He Lost Me to His Best Friend novel Chapter 468

"You want me to let her go so badly just so you can swoop in and take my place, don't you?"

"Well, I’ve got news for you. That is never going to happen!"

"As long as her name is on that marriage license next to mine, you are nothing but the other man! Keep this up, and I will personally see to it that your reputation is destroyed. I’ll make sure high society blacklists you for good!"

Julian stared him down, his expression hardening with quiet resolve.

"We’re not the same. I couldn't care less about what society thinks of me. All I care about is giving her a chance to finally breathe."

"I’m not doing this to claim her like some prize. I’m doing this because I want to give her back the life she deserves. I want to see the carefree, smiling little girl she used to be!"

Yardley froze, catching the odd phrasing. The threat died in his throat as a memory surfaced.

"Little girl? You... you knew her when you were kids?"

He stared at Julian in dawning horror, the pieces suddenly clicking together. He closed the distance between them, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Don't tell me... she's the little girl you used to talk about..."

Years ago, back when they were close enough to share drinks and secrets, Julian had told him a story from his childhood. He had spoken of a friend's house he loved visiting because the friend had a bright, quirky, constantly smiling younger sister who trailed after them. Then, the friend's family fell apart. The friend moved abroad, leaving the girl and her mother behind.

Julian had mentioned how he quietly kept tabs on her, helping her from the shadows as they grew up.

He had never dropped a name, and Yardley hadn't cared enough to ask. It was just a nostalgic story shared over a few drinks.

Julian looked him dead in the eye. "Dawn's illness is the final nail in the coffin for her. She is drowning. If I were you, I would give her the one thing she's begging for—her freedom. Stop using a piece of paper to trap her and suffocate her."

Every word was completely earnest, devoid of malice but heavy with truth.

Yardley’s head was spinning, a chaotic static filling his ears.

Scarlett truly didn't love him anymore.

He had known it deep down, but hearing it laid out so starkly was different. Was there really no turning back for them?

It felt as though invisible hands were tearing his chest open. Before he could spiral further, the emergency room doors swung open, and a doctor briskly stepped out, pulling off her surgical mask.