All Chapters of Awakened: Chapter 41 - Chapter 42

Chapter 45Julian’s POV The drive back from the Vance estate was wrapped in a suffocating, heavy silence, but for the first time since I had dragged Ashley out of her shell, the quiet between us didn't feel like a battleground.It felt like the stillness right after a storm has torn through a valley, leaving the air clear, cold, and sharp.Ashley sat rigid, staring out at the blurred streetlights bleeding across the side window. She hadn't let go of her leather handbag for a single second. It sat heavy on her lap, her long, delicate fingers tightly entwined around the strap as if it were the only anchor keeping her from floating away into the dark.The ambient city lights filtered through the floor-to-ceiling glass walls, casting long, geometric shadows across the cold marble floor.Ashley stepped out first. She didn't take off her coat. She didn't walk toward the guest room. She simply glided to the center of the vast living room, stopping right in front of the glass, looking out ov