Please Come Back, My Love novel Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Something inside me snapped.

I’d spent three years being quiet. Being obedient. Swallowing my pain and my pride.

Not tonight.

“I know exactly where I stand,” I said, my voice low and steady. “But here’s the thing, Catherine–I’m still his wife. And as long as am, I’ll stay right here. So if Julian wants me gone, he can tell me himself. Not you. Not Victoria. Him.”

Catherine’s eyes flashed with rage. “You little-*

Her hand rose, and I saw the slap coming.

But before it could land, fingers wrapped around her wrist, stopping her mid–swing.

Julian.

He stood behind her, his face a mask of cold fury. His gray eyes were ice, his jaw tight.

“Touch her,” he said softly, “and you’ll regret it.”

Catherine tried to pull her wrist free, but Julian’s grip held firm. “Julian, I was just-”

“Leaving,” he finished. “Right now. And if I ever see you near my wife again, if I even hear you’ve mentioned her name, I’ll make sure

your father’s firm loses every contract with Sterling Corp. Are we clear?”

Catherine’s face went white. She nodded, jerking her hand away the moment he released her.

She shot me one last venomous look before hurrying toward the front door, grabbing her clutch from the hall table and disappearing into the night.

I stood there, trembling, my back pressed against the wall.

Julian turned to me, and for a moment, something flickered in his eyes–something almost like concern.

“Are you alright?” he asked, his voice gentler than I’d heard it in weeks.

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

Then he buried his face in the crook of my neck, his forehead pressing against my shoulder. His body was tense, coiled like a spring, and I felt his fingers tighten on my hips.

It was almost like… like he was struggling. Like he was fighting something inside himself.

I raised my hand, instinctively reaching to touch his hair, to offer some kind of comfort-

He pulled back sharply, as if I’d burned him.

The cold mask was back, his face perfectly blank.

“Don’t ask about things that aren’t your business,” he said, his voice flat. “I won’t let her bother you. That’s all you need to know.”

I stared at him, my hand still suspended in the air where his head had been moments ago.

A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

Of course. He was so terrified I’d go after his precious Victoria. So convinced I’d be jealous, petty, vindictive.

As if I didn’t already know how much she meant to him. As if I hadn’t spent three years living in her shadow.