36. June
June
The ink on this page is the only thing in this house that belongs to me.
Everything else—the silk sheets, the rare editions of Poe, the very air I breathe, is curated.
I feel like a piece of art they’re restoring, keeping me in a temperature-controlled room until I’m “ready.” But ready for what?
My twenty-first birthday is three weeks away.
To most girls, that’s a milestone of freedom.
To me, it feels like the date of an execution.
I haven’t forgotten what I found in Cain’s office.
I went in looking for a stamp, but I found a folder buried under a stack of papers.
Inside were parts of my Uni applications.
The ones he promised to mail months ago.
The ones I thought had been rejected because I never heard back.
They were all there—pristine, unstamped, and hidden.
He took my entire future and tucked it into a drawer like it was nothing but a nuisance he’d dealt with.
And Julian… God, Julian. He’s my anchor, but what happens when the anchor is attached to a sinking ship? I want to believe he’s different. But then I remember they shared a womb. Blood isn’t just thicker than water in this house, it’s a binding contract.
I’ve been quiet. I’ve been “the good girl.” I smile when Julian tucks my hair back, and I nod when Cain lectures me.
But underneath the surface of my mind, I’m digging an escape tunnel.
Selling Nana’s cottage felt like a betrayal, but that money is my ticket out.
I’ve started small. A bag hidden in the crawlspace behind the wardrobe, some clothes, my birth certificate, the few photos of Annie and Nana I have left.
Sometimes, late at night, I picture Julian walking into this room the morning after I leave. I see him seeing the empty bed, the silence where my voice should be. It makes my chest ache so sharply I can barely take it. I love him. I do. But I can’t be his doll to play house with anymore.
The countdown was on. Twenty-one days.
The steam from the shower had finally begun to dissipate.
I stood there in my robe, lost in the mindless task of brushing out the knots in my hair, trying to keep my brain from spiralling back to that folder in Cain’s office.
Without a sound, a dark silhouette materialised in the reflection behind me, sending my brush clattering into the sink as I jumped.
“Julian,” I gasped, clutching my robe. “You can’t just… I’m not even dressed.”
He didn’t look slightly bothered. He was leaning against the doorframe, sleeves rolled up. “I was thinking about that list you made. The things you wanted to do before the summer ended.”
“I’m not really in the mood, Julian,” I said, turning back to the mirror. “I have a headache.”
“You’ve been in bed for three days and you always have a headache,” he countered, stepping into the room. The space suddenly felt half its size. “We’re doing something.”
“No,” I spat. “I’m staying here.”
Julian’s lips twitched into a smirk. He took two slow steps towards me, his shadow swallowing mine. “If you don’t pick a pair of shoes and get in the car in the next five minutes, I am going to literally drag you out there. Robe and all. Your choice, Junebug.”
“Fine,” I sighed, dropping my shoulders. “But you pick. Since you’re the one kidnapping me… you deal with the logistics.”
We’d been driving for what felt like forever. The familiar outskirts of town had long since vanished, replaced by winding backroads and dense tunnels of trees.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going yet?” I asked.
“Be patient,” Julian replied.
I let out a sharp, irritated breath, pressing my forehead against the glass. I needed to put up a wall. I needed to project a cold indifference, because beneath the surface, my pulse was thrashing with a frantic anticipation.
Like he was reading my thoughts, he shifted in his seat and the sudden, suffocating heat of his hand clamped down on my thigh. His palm was territorial, and unyielding. Even through the denim of my shorts, the searing brand of his touch sank straight into my skin underneath.
“Trust me,” he reassured. “It’ll be worth it. I promise.”
I didn't pull away. I couldn't have moved if I tried. I’m screwed and my plan was already up in flames, that took all of thirty seconds. It seems my self control has hit an all time low.
Finally the tires crunched over gravel as the car came to a halt on a road that looked like it led to nowhere.
“We’re here,” Julian announced.
“I don’t remember putting ‘getting lost in the bush and being eaten by leeches’ on my list, Julian,” I said, crossing my arms.
He just chuckled, rounding the car and pulling my door open. He reached in, snagging my hand and dragging me in the direction of a wall of branches. I stumbled after him until a narrow hiking trail revealed itself.
The heat was oppressive. The humidity clung to my skin like a second layer of clothes. I tripped over a protruding root, but Julian’s hand was there instantly, fingers clamping around my upper arm to steady me.
“It’s so hot out here,” I complained.
He stopped. Without a word, he grabbed the hem of his T-shirt and pulled it over his head.
I watched as the fabric came away to reveal the hard, sculpted lines of his chest and abs.
His skin was slicked with sweat and his perfectly tanned skin, was glistened in the sunlight.
My eyes lingered longer than they should have on the way the muscles in his arms flexed.
My plan wasn’t just up in flames it was in hell.
“We can cool down when we get there,” he said, his voice dropping an octave as he caught me staring.
We walked for another ten minutes before the sound reached me—a distant, low roar that grew louder with every step. Suddenly, Julian stepped behind me, his large hands covering my eyes.
“Shh. Just walk. I’ve got you.”
He guided me forwards, his chest pressed against my back. I stepped carefully, trusting his feet to lead mine, until he finally came to a halt.
“Open them,” he whispered.
He pulled his hands away, and I gasped. We were standing on a ledge overlooking a hidden piece of paradise. Massive waterfalls cascaded off the cliffs, crashing into a pool so clear I could see the smooth stones at the bottom.
“Julian… this is stunning.”
“Want to go for a swim?”
I looked down at my clothes. “I don’t have any swimmers!”
He leaned in close, lips brushing the sensitive skin of my neck. “You don’t need them to get in the water, June. I’ve seen every part of you.”
Before I could process the invitation, he hoisted me into the air.
“Julian! No!”
I hit the water with a massive splash, the cold shock stealing my breath. I surfaced, gasping. “Julian! You asshole!”
I looked up just in time to see him catch a rope swing.
He launched himself out, a wild silhouette against the sky, before hitting the water right next to me.
He lunged through the water, grabbing my waist and pulling me flush against his chest. I wrapped my legs around his hips to stay afloat, hands landing on his wet, bare shoulders.
“Looks like you’ll have to take these off to dry,” he teased.
His hands moved to the hem of my soaked tank top.
He gathered the fabric and pulled it over my head in one fluid motion, tossing it onto the rocks.
The hot sun hit my bare skin, but it was nothing compared to the searing heat in Julian’s eyes.
Next, his hands dipped below the surface, finding the buttons of my denim shorts and sliding them down my legs with an aggressive tug.
The playfulness in the air shifted instantly, replaced by a thick, heavy tension that made the water around us feel like it was simmering.