Chapter 341

Jayden clenched his fists at his sides. After taking a deep breath, he finally spoke the truth he had held back for years. "Back when you were together, Joshua truly cared about you. Then, one day, when you went to his house, his father—buried under a mountain of debt—returned. The moment he saw you, he saw an opportunity. He wanted to use you to pay off his debts. "Juliette, Joshua was born into a living hell. It took him over a decade to escape it. How could he ever bear to drag you into it?" He let out a weary sigh, his tone softening. "I've known Joshua for many years. He acted like it was no big deal when he told me about it. But I could tell—the truth was much darker than he let on. So don't blame him for what he did back then. He had no other choice." That was the only decision I could make to keep Juliette safe. I had been young, powerless. I had feared my parents would harm her, that I wouldn't be able to protect her when it mattered most. When I realized the danger, it