He Lost Me to His Best Friend novel Chapter 825

"Mama! Dada!"

Dawn’s voice was bright and crystal clear. Afterward, she shyly buried her face in Julian’s chest.

Julian completely froze, overwhelmed by a massive surge of joy. He quickly wrapped his arms around the little girl, his eyes growing noticeably damp.

Dawn peered up at him, her dark, grape-like eyes sparkling with innocent affection. With her little button nose and proud chin, she looked like a tiny, spirited princess, echoing so much of Scarlett’s own radiant charm.

Julian’s heart melted completely, and he pressed a tender kiss to her soft cheek.

Watching this deeply touching scene unfold, Scarlett felt a lump form in her throat. Her eyes stung with tears. She was incredibly moved, yet simultaneously gripped by a profound sense of unease.

Deep down, she wanted nothing more than for Dawn to have a joyous childhood, surrounded by parents who deeply loved and nurtured her. But the sobering reality remained: Julian was not her biological father.

Asking a man who didn't even have children of his own to step into the role of a stepfather—to dedicate his life to raising another man's child—felt incredibly selfish to Scarlett.

Even though Julian had openly embraced Dawn from the very beginning and promised to treat her as his own, Scarlett couldn't get past her own internal barriers. It just didn't seem fair to him.

More importantly, she hadn't planned on starting a new relationship, let alone jumping into a marriage. Yet fate had a funny way of making decisions for her. Because of their grand scheme, they were forced to cohabitate in secret. And based on the strategy she had finalized with her brother back in Country A, she and Julian were going to enter into a three-year contract marriage.

She felt like she was being helplessly swept along by the current of destiny. She could logically accept the tactical necessity of their arrangement, but she was still entirely unsure of what her actual relationship with Julian was supposed to be.

Pulled from his sweet moment with Dawn, Julian turned his head, a warm smile illuminating his face. But the moment he noticed the distant, conflicted look in Scarlett's eyes, his heart gave a slight pinch.

He carefully handed Dawn over to Zara, stepped out of the playpen, and walked up to her. "Of course. But... you seem upset?"

Scarlett forced a small smile. "I'm not upset. There are just some things we need to discuss. Can we... go to the study?"

Julian nodded. "Okay."

Azure Estates was incredibly spacious. Spread across three floors, each level spanned over two thousand square feet. The ground floor housed a massive, sunlit kitchen, a sprawling living room, and a beautifully appointed study. The study exuded a cozy yet sophisticated elegance, decorated with imported oil paintings and a vast collection of books—all of which had been quietly smuggled over from Country A and temporarily stashed here.