Chapter 11
Julian Hale had found me.
But I felt nothing–no shock, no fear.
Nothing he did surprised me anymore.
I walked past him without a word. He spoke up suddenly.
“I heard you talking to Jasper.”
I thought back. He must have meant our chat in the courtyard.
He’d probably snuck out under the excuse of work and listened to us.
Which meant he knew I was only pretending to date Jasper.
I kept my face blank. “So what?”
I thought he’d call out the fake relationship. Instead, he watched me quietly and asked, “Did you
mean what you said back there?”
Which part?
About trusting the wrong person?
“What do you think?” I shot back. I stared at him, no longer hiding.
In the early days after we broke up, Julian had come to me many times. I’d always run.
But now I knew I couldn’t escape.
Julian was quiet for a long time.
“Those three years… my feelings for you were real.”
“I really did want a future with you. I-”
“I don’t care,” I cut him off. “What do you really want?”
The light in Julian’s eyes dimmed. He could barely force a smile.
“You don’t even want to talk to me anymore?”
He fell silent for two seconds, then said hoarsely, “I know you hate me.”
“But I didn’t have a choice, Lina. If I wasn’t in this position, I couldn’t have fixed things for you at
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work.”
“I couldn’t have flown in top doctors for you when you got hurt two years ago.”
“I don’t want to force you.”
“But I’m scared you’ll leave me forever.”
“Anything you want except marriage–a house, money, power, the career you want. I can give your
everything.”
“Lina… I really do love you.”
Confrontations in the rain always felt cold.
I said calmly, “Don’t act like my hard work meant nothing.”
“You helped me, sure. But I got here on my own, little by little.”
“Julian, you had your choices to make.”
“I never stopped you from chasing your success.”
“But who gave you the right to decide for me without asking?”
“Did you ever think about what I wanted?”
“Did you ever ask if I wanted to be your secret?”
“Love? If that’s what you call love–selfish, controlling, lying, keeping me hidden–then we were
never on the same page.”
I’d said everything I needed to.
The rain got heavier.
Water from the roof splashed against my neck, cold and sharp.
Julian laughed, but his eyes were red.
“I was scared you’d say no if I told you the truth. So hid everything from the start.”
I turned away. “If you’d been honest from the beginning, we never would’ve started at all.”
“At the end of the day, you never saw me as an equal.”
“Respect. Honesty. Loyalty. You gave me none of it
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“You’re powerful. Do whatever you want. It’ll only make me hate you more.”
I closed the door, blocking out the rain and his voice.
I went inside, sat blankly for a long time, then started packing.
I’d wanted to stay in Full City. But Julian wouldn’t stop.
Years ago, I ran away from my parents and came to this city alone, packing my bags in this same
tiny apartment.
I told myself back then: even if my parents didn’t love me, I didn’t need their love to prove I could
live well.
Then I graduated college and met Julian.
I thought I’d found a home.
Someone who loved me, even without my parents‘ affection.
Now I was back in the same apartment. It felt like I’d walked so far… only to end up where I started.
I left for the train station early the next morning.
It had been raining nonstop in Full City.
The cold morning air bit through my clothes.
I dragged my suitcase toward the gate when my boss called suddenly.
The station was noisy. I held the phone to my ear, stunned as I understood.
“…You want me to come back to work right now?”
