Let Them Kneel (kaelani and Julian) novel Chapter 61

The alarm buzzed before the sun rose.

Kaelani silenced it with a groan, rolling onto her side. The quiet felt thicker than usual, like the morning was holding its breath. She sat up slowly, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, toes pressed against the cool floor.

It had been two days since she returned the dress.

Two days since she carried that box — the same one he left on her doorstep — back into the boutique and handed it over with finality.

And oddly enough, she hadn’t seen him since.

Maybe she expected him to show up — demand to know why she returned it, why she rejected his “gift.”

Maybe…

she even wondered if she was disappointed that he hadn’t.

She scoffed softly at herself, shaking the thought away as she padded barefoot into the kitchen. She pressed the button on the coffee maker and leaned against the counter, arms folded.

Maybe he finally understood.

That his visits, his expensive gifts, his half-assed attempts to rewrite what he did —

they weren’t welcome here.

And yet, as she stood there in the half-light, arms wrapped tightly around herself, Kaelani couldn’t quite shake the weight sitting in her chest.

Because absence, it turned out, could echo louder than presence ever did.

It was his fault she felt this way.

He should’ve just left her alone.

Continued to be a memory she hoped would eventually fade.

Let her move on with the quiet little life she built for herself.

But no.

He had to keep coming back.

Keep looking at her like she was something he couldn’t decide to throw away or keep.

As if she would ever let him believe he had that kind of power over her.

She didn’t understand him. Not even a little.

That morning after they’d been together — when everything was still raw, still trembling beneath the surface — he made it clear.

He wanted nothing to do with her.

Wanted no ties.

No future.

Not even a conversation.

So why had he kept showing up?

Why couldn’t he just stay away?

What the hell did he want?

Not her.

She sipped her coffee, letting the heat bleed into her palms, grounding her in the stillness of the morning.

Later, she stepped into the shower, tilting her head beneath the stream as steam curled around her like fog. The water was hot — nearly scalding — but no matter how long she stood there, it didn’t thaw the cold lodged deep in her bones.

A cold that had nothing to do with the weather… and everything to do with being reminded of what she’d never had.

Of what she thought she didn’t need.

Until someone made her feel like maybe… just maybe… she did.

For a few days, at least.

Until even he treated her like she was unlovable.

Until his words cut deeper than his silence ever could.

Until the desire in his eyes turned to something colder. Until his touch disappeared, yet lingered on her skin like an unspoken sin. Until she was left holding all the weight of what they shared—alone.

Like she always was.

Like she was meant to be.

She stepped out of the shower slowly, water dripping from her skin, steam curling around her ankles like the ghost of something she couldn’t quite shake.

The cold still clung to her.

But she ignored it.