Chapter Forty-One #2
I forced the lump in my throat down.
“He dragged me into the bathroom. Locked the door behind him, forced me on my knees over the toilet... and shoved his fingers down my throat.”
I felt sick. My stomach clenched painfully.
“He made me throw up everything in my stomach while he held my face to the toilet. Told me I was worthless. That I’d ruin his career if I got fat—if I ruined my body.”
I gripped the podium harder. My legs felt weak beneath me.
“I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. I felt like I was dying.”
My breath caught. I wiped at my cheek again, shaking.
“And when I cried... when I begged him to stop...” My voice cracked. My chest ached. “...he laughed. Threatened me and my career. Warned me I had to lose ten pounds by the next shoot or he’ll do it again.”
I sucked in air through my teeth, my whole body trembling.
“For two years I lived like that.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, just to steady myself.
“Every bruise. Every cut. Every cracked rib—I hid them all. I smiled for the cameras, sucked in my stomach, acted like everything was fine... because I was terrified of what would happen if I slipped. If I failed him.”
I let the words hang in the air, heavy and bitter.
“And then... when I met someone who actually cared about me... who saw the real me... Victor threatened him too.”
My eyes burned again. I could feel the tears sliding down my face.
“Threatened to ruin him. Hurt him. All because I dared to love someone without his permission.”
I glanced toward the curtain, knowing Miles was there. God, if he only knew how much he saved me.
“That man broke me.” My voice shook, but I didn’t stop. “And he wanted to keep breaking me until there was nothing left.”
I raised my chin. My chest tight. My pulse thundering in my ears.
“But this time... I’m not hiding.”
A shaky breath filled my lungs.
“This time, I won’t stay silent to protect a monster who deserves to burn for what he’s done.”
I straightened my shoulders. My hands stopped shaking.
“You can look at the bruises. You can see the photos. The video. This—this is the truth.”
I gulped.
“I’m not afraid of him anymore.”
The last words broke free as a quiet promise—tear-soaked and raw.
I took a shaky breath, the weight of the room pressing in as hundreds of eyes locked onto me, waiting for what came next.
But this part... this part mattered most.
“I’m not afraid of him anymore,” I said again, my voice breaking—but strong underneath. Real.
I blinked hard against the blur of fresh tears. My chest tightened but not with fear this time. With something warmer. Brighter.
“Because one person... one incredible guy... saw I was drowning.”
My voice cracked softly. My hand curled tighter on the podium.
“One look at me... and he knew. He knew I needed saving, even if I didn’t see it back then. Even when I thought I could handle it alone... he saw straight through the lie I was telling myself.”
I let out a watery, breathless laugh, glancing over my shoulder—back toward the wings where I knew he stood. My sun. My anchor. My everything.
“He wormed his way into my life with his ridiculous sunshine personality...”
Another small laugh broke free, catching in my throat.
“Wouldn’t take no for an answer. Wouldn’t leave. Even when I tried so hard to push him away... because of Victor’s threats... because I was scared... he stayed.”
I wiped at my cheek, tears streaking down freely now, my voice raw but steady.
“His courage is the only reason I’m standing here today. He’s the reason I found mine. The reason I’m free. The reason I survived this.”
I gulped, my heart swelling, every emotion rushing to the surface at once.
“And for that... Miles Bennett...” I paused, my breath catching. My voice shook but I didn’t care—not anymore. I wanted the world to hear this.
“...I will never forget what you’ve done for me. I love you.”
My voice broke fully on the words, a soft sob slipping out with them. I laughed wetly through the tears, clutching the podium tighter as they spilled down my face.
“I love you so much.”
The crowd was quiet—holding its breath.
I stood there trembling, tears falling openly, my chest heaving—but I felt lighter than I had in years. Like the weight of the world had finally lifted.
“I’m not hiding anymore.”
The words barely made it past the lump in my throat, whispered into the silence... but they were true.
So true.
I didn’t stay to hear the cameras clicking.
I didn’t wait for the reporters shouting questions.
The moment I finished speaking, I stepped away from the podium—my heart pounding so loud in my ears it drowned everything else out—and I ran.
Straight into the wings. Straight to him.
“Miles—” I gasped, barely choking the word out before he caught me. His arms wrapped around me, holding me so tightly it knocked the air from my chest—but in the best way. In the way I needed.
“I got you, pretty boy. You did it,” Miles whispered, breath warm against my hair as I trembled against him. “I’m so, so proud of you, Julian.”
A sob broke loose. Not from fear, or pain, or shame—but from relief. All the weight, the years of hiding and pretending and suffocating—it cracked apart the second his arms closed around me.
“I did it,” I breathed, my face buried in his neck. “I really did it...”
He smiled down at me when I finally pulled back, brushing tears off my cheek with the pad of his thumb. Without thinking, without caring who was watching, I cupped his jaw and kissed him—soft and slow and real.
When we pulled apart, I turned and found Renee and Lena waiting.
“Julian!” Lena gasped, rushing forward and wrapping me in a fierce, breath-stealing hug. “Oh my God, you killed it. You absolutely killed it. I’ve never been more proud to call someone my best friend.”
Her voice wobbled a little—she was crying too.
Renee stepped beside us, her expression softer than I’d ever seen it. “I’m proud of you too, Julian. And if you want to keep modeling... I’ll help you find a new manager. Someone good. Someone who deserves you. Whatever you decide... I’ll make sure you have the best.”
I gulped, heart thudding. “I’d like that,” I said quietly. Then I smiled and reached for Lena’s hand, tugging her closer. “But... where I go, Lena goes with me. Non-negotiable.”
Lena blinked, then broke into a wide grin. “Damn straight.”
“Obviously,” Renee chuckled, shaking her head. “I figured that much.”
We all laughed—Miles gently squeezing my hand behind me, grounding me in the warmth of his touch.
For the first time in two years, I felt... light. Like I could breathe again. Like the world wasn’t so dark and heavy.
I glanced at Lena, her face flushed with pride and happiness. “Guess you’re stuck with me forever, huh?”
“Please,” she smirked. “I’ve been stuck with you since you stole my last granola bar on set two years ago. I’m in this for life, babe.”
I laughed—really, truly laughed—and Miles pressed a kiss to my temple, his hand never leaving mine.
I turned my face up toward him, heart warm. I survived. I spoke. I won.
And now...
The future felt like it finally belonged to me.