Dinner is delicious as always. The kitchen staff makes the best dishes, and this roast beef is no exception, but I am not savoring each bite I slip between my lips. I am focused on the man next to me.Braxton came home with a smile on his face for the first time in a while that didn’t look forced. He is always happy to see me, and I know when he smiles at me, it is genuine, and he means it. But tonight, something is different. Something has changed.He tried to call me earlier in the day when I was working and didn’t hear the phone ringing, and then when I called him back, he was busy, so this is the first chance I’ve gotten to talk to him since this morning. I try to be patient as we eat because I know he likes to wait until after dinner to tell me important information, but I can hardly wait to find out what has him so joyful.After we’ve eaten most of what is on our plates, I can’t help but say, “I’m sorry I missed your call today.”“Me, too,” he says. “And then when you called bac

Nervously, I pace around the art room, not able to get any work done as I wait to hear from Braxton. I know that Jeff and his team of lawyers were supposed to arrive in the office around 1:00 to sign an agreement that should end all of this madness, but at 1:30, my phone still hasn’t rang, and I have no idea what’s going on.I am staring at a canvas that I’ve hardly touched today. It’s a piece I’ve been working on recently, so it’s not a stark white, barren landscape looking back at me. But it isn’t finished, and I doubt I’ll be adding much to it today. I can’t seem to concentrate on much of anything as I wait to hear what’s going on. The painting of a couple standing in front of ruins in Rome will have to wait.I chose this scene because Braxton has promised to take me there in the summer. I can hardly wait. I’ve never been out of the country, so the idea of going on a holiday to Rome has me giddy with excitement. He’s seen so many beautiful places, and now he wants to share them all

Braxton’s face has my heart leaping up into my throat. After my initial statement, letting him know that I have to go, I don’t know how to explain myself to him, to tell him that I can’t stay or why.“What do you mean you have to go?” Braxton asks, taking a few cautious steps toward me but stopping well short of touching me. “Why would you need to go?”I clear my throat, swallowing hard. “Because… it’s for the best if I do.”His eyes widen in shock. “For the best? For who?”“For everyone,” I tell him. “Especially you.”“No, Julia,” he says as he shakes his head emphatically. “It is most definitely not best for me.”I disagree with him. “Braxton, I heard what happened today. Jeff didn’t take the settlement, right?”He doesn’t answer, only continues to stare at me, unblinking. I don’t need him to answer. I already know I am right.“For him to turn down that sort of money, it tells me he will be relentless, Braxton. He’s never going to stop. Never. He won’t leave us in peace. I need to g

The driver wanted to help me carry my stuff up the stairs, but I insisted that he leave me. Now, I am standing outside of the familiar apartment door where I lived with Jeff for over two years. It seems foreign to me, like a place I was never meant to be in the first place. The fact that I’ve come back here of my own choice seems surreal. I stand staring at the door for a long moment, unable to force myself to take this last step. I’ve made it this far. I just need to go inside. I just need to speak to Jeff and let him know that I’ll stay with him as long as he promises to leave Braxton alone. The fact that he didn’t choose the money tells me that he’s so focused on winning, he isn’t thinking straight. I know this isn’t about me. It’s about allowing another man to dictate his fate. Jeff refuses to let that happen, even when that other man is a billionaire and his boss.I hear footsteps echoing up the nearby stairwell and know I need to go in. I don’t need neighbors seeing me standing

I lie awake, staring at the ceiling above my bed, unable to sleep, though it’s getting late, and I know I have to go to work tomorrow. I can’t help but stretch my arm out across the bed, which I find cold and empty. Julia should be here, but she’s not. My thoughts return to her. Where is she now? How is she doing? Is Thompson with her? Is she hurt? Does she need me? My mind refuses to slow as all of the possibilities circle around. I wonder if I will ever be able to get her back.My phone is on, just in case she calls. I get all sorts of emails all time of day, so it is constantly chirping. I have learned to ignore it. Until I realize it isn’t just chiming to let me know an email has arrived. The phone is ringing.Hastily, I pick it up from my nightstand, praying that it’s Julia, but when I see that it is Stringer, my heart races just the same. I pray he has good news, that he’s gotten Julia back, and they are on their way to my home.“Stringer?” I say upon answering. “What’s going on