Chapter 33 I’m The Villain?
Juliet immediately shoved Vincent away and hurried toward Cassian.
Vincent watched as she instinctively moved behind Cassian, clutching his arm. The sight made something ugly twist inside him.
Vincent slowly straightened.
"And if I don't?" he asked coldly.
Cassian gently moved Juliet behind him, shielding her with his body before taking several measured steps forward.
His expression remained terrifyingly calm.
"You don't want to find out."
Vincent gave a humorless laugh.
"I think I do."
The next second, Cassian's fist crashed into Vincent's jaw.
The force sent Vincent stumbling backward several steps before he regained his balance. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his thumb and laughed bitterly.
Then he charged.
The two men collided with enough force to overturn a nearby table.
A chair skidded across the polished floor.
Punches were exchanged mercilessly.
Neither man held back.
"Cassian!" Juliet cried, panic filling her voice.
Vincent landed a hard punch against Cassian's cheek.
Cassian retaliated immediately, driving his fist into Vincent's stomach before striking him across the face hard enough to split his lip.
The fight only grew more vicious.
By the time security and several guests rushed in and dragged them apart, both men looked disheveled.
The moment Cassian was released, Juliet rushed straight to him.
"Cassian!"
Ignoring everyone else in the room, she cupped his face gently, her eyes immediately finding the bruise darkening along his jaw.
"Oh God, you're bleeding."
Her brows knitted together anxiously as her fingers carefully brushed the corner of his mouth.
"Does it hurt?" she asked softly. "We should get some ice."
Cassian caught her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
"I'm fine, Juliet."
Juliet looked anything but convinced.
Her brows remained knitted together as she gently turned his face toward the light, carefully examining the bruise already darkening along his jaw. When she noticed the split at the corner of his lip, her expression tightened immediately.
"You're bleeding," she said softly, her fingers hovering near the cut. "We should get some ice."
"It's just a scratch," Cassian replied, covering her hand with his own. "Don't worry."
But Juliet was already searching his face for any other injuries, completely oblivious to everything else around her.
A few feet away, Vincent stood perfectly still.
Blood dripped steadily from his split lip. One side of his face was already beginning to swell, and the skin across his bruised knuckles had broken open during the fight.
Yet Juliet hadn't looked at him once.
Not once.
As he watched her fuss over Cassian, a memory surfaced so vividly that it stole the air from his lungs.
He had accidentally gotten a paper cut while opening a package.
The cut had been so tiny that he had barely noticed it.
Juliet, however, had reacted as though he had been stabbed.
She had dragged him all the way to the infirmary despite his protests, scolding him for being careless while carefully holding his injured hand in both of hers. For the rest of the day, she had hovered around him constantly, asking every few minutes if it still hurt.
Back then, even the smallest injury on him had been enough to make her worry.
Now he stood right in front of her, his lip split open, blood drying at the corner of his mouth, bruises already darkening across his face.
And she didn't care.
The realization struck Vincent with almost physical force, leaving him momentarily breathless.
"Juliet."
His voice came out rough and uneven.
She didn't respond.
She remained focused on Cassian, standing close enough that their shoulders brushed. Her expression softened as she gently brushed her thumb near the bruise on Cassian's jaw, her brows drawn together with concern.
"Does it hurt?" she asked softly.
Vincent felt something inside him twist painfully.
"Juliet," he called again, louder this time.
Only then did she finally look up and snapped.
"What?!"
The indifference in her voice made his chest tighten so painfully that he almost staggered.
Vincent took a step toward her, his bruised fists clenching at his sides.
"I'm hurt too."
Juliet simply looked at him.
No concern.
No panic.
No desperate rush to check his injuries.
Nothing.
The emptiness in her gaze felt colder than hatred.
A bitter laugh escaped him.
"Unbelievable."
He dragged a shaky hand through his disheveled hair, leaving the dark strands even messier before staring at her in disbelief.
"How can you stand there and act like I don't even exist?" he demanded, his voice unsteady. "After everything we've been through together?"
Juliet's expression remained unchanged.
Vincent's emotions finally spilled over.
"Who was there when you had nobody?" he asked, his voice rising as he spread his arms helplessly. "Who stayed by your side all these years? We've known each other since school, Juliet. We've grown up together."
He pointed at himself, his eyes already beginning to redden.
"It was me."
His throat bobbed.
"You got engaged to me."
His voice cracked slightly on the last word.
"And now you've completely changed." He let out a disbelieving laugh and shook his head. "Suddenly, I'm the villain?"
Juliet stared at him quietly for several long seconds.
Then she slowly lowered her hand from Cassian's face and turned fully toward Vincent.
"Do you remember what you said to me when I agreed to marry you?"
Vincent frowned, confusion flashing across his bruised face.
"What are you talking about?"
Juliet let out a soft, humorless laugh and lowered her gaze briefly.
"It was my birthday last year. I was crying because everyone around me had family with them while I had nobody." She paused, swallowing hard. "I told you how much it hurt not having parents. No siblings. No family."
Vincent's expression slowly changed.
Juliet looked directly into his eyes.
"And do you remember what you said?"
He opened his mouth.
No words came out.
"You asked me to marry you."
A sad smile touched her lips as though she were remembering a dream that no longer belonged to her.
"You wrapped your arms around me and told me that from that day onward, I would never be alone again."
Her voice trembled despite her efforts to remain composed.
"You told me that you would become my family."
Vincent's throat tightened painfully.
"You promised to take care of me."
Juliet swallowed hard, tears beginning to gather in her eyes.
"And you told me that you would love me."
Silence filled the room.
Even the people standing nearby remained motionless.
Juliet held his gaze.
"Did you keep even one of those promises, Vincent?"
Vincent immediately stepped forward.
"Juliet, I—"
"No." She shook her head before he could continue, tears slipping silently down her cheeks. "Answer honestly."
Vincent fell silent.
Juliet laughed softly, though the sound was hollow and broken, carrying none of its usual warmth. She lowered her gaze, her fingers curling tightly into her palms as if trying to hold herself together.
"I've spent months wondering what I did wrong," she said quietly. "Wondering why you changed so much."
She looked away, blinking rapidly as tears gathered in her eyes. For a moment, she pressed her lips together, struggling to regain her composure before continuing.
"But I've finally realized something."
Slowly, she lifted her head and looked back at him. There was no anger in her eyes now, only exhaustion and a deep, lingering sadness.
"You don't love me."
Vincent's face paled.
Juliet held his gaze, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I think you actually hate me."
"That's not true!" Vincent snapped instantly, panic flashing across his face. He took another hurried step toward her, shaking his head vehemently. "How can you even think that? I could never hate you."
"Really?" Juliet asked softly. A tear slipped down her cheek, but she made no move to wipe it away. "Because people don't destroy someone they love."
Vincent looked stricken, as though she had physically struck him.
"You know I didn't mean those things." His eyes searched her face desperately, silently pleading for her to believe him.
"But you still said them," Juliet whispered.
The quiet pain in her voice made Vincent's chest tighten painfully.
Acting on instinct, he reached for her, his hand stretching toward hers.
Juliet immediately stepped back.
It made Vincent freeze.
His outstretched hand remained suspended in midair as disbelief slowly spread across his face.
For years, no matter how angry or upset she had been, Juliet had always moved toward him.
Never away.
As the distance between them widened, Vincent suddenly realized with horrifying clarity that he was losing her.
Maybe he already had.
When she finally spoke, her voice was calm.
"I'm done, Vincent."
Juliet didn't wait for Vincent to respond.
She turned away from him, as though the conversation—and perhaps he himself—no longer deserved another second of her attention.
Without hesitation, she reached for Cassian's hand.
Cassian immediately intertwined their fingers, his grip firm and reassuring. His cold gaze lingered on Vincent for a brief moment before he gently tugged Juliet toward the door.
The room remained eerily silent.
No one moved.
Vincent stood frozen where he was, staring at their joined hands as if he couldn't comprehend what he was seeing. His face had gone completely pale.
Juliet and Cassian had barely taken a few steps when hurried footsteps suddenly echoed behind them.
"Juliet, wait."
Juliet stopped.
Slowly, she turned around.
Alexa had stepped in front of them, blocking their path. She clasped her hands nervously in front of her, her expression hesitant, though there was a strange determination in her eyes.
Juliet's brows immediately drew together.
"What now?" she asked flatly.
Alexa instinctively glanced back at Vincent. Seeing the devastated expression on his face seemed to strengthen her resolve. She turned back to Juliet and forced a small, gentle smile.