Three years of loving him, three days to erase myself from his world novel Chapter 45

Julian paused, studying her rigid posture. He walked over, set the bowl and the box down on the table, and gently caught her hand. His thumb stroked her knuckles as his voice dropped into a warm, soothing cadence.

"Are you still mad at me?"

A lump formed in Clara's throat. She tried to yank her hand away but kept her mouth shut.

Julian held on firmly, tracing circles over her soft skin.

He lowered his voice even further.

Sounding almost apologetic.

"I know she was out of line today. I've already reprimanded her. So please, stop being angry. Hmm?"

When Julian decided to be gentle, he was a lethal force.

Like right now. When he actively tried to coax her, his deep, husky voice was incredibly seductive. Combined with his striking features, few women could ever resist him.

But Clara's heart had been shattered into far too many pieces by him.

Every single time, he claimed he had reprimanded Seraphina.

Yet she had never once seen any evidence of it.

At this point, she was simply too utterly exhausted to fight with him.

Clara took a quiet breath, curling her fingers inward to avoid his touch. She gave him a dismissive, perfunctory response.

"Yeah. I'm not mad."

Then, she looked away completely.

Julian stared at her cold profile, a sudden jolt of familiarity hitting him.

It reminded him of the past.

Back when she used to cling to him, he would sometimes frown in annoyance. She would timidly follow behind him, asking, "Are you mad at me? I'm sorry..."

And he would reply with a flat, "I'm not mad."

With that exact same tone of sheer impatience.

A sudden, suffocating tightness gripped Julian's chest.

He brushed it off, convincing himself he was just overthinking things.

Seeing that she was still completely ignoring him.

He picked up the dessert box, untied the ribbon, and offered it to her.

"When we left the mall tonight, I saw this bakery was still open, so I went in and grabbed you a treat."

"Unfortunately, they were out of your favorite strawberry flavor, so I got you the blueberry one. Next time, I'll make sure to get the strawberry."

The rich, sweet scent of the vanilla cream made Clara's breath hitch.

She stared at the exquisite little pastry resting in the palm of his large hand, a sudden realization washing over her.

When she saw him leaving that dessert shop earlier... he wasn't buying it for Seraphina. He was actually buying it for her.

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