جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 80

Julia’s POVOliver kept his eyes on mine, narrowed and angry. I could tell that he was struggling. It dawned on me that my initial instincts had been right.Charlotte had been talking poorly about me to Oliver.I’d suspected that, but I’d never had any proof. Not until now. It was a difficult thing for Oliver to reconcile, since he really did adore and trust Charlotte. So to hear her say bad things about me must have been very confusing for him. Looking to Andrew, he averted his eyes to the floor and sighed heavily.“He’s telling the truth,” Andrew said. “I’m so sorry, Julia.”So Andrew had been a part of the smear campaign against me too. I’d suspected as much, but it still hurt to hear Andrew admit it nonetheless. “Aunty Charlotte shouldn’t have said those things,” Andrew offered. “They weren’t true.”“What sort of things did she say?” I asked Oliver.“She said that you didn’t love me. And that you were a bad mother for leaving me. She said that you cared about other children mo

Julia’s POVI felt like I was on cloud nine as I drove back to my villa. Oliver and I had finally reconciled, and I was hopeful that I could truly help him now through his mental illness.The sun was shining as I pulled up to my parking spot, and there was a little skip in my step as I made my way to my villa.However, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Charles standing at my door.Charles.I’d left him at the bar that night and hadn’t spoken to him since. I could still see the look in his eyes when he realized I was leaving to take Andrew home.I’d tried texting him several times, but he hadn’t replied. And now, seeing him standing there, my heart lurched.Charles had been so good to me, a real friend. We’d spent so much time together, and he’s supported me through the toughest time in my life.One look at his face though, and I knew that things would never be the same between us. It had gotten complicated. Charles wanted to be more than friends, and that wasn’t something I could

Julia’s POVAndrew sat across from me in my office, with Oliver in the patient’s chair. Both Andrew and Oliver were sipping on a juice box. Like father, like son, I thought fondly to myself.“So this is the medication I suggest,” I explained to them both. “It will help with the OCD and intrusive thoughts. It’s not a long-term medication. But I’m confident that with long-term therapy, we can manage the OCD.”“Are there side effects?” Andrew asked, his face serious, although it was hard to take him serious with a juice box straw in his mouth.“All medications come with side effects,” I told Andrew. “But the side effects are very mild with this medication. Which is one of the reasons I chose it.”Oliver nodded.“I’m going to give you some things to look out for,” I told Andrew. “If you see any of those things, then you’ll call me immediately.”“I will,” Andrew said dutifully.It was our third session after the initial breakthrough with Oliver. Andrew hadn’t made any mention of going home

Julia’s POV “I brought wine,” I smiled, holding up the bottle of rose. It was one of Andre’s favorite labels. “You remember,” he nodded, glancing at the wine. “Of course I do,” I told him. “Well, come on in,” he said, holding the door open for me. The villa was similar to the other one they’d rented, but the living room area was smaller, and this one didn’t have a direct view of the ocean. Oliver was sitting on the couch, playing a game on Andrew’s phone. He already had his jammies on, his hair still damp, his cheeks pink from the afternoon by the pool. “Hi Mom,” he said, looking up quickly from his game and flashing me a smile. “He’s pretty wiped out,” Andrew said as I followed him to the kitchen. Andrew retrieved two wine glasses and set about uncorking the wine. “An afternoon at the pool will do that,” I told Andrew. Andrew passed me a glass of wine and I took a sip. “His medication will make him sleepy too,” I said. “So he should take it after dinner.” “I have a confession to make

Julia’s POVI honestly didn’t know what to say. Andrew stood at the counter, a plate in each hand. I felt like I’d been sucker punched.How could I have been that stupid? How could I have honestly believed that things would be different this time around. Andrew was still the same person. He had no regard for me or my feelings. He didn’t want me in his life. He was just acting out of sexual desire. Nothing more, nothing less.“We have to go home, Julia,” Andrew said, setting the plates down on the counter. He took a step towards me but I held up my hand to stop him. “Oliver has school. I have my company. You knew we would leave eventually.”“Not tomorrow,” I shook my head.My thoughts turned to Oliver. Andrew was taking him away from me again. Just like the first time. It hurt like hell. Oliver and I had come so far. We were finally close again.And now Andrew was ripping him away from me. Without even so much as a warning?“We’ve already been here too long,” Andrew said, his voice sof