"But isn't congenital heart disease treatable? If it was discovered so early, then why..." Royce couldn't understand.
Though he wasn't well-versed in medical matters, he knew that such conditions could often be treated with surgery, at least to extend life. If caught early and if the condition was mild, it might not even have much impact.
Julia harshly wiped the tears from her face with her palm.
"He shouldn't have come into this world," Julia said with a bitter smile, grabbing Royce's bottle and taking a big gulp of the alcohol.
Hearing this, Royce seemed touched. He gave a faint, bitter smile. "Who decides who should or shouldn't be here?"
After all, he himself felt like someone who shouldn't have been born. Thinking this way, he felt a strange kinship with Grady. They were both people who shouldn't have come into this world.
"My mom was an orphan. After she married my dad, he became her everything. Everything was fine at first, but after they got married, things changed, especially after I was born."
Royce didn't interrupt Julia, listening quietly.
"Our Avery family is very traditional. They all wanted a son to inherit the family business, but my mom had me instead. She was neglected by the family, and even my dad started to ignore her more. But my mom still loved my dad deeply."
Julia gave another bitter smile. "She tried desperately to get healthy so she could give my dad a son. Even when she knew he had a woman outside who gave him twins, she didn't complain. She just wanted to give him a son."
"…"
"My mom finally got pregnant. The pregnancy was tough, and Grady was born prematurely. After giving birth to Grady, my mom only lasted half a month. Maybe because my mom was in poor health, Grady was also born weak. I remember Grady was always sick, much smaller than other kids his age."
"But after my mom passed away, my dad brought the woman he was seeing outside into our home, along with her twin children. He barely paid any attention to me and my brother, Grady. Grady's illness was neglected until one day he fainted, and only then was he taken to the hospital."
Recalling the past, Julia always felt like it was a nightmare.
"The doctor said Grady had a congenital heart disease and had already missed the best time for surgery. They recommended immediate surgery. Our family's winery business was doing well at the time, so we could afford it. But my dad and stepmom refused to let Grady have the surgery."
Royce was about to curse, but seeing Julia's tears, he felt a sudden, sharp pain in his heart and said nothing.
"In the dead of winter, I knelt on the ground for a whole day and night. My dad finally relented and went to the hospital. The doctor told him the surgery would cost around ten thousand dollars."
Ten thousand dollars back then was not the same as ten thousand dollars now.
"When my dad heard it would cost ten thousand dollars, he backed out again. He couldn't bear to part with the money, especially since he had another son. My stepmom was even more adamant against it when she heard the amount. No matter how much I pleaded, they refused to let Grady have the surgery, opting instead to maintain his condition with medication for as long as possible."
Julia bit her lip so hard that it started to bleed.
"Later, when I took Grady back to the hospital, the doctor said it was too late for surgery. The best time had passed, and forcing the surgery could mean he might die on the operating table. The doctor also said Grady wouldn't live past seventeen."
As Julia spoke, she clenched her fists silently.
She was filled with hatred. Yes, she hated.
He was such a good boy, always well-behaved, never fighting or arguing, quiet and sensible, always thinking of her as his sister.
But why was fate so unfair to him?
Royce had never heard such a story before. Due to his special status, he rarely encountered such situations.
As he was absorbed in the story, he suddenly felt someone grab his hand.
He looked up and saw Julia's bloodshot eyes.
Whether it was from crying too much or the strong alcohol, her eyes were intensely red.
Her face was filled with hatred.
"I need to ask you for a favor."
"Go ahead."
"Keep pretending to be my husband. Let Grady see that my husband loves me, cares for me, and gives me a warm family." As Julia blinked, tears slowly trickled down her cheeks.
Because of her bloodshot eyes, Royce almost thought her tears were red as well.
He understood that she just wanted to leave with a bit more peace of mind.
"But you already have a husband."
Mentioning her husband, Julia let out a bitter laugh, "Him? Ha..."
"What happened?" Royce was unsure why she was so dissatisfied with her "husband."
"To my husband, I'm not even as good as a blow-up doll," Julia said with a cold smile.
"It's not a joke, but we've been married for a whole year, and I don't even know who he is. When he finally came back, we slept together several times, but I still don't know who he is. He never even let me see his face."
Royce felt a bit awkward—after all, the man she was talking about was standing right in front of her.
"Do you know? Every time he comes back, he has the maid cut the power, leaving the room pitch black. He just uses me as an outlet. My only hope now is that he will at least get me pregnant."
Julia looked at Royce, "Help me this one time."
Her hand still clung tightly to his.
Her hand was so small, covering Royce's large hand, gripping it firmly.
Royce wanted to say, "I'll help you, but you have to sleep with me."
The reason he was pretending to be by her side was to test if she would cheat, wasn't it?
But looking into her bloodshot eyes, he found that he couldn't get the words out of his throat.
Wouldn't saying that make him a total jerk?
Julia noticed Royce's prolonged silence, and the hope that had just ignited in her heart began to fade away bit by bit.
"Forget it, I shouldn't have pinned my hopes on someone else in the first place."
"I never said I wouldn't help you."
Julia's head shot up. "So, you've decided to help me?"
Hope rekindled in her eyes. She desperately wanted her brother to leave this world peacefully. He had suffered too much in his life.
She didn't want her brother to leave this world still filled with worry.
"Yes, but I have conditions." Royce smiled slightly, his lips curling.
Julia's expression turned cold inch by inch.
She knew Royce was a gigolo, and people like him were the most cold-blooded. She could even guess what kind of conditions Royce wanted.
"What do you want?"