Chapter 44 Stay Away From Him
Briar's POV
The apartment was quiet when I got home, save for the soft classical music drifting from the living room. I found Leah in the middle of a practiced pirouette, her lithe frame silhouetted against the floor-to-ceiling windows. She moved, each rotation fluid and controlled, her pointed toes barely touching the ground before she spun again.
I leaned against the doorframe and waited, not wanting to break her concentration. When she finally came to a graceful stop, arms extended in a finishing pose, I couldn't help but smile.
"That was beautiful," I said. "You're really talented."
Leah turned, her cheeks flushed from exertion. She grabbed a towel from the back of the couch and dabbed at her forehead, then immediately moved to the kitchen. She returned moments later with a glass of water, pressing it into my hands with a concerned look.
I accepted the glass gratefully, taking a long drink while she settled onto the opposite end of the couch.
"How long have you been dancing?" I asked, genuinely curious. There was something calming about watching her practice.
"Since I was five," Leah said, stretching her legs out in front of her. "My mom insisted. She said it would teach me discipline." She laughed softly. "I hated it at first, but now I can't imagine not dancing."
We chatted for a while about nothing important. Eventually, I asked, "How long did you sign for?"
"Six months," she replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "My apartment is being renovated, and I wanted to stay close to campus for my senior year. The location here is perfect."
I nodded, already doing the mental math. I'd signed for a full year, which meant I'd need to find a new roommate when Leah's lease ended. The thought was vaguely depressing.
I asked with smile, "Do you know Ash?"
Leah's expression shifted slightly, becoming more guarded. "Yes, but I've seen him at a few student council events." She paused, then added with a slight blush, "Besides, I already have someone I like."
I raised an eyebrow but didn't push. Everyone was entitled to their secrets.
After Leah headed to her room, I retreated to the bathroom and started running a bath. I stripped off my clothes and sank into the tub, letting the heat seep into my tired muscles.
This was the only time I felt truly safe anymore, wrapped in warmth with the door locked and no one demanding anything from me. I closed my eyes and tried to empty my mind, to just exist in this moment.
But Lucian's face materialized behind my eyelids, uninvited and unwelcome. I could still feel the ghost of his lips against my collarbone, that punishing kiss he'd pressed there in the supply closet. The memory sent an unwanted shiver down my spine.
I opened my eyes and looked down at myself, at the faint mark still visible on my skin. My jaw clenched.
"You're losing your mind," I muttered to my reflection in the chrome faucet. "Completely losing it."
I scrubbed at the mark harder than necessary, as if I could erase the memory along with it, then forced myself to focus on more practical concerns. Like the fact that I'd slept in Julian's car earlier and now my sleep schedule was probably ruined.
Back in my bedroom, I lay in the dark and stared at the ceiling. My body was exhausted, but my brain refused to shut down. I kept replaying the confrontation in Julian's car, trying to analyze whether my threats had actually worked or if I'd just made things worse.
The past year and a half with Julian had been a constant battle, a series of escalating provocations and retaliations. On paper, I was his hostage, his father's collateral for Marcus's debts. In reality, I'd spent most of that time being as difficult as possible, throwing his authority back in his face at every opportunity.
Rowan had once called me a prickly hedgehog who needed to learn when to keep my quills down. Maybe she'd been right. I'd certainly been more subdued lately, more careful about picking my battles.
My thoughts drifted backward, to the night everything had changed. I'd been living with my grandfather since my mother's accident, rarely visiting Marcus's house. But he'd called me that day, his voice warm and almost paternal, asking me to come home for his birthday dinner.
I'd actually felt hopeful driving over there. After years of cold indifference, maybe he'd finally remembered he had a daughter.
The meal had been pleasant enough, though Marcus had been unusually attentive, constantly refilling my wine glass. I'd thought he was just being generous until the room started spinning and my limbs went numb.
I'd woken up in a hotel suite I didn't recognize, my head pounding and my mouth dry. The room was too high up to jump from, and the door wouldn't open from the inside no matter how hard I yanked on it. I'd screamed until my throat was raw, but no one came.
Hours passed. I'd smashed a mirror in desperation, clutching a shard of glass like a weapon, when I finally heard the lock click.
Julian had walked in looking tired and slightly drunk, clearly not expecting to find anyone there. For a split second, surprise had flashed across his face before his usual mask of control slammed back into place.
"Don't come any closer," I'd said, pressing the glass against my own throat hard enough to draw blood. "I swear I'll do it. We'll both go down."
He'd studied me with those calculating eyes, like he was trying to solve a puzzle. Then he'd moved forward with that predatory grace of his and plucked the shard from my hand so easily it was humiliating.
When his fingers had reached toward my face, something inside me had broken. All the fear and betrayal I'd been holding back came flooding out in hot, angry tears. I'd cried like a child, unable to stop, mourning the father I'd never really had and the last shred of hope I'd been stupid enough to cling to.
Julian had picked me up without a word and carried me out of that room. He'd gotten me a different suite, left me there with the door unlocked, and walked away.
I'd never gone back to Marcus's house after that. Whatever fragile connection we'd had was severed completely that night.
I rolled over and grabbed my phone from the nightstand, opening my messages out of habit. Leo's chat thread sat at the top, a long string of one-sided conversation spanning years.
My half-brother had started messaging me when he was barely old enough to type, sending voice messages in that high-pitched toddler voice calling me "sister" over and over. Now the messages were mostly text and memes, but he still sent them regularly despite my complete lack of response.
I scrolled through the recent ones, shaking my head. Where did this kid get his persistence? Most people would have given up years ago.
Sleep finally began to pull at me, my eyelids growing heavy as I stared at Leo's latest message. I let the phone slip from my hand onto the mattress and surrendered to unconsciousness.
The next morning, I was running late. I'd overslept, probably because of that nap in Julian's car, and had to rush through my morning routine. I made it to the elevator just as the doors were closing and slipped inside.
Chloe was already there, holding the leash of a fluffy white Samoyed that immediately started sniffing my shoes. She looked as surprised to see me as I was to see her.
"You live here?" she asked, her tone sharp with disbelief.
"I do," I said simply, reaching down to pet the dog. It wagged its tail enthusiastically, clearly more friendly than its owner.
Chloe's face soured. "Does that mean I have to see you constantly? Because I really don't want to."
I bit back my first response, reminding myself that Chloe could be useful. If I wanted to keep Julian at arm's length, having his fiancée around was probably my best bet. No point in making an enemy when I could have an unwitting ally.
"Your makeup looks really nice today," I said instead, forcing brightness into my voice. "And your skin is amazing. What's your secret?"
Chloe's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What are you playing at?"
"Nothing," I said innocently. "Just being neighborly."
The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Chloe practically dragged her dog out into the lobby.
"Well, this is convenient," I called after her cheerfully. "We should definitely get together sometime. You know, bond over our shared living space."
Chloe stopped and turned back, her expression glacial. "I don't want to bond with you. And you need to stay away from Julian."