CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 3
Julian crossed the room and kissed Chloe’s forehead.
She went still under his touch.
To anyone else, it would have looked tender.
To me, it looked like ownership.
“How’s my wife behaving?” he asked the technician, still smiling.
The woman froze for half a second.
“She’s doing fine, Doctor.”
“Good,” Julian said. “Chloe gets emotional. Especially when her mother fills her head.”
Chloe closed her eyes.
I kept my voice soft.
“She told me she’s afraid.”
Julian’s smile did not move, but his eyes changed.
“Pregnancy can cause anxiety.”
“She told me you threatened her.”
The room went silent.
The technician’s hand stopped moving.
Behind the glass, one nurse slowly looked up.
Julian turned fully toward me.
“Diane,” he said quietly, “this is not the place.”
“No,” I agreed. “It’s exactly the place.”
His jaw tightened.
Chloe whispered, “Mom, please.”
Julian looked down at her, and for one second, the charming doctor disappeared.
There he was.
The man my daughter had been living with.
Cold. Furious. Certain nobody would dare stand between him and what he wanted.
“You should be careful,” he said to me.
I took my phone from my purse and placed it face down on the counter.
“I started being careful the moment I saw what you did to her.”
May you like
Julian stared at the phone.
For the first time, he looked unsure.
