Please Come Back, My Love novel Chapter 196

Chapter 196

My blood turned to ice. “What are you talking about?”

“Julian knows, darling. About the rooftop. About the gunmen. About everything.”

The phone slipped from my numb fingers, clattering to the bathroom floor. I scrambled to pick it up, my broken hand screaming in protest.

“You’re lying.

“Am 1?” Catherine’s laugh was musical. Delighted. “Adrian’s quite good at his job, you know. All those cryptocurrency transactions you thought were so clever? He traced every single one. Right back to your little shell companies.”

“That’s impossible. I covered my tracks-”

“You covered nothing.” Her voice turned sharp. “You’re not half as smart as you think you are, Victoria. You never were.

I sank onto the edge of the bathtub, my legs suddenly unable to support me.

“Julian doesn’t know yet,” Catherine continued conversationally. “Adrian just finished his report an hour ago. But he will know. Very soon. I imagine he’ll be calling you tomorrow. Or maybe tonight, if Adrian decides to wake him up with the good news.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I want you to suffer.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I want you to lie awake all night, wondering when that phone will ring. Wondering what Julian will say when he finds out his precious childhood friend tried to murder his wife and unborn child.”

My vision blurred. The bathroom walls seemed to be closing in.

“You destroyed my life,” I whispered.

“No, darling. You destroyed your own life. I just… helped it along.”

The line went dead.

I stared at the phone in my shaking hand, Catherine’s words echoing in my head.

Julian knows. Julian knows. Julian knows.

I stumbled to my bedroom and collapsed on the bed, still wearing the bloodstained dress. My broken hand throbbed with every heartbeat, but it was nothing compared to the terror clawing at my chest.

When will he call? What will he say? Will he have me arrested? Will he-

My phone buzzed.

I nearly threw it across the room.

Unknown number.

1/3

4:30 pm

Chapter 196

PP

Istate at it, paralyzed. Was it Julian? The police? Catherine calling from a different phone to torment me more?

It stopped ringing.

Then started again.

Different number this time.

I turned the phone face down and pressed a pillow over my head, but I could still hear it buzzing against the nightstand. Again and again and again.

This is what she wanted. This is her plan. Drive me insane with fear before Julian even-

The house phone rang.

I’d forgotten I even had a landline. It was connected to the building’s front desk, used only for deliveries and emergencies.

It rang six times before falling silent.

Then my cell phone started again.

I grabbed it, desperate to make the noise stop, and saw Julian’s name on the screen.

My heart stopped completely.

This was it. This was the call Catherine had promised.

I stared at his name, my finger hovering over the answer button. Part of me wanted to ignore it, to pretend this wasn’t happening, to crawl under the covers

and disappear.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify