He Lost Me to His Best Friend novel Chapter 76

Julian looked past her, his gaze landing on the infant held by the nanny. The icy hardness in his eyes finally gave way to a sliver of softness.

He stepped forward and took the baby from her arms. After studying the child for a few moments, he couldn't help but frown.

"Why is he sleeping again? Does he ever wake up?"

Since he had returned to the country, Julian had barely seen Caleb awake. Every time he went to the nursery, the boy was deep in slumber.

The nanny stammered nervously, "Sir, infants this young sleep most of the day. It's... it's perfectly normal."

Was it normal?

Julian had his doubts, but he didn't press the issue. He simply frowned again and handed Caleb back to the nanny.

He turned and walked toward the door, not casting a single glance in Yardley's direction the entire time.

They had grown up together. They were supposed to be brothers.

As kids, they were always paired up for cross-country wilderness survival camps.

They had braved the wilderness together, tested their limits in extreme sports, and watched the Great Migration on the African savanna.

During that trip to Africa, Julian had been targeted by a spitting cobra. It was Yardley who had reacted in a split second, firing two small crossbow bolts directly through the snake's throat, saving Julian's life.

Years later, during a volatile cross-border business negotiation, their rivals had hired an assassin to take Yardley out.

It was Julian who noticed the danger first. In a fraction of a second, he yanked Yardley out of the line of fire. The bullet had grazed Julian's right ear instead, leaving a permanent, undeniable scar.

They had saved each other's lives. Their bond was supposed to be unbreakable.

To Yardley, Julian was blood.

But looking at Julian's retreating back, Yardley suddenly realized how alienated they had become. They were standing in the same room, yet they couldn't even bring themselves to acknowledge one another.

"Julian."

Just as Julian pulled the door open, Yardley lunged forward, planting his hand firmly against the doorframe to block the exit. His gaze bore intensely into his old friend.

"Are we taking my car or yours?" Yardley asked.

Julian didn't even turn his head as he stepped out of the elevator. "We'll drive our own. See you there."

Yardley felt a sharp pang in his chest.

Julian's strides were sharp and decisive, his posture radiating the disciplined authority of a military man.

During the three years Yardley had been abroad studying business management, Julian had enlisted in the military. Yardley had never known his exact division.

He only remembered that by the time he returned to the country, Julian had just been discharged.

Yardley didn't know what Julian had endured during his service, but he could feel the profound change in him. Julian was like a piece of raw jade that had been ruthlessly polished—more composed, more lethal, and utterly unreadable.

After standing frozen for a few seconds, Yardley forced himself to walk toward his Maybach.

Soon, the Cullinan and the Maybach pulled out of the parking garage, driving in tandem toward their "old spot."