The moment Lily heard Julian was heading overseas, her eyes lit up.

He was leaving the country? Did that mean she might finally get a break from all this?

Julian walked over to her, and he didn’t miss the brief flicker of joy in her eyes. That alone was enough to set him off. He grabbed her chin hard, voice sharp with irritation. “What, you’re that happy to hear I’m leaving? Let me make something clear–I’m not gone for good. So, you’d better behave yourself while I’m away.”

Lily glared back at him with just as much venom. She couldn’t wait for the day he disappeared for good.

Just being near him made her skin crawl. Every second in his presence was suffocating and nauseating. “If you’re leaving, then just go. Stop hovering over me like a disease.” The words scraped out of her throat, ragged and bitter.

Julian’s expression darkened. He had given her food and shelter, everything she needed to survive, and she still wasn’t grateful? After all this time, she hadn’t changed one bit. Sometimes, he even questioned himself. But he never knew where to begin. “Lily, you’re just an ungrateful parasite. After everything, you haven’t changed at all.”

Hearing that, Lily actually let out a laugh. “Please. You’re nothing but a hypocrite in a tailored suit. You’ve kept me locked up like a prisoner, and you expect gratitude?”

Julian’s eyes burned with a rage that was nearly spilling over, and the pressure of his grip tightened with every word. “If it weren’t for me, you’d be dead by now. And you still dare to act ungrateful?”

“I was the one who pulled you out of that mountain–your life belongs to me. And if you really want your freedom back…” He trailed off deliberately, and just as he expected, he caught the flash of hope in Lily’s eyes. But he said nothing more, letting the silence drag, dangling the illusion in front of her.

Feeling his grip on her chin ease just slightly, Lily spoke up, her voice rough and cautious. “What must I…” If there was even the smallest chance to escape Julian, she was willing to try anything. She still had a family–people she needed to find. Her life wasn’t supposed to end like this, trapped and rotting in some dark corner of the world.

But the moment Julian opened his mouth again, that flicker of hope shattered.

“There’s always a way,” he said with a twisted smile. “I saved your life. So, you just need to give your life to me.”

Chapter 610

Lily blinked, not quite understanding. What did he mean by that? A life was a life. How could she possibly give it to him?

Julian’s lips curled as he enunciated one cold, deliberate word. “Death.” He let out a laugh, low and manic. “Come on, isn’t that the perfect deal?”

Lily’s body went limp. In that instant, she understood–Julian was a monster. He had never intended to let her go. The so-called way out was death. There were no choices, no freedom. Just this room. Just him. Just darkness.

And with that realization, a true desire to die crept into her heart. She didn’t even want to think about what came next. Everything went black before her eyes, and she slipped into a haze of hopelessness, not knowing how she’d survive another day.