Chapter 4: The Medicine You Can’t Find

Hearing a familiar voice, Chloe turned around. It was Ella, Julian’s younger sister. The two had a decent relationship and could always exchange a few words when they met. Ella frowned, looking Chloe up and down. "What’s wrong? Are you sick?" Ella’s first thought was that Chloe might be pregnant, but since Chloe was at the inpatient department, that suspicion faded. Chloe tried her best to pull herself together, but her expression was still strained. "I’m fine, Ella." "Alright, but did you and my brother fight again?" Ella knew they often argued and assumed this time was no different. "No, actually, your brother and I—" Chloe was about to explain that she and Julian were no longer together, but Ella cut her off before she could finish. "I don’t have time to chat right now. You know how my brother is. I have to go." Ella hurried off, leaving Chloe standing there. --- The previous night had been a late one. Julian had been emotionally wound up, and by the time he got home, it was nearly dawn. As he prepared for bed, he instinctively took a shower first, wrapping himself in a towel before falling into a deep sleep. This time, he remembered to shower and change clothes. Chloe wouldn’t have any reason to complain. In the morning, Julian was woken by a sharp, twisting pain in his stomach. His face pale, he clutched his abdomen, struggling to find something to wear. Almost instinctively, he called out, “Chloe…” But as soon as he said her name, he froze. Chloe wasn’t there anymore. She didn’t need to be. Taking a deep breath, Julian left the room in search of his medication. He searched every drawer in the living room but couldn’t find the stomach medicine he usually took. Julian realized that whenever he needed his medicine, Chloe had always been there to magically bring it to him. Now, with no one around, he had no choice but to call Megan, the housekeeper. "Sir, your stomach medicine is in the first drawer of your bedside table. Chloe mentioned that you often get stomach pains after drinking, so she put it there for easy access…” Before Megan could finish, Julian hung up abruptly. Megan sensed that Julian hadn’t been in a good mood these past few days. Following Megan’s instructions, Julian found the drawer filled with his usual medicines, especially for his stomach. He took the pills and waited for the relief to kick in. Once the medicine started working, he finally felt a little better. Only then did he notice that all of Chloe’s belongings had disappeared from the bedroom. The clothes, jewelry, and bags he had bought her were still in the closet, as well as her usual cosmetics, but everything that truly belonged to Chloe was gone. Julian felt a deep sense of betrayal and anger. "Impressive, Chloe. Let’s see how long you can keep this act up." He still believed this situation would turn out like every other time they had fought before. Descending the stairs, Julian heard some noise coming from the kitchen. He saw Ella emerging and frowned. “What’s with that face? You’re not happy to see me?” Ella asked, displeased by his cold reception. Julian didn’t respond to her remark. “Why are you here?” “Where’s Chloe? I haven’t had breakfast yet,” Ella asked, having expected to see Chloe when she entered. It seemed the two were still fighting. Julian frowned, instinctively avoiding the topic of his breakup with Chloe. He didn’t want to explain, so he impatiently tried to shoo Ella away. "Why does it matter to you where she is? If you came here for food, this isn’t a restaurant." "What’s with your attitude? I’m just concerned about you. Mom’s arranged a meeting for you to meet some people. I sent you the details, but where’s Chloe?" Ella had come by to inform Julian about a potential arranged marriage, something common in their social circle. Dating and marriage were often treated separately, with families seeing them as two distinct things. Julian, feeling increasingly irritated, didn’t like how his sister kept bringing up Chloe. It made him feel as if people thought he couldn’t live without her. Ella, oblivious to her brother’s reaction, continued, “Oh, by the way, did you know Chloe’s not feeling well? I saw her at the hospital today when I went to visit Professor Lauren. She looked really unwell.” “And what does that have to do with me?” Julian’s tone was sharp, and Ella quickly realized that the two were still fighting. “Well, if you’re done talking, you can leave now.” Annoyed, Julian stood up, clearly eager to get rid of her. He didn’t want to continue the conversation any further. Ella hadn’t expected to be treated so coldly. Although she wanted to stay, her brother firmly pushed her out of the villa. Muttering complaints as she left, Ella finally disappeared, and Julian felt the quiet return to his world. When he and Chloe had first gotten together, he had been focused on starting his own business. He had been determined to prove his capabilities to his family and gain independence from them. During the toughest two years of his life, no one had been there to support him—many had even been waiting for him to fail. The only person who had stayed by his side throughout it all was Chloe. She had seen him rise from the lowest point in his life to where he was now. Because of all the effort he had put in, his family had turned a blind eye to his relationship with Chloe, not pushing too hard for them to break up. After resting for a bit, Julian headed to his study to take care of some work for his company. By the time he had finished, the sky had already grown dark. The stabbing pain in his stomach returned, reminding him just how long he had gone without eating. Just then, his phone rang. It was his rumored girlfriend, someone who had been around him a lot lately. They seemed to have a decent connection. “Hey, I’m waiting outside your house for dinner.” Julian felt a surge of discomfort hearing that. "How do you know where I live?" “One of your friends told me.” “Adam told you?” “No, it was William.” Since she was already there, Julian couldn’t exactly send her away, so he reluctantly invited her in. "Fine, come inside and wait." After tidying up his study, Julian headed to the living room, where he found Sophie waiting. The sight made him uneasy—like his private space had been invaded. Sophie, on the other hand, didn’t sense this. She eagerly rushed over to hug Julian, only for him to dodge her embrace. “Do you know how to cook?” Julian asked, his voice flat. Sophie, slightly irritated that he had avoided her hug, hadn’t even had time to express her displeasure before Julian’s unexpected question caught her off guard. “I don’t, but if you like, I could learn.” Julian stayed silent for a moment, then found an excuse to send her away. He couldn’t quite explain why, but he simply didn’t want to see her at that moment. With the villa empty once again, Julian thought about what Ella had said earlier. He decided to send Chloe a message.