Chapter Thirty-Five
Miles
The line went dead.
Silence.
I stared at my phone, heart pounding so hard it made my ears ring. Julian’s voice still clung to the air like smoke—shaky, trembling, thin like brittle glass ready to shatter.
“W-we have to stop seeing each other. I’m sorry.”
Bullshit.
I squeezed the phone tighter, jaw locking so hard it ached. He was crying. I heard it. I felt it. The sniffles he tried to hide, the quiver in every word... he didn’t want to say those things. Someone made him.
Victor.
Goddamn Victor.
A bitter taste filled my mouth. No way this was Julian’s choice. Not after everything. Not after the way he curled into me last night, the way he smiled this morning like the world was finally becoming safe again. He wouldn’t just throw that away. He wouldn’t throw us away.
I could still hear how he tried to keep his voice steady—and failed.
He sounded broken. And terrified.
My stomach twisted. Something happened. Something bad.
He was trying to protect me. I knew it. I knew it. That idiot. That sweet, beautiful idiot thinking he had to do this alone.
God, Jules...
I ran my free hand through my hair, pacing the floor as every worst-case scenario spun through my head like a hurricane. What had Victor done? What else had he done to make Julian sound like that? My chest tightened. My breath caught.
I should’ve stayed with him. I should’ve known. I should’ve—
I stopped myself.
No. No spiraling.
I closed my eyes, forcing a breath. My hands trembled. He needed me thinking clearly, not falling apart. He was pushing me away because he thought he had to. But I wasn’t going anywhere.
“Julian...” I whispered to the empty room, thumb tracing over his contact picture on my screen. My heart clenched.
I couldn’t shake the memory of the way he sounded. The break in his voice. The way it cracked when he said my name.
And the silence before he hung up—as if he didn’t want to. As if he couldn’t bear to do it, but something—or someone—made him.
Victor.
It had to be him.
That bastard was behind this. And if he laid a hand on Julian again, I didn’t care about contracts or fame or the fucking industry—I would ruin him.
But first... first I needed to see Julian.
I needed to get to him. Even if he said he didn’t want to see me.
Because the truth? I knew better. I knew Julian. And whatever he was trying to protect me from—I wasn’t about to let him face it alone.
Not ever.
I barely remembered grabbing my keys. Or slipping on my shoes. Or slamming the apartment door shut behind me.
All I knew was that I was driving.
Fast.
Too fast.
The world outside the windshield blurred into streaks of color and light, but my focus was razor sharp, heart hammering so hard I could feel it in my throat.
Please be okay, Jules... please...
My grip on the steering wheel tightened until my knuckles burned. My mind wouldn’t shut up, racing with every awful possibility. Had Victor hit him? Hurt him worse? Threatened him again? Was Julian curled up somewhere right now, shaking, terrified, trying to breathe?
The thought made my stomach twist violently.
I wasn’t even trying to slow down anymore. Stop signs were suggestions. Speed limits didn’t exist. I just needed to get to him. Needed to see him.
My patience—always my quiet shield—was cracking. Shattering.
If Victor had put his hands on him again... If he’d left even one more bruise on that beautiful skin... I’d kill him.
Fuck the contract. Fuck the agency. I’d burn it all down. For Julian? I’d do worse.
His house came into view.
I slammed the car into park, heart thudding hard and fast as I hurried up the steps. My hand went to the spare key in my pocket—a key Julian had finally, shyly given me after I’d begged and teased him for days. But I hesitated.
I couldn’t just barge in. Not like this. Not when he was scared.
So I knocked. Soft, but firm.
No answer.
I knocked again.
And then the door creaked open. Just a crack.
I saw his eyes first—red, glassy, broken.
“Go away, Miles.” His voice was small. Frayed. Barely holding together. “Please...”
“Baby...” My chest ached at the sound of him. “You can try to push me away all you want. Say the words. But you know I’m not going anywhere.”
He shook his head behind the door, fingers gripping the edge like it was the only thing keeping him standing. “Don’t... don’t do this,” he whispered. “Just leave. I’m fine. I—”
“Stop.” My voice softened, but the steel was still there. “You’re not fine. And you don’t have to pretend with me. Let me in, Jules. Please.”
His lip quivered.
I stepped closer.
“I don’t care what he said. I don’t care what you think you have to do to protect me. I want you. I want this. And I’m not going anywhere unless you tell me to my face that you don’t want me anymore.”
The door opened a little wider.
Julian’s head was down, hair falling into his face. His whole body trembled. Like he might shatter if I breathed too hard.
And then I saw it.
My stomach dropped.
Faint but clear—a handprint. Stamped across his delicate throat like a fucking brand. Ugly. Red. Blooming into bruises already.
“Jesus... Jules...” My voice broke. I reached out before I could stop myself, fingers brushing the edge of his jaw as gently as I could. His breath hitched.
He wouldn’t meet my eyes.
“I told you to go...” he whispered.
I shook my head, throat tight. “Not happening. Not now. Not ever.”
He flinched but didn’t pull away.
“I let him do this to you...” My chest burned, guilt thick in my throat. “I should’ve come sooner. I should’ve—”
“Don’t...” Julian finally looked up, eyes shining with tears. “Don’t blame yourself. This isn’t your fault. I... I just wanted to keep you safe...”
I stepped inside, gently pushing the door the rest of the way open.
“No, baby. You’re the one who needs to be safe. And I’m not leaving you alone with this. Not now. Not ever again.”
His lip wobbled.
And then, slowly, finally... he stepped into me. His weight folded against my chest like the fight was draining out of him. Like maybe—just maybe—he could let someone else carry this for a while.
I wrapped my arms around him, holding him close. Careful of the bruise on his throat. My heart still thundered, but I forced it to slow.
For him.
“I’ve got you,” I whispered against his hair. “I’ve got you, Jules. You’re safe.”
His fingers curled into my shirt, gripping tight. His whole body trembled in my arms.
And then... he broke.
A quiet, choked sob escaped him first—barely a sound—but it cracked straight down the middle of my chest. Then another. And another. Until he was shaking against me, hands clutching desperately at my shirt, burying his face into my shoulder like he was trying to disappear.
“Jules...” I whispered softly, holding him tighter, grounding him. “Baby, breathe... you’re safe... I’ve got you. Just let it out, pretty boy. I’m right here.”
His sobs only came harder.
“I’m s-sorry,” he gasped out between sharp breaths. “Miles, I’m so—sorry—I d-didn’t want to say those things—I d-didn’t want to push you away...”
His hands fisted into my chest, pulling like he wanted to crawl into me.
“I had to—I thought—he said he’d hurt you—he threatened you—”
My blood ran cold.
Victor.
Fucking Victor.
I clenched my jaw but didn’t let him go. I couldn’t. Not when Julian was falling apart in my arms like this.
“He said...he said he’d ruin you,” Julian sobbed, face wet against my neck. “That he’d c-come after you. Hurt you. Hurt your career. I couldn’t let him...I couldn’t let him touch you...so I thought...I thought if I made you leave me...he’d stop—”
His voice cracked so violently I thought it might splinter into pieces.
“I thought if you hated me... you’d be safe...”
“Jesus, Jules...” My chest felt tight, like someone was squeezing my heart. I smoothed my hand over his hair, kissing the side of his head, swallowing the burn in my throat. “No, baby. No. You don’t ever have to protect me like that. You hear me? Ever.”
He gasped again, the sobs tearing through him like they wouldn’t stop.
“I didn’t want to, Miles, I swear. I didn’t w-want to lose you. I just, I was so scared—”
“I know, pretty boy. I know...” I whispered, holding him tighter, pressing my lips to his temple. “I get it. I do. But you’re not losing me. Not ever. You’re stuck with me, remember?”
He let out a ragged, broken breath that sounded almost like a laugh buried in all the pain.
“I can handle him, Jules. I don’t care what he said. He’s done. Renee’s helping. I’m not leaving you to face this alone. Remember that.”
I felt him shaking his head against me.
“I’m s-sorry... I was trying to protect you...”
My chest cracked wide open.
I gently pulled back, just enough to cup his face in my hands, thumbs brushing away the tears spilling down his cheeks. “Listen to me,” I said. “You are not the one who needs to apologize. You are not the bad guy here, Julian. He is. Victor’s the monster. Not you. Never you.”
His eyes squeezed shut, more tears falling. “You are brave. And strong. And so, so fucking beautiful. I love you, Julian Vale. And nothing—nothing—he says or does is going to make me walk away from you.”
His breath hitched sharply at the word love, but I didn’t take it back. I meant every syllable.
I kissed the corner of his mouth gently, the taste of salt and sadness on his skin. “Breathe for me, baby. Just breathe. You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”
And for the first time in forever... I felt him nod.
Letting me hold the weight he’d been carrying alone for far too long.
I guided him gently to the couch, his steps unsteady and slow like he was made of glass. But I kept my hands on him, never letting go—not for a second—as if my touch alone could hold him together.
Julian collapsed into the cushions, curling into himself, hands gripping the hem of his sweater like he didn’t know what else to do. His breathing was quieter now—hiccupping and fragile—but the worst of the storm had passed. For now.