He Never Loved Me Until the Day I Finally Left Him novel Chapter 485

Helena continued to shudder violently.

She was trapped in a suffocating vortex of absolute terror and guilt.

Julian simply held her, whispering endless words of comfort.

Eventually, she seemed to stop panicking.

But her eyes had gone entirely dead and hollow.

"Helena," he called her name softly.

She turned her head toward him like a broken doll.

"Stop torturing yourself. None of this is your fault. You did everything you could," he told her fiercely. "Leave with me. Get out of Riverton. I'll handle the rest, just listen to me."

She remained silent, giving no indication of whether she agreed or not.

She just stared blankly into his eyes.

"Listen to me. Come with me. We're going back to Boston," he insisted, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Her doctors had been crystal clear with him.

The absolute best thing for her mental survival was to escape Riverton permanently.

A completely fresh environment was the only chance she had at healing from the horrors this city had inflicted on her.

Her current composure was nothing more than a fragile facade.

The slightest trigger could send her spiraling back into the abyss.

And it was impossible to predict what that trigger might be.

Staying here was a death sentence for her sanity.

She still didn't respond.

He didn't push for an answer; if she refused, he was fully prepared to throw her over his shoulder and drag her onto a plane himself.

He kept a gentle, steady presence beside her.

She retreated into a heavy, unsettling silence.

It wasn't until much later that she finally looked up at him on her own accord.

"Jules, I'm a jinx," she stated calmly. "If you stay too close, I'm going to drag you down with me eventually."

"Bullshit. I'm too stubborn to die, and you couldn't ruin me if you tried," he shot back effortlessly.

She said nothing more.

She was utterly exhausted, yet her mind refused to shut off.

He stayed by her side through it all.

He didn't move until she finally collapsed into an exhausted slumber.

Once she was asleep, he immediately ordered Jensen to prep the private jet for a flight to Boston in three days.

They had already left the VIP lounge, and turning back now would be a massive hassle.

So they headed for the nearest public facilities in the concourse.

Knowing exactly why he was hovering, she didn't bother protesting.

He walked her right up to the door and posted himself firmly outside.

She pushed the door open and walked inside.

And walked straight into Janetta stepping out of a stall.

Janetta looked mildly surprised to see her there.

Julian had kept the woman guarded so heavily that it was nearly impossible to get close to her.

No one had been able to slip past his defenses.

Yet here they were, entirely by chance.

Janetta leaned against the sink, a predatory smirk stretching across her lips.

It took her less than a second to see just how close to the edge Helena was teetering.

"Helena, it's been a while," she drawled, her tone dripping with venom.

Against someone already this psychologically fragile, she didn't need to lift a finger to inflict maximum damage.