Semua Bab Revenge is Best Served Cold: Bab 91 - Bab 100

Elena's POV I sat alone at my corner boot, staring at the blank business card and feeling like the world was spinning around me. The stranger's words echoed in my mind: "Julian is not someone you should trust completely." How could I have been so stupid? How could I have trusted another man so completely after what Marcus did to me? Three years ago, I swore I would never let anyone get close enough to hurt me again. But then Julian came along with his kind words and patient smile, and I forgot every lesson Marcus taught me about betrayal. I should have learned. I should have stayed guarded. I should have never trusted any man again, no matter how genuine he seemed. But Julian felt different. Julian invested ten million dollars in my company. Julian proposed with a two-million-dollar ring. Julian merged his business with mine and left me as CEO of our combined empire. Or did he do all of that for other reasons? Reasons that had nothing to do with love? I took another sip o

Elena's POV I sat in the hotel lounge for another hour after Trevor Richardson left, staring at his business card and feeling my world crumble around me. The wine made my head foggy, but it couldn't quiet the terror building in my chest. Julian left another woman at the altar. Julian stole another woman's company. Julian targeted successful women and destroyed them when they trusted him completely. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have let another man get close enough to hurt me? Three years ago, I swore I would never trust anyone again after what Marcus did. But Julian seemed so different, so genuine, so patient with my walls and my fears. What if his patience was just part of his plan? What if everything about our relationship was calculated to make me vulnerable? I thought about the merger documents I signed, combining Phoenix Advisory with Julian's company. I thought about all the times Julian encouraged me to trust him with my secrets, to be more open about

Elena's POV The silence in the room was so thick I could almost taste it. Julian had just asked me to leave if I wanted to. He turned around and stood with his back to me, his shoulders rigid. He ran his hands through his dark hair in that frustrated way he did when he tried to hold himself together. I could see the tension in every line of his body, and something twisted painfully in my chest. "Julian, I—" I started, but my voice cracked. He didn't turn around. "You what, Elena?" His voice was quiet, but I could hear the hurt underneath. "You're sorry? You didn't mean it? You were just protecting yourself?" I opened my mouth to say exactly that, but the words died in my throat. Because wasn't that exactly what I always did? Every time Julian tried to get close, every time he showed me love, I found a reason to push him away. I found a reason to doubt him. "You know what the worst part is?" Julian finally turned to face me, and the pain in his green eyes made my heart clench. "It

Elena's POV I stood at the door for a moment with my hand on the handle but I didn't turn it. My heart pounded so hard I could hear it in my ears. Part of me wanted to walk out, to pick up that box again and leave before I got hurt any worse. But I couldn't make my feet move. Instead, I closed the door again and turned around and started pacing the room. Julian watched me from where he stood beside the bed, his green eyes following my every movement. Back and forth I walked, from the door to the window, from the window to the dresser. My mind raced with anger and confusion. How dare he bring up Marcus? How dare he compare my need for justice with his ability to just forgive and forget? He had no idea what it felt like to be truly destroyed by someone you loved. But then another thought crept in. Julian had just told me about Sarah and Trevor, about how they betrayed him. He had opened up to me completely, something I had been refusing to let him do for ten years. And yet, I still

Elena's POV I stood in the bedroom staring at the box of clothes on the floor. All my things packed up and ready to go. The smart thing would be to pick up that box and walk out the door. To get in a cab and drive away before Julian could hurt me any worse. Before I could hurt him any worse. But as I looked at my packed belongings, Julian's words echoed in my mind. He had given me two years of unconditional love and support, built on ten years of him loving me from afar. What did I give him in return? Doubt. Fear. The constant expectation that he would betray me just like Marcus did. I looked through the glass doors at Julian on the balcony. He stood with his back to me, gripping the railing so tightly he looked like he wanted to rip the damn thing off. Even from inside, I could see the tension in his shoulders, the way his head hung like he carried the weight of the world. This man who loved me for ten years, even when I chose Marcus over him in college. This man who waited pat