All Chapters of Too Late to Regret, The Substitute Wife Left: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Julia’s POV“No,” I said, trying to shake his arm off of me.I was suddenly overcome with anger. Now that I’d come back to my senses, I saw it more clearly now. He wasn’t kissing me because he actually wanted me. He was kissing me to fill his own emptiness.He searched my face with his eyes, but I knew what he saw. His old lover’s face. It was the same thing he saw every time he looked at me, especially when he was drunk, like he was now.It was her he wanted. It was her he longed to kiss. Not me. I was still just his substitute, his replacement. And I would never be anything more.Infuriated with Andrew, and with myself for letting me fall under his trap yet again, I shirked my arm to release his hold on me.I wouldn’t do this. Not again. I couldn’t do this. It was ridiculous of me to think this time would be any different. I’d kissed him, and I shouldn’t have. I couldn’t do anything about that, but I could prevent it from happening again.I had to go back inside, to find Charles.“P

Julia’s POVMy heart swelled at Oliver’s words and I rushed over to the couch. I’d assumed when I first saw him that Andrew and I had woken him up. Apparently though that hadn’t been the case. He’d had a bad dream, one bad enough to rattle him awake.Taking his little hand in mine, I asked:“What was the nightmare about, love?”But he pressed his lips together and withdrew his hand from mine. He wrapped his arms around his plush animal, holding it close to his chest.“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said.He looked so broken, sitting there on the couch with the plush toy I’d given him a few years ago. I was touched that he had it, that he’d brought it all the way with him to San Diego.“Sometimes it helps if you can talk about things like this,” I urged him softly. Nightmares were often a manifestation of a deeply rooted fear in young children. It wasn’t uncommon for psychologists to ask about children’s dreams. The subconscious mind had a way of letting out what the conscious mind

Andrew’s POVThe throbbing in my head was the first thing I felt when I woke up. It was like a jackhammer, pounding away inside my skull. Groaning, I ventured to open my eyes but shut them tightly when the sun hit them.Rolling onto my back, I noticed that I wasn’t in the master bedroom of the villa. Instead, I was in the guest suite. Feeling groggy, bits and pieces of the night came back to me.Julia and I had kissed. Passionately. She’d taken me home. I’d pulled her onto me in this very bed. But she’d refused me and left sometime in the middle of the night.Sitting up, I had to pause for a moment while the room spun. I’d drank way too much last night and I was paying for it now. Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was already past 9am, which meant that Oliver must be awake. So, even though my head was pounding and I felt like I was going to throw up, I stepped out of bed, pulled on my robe, and made my way to the kitchen.Sunlight flooded through the window, causing me to squint a

Julia’s POVMenacing black smoke fumed from the stove as the smoke alarm blared. Stunned, I stared at the counter.Within seconds, the paper napkins were completely on fire, and only moments after that, the wooden cupboards caught fire too. The room filled with the crackling of the fire as it threatened to engulf the entire kitchen.“Where’s the fire extinguisher?” Andrew demanded, rushing to the kitchen.I had no idea. I knew where I kept mine, but this was a rental unit.“Under the sink maybe?” I called out to Andrew. He opened the cupboard door and then shook his head. Grabbing Oliver, I pulled him in close to me protectively. I wrapped my arm across his chest. I could feel his little heart racing against my arm.“Get out of the house,” Andrew said to us, his eyes wild. The thick smoke had curled its way into the living room, causing Oliver to cough. “Out there. Go!” Andrew pointed to the patio door.It was all happening so fast, I didn’t even have time to think. Clutching Oliver

Julia’s POV“So let me get this straight,” Mira said, circling her finger around the rim of her martini glass. “The house is literally on fire, and he runs back in? To fetch a stuffed animal?” She clicked her tongue and shook her head. “Either the man’s a hero, or a goddamned idiot.”Chuckling, I nodded. We were having lunch at a hot new martini bar that overlooked a promenade on the beach. The table was strewn with appetizers that Mira and were sharing: oysters on ice, caviar, bruschetta, and various cheeses and cured meats.It was a lovely little bar, with a hip vibe and colorful décor. After the dramatic morning, I’d cleared my schedule for the day, asking Sam to rebook my clients. I was exhausted from lack of sleep, since I’d stayed up late watching Oliver sleep, and mentally drained from the house fire that had almost taken Andrew’s life.That, and I was confused about my feelings for Andrew. But I hadn’t gotten to that part yet with Mira.“Yeah, I don't know which one he is,” I