's white Maybach parked directly below.

She frowned and called him back, her tone indifferent, "Mr. Eilish, what do you mean by this?"

"Come down, let me see your injury."

"It's nothing, the swelling is gone. Thanks for your concern."

"I'm sorry."

Juniper bit her lip.

That apology made her feel a rush of mixed emotions.

"No need to apologize, it's my fault."

"You did nothing wrong; I'm the one at fault. I'm sorry, Juniper."

How long had it been since he last called her by her name? Memories broke through the fog and flooded her mind.

Juniper felt conflicted, her fingers clutching the curtain tightly.

"Let me see you, okay?"

His voice was as gentle as the lonely night.

"Really, it's nothing."

"I want to see you; I'm worried."

"Mr. Eilish, our collaboration has just begun, and I can't find anyone to replace me. I have no choice. But I hope we avoid all private contact. It's better for both of us and for your wife."

"We're not married yet, just engaged."

"It's the same."

Reaching this point, Juniper no longer harbored any illusions about him.

"The wedding is in half a month, but... I don't think it's the right decision."

In the end, he was still going to marry Hera.

She had once naively thought she would be an important part of his life, maybe even the last one, but she was too young.

Now she had quickly come to terms with it.

"Whether it's right or not is between you and your fiancée. It's not something you should tell me, and I don't want to hear it."

"Do you not care at all anymore?"

Juniper straightened her expression, "Mr. Eilish, we are now just business partners. Why should I care who you marry?" she retorted.

"Mr. Eilish, I hope our meetings are limited to work. And I hope our conversations are also limited to work, nothing more."

"That's it." She quickly hung up the phone, drew the curtains, and pushed him completely out of her mind.

Little did she know how disappointed Anthony was downstairs.

He held his phone, maintaining the same posture until he became stiff.

He looked up at the room with the tightly closed curtains.

'Juniper, if that's what you want, then I have no choice but to respect your wishes.'

Anthony returned to the hotel, not expecting to find Hera already in the room when he opened the door.

The air was filled with a faint scent of perfume. Hera was wearing a pink silk nightgown, with nothing underneath.

The hem of the gown swayed gently with her movements, revealing her beautiful curves, very enticing.

However, in Anthony's eyes, it was repulsive.

Even if two people liked each other, they should still have their own space. But Hera wasn't like that; she was no longer the Hera she used to be.

She had invaded his life bit by bit, occupying his life. It was like foreign cells invading, with the original cells desperately resisting.

Anthony immediately wanted to leave the room, but Hera approached with a glass of red wine, "This is our room, where are you going?"

"This was originally my room."

"We're getting married soon; why separate? We'll be living together in the future."

"Back home, we always slept separately."

"Yes, so we need to get used to it in advance. The wedding is in half a month; shouldn't we try living together before marriage?"

"I don't want to." Anthony coldly refused.

But Hera blocked his way, already feeling angry and wanting to argue, but she held back.

Arguing would only deepen their conflict; they had argued enough during the day. Now she needed to change her strategy, using gentleness to win his heart back.

"Are you still angry? Shouldn't I be the one who's angry? Any woman would go crazy seeing what I saw. I've been good enough; why can't you be more understanding?"

Anthony looked at her calmly, "There's no need to wrong yourself."

He knew she harbored deep resentment.

Hera gritted her teeth secretly; Anthony was too clear-headed.

"Yes, I'm still very upset. But I said I'd let it go, and I will. I won't hold it against you, but you can't see her again. Is that too much to ask? I'll consider it a mistake any man could make and forgive you once."

"There's no need."

Damn, why was he so hard to please?

"Can't you see I'm already compromising? Why are you still so cold to me, as if I'm the one who did something wrong?"

"The one at fault isn't you, it's me. But since it happened, there's no need to pretend it didn't. It makes us both uncomfortable."

"So what should I do? Anthony, I've done everything I could. Isn't that enough love for you?"

"You love me too much, too obsessively," Anthony said rationally. "I don't need you to love me like this; I want freedom."

"Does freedom mean cheating? I can give you freedom in other ways. You're working abroad right before our wedding; how many women would understand that?"

"It's been a long day; you should rest." Anthony left.

Hera quickly grabbed him, "Where are you going? To see Juniper? You're not allowed to go!"

"I didn't say I was going to see her."

"How do I know if you are? I used to trust you, but you lied to me."

"If there's no trust between us, do you think we can build a marriage? It's like a house that could collapse at any moment." Anthony shook his head. "I don't understand why you would jump into an abyss knowing it's there."

"Why? Because I love you," Hera emphasized loudly.

"Is love about confinement and restriction? Binding each other?"

"How am I confining you? My only request is loyalty. Is that too much? Isn't that what should be expected?"

"Your feelings have become distorted. I find it hard to share a room with you. Even if we get married, we'll live separately. I won't live with you."

"I don't accept living separately! Do you want me to be a laughingstock?"

"My marriage isn't for others to see; I just want to be with the woman I love. Our values are different; it's hard to agree. This conversation won't lead anywhere. Let's end it here." Anthony said, pushing her away.

"Anthony, Anthony! Come back." Hera could only watch as he walked out of the room without looking back.

How much did he despise her?