Julia realized she had misspoken. She broke the awkward silence as she said with a smile, "That's right. You shouldn't be in a relationship when you're in school. You should focus on your studies now." Her tone clearly showed that she was terrified of Zach too.

Madelyn lowered her head to look at the fruit juice in front of her and stirred it with a straw. "I've been suspended from school, so I took this opportunity to relax a little. I didn't expect to run into you two here."

She added, "By the way Julia, how long have you been dating my brother?"

Julia looked very happy as she hugged Zach's arm. She affectionately leaned on him and said, "It's been almost a year now."

She turned to Zach and asked, "Right, Zach?"

He was drinking his water, so his facial expression could not be seen. When he glanced up, his expression was emotionless. He put down his glass without a word and did not respond.

None of them knew what he was thinking.

Madelyn stared at Julia's face and felt that som