- 6.
I was woken up in the middle of the night.
The living room downstairs was crowded. My
parents, Julian, his parents, even his
grandfather – a powerful man who rarely left
his estate
were all there. My dad was
showing Julian’s grandfather his antique
collection.
Julian wasn’t sitting. He was kneeling on the
floor. He flinched when he heard me coming
down the stairs.
I hadn’t slept well. My face and lips were
pale. Everyone looked at me with pity.
Julian’s mother took my hand. She’d always
adored me. Even though the Thorntons were
far wealthier, no one ever thought I was
beneath Julian. I was twenty–four, flawless in
every way.
“Chelsea, darling,” she said, “last night was a
terrible misunderstanding. Julian spoke out of
turn. He knows he was wrong. He begged us
to come. We wouldn’t have dared to impose
on you and your family otherwise, especially
his grandfather. That Savannah girl…she’s a
talented artist. We’ve supported her for years.
She’s stayed with us, but there’s nothing
between her and Julian. She’s like a little
sister.”
My mother chimed in. “Julian’s just…
passionate. We understand. Chelsea, having
Julian’s love is a blessing. It was all a
misunderstanding. Just talk it out.”
く
A few carefully chosen words, and everything
was supposed to be fine.
They were even discussing wedding dates
again.
I walked over to Julian. His eyes were fixed on
my white slippers.
“Julian,” I said, “do brothers kiss their
sisters?”
I pulled out my phone and played the video of
Savannah kissing him.
Julian turned away, refusing to watch. The
mole on his neck twitched with each breath.
He’d probably figured out what had
happened. His voice was hoarse. “I was
asleep. My phone password is your birthday.
She made it all up. Savannah…someone
brought her there. I didn’t want to see her.”
I placed the phone on the table where
wwww
everyone could see it. The façade of peace
shattered.
54t to the t14ER
Wens
પણ આસિય
うんちょう
- 153
Julian’s father jumped up, grabbed a nearby
cane, and brought it down hard on Julian’s
back, following up with a brutal kick. “You
disgrace!”
I stepped back.
Several people rushed to intervene.
Julian didn’t fight back, no trace of his usual
arrogance. He just grunted, his eyes locked
on mine.
く
Maybe he finally realized something was
different.
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I watched him with the same calm
detachment I always wore during his races.
A flicker of his suppressed rage surfaced. He wiped the blood from his lip, tears welling in his eyes. “Chelsea,” he choked out, “even if we’re not engaged, if any guy comes near you, I’ll kill him.”
The rain had stopped.
I thought about Seth, who was already dead
