“What do you want?” she asked. “Why did you come to take care of me last night? Jules, you still love me, don’t you?”

Zayn was left speechless. She hadn’t planned on answering, but remembering her promise to Martha, she couldn’t leave while Zayn was still with Megan.

Thinking this, Julie spoke up, “So what? What exactly are you trying to—”

Zayn continued, “These past few days, I’ve been feeling really unsettled without you around.”

Julie scoffed. “Didn’t you say the campus belle was your true love? With her by your side, what’s there to be unsettled about?”

He was taken aback. “It’s…nothing else. I’m hanging up.”

“No! Don’t hang up.”

Julie didn’t hang up but stayed silent, waiting for him to speak.

Zayn sighed on the other end. “Jules, whether you believe it or not, I was just looking for novelty with Megan. But with you…I still can’t let go. Jules, come back to me.”

“Are you planning to dump her?” Julie asked.

Zayn was silent a few seconds before responding, “Give me some time, okay? I’ll handle it.”

Julie didn’t expect him to actually be thinking about how to deal with Megan. He hadn’t changed at all. He was still the same scumbag as before. If it weren’t for George, she wouldn’t even want to speak to him right now.

She tried to calm herself and was about to speak when Lucian’s pained groan interrupted them. She ignored Zayn completely, hung up, and rushed back to the hospital ward.

“My hand’s cooked. It hurts a bit,” Lucian replied.

Julie quickly glanced at his hand, noticing the swelling. She immediately pressed the call bell. “It’s fine. The doctor will fix it soon.”

Lucian nodded faintly and then asked, “Whose call was that?”

Julie hesitated, not wanting to answer.

Lucian had a pretty good idea who it was. He would be fine if she just explained it to him, but she remained silent.

This made him feel a bit petulant. He turned his head away, clearly unwilling to engage. Although he tried to act indifferent, his eyes kept darting toward her.

Eventually, he couldn’t resist and muttered, “Your ex? I don’t need you to tell me to figure it out.”

Julie was surprised. “How did you know?”

He lowered his eyes and said softly, “It’s obvious.”

She fell silent, feeling guilty and afraid he might pick up on something. Suddenly, her phone rang again. She glanced at the screen; it was Zayn calling again. She didn’t answer and declined it right away.

When Blaine walked in, they both sat quietly, seemingly in a daze. He chuckled and teased, “Oh, are you two playing games? Acting like statues?”

As he said this, he struck a silly pose.

Lucian glanced at him, replying flatly, “Are you drunk?”

Blaine immediately became defensive. “You just have to roast me, huh, Luce?”

Lucian remained unamused. “Roasting you won’t bring any excitement.”

Blaine gritted his teeth in frustration, glaring at Lucian briefly before turning to Julie. “Jules, look, Luce is bullying me again!”

Julie sighed. “Seriously? Your combined ages must be over fifty by now. Why are you still acting so childish?”

She added in disdain, “Stop it.”

Blaine puffed up his chest, ignoring everyone. But after a moment, he started to feel uneasy.

“Lord, you deserve to land yourself in the hospital. You knew you couldn’t eat beef, but you did it anyway,” he added, referring to Julie’s earlier ward visit.