43 Chapter 45
Chapter 45 – A Birthday Storm: Rejection, Revelation, and a Lurking Shadow
I stared at Julian standing on my grandmother’s porch, his eyes pleading as he held out á small gift box tied with a delicate ribbon. Behind him, I spotted a fancy bakery box- clearly containing a cake–resting on the porch railing. The audacity of this man never ceased to amaze me.
“Happy birthday, Hazel,” he repeated, taking a step forward. “I thought we could talk.”
My fingers gripped the doorframe so hard my knuckles turned white. “There’s nothing to talk about. You need to leave.”
“Please, just five minutes.” His voice had that familiar cajoling tone he used when trying to get his way. “I brought your favorite cake from Bellini’s. Red velvet with cream cheese frosting”
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “My favorite? Julian, that’s Ivy’s favorite, not mine. I’ve always preferred chocolate raspberry. Six years together and you still don’t know the simplest things about me.”
His face fell, but he quickly recovered. “I’m sorry, I must have mixed that please, can we talk? I miss
you, Hazel.”
- up. But
Behind me, I could feel Victoria’s protective energy radiating like heat. My family waited in the dining room, their voices hushed in concern. This was my birthday celebration–my moment of triumph after confronting my father–and I refused to let Julian taint it.
“No,” I said firmly, straightening my spine. “You don’t get to show up unannounced on my birthday after what you did. You don’t get to pretend we can just talk things out.”
“Hazel, be reasonable-”
canceled our
“Reasonable?” My voice rose sharply. “Was it reasonable when you wedding two weeks before the date? Was it reasonable when you took everything I had planned for our day and gave it to my stepsister because of her ‘dying wish“?”
Julian’s expression hardened. “That’s not fair. Ivy is sick-‘
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“Don’t you dare. I hissed, stepping onto the porch and closing the door partially behind me. “Don’t you dare use her illness as an excuse for your betrayal. You made your choice, Julian. You chose her. So go back to your bride and leave me alone.”
He set the gift down on the porch railing next to the cake box and ran his fingers through his perfectly styled hair–a gesture that once made my heart flutter but now only irritated me.
“Things with Ivy are… complicated. The wedding was a mistake=”
“You think?” I interrupted, crossing my arms.
“What I mean is he continued, looking increasingly frustrated, “I acted hastily, I was emotional about her diagnosis and not thinking clearly. But Hazel, six years together has to mean something. We can work this out.”
A wave of disgust washed over me. “Let me be perfectly clear. There is no ‘we‘ anymore. There is no working it out. You destroyed everything we had.”
“Is this about the tycoon?” Julian’s voice turned cold. “Victoria told me you’ve been seeing someone. Is that why you won’t even consider giving me another chance?
I laughed–a genume, incredulous laugh. “You think I’m rejecting you because of someone else? No, iufias. I’m rejecting you because you revealed exactly who you are,
and I don’t like what i sam”
With sudden decisiveness, I grabbed the cake box and gift, walked to the trash can at the edge of the porch, and dropped them inside. The thud was immensely satisfying
“Hazel” Julian gasped, his eyes wide with shock
“Consider that my final answer” i said quietly. “Now leave before I ask my uncle to escort you off the property.”
As if on cue, Uncle Mark opened the door behind me, his imposing figure filling the doorframe. Julian took one look at him and stepped back
“This isn’t over,” Julian muttered, but turned and walked back to his car.
I watched him drive away, feeling my grandmother’s warm hand come to rest on my
shoulder.
“You did the right thing dear” she said softly. “Some bridges are meant to stay burned”
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Back inside, Victoria high–fived me. “That was masterful! The way you trashed his gifts? Chef’s kiss!”
Despite her enthusiasm, a heaviness lingered in my chest. Not because I missed Julian, but because his presence had reminded me of everything I was trying to leave behind.
“Let’s get back to that chocolate raspberry cake,” my grandmother suggested, her eyes twinkling. “The real one, made by someone who actually knows you.”
Two hours later, after cake and presents and warm family stories, I stood on my grandmother’s front porch saying my goodbyes. The night air had turned cool, carrying the scent of impending rain.
“Drive safely,” Grandma said, kissing my cheek. “And remember, I’m so proud of you- for everything.”
I hugged her tightly, savoring the moment before heading toward my car. I was almost there when a familiar voice called my name.
“Hazel.
Julian emerged from the shadows by the garden hedge, making me jump.
“What the hell? Have you been waiting here this whole time?” I demanded, instantly
alert. “That’s stalker behavior, Julian.”
He approached quickly, grabbing my wrist before I could retreat. “I just want to talk.
You embarrassed me earlier.”
“Let go of me,” I said, keeping my voice steady despite the surge of anger. “You’re embarrassing yourself right now.”
“Is it true about Sterling?” he demanded, his grip tightening. “Are you really with him
now?”
The mention of Damien’s name on Julian’s lips felt like a violation. “My personal life is none of your business.”
“After everything I did for you,” he continued, his voice rising. “I supported your career, introduced you to all my contacts—”
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“Let Go Of My Arm” Each word was a bullet, and I yanked my arm free with enough
force to make him stumble back.
Kain began to fall, fat droplets betting the pavement around us.
“Yes” I said suddenly, a strange recklessness taking hold of me. “Yes, I am with Damien Sterling. And you know what? He’s twice the man you’ll ever be
Juliani’s face contorted with anger and jealousy. “You moved on awfully quickly for
someone who claimed to love me.
*At least I wasted until we were offerally over” i shot back. “Unlike you, who was
planning a wedding with my stepsister while still engaged to me”
The rain intensified, plastering hallan’s expensive shart to his skin. He looked pathetic,
standing there in the downpont
“He’s using you” hudhan sand bitterly. When like Sterling don’t settle down with women bike you”
I felt a smile spread across my face–set a happy one, but one of pure satisfaction, “Women like me! You mean women who aren’t push–owers? Women who expect better than being second choice? Because Damien appreciates exactly who I am.”
“Does he appreciate that you spent five years donating bloot for me? Does he know about that kind of sacrifice films challenged,
The rum poured harder now, but i bawy fit. Actually, he does. And unlike you, he thanks it makes me extraordinary, not obligated.”
A muscle twitched in hullas’s jaw. “is the better than me in bed to? is that it?”
The radioness of his question should have shocked me, but instead, i feit a surge of power “bufusely better. Why, I had to take it half the time. With him? Never”
With
Julian’s face went white, then red with humiliation. “You’ll regret this, Hazel. I’m not signing those dance papers. Not wat I’m ready”
“That’s fine,” I replied candy, opening my car door. “Drag it out as long as you want. It only miles you lack more desperate and me more determined.
As I sind no my car I notated buses starting pest me, this expression changing from
anger to something ike suspicas, 1 kallowed his gaze and spotted a black bezalay
43 Chapter 45
parked further down the street, its engine running.
“Your billionaire boyfriend keeping tabs on you?” Julian sneered.
431
I hadn’t noticed the car before, and a flicker of unease ran through me. Was it Damien? Or someone else?
“Goodbye, Julian,” I said firmly, closing my door and starting the engine.
In my rearview mirror, I watched Julian stomp back to his own car, soaked and defeated. But my attention kept returning to the Bentley, which pulled away from the
curb as I drove off.
My phone buzzed with a text from Victoria: “You okay? Want me to follow you home?”
I typed back quickly: “I’m fine. Julian’s just pathetic. Talk tomorrow.”
As I drove through the rain–slicked streets, my mind raced. Had someone been watching my confrontation with Julian? Had they heard everything I said about
Damien?
The Bentley appeared in my rearview mirror again, maintaining a careful distance behind me. My heart rate accelerated. I made a sudden turn onto a side street–and the Bentley followed.
“Shit,” I muttered, gripping the steering wheel tighter.
I made another unexpected turn, and sure enough, the luxury car stayed with me. Was it Damien’s security? A journalist? Or something worse?
When I stopped at a red light, the Bentley pulled up in the lane beside me. I couldn’t see through the tinted windows, but I felt exposed, vulnerable.
The light turned green, and both cars moved forward. When I took the exit toward my apartment, the Bentley continued straight, finally heading in a different direction.
Relief flooded through me, but questions lingered. Who had been in that car? Had they heard my conversation with Julian? My claims about my relationship with Damien?
A sinking feeling settled in my stomach. There’s a saying that things don’t go as planned-
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44 Chapter 46
44 Chapter 46