Chapter 162 Chapter 162
It had been so long since he last saw her alive, but his memory was clear as day. He couldn’t believe his eyes, couldn’t fathom that she was really here. When she had faded away right before him, a hole had been torn into his chest. The old scar it had left behind began to hurt upon looking at her now.
It was his fault she had died.
“I found a way to come back,” she answered. “Because I missed you so much, I couldn’t stand being without you.” Juliana beamed at him. Her pale, heart-shaped lips curved up, forming a perfect smile.
Maxwell stared at her, not fully over his surprise yet, but his happiness to see her outweighed his confusion. He didn’t question her sudden appearance, didn’t realize that there was no possible way for her to still be alive.
When he closed the distance between them, her crystal blue eyes sparkled joyfully. “It must have been fate for us to reunite,” she whispered.
He was about to answer, but paused when he noticed something was amiss. “Wait, where’s…” he sputtered and turned around to find the room empty, safe for him and Juliana. Dread rose in him when he didn’t see Valerie anywhere near him. “Valerie?”
The panic that built within him pulled his attention away from Juliana. He instinctively concentrated on the bond that connected him to Valerie, but to his shock, he couldn’t feel her. It was as if she had stopped existing. Normally, he would have sensed her emotions whenever he focused on them. Now, though, there was just nothing. She was gone, erased from existence. This had never happened before, and it freaked him out.
“Fuck,” he cursed. “Valerie, where are you?!” he shouted at the top of his lungs, waiting desperately for an answer. His shoulders heaved as his breathing quickened. Juliana spoke to him, but her words didn’t register in his frantic mind. Only when her cool hand touched his arm did he react. He looked at her with wide eyes.
“Juliana…” he muttered. “Did you see what happened to her? She was here just a second ago. We have to look for her.”
“So you have replaced me with that human,” Juliana said. Her lips curled downward. “Maxwell, how could you?”
“I… I didn’t replace you,” he replied hesitatingly. Speaking to Juliana after such a long time was painful. His chest became heavy with an emotion he couldn’t identify.
“But you made a bond with her,” Juliana said sadly. “You never did that with me. I didn’t mean anything to you, did I?” She hugged her stomach, pulled up her shoulders. The frost demon looked so small, so lost. He bit down on his lower lip and took a step closer to her, wishing to comfort her.
“That’s not true, I…"
“Is that why you let me die?” she suddenly asked. The blame in her gaze was like a shot through his chest. It pierced him, stole all air from his lungs. The guilt he had been carrying around all these years came back to crush him.
“You were fed up with me,” she added. “So you brought me to the human world to dispose of me. Isn’t that right?”
“No,” he breathed. His voice cracked. “No, I would never.”
The accusing stare she sent him hurt more than any physical injury ever could. “Do you have any idea how scared I was when those demon hunters cornered me? They didn’t show any mercy.”
She glared at him. “But you didn’t care. You only came looking for me when it was already too late,” she said icily. “And now you just… just replace me as if I’m not worth anything. What does that human have that I don’t have?”
Speechless, he could only watch her, choking on his guilt. Her carefully chosen words were like acid, reopening his old wounds. He had always felt responsible for her death, and to hear these accusations from her of all people was torture.
“I didn’t replace you,” he finally said, clenching his hands into fists. His voice sounded weaker than he intended.
“You did. And not only that. Of all the people you could have been in a relationship with, you chose a human. Disgusting,” she spat. “You know, I was excited to reunite with you, but now I’m not so sure anymore.”
“Juliana, please don’t say such things,” he whispered. “I didn’t start a relationship with a human to spite you. Not all humans are bad. Valerie is someone very special to me, and I’m sure you would like her.”
He would never have thought he would ever say those words—but they were true. It had taken him a long time to get over his hate. More than twenty years had passed since Juliana had left him, and only recently had she finally moved on from everything that happened.
She had made her return at the worst possible moment, just when everything had been going well for him and Valerie. Her sudden appearance brought his remorse back.
Silence hung over them while he studied her. Juliana’s hair was the color of moonlight while her eyes held the vibrant tone of the sky during midday. She still looked like an innocent angel, and nobody could deny her beauty.
Nonetheless, something crucial had changed. She no longer made his heart ache with longing. She was no longer the person he wanted to share a kiss with. He liked her, but he didn’t love her anymore. His feelings for this woman had burned out.
This realization hit him like a bucket filled with ice water that was drained over him. It shook him awake and had him come to his senses. There were many more important things to worry about than his guilt or Juliana’s unexplainable return. He was wasting precious time with this conversation.
“I don’t have time to talk to you right now,” he said quickly. “I need to find Valerie.”
“No,” Juliana interfered and grabbed his arm, stopping him. “Wait.”
“What the fuck do you want? I can’t just waste time like this when I know that she isn’t safe.” he hissed exasperatedly and ripped his arm away from her.