ELLIS Julian blinked slowly, absorbing the information at his own pace, completely unfazed. "I see," he said. "Oh, you see." "Yes." "Wonderful. Fantastic. Glad we’re on the same page." I genuinely, specifically, with intent, hated him. A little, maybe more than a little. The exact amount was tough to quantify and probably not worth dissecting right now. His gaze dropped momentarily to the counter, then returned to mine, and when it did, something felt a bit different—shifting, like he was about to say something he’d been holding back. "I shouldn’t have left." The words landed, and I was completely unprepared for them because I hadn’t seen this coming. I’d spent most of the day imagining various versions of this conversation, and none of them kicked off here. I’d anticipated sarcasm and deflection, the cool, composed Julian who didn’t want to engage, or maybe even a heated argument that would give me something concrete to push against. Not this. Not Julian Cross in his kitc
Last Updated : 2026-07-30 Read more