Utterly stunned, Mandy''s hand halted mid-air, the sting of impact pulsing through her palm. She had


    landed a hard p on Jonah''s face instead.


    Julien gazed at Jonah, who had unhesitatingly shielded him, his heart pounding so hard that it was


    about to explode. "Jonah, I..."


    "Aunt Mandy, please do not hit Julien. He''s not to be med. It''s all my fault."


    A deathly silence descended on the corridor after Jonah addressed Mandy. His calmness in the face of


    unyielding pressure felt the more pitiful. "Julien has suffered through beatings for me and the Taylor


    family. I do not ever want to put him through anything like that. I will protect him to the best of my


    ability."


    Jonah''s deration caught everyone by surprise. Meanwhile, Julien''s head hung low. Though Jonah''s


    gesture touched him, he found himself weighed down by guilt and self-me.


    Since childhood, Edgar and Mandy had instilled in him the belief that he was the hope of the Lovce


    family, thus impressing upon him the expectation to be a responsible and independent man.


    Contrary to expectations, Julien had be a troublemaker, incapable of bringing any value to the


    family. Hemented, feeling like he didn''t deserve to be called a man.


    "Jonah, you said Julien was beaten. What does that mean?" Alyssa''s chest tightened.


    "Julien has been in a bad ce ever since he left the Lovce family," Jonah recalled the frightening


    red marks on Julien''s fairplexion. He clenched his fist to suppress his anger. "When Julien heard


    about Dad''s rpse, he rushed over to treat Dad despite suffering from injuries."


    Mandy grew nervous. "Did the Lovces. punish him by the family rule?"


    "Jonah, stop it." Julien tugged at Jonah''s sleeve and shook his head defeatedly. He said in a barely


    audible voice, "Just drop it. It''s all in the past. You don''t have to exin on my behalf."


    From the sounds of it, Julien had suffered beatings from the Lovce family. Feeling cold from head to


    toe, Mandy stumbled backward. As an ex-Lovce who left the family, she was privy to their scary and


    inhumane family rules applied to punish dissenters.


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    Now that Jonah and Julien''s rtionship had been exposed, Mandy genuinely worried that the


    Lovces would beat Julien to death.


    Without warning, the doors to the treatment room flung open. Winston was wheeled out by Neil, still


    looking feeble from the severe rpse. Still, he sat upright, refusing to reveal his vulnerability in front of


    his children.


    "Dad!" Winston''s children appeared worried and scared. Judging from the timing of Winston''s


    appearance, he must have learned about Jonah and Julien.


    They feared that Winston would release his wrath and disappointment on Jonah. Besides, they worried


    that the devastating news would deal another blow to his fragile health.


    "Dad." Feeling nervous, Jonah instinctively grabbed Julien by the arm and pulled him to the back, a


    move that shocked Alyssa.


    Jonah''s behavior was no different than Jasper''s protective stance. He loved Julien the same way


    Jasper loved her.


    There was nothing wrong with being gay. It did not affect anyone''s life in any way.


    So what if the rtionship subjected the Taylor family to mockery and condemnation? All that mattered


    was the family remained a safe haven for Jonah and Julien when the world turned against the couple.


    Julien stood frozen behind Jonah, too afraid to look straight at Winston. He looked oddly diminished


    and small despite being tall, good-looking, and aplished. Overwhelmed with shame, he wanted to


    dig a hole and hide in it.