?Chapter 784:


    “Just tell me, how much money do you need?” he asked.


    “I’m not after your money,” Dalores replied, her voice breaking. “I lost the baby…”


    “What?” Julio frowned, looking at her t abdomen.


    When Dalores had fled, she had been nearly due to give birth. What did she mean by saying she had lost the baby? Dalores reached into her purse and pulled out a surgical abortion consent form—the form, her signature, dated just two weeks after her escape.


    “When I escaped, I was penniless on the streets of Alverton, where the nighttime temperatures dropped far below zero. I nearly died out there.” Dalores’ voice was steady, her eyes hollow yet determined. “Facing that, I knew the baby wouldn’t survive. So, I used thest of my money for an abortion. After that, I found work to sustain myself.”


    Julio stared at her, disbelief etched on his features.


    Dalores said, “Remember the gold bracelet you bought in advance for the baby? I sold it. That’s how I got the money for the abortion.”


    Julio suddenly stood up, his hands mming onto the table. He leaned toward her, gripping her cor. “Say that again!”


    “I can repeat it a hundred times if needed,” Dalores shot back, her voice rising. “I terminated the pregnancy myself! Because you, Julio, you’re not fit to be a father. You’re a heartless monster!” Dalores met his furious gaze without flinching.


    “I’d never want my child to inherit your cruelty. You disgust me!”


    Julio’s grip tightened on her cor, his hands shaking with rage. Dalores’ expression was filled with such disdain that it pierced his chest like a knife.


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    “You owe me a life!” Julio’s voice was a raw growl. Dalores shoved his hand aside, surged to her feet, and flung her coffee at his face.


    “You don’t deserve any repayment,” she dered. “You brought color into my life, but then, you tore it apart. Let’s act like we’re strangers from now on.”


    With that, she turned around and left. It was only after this encounter that she grasped a painful truth: distance did not sever the bonds of affection. She discovered that even deep-seated hatred was insufficient to erase a person from her heart.


    Sitting by the window, Julio watched as Dalores left the coffee shop. Her figure shrank into the distance until it was just a speck.


    In a gesture of frustration, Julio mmed his hand down, sshing a ss of water onto the floor. The anger etched on his face was terrifying. The waiters, ready to clean up, paused and exchanged uneasy looks.


    Fortunately, Julio turned and quickly walked away, leaving the chaos behind without doing anything further.


    His mind was in turmoil. He sped out of the crowded city, overtaking car after car.


    Dalores, who had just boarded the bus, nced back and saw Julio’s car charging forward. The car nearly collided with a water truck when it abruptly swerved, sliding into thene of the bus.


    Dalores gasped. Before she could breathe a sigh of relief for Julio, the bus braked sharply due to his suddenne change. The abrupt stop caused her to lose her bnce and tumble into the aisle. The bus wasn’t crowded, but the sudden jolt led to minor injuries among the passengers, who voiced their difort. Dalores, head bowed, cradled the part of her body that hurt, while unexpected tears trickled down her cheeks. How could it not hurt?


    The physical pain was insignificantpared to the ache in her heart. Now, her rtionship with Julio waspletely over. Their past experiences made it clear they wouldn’t even be friends.


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