Chapter 6
Julian’s expression didn’t flicker. He didn’t defend me.
He just said, “Is she?”
Ava smiled and sent Lily upstairs with Mrs. Gable. Then she curled into Julian’s arms, her tone turning wistful.
“Lily is adorable, isn’t she?” she sighed. “I wish she were yours.”
I’d met Ava’s ex–husband once. A powerful, charming industrialist. Ava came from nothing and had a will of iron. In college, she’d met both Julian and her future husband. Julian was just a student then, notoriously private about his family’s wealth. Her ex, on the other hand, had funded her first film. By the time Julian found out, she was already married. By the time she found out who Julian’s family was, it was too late. Her pride kept them apart for years.
Until her husband cheated on her. Then, she came running back to Julian. And my world ended.
“You know,” Ava said, tilting her head back to look at him, “the doctors said it might be difficult for me to have another child after
Lily”
“don’t care,” Julian out in, his voice firm.
Ava visibly relaxed, but her eyes darted towards the door where the package had disappeared. “I know you say that,” she purred, ” but… what if? I’m just saying, what if your little stand–in had gotten pregnant? Would you have sent her away so easily then?”
Julian’s brow furrowed. “I don’t deal in hypotheticals.”
“Oh, come on, just humor me. What would you have done?”
Chapter
What would he have done? He’d have made me get rid of it, of course. Never mind that once, in a moment that now felt like a dre- am, he had talked about marriage, had designed matching rings with me, had wondered aloud what our children would look like. It was all a fantasy. The moment Ava snapped her fingers, he’d abandoned me without so much as a goodbye. He had stood by while her return dismantled my life, then paid me off to disappear,
But now, in response to her question, he just fell silent. Then he gently pushed her away.
His voice was cold, laced with an exhaustion I’d never heard before.
“Don’t talk about her anymore.”
“But you were together for so long.” Ava pressed. “You’re telling me you haven’t thought about her once in the last few days?
Julian’s jaw tightened. He looked down at her, his gaze sharp. “She’s gone, Ava. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
He had originally planned to send me away before their engagement party. But Ava had insisted. “We should invite her,” she’d said her voice dripping with false sweetness. “She was with you for so long, she deserves to see how happy you are, don’t you think?”
So my departure was delayed. I sat in the audience and watched the whole spectacle. By a cruel twist of fate, Lily was seated next to me. She called me her pretty friend and asked me to get her a piece of cake. The moment I lifted my arm, she tumbled from her chair, landing near a shattered glass.
“Why did you push me?” she’d screamed through her tears.
Every eye in the room turned on me, filled with contempt. They saw a bitter, vengeful woman, lashing out at a child.
Before I could even process what was happening, Julian strode over and slapped me across the face. As I looked up, stunned, I saw Ava watching me, a triumphant smirk on her lips.
“I told you we shouldn’t have invited her,” she’d said, feigning regret.
Now, as a ghost, I finally understood. My guilt or innocence had never mattered to him. All that mattered was keeping Ava happy Ava’s lips thinned at his cold tone. She changed tactics, her hands moving to his shirt, unbuttoning it as she leaned in to kiss him.
He didn’t refuse, but he didn’t respond either.
Just then, his phone rang.
Annoyed, Ava snatched’it and put it on speaker.
A polite, official voice filled the room. “Hello, am I speaking with someone who knows a Ms. Chloe Devereaux?”
Julian’s eyes flickered. He opened his mouth to speak
“No,” Ava snapped. She ended the call, blocked the number, and turned the phone off.
“I don’t care who it is,” she said, her voice low. “I barely get to see you. Whatever it is, it can wait. You’re with me tonight.”
She led him upstairs
