Chapter 26
Julia
Iwake up to tense-filled silence. The kind of silence that feels stretched too tight that it might snap if I breathe wrong.
The bedroom is dim, with the curtains barely open. I can see the city outside, muted and gray. Mikey's sheets are still warm beneath me, and his scent invades my senses.
I sit up slowly and listen. There are no voices, no laughter... Nothing. Something is wrong.
I swing my legs over the side of the bed and wince as my bare feet hit the cold floor. I'm wearing Mikey's shirt now since he had to take the hoodie. It hangs off my shoulder and is down to my knees. I clench it tighter around myself and step into the hallway.
The penthouse feels different in the daylight.
It's clean and open.
A whisper of voices comes from the kitchen, not arguing, but also not calm.
"She doesn't know," Mikey says. "And she can't. Not yet."
My breath catches. Are they really trying to hide shit from me again?
Kai sighs, and I can picture him rubbing the back of his neck to try to ease the tension. "She's not stupid. She will pick up that something’s off the minute she wakes up."
Mikey doesn't deny it.
My pulse is loud in my ears now.
"I just... I don't like how quiet he was," Kai says. "He's waiting for her."
I take a step back before I can stop myself, and the floor creaks softly beneath my foot.
Both voices cut off, and two sets of hazel eyes snap toward me.
"Julia?" Mikey calls.
There it is... the softness and concern in his voice. Like he is trying to bubble wrap me and make sure nothing in the world is wrong.
I step into view and force my face to be neutral even though my insides are shaking.
"Morning," I say quietly, walking into the kitchen to the coffee maker.
I can feel Kai's eyes on me, studying me to search for any cracks in my armor.
Mikey stands, slowly... and I see it instantly, more bruises.
My breath stutters. "What happened to you?" I ask.
Mikey opens his mouth, then shuts it.
Kai cuts in. "Practice was rough."
I look between them, as the heat blooms behind my eyes, I can feel the anger stirring, "You're lying."
"Julia--" Mikey says, sounding completely defeated.
"No," I interrupt, hugging the shirt tighter to me. "Don't. I can feel the tension. I can tell there are secrets you're not telling. The way you're both acting like I might break if you just fucking tell me the truth. It's fucking bullshit."
Neither of them speaks, and that's answer enough.
My stomach twists painfully. "Is this about my father? Is that what I can't know yet?"
Mikey's shoulders sag, and Kai swears under his breath.
There it is...
I swallow hard, but my voice shakes despite every effort I try to keep it steady. "You don't get to protect me by shutting me out, not after everything that we talked about last night."
Mikey takes a step towards me, "We're trying to keep you safe."
"And what happens when I realize you've been bleeding for me behind my back? And then you try to keep it from me, when I am right in front of you, seeing the damage?" I say as I run my eyes over every bruise he has on his body.
The silence stretches heavy in the air...
I wait, but they don't answer... And that's what breaks me.
"You don't get to do that!" I scream. Everything in me shatters. "You don't get to decide what I can handle and what I can't, especially when this is my father. My life and my mess!"
Mikey closes his eyes like my words are physically hurting him, and deep down, I hope they do. I am tired of this shit. They act like I am some fragile little girl.
When he opens them again, I can see all the guilt he is holding onto.
"Kai," he says quietly. "Give us a minute."
Kai hesitates, flicking his eyes to me, then back to Mikey. Whatever silent conversation they have, he finally nods once.
"I'll be on the balcony," He mutters, already moving towards the sliding door. "Yell if you need me."
The glass door shuts behind him, sealing us in the kitchen with all the things unsaid.
I wait there as the quiet presses in before I step closer to Mikey. I grab his face and lift my head, forcing him to meet my eyes.
"Tell me," I say. "Now."
He exhales slowly, "He didn't push... not the way I expected."
My stomach drops. "Push how?"
"He didn't demand that his men go search for you. He didn't threaten you outright." He drops his gaze. "He acted like you were already coming back."
Cold spreads through my chest, the way it always does, when my father is being a conniving cunt.
"Like I belong to him," I whisper.
Mikey's hands curl into fists at his side. "Exactly like that."
I swallow, forcing air that feels like fire into my lungs. "And you?"
He won't meet my gaze, and my temper spikes.
"And you," I repeat, sharper this time. "What the fuck did he do to you?"
"Julia—"
I turn his head to make him look at me again, "I saw the bruises. Don't fucking insult me by pretending that I didn't."
For a moment, he sat there and looked at me. Like, really looked at me. Like he's deciding whether telling me will hurt me more than not telling me.
"He wanted to remind me," Mikey finally says slowly. "That he still has a reach on me, and that I better not disappoint him again."
My chest aches. This man just took a beating because of my plan. "And you let him?"
"The goal was only to survive."
I shake my head, letting the anger, hurt, and fear tangle together until I can't even decipher which one is which. "You went alone."
"Yes."
"You didn't tell me."
"No."
"You let me sleep in your bed while you walked straight into the pits of hell."
His eyes snap to mine. "I would do it again."
"That's not fucking romantic!" I scream. "That's terrifying!"
He reaches out his hand for me, but doesn't touch me. Like he is scared I might shatter.
"I know," he says. "But letting him think you're unguarded? Letting him believe you might be running? That's buying us time."
"I know, but you should have told me you were leaving."
"I wanted to give you one last night of sleeping soundly. One more morning where you woke up feeling safe."
I look up at him, tears running down my cheeks. "And now? What's the next step?"
"Now, we move... fast." His voice is rough and determined.
The balcony door slides open behind Kai, and we step back in. You can feel the tension in him as he walks up to me. "He still hasn't made a move," he says. "Which means he's biding his time and watching."
"Then let him," I say.
Both of them turn to me.
"I have spent my whole life being controlled by fear of him," I continue, but feel my voice getting steadier by the word. "It's time I fight back and get my freedom for good this time."