He Lost Me to His Best Friend novel Chapter 762

Julian's voice was tight with suppressed emotion. "They found it during a checkup a while ago. Terminal lung cancer. It makes sense now why she was always coughing the past few years. She thought it was just asthma, but her lungs were failing her all along."

He let out a heavy, ragged sigh. "You know how stubborn she is. She hates going to the hospital. The only reason she even agreed to the checkup was because my mom lied and told her it was a mandatory health screening mandated by the state."

Julian's eyes brimmed with profound grief. "Our whole family has been keeping it a secret from her. We haven't dared to tell her the truth. But the doctor said it's too late for treatment. There's no cure. At best, she has one to two years left."

Scarlett went completely numb. She stood frozen, her hands trembling uncontrollably. She bit down hard on her lower lip, desperately fighting to keep her emotions in check, but her heart was already breaking.

"I... I understand," she finally managed to say, exhaling a shaky breath. "I know, Julian. Professor Dawson told me she wanted to see you settle down. She said watching your marriage with Sylvia fall apart was the greatest heartbreak of her life."

Julian nodded firmly, his gaze locking onto hers. "Yes. And she told me privately that she thinks the world of you. She was hoping we'd find our way to each other."

Scarlett hesitated, a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. "But we..."

Julian instantly understood her fears. "You feel like this is rushing things. You don't feel secure, and you're worried that without a strong romantic foundation, this will end up just like my last marriage—crashing and burning, right?"

"Yes."

"That's why a contract marriage is the perfect solution. It solves our immediate crises and gives us a safe buffer. Scarlett, if three years pass and you don't love me, I will let you walk away with your freedom intact. Any concerns or boundaries you have can be explicitly written into the contract."

"If they were truly intimate, they'd be sharing a bed. Julian wouldn't be walking out of her room in the middle of the night." Yardley's tone was absolute, laced with a subtle, unmistakable hint of smugness.

"You're far too naive," Sylvia smirked, her voice dripping with absolute disdain. "Couldn't they have just hooked up, and then he left?"

Suddenly, she grabbed Yardley's arm, pressing herself closer. "Scarlett's winning streak is going to crash and burn after tomorrow's award ceremony. If Julian wants to pick up your discarded trash, let him. But since they're flaunting their shameless behavior so openly, shouldn't we..."

With that, Sylvia leaned her body entirely against his, a blatant invitation.