Chapter 232
Catherine’s POV
Julian’s tremors hadn’t stopped; they had only deepened, his muscles locking in a state of primitive terror. I didn’t waste a second. I lunged forward, wrapping my arms around him with a force that nearly knocked us both back against the shelf. I held him with everything I had, pressing my cheek against his damp, hot skin, trying to be an anchor in the middle of his storm.
“Julian,” I whispered into his ear, my voice trembling but firm. “I’m here. It’s your Wildcat p>
Slowly, I pulled back just enough to frame his face with my hands. I gripped his jaw, my thumbs brushing over his cheekbones, forcing him to look at me. His eyes were wide, the pupils blown so large they nearly swallowed the gray of his irises. They were darting around the room, still seeing the ghost of his father.
“Look at me,” I commanded, my tone hushed but piercing. “Empty your mind and focus on just me. Look at my eyes, love p>
It took an agonizing few seconds, but finally, his gaze snapped to mine. The frantic skipping of his pulse against my palms began to steady, a long, ragged exhale shuddering out of him.
“That’s it,” I murmured, leaning my forehead against his. “Breathe. We’re okay. I’ve got you. Everything is going to be fine, I promise p>
The recognition finally flooded back into his face. For a moment, he looked like he was about to break, his features crumpling with the sheer weight of the adrenaline crash. Then, with a sudden, desperate strength, he pulled me back into him. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, his arms wrapping around my waist so tightly I could feel the individual beats of his heart against my ribs. The two of us huddled on the floor in the dark, hidden from a man who would destroy us both if he knew we were in here.
I pulled, we didn’t have an eternity to waste.
“We have to get out of here,” I whispered, pulling back and searching his face. “Richard is in the living room with Dante, but he won’t stay there long. He’s already on edge. If he finds us, Julian… we can’t let that happen p>
He blinked, the fog of the panic attack finally clearing. He nodded once, a grim resolve replacing the fear. “Right. Yeah. Let’s go p>
He scrambled to his feet, his movements still a little jerky, and we moved like ghosts through the dim light of the study. We slipped out the door, checking the corridor for any sign of staff or the man himself, before sprinting toward the other wing of the house. We didn’t stop until we were inside my room, the door clicking shut and the lock sliding into place.
The second we were in the safety of my space, Julian turned and pulled me into another hug. This one was different—not a plea for safety, but a claim. It lasted forever, the silence of the room wrapped around us like a shroud. I could feel the heat radiating off him, the way his hands gripped the back of my shirt as if he were afraid I’d vanish if he let go.
Finally, he pulled back, though he didn’t let go of my hands. He led me toward the edge of the bed, sitting me down before kneeling on the floor in front of me, his eyes dark with a new kind of intensity.
“He’s going to kill her, Catherine,” he said, his voice a low, jagged rasp. “Or he already has. He was on the phone with someone… a fixer. He told them to find the person who called him and make sure they have the same fate as Madeleine p>
I felt the blood drain from my face. “The same fate? He said those exact words p>
“Exact,” Julian whispered, his grip on my hands tightening until it almost hurt. “He wasn’t even hiding it. He sounded like he was ordering a hit on a complete stranger just for mentioning her name. And I’m terrified, Cat. I’m terrified that if he finds out it was us, or if he realizes how much we know… he’ll hurt you p>
He held my hands to his face. “I can’t bear to lose another woman I love, Wildie. I can’t bear to lose you p>
“Nothing of that sort will happen. Richard is a terrible, disgusting, horrible man,” I spat, the anger finally bubbling over. “We are going to get him locked up for life, no matter what happens”
“He’s dangerous,” Julian reminded me. “More than I thought. I am not so sure I want you involved in this p>
“Well, I’m part of it already. Besides I have something to tell you,” I said, looking away for a second because I couldn’t bear the look of defeat I knew was coming to his face. “Dante and I… we tried to buy us more time. We tried to get him to postpone the engagement party because of Dante’s ’business meetings.’ We thought it would give us a month, maybe more p>
Julian leaned in, his eyes narrowing. “And p>
“And it backfired,” I said, a bitter laugh escaping my throat. “He didn’t postpone it. He moved it up. He told us that the engagement is happening in two weeks. Fourteen days, Julian p>
The silence that followed was deafening. Julian didn’t move for a long time. Then, slowly, he stood up, his height suddenly making the room feel small. He began to pace the floor, his hands shoved into his hair, his movements explosive with a sudden, violent fury.
“Two weeks?” he roared, though he kept his voice low enough not to carry through the walls. “Two weeks until I have to stand in front of thousands of people and put a ring on Lucy’s finger? Two weeks until you have to act like you belong to Dante p>
“Julian, calm down p>
“No! I can’t calm down!” He turned to me, his face flushed with rage. “The thought of it makes me want to burn this whole house to the ground. I have to watch you kiss him? I have to touch her? In front of everyone? I can’t do it, Catherine. I can’t bear the thought of pretending to be in love with a girl who makes my skin crawl while you’re right there, in the arms of another p>
He looked like he was about to lose control again, his chest heaving, his fists clenched so hard
I stood up and moved into his space, stopping his pacing by placing my hands on his chest. “Julian, look at me. We can still fix this p>
He looked, his eyes blazing with a fire that was both beautiful and terrifying. He looked like he wanted to scream, to break something, to tear the world apart just to keep me.
“We belong to each other,” I whispered, reaching up to wrap my arms around his neck. “Two weeks is just a date on a calendar. It doesn’t change what we are. It doesn’t change whose heart belongs to who p>
“It feels like it does,” he groaned, his forehead dropping against mine. “It feels like he’s winning p>
“He isn’t,” I said fiercely. I leaned in, my lips brushing against his, the heat of his anger radiating into me. “Because in this room, right now, he doesn’t exist p>
I didn’t give him a chance to respond. I captured his lips in a hungry, desperate kiss, pouring every ounce of my love and my desire into it.
Julian let out a low, guttural sound, his hands sliding down to grip my waist, pulling me so close there wasn’t even a breath of air between us.