Seeing this, Julian’s fists clenched, a deeper bitterness settling in his chest. So, in the days without him, had these people been living even better than before? He stood frozen, at a loss for words.

Lily, gathering her courage, glanced at him. She hadn’t expected to see him like this.

“You’re… Julian?” She truly wasn’t sure. Normally, he was meticulous in his appearance. No matter what he did, everything was always in perfect order. And he had a severe obsession with cleanliness. After being intimate, he would head straight for the shower—taking her with him as well. That was how she came to know just how extreme his need for cleanliness was.

Now, seeing him in such a state, she couldn’t make sense of it. No wonder she hadn’t recognized his footsteps earlier. Looking at him now, it was hard enough to recognize his face—how could she have possibly recognized his voice?

Julian caught the uncertainty in her expression, and the sense of mockery in his chest only grew. He let out a cold, derisive snort. “What, I’ve been gone so long you don’t recognize me anymore?”

The air around him was nothing like before—he had grown darker, more menacing. Lily swallowed hard, fear creeping in.

“Julian… maybe we should just sit down and talk,” she said, edging back step by step until her back hit the corner of the wall. After all, the room was only so big, and her ankle was chained by Julian. Even if she wanted to leave, there was no way she could get out. For a moment, Lily had no idea what to do.

The Julian from before would at least leave room for negotiation. But now, he gave her an entirely different feeling, like being fixed under the cold stare of a snake.

Julian, however, had no patience to drag things out any longer. A cold laugh slipped through his teeth. “Talk? What a joke. Do you think I have time to waste on you?”

Lily froze where she stood, stunned by how impossible he was to reason with now. The man before had at least been willing to talk.

She tried a softer approach instead. “I just want to know… what happened to you? How did you become like this?” Her voice was gentle, like a trickling stream. “Did something happen to you? You must have suffered a lot. You can tell me… I can help you.”

Julian’s gloomy eyes widened slightly. “Help me?” he muttered. “How could you possibly help me?” He repeated it again, and again. He couldn’t bring himself to believe her words. This was the same woman who had been trying to run from him from the very start. Now she wanted to help him? And after all this time, she suddenly said such a thing? He could never believe it.

Besides, he wasn’t the same man he had been before. Would she really treat him better now than she had back then? The thought almost made him laugh because it was utterly impossible.