LOGINCLAIREI closed my eyes and tried to follow Julian’s advice, but my mind refused to settle. My body stayed tense even in his arms.“I can’t,” I whispered, my voice small against the quiet of the room. “I can’t turn it off.”Julian’s warm breath brushed the back of my neck as we lay together, my back pressed to his chest, his strong body curled protectively around mine. His hand continued its slow circles on my back, but I felt him shift closer.“I know something that can take your mind off this,” he murmured, his voice low and husky.I swallowed, already feeling a flutter low in my belly at his tone. “What?”He didn’t answer with words right away. Instead, he leaned in, his lips brushing the sensitive skin just below my ear. The kiss was feather-light, warm and deliberate. A s
CLAIREMy phone buzzed again, another unknown number calling. I declined it without hesitation."They're going to keep trying," Julian observed."Let them," I said. "I'm not changing my mind."We sat in silence for a few moments. "I don't want to be here," I said suddenly."What?" Julian asked."I don't want to sit in this apartment all night thinking about this," I explained. "I need to get out, do something, anything."Julian stood up immediately. "Okay," he said. "Where do you want to go?""I don't know," I admitted. "Somewhere I can stop thinking for a few hours."Julian pulled out his phone and scrolled through something. "There's a late showing of that new action movie you mentioned wanting to see," he said. "Starts at eight."I looked at the time, seven PM. "That'
CLAIREI sat on the couch staring at my phone, Vanessa's lawyer's ultimatum echoing in my head. Julian sat beside me quietly, giving me space to think.I thought about Vanessa's voice on the phone, desperate and pleading, begging for mercy for her unborn child. An innocent baby who had nothing to do with any of this, but then I thought about another innocent baby.Mine.The one Vanessa had helped destroy. I stood up and walked to the window, my mind racing."Talk to me," Julian said gently. "What are you thinking?""I'm thinking about my baby," I said quietly. "The one I lost."Julian came to stand beside me. "That baby was innocent too," I continued, my voice growing stronger. "My baby never committed any crimes, never hurt anyone, never did anything wrong.""No," Julian agreed."And Vaness
CLAIREThe words hung in the air like a bomb and Julian's face went completely blank. "What?" he asked quietly."I'm eight weeks pregnant," Vanessa repeated. "I just found out last week, Claire, please, you can't send a pregnant woman to prison."I felt like I couldn't breathe. Pregnant, Vanessa was pregnant. "Whose is it?" Julian asked, his voice hard.Vanessa was quiet for a moment. "Ethan's."Julian's hand tightened on the phone. "That's not Claire's problem," he said."But it should matter!" Vanessa cried. "I made a mistake, a terrible mistake, but I'm carrying a child, an innocent child who didn't do anything wrong.""You should have thought about that before hiring someone to attack Claire," Julian said."Please," Vanessa begged. "I'll plead guilty, I'll take whatever punishment, but not prison, not while I'm pregnant, please."Julian looked at me, his expression asking what I wanted him to say. I reached for the phone and he handed it back."Vanessa," I said, my voice steady de
CLAIREJulian's face went completely still. "What?" he asked quietly."Vanessa," I repeated, my voice hollow. "She hired him, she paid him fifteen thousand dollars to throw acid in my face."Julian's hands tightened on my knees, his knuckles going white. "Are they sure?" he asked."They have bank records," I said. "Messages between them."Julian stood up abruptly and walked to the window, his back rigid with tension."That's attempted murder," he said, his voice hard. "She hired someone to permanently disfigure you.""I know," I replied."When are they arresting her?" Julian asked, turning back to face me."Today," I said. "Detective Rodriguez said within the next few hours."Julian pulled out his phone. "What are you doing?" I asked."Calling my lawyer," he replied. "We need to make sure the charges stick, that she doesn't get some plea deal and walk away.""Julian..." I started."No," he interrupted, his voice sharp. "She tried to destroy you, Claire, she needs to face the full cons
CLAIREThe name hit me like a physical blow. Vanessa, my own stepsister.The woman who'd pushed me down the stairs, who'd caused my miscarriage, who'd slept with my husband. The same Vanessa had tried to have acid thrown in my face."Ms. Cross?" Detective Rodriguez's voice came through. "Are you still there?"I couldn't speak, my throat had closed completely. "Ms. Cross, I know this is shocking," she continued. "Take a moment."I forced myself to breathe, forcing air into my lungs. "I'm here," I finally managed to say."I need to ask you some questions," Detective Rodriguez said gently. "Do you think you can answer them?""Yes," I said, though I wasn't sure it was true."When was the last time you had contact with Vanessa Whitmore?" she asked.I thought back, trying to remember through the shock. "Months ago," I said. "She tried calling and texting after my father's lawsuit went public, but I blocked her number.""Did she make any threats during those communications?" Detective Rodrig
CLAIREI woke up to sunlight streaming through Julian's windows and his arm still around me and for a moment I just lay there, feeling the warmth of him beside me, the solid reality of his presence.Then I remembered what day it was. Showcase day, my stom
CLAIREBy the time I left the studio that evening, my feet ached and my head throbbed but I felt ready. The showcase was in two days and everything was as prepared as it could be.Nina walked me to the door, her expression a mix of excitement and exhaustion. "Get some rest tomorrow," she said. "Wed
CLAIREThe article came out on Monday morning, three days before the showcase. I woke up to my phone buzzing with notifications, text messages from Nina, from customers, from people I hadn't spoken to in months.I grabbed my phone and opened the Modern Fashion Magazine website, there it was, front
CLAIRE"Then we deal with it," Julian said. "But I don't think she will, you set clear boundaries and she agreed to them.""People agree to things and then ignore them all the time," I pointed out."True," Julian conceded. "But you also have the right to end the interview if she crosses a line."I







