Julian immediately sensed her overwhelming panic.
If he forced the issue tonight, he might permanently destroy whatever fragile bond they still shared.
That vibrating phone provided him with the perfect escape hatch.
"A hotel room isn't the right place. And Skye is just next door," he muttered, seizing the excuse to pull away.
"Next Monday, right after the ceremony ends, we're flying back to Coralia."
It wasn't a suggestion; it was an absolute mandate.
"Okay," she whispered.
"I'm going to take a shower." He didn't press her any further.
Rolling off the bed, he headed straight for the bathroom.
The glass door slid shut.
Only then did she finally exhale the breath she'd been holding.
The sheer terror of the near-consummation had completely hijacked her nervous system, obliterating any chance of sleep.
The phone continued its relentless buzzing.
Desperate for any distraction to soothe her racing heart, she swiped to answer.
"Hello?" she greeted softly.
"Auntie..." a timid, childish voice sniffled through the speaker.
It took her a few seconds of stunned silence to register the voice.
It was Kyle.
She never in a million years expected him to call her.
"Kyle? Is that you?" she asked gently.
"Yeah," the boy confirmed. "I snuck your number from my daddy's phone."
"What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked, her concern deepening.
She remembered Sebastian's abrupt departure; clearly, the emergency involved the young boy.
But since Sebastian hadn't volunteered any information, it wasn't her place to pry.
And considering the boy was Janetta's flesh and blood, a complicated cocktail of emotions always churned in her chest whenever she dealt with him.
Yet, she couldn't bring herself to push him away.
She was caught in a frustrating limbo.

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