Back in her apartment, Julia stood under the scalding spray of the shower for twenty minutes, scrubbing her skin until it was raw. But she couldn't wash away the feeling of violation, the sticky film of shame that clung to her. The memory of a stranger's touch was burned into her.
She tried calling Branson again. His phone was off. The lie from Ms. Hayes echoed in her mind, a cruel, deliberate misdirection. Why?
Her phone buzzed on the bathroom counter. It was the hospital again. She ignored it, the sound drilling into her skull. Her anxiety was a physical thing now, a frantic hummingbird trapped in her ribcage.
She couldn't wait anymore. She had to find him. She had to understand.
A quick search on social media gave her a lead. Branson's best friend, Ryder Stone, had posted a story an hour ago from a place called "The Oak Room," a top—tier private club downtown. Branson was likely there.
Julia threw on a pair of jeans and a black blazer, her movements sharp and jerky. She was done being passive. She was going to get answers.
The Oak Room was even more exclusive than she'd imagined. A stoic bouncer in a tailored suit blocked the entrance. "Members only."
"I'm with Branson Burton," Julia said, her voice steadier than she felt.
The bouncer's expression didn't change. "He didn't mention a guest."
Panic flared, but she pushed it down. She remembered something—Branson had taken her to meet his parents once, a stiff, formal dinner. "His mother's birthday," she said, pulling a date out of her memory. "It's our verification code."
The bouncer stared at her for a long moment, then nodded curtly and stepped aside.
Inside, the air was thick with the smell of expensive cigars and leather. Men in bespoke suits and women in glittering dresses laughed and drank, their voices a low, confident hum. Julia felt utterly out of place, a ghost haunting a party she was never meant to attend. She moved through the crowd, her eyes scanning every face, every corner.
She found him near a semi—private cigar lounge. She heard his laugh first—that familiar, arrogant sound that used to make her heart flutter and now made her stomach turn. He was with Ryder and a few other men, lounging on leather armchairs.
She stopped behind a large potted palm, her own heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs. She was about to step forward when she heard her own name. She froze.
"So, are you really going to marry that Julia?" Ryder asked, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. "Her family situation is a bottomless pit."
Julia held her breath. The world seemed to narrow to the space between her and the men in that room.
Branson let out a short, derisive laugh. "Marry her? Are you kidding me? I just enjoy how pathetic she is, how she can't live without me."
The words struck her with the force of a physical blow. The air left her lungs in a silent gasp. Her entire body went cold, a deep, cellular chill that had nothing to do with the room's temperature.
"Her mom's illness is a money furnace," Branson continued, his voice dripping with contempt. "I'm not an idiot. I'm not jumping into that fire."
"Then why are you still stringing her along?" Ryder asked.
"As soon as Adela gets back from Europe, I'm kicking her to the curb," Branson said, sounding smug. "But for now? She does whatever I want, whenever I want. It's a nice perk, don't you think?"
Adela Barnes. His "the one that got away" ex—girlfriend. The ghost Julia thought she had long since vanquished.
Each word was a shard of glass, shredding the tapestry of their three—year relationship. The "surprise," the "future"—it was all a lie. She wasn't his future. She was a placeholder. A toy.
The horrifying events of the previous night slammed into the fresh agony of this betrayal. The irony was so bitter it made her want to vomit. Her entire world, her understanding of her own life, was collapsing in on itself.
Her stomach churned. She couldn't breathe. The air was too thick, filled with his lies. She clenched her fists, her fingernails digging into her palms, the sharp sting of pain a welcome anchor in the dizzying spiral of nausea and heartbreak.
She pushed the palm frond aside and walked into the lounge.
The laughter died. The easy camaraderie evaporated. Branson looked up, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face before it settled back into its usual mask of arrogance.
Julia's voice was a raw, trembling thing. "Branson. Everything you just said... was it true?"
The other men in the room shifted uncomfortably, their eyes darting between them.
Branson didn't answer. He just stared at her, his expression cold, a silent, damning confirmation. There was no remorse in his eyes. No guilt. Nothing.
The last thread of hope inside her snapped. The room tilted, the edges of her vision blurring. She swayed on her feet, the world dissolving into a meaningless haze.
