A Ruinous Night novel Chapter 9

Hearing me explicitly promise that I would never threaten suicide to trap him into marriage again seemed to snap him out of it. He finally exhaled a shaky breath and released his iron grip on my arm.

Watching me step off that ledge right in front of him had been pure, unadulterated madness. Of course he was terrified of being dragged into another public scandal because of me.

He despised being the subject of gossip. It was the exact reason he banned all media interviews, even when his heroic rescues could have been phenomenal PR for the Lockwood Group.

A fresh dress was delivered, and I changed right there in the room.

Lucian openly dragged his dark eyes over my body. Once I was fully zipped up, he casually lifted his wine glass in a mocking toast, a cruel smirk playing on his lips.

"Wishing you a truly wonderful evening."

It was beyond laughable.

The flawless Dr. Lockwood, who appeared as pure and untouchable as freshly fallen snow to the rest of the world, was actually full of absolute filth.

As for Julian, he was undoubtedly going to be held hostage by his boss and that phantom VIP client all night. There was no way he was getting out of that office.

It wasn't some cosmic coincidence. Someone had orchestrated the entire crisis just to sabotage his proposal.

Someone was hell-bent on making sure I didn't walk away from my past unscathed. Someone refused to let me move on and embrace a normal, happy life.

I walked to the park and found the exact spot Julian had chosen.

Surrounded by a sea of blooming tulips, he had meticulously arranged string lights spelling out my initials. All he had to do was walk me over, turn on a massive "Marry Me" sign, and pull out the ring.

I pictured it in my head. It wasn't the most original setup in the world, but I absolutely loved it.

My phone buzzed with texts from Julian.

[This client is completely psychotic. He's literally just asking me about my personal life. We haven't even talked about the contract!]

[Stella, are you still waiting for me? I don't think I can make it.]

[Just go back to the hotel and get some rest. I'm so sorry.]

His perfect proposal was dead in the water. He was probably ten times more devastated than I was, but he couldn't complain. He just had to silently plot his next attempt.

...

The next morning, I called in sick to work.

Mr. Landon was audibly annoyed. "Stella, you've only been with the company for a couple of weeks, and you're already taking two sick days."

I practically begged him, promising it absolutely wouldn't happen again.

At the crack of dawn, I went to a different private clinic, and by noon, I was walking out of yet another operating room.

When I finally cornered him and confessed I was pregnant and terrified, he coldly ordered me to stop playing my pathetic, manipulative games, sneering that he wouldn't believe a single word that came out of my mouth.

In a daze of complete mental collapse, I found myself standing on the edge of the campus rooftop.

...

The second Julian clocked out of work, he rushed to my hotel room carrying a warm bowl of porridge.

When I opened the door, I practically threw myself into his arms.

Balancing the takeout bag in one hand, he used his large, comforting palm to gently rub my spine.

"You need to eat something. You've barely touched food all day."

I buried my face into his broad chest.

"I'm not hungry. Just hold me."

Julian set the food on the desk and wrapped both arms tightly around my waist.

I was addicted to this feeling of total security. The warmth grounded me. It made me feel like I wasn't fighting the world alone, like I wasn't just some discarded, isolated ghost. At least, not in this exact moment.