Chapter 50
Ana’s footsteps echo through the corridor as she stumbles forward, her pulse erratic, her thoughts a tangled mess of fear and confusion. The dimly lit hallway seems to stretch endlessly, the walls tightening around her like unseen hands reaching to hold her back. Elijah’s words still slither through her mind, coiling around her ribs, squeezing until her breath comes in short gasps.
You weren’t always his.
You belonged to me first.
She wants to dismiss it, to deny it, but something deep inside her shifts—a crack forming in the fragile foundation Julian had built around her memories.
She presses her palm against the cold wall, inhaling sharply.
No.
She refuses to believe it.
Julian—he wouldn’t lie to her. Not about this. Not about something this big.
And yet, she remembers the way his eyes darkened every time she asked about her past. The hesitation in his touch. The words he never spoke.
If she remembers everything, I’ll lose her.
Ana shakes her head, forcing her legs to move faster. The mansion feels suffocating now, the grandeur nothing more than a gilded cage. She needs to get out.
She rounds a corner—
And slams into a hard chest.
"Ana."
Her breath catches. The scent of sandalwood and something deeper, darker, envelops her.
Julian.
His hands settle on her arms, steadying her, but there’s tension in his touch. His golden eyes sweep over her face, searching, reading her.
"Where were you?" His voice is calm, too calm. A deceptive kind of softness.
Ana swallows, her throat dry. "I—"
She hesitates.
Lying to him has never been easy.
But something in her tells her he’s been lying to her first.
"I needed air," she says instead.
Julian’s fingers tighten slightly before releasing her. "You went to see him, didn’t you?"
It’s not a question.
Ana steps back, her heart hammering. "Julian—"
"Don’t." His voice drops, low and dangerous. "I can smell him on you."
A shiver runs through her. She should have known. No scent, no trace, no secret could ever be kept from him.
Julian exhales sharply, running a hand through his hair. "What did he say to you?"
Ana bites her lip, her nails digging into her palms. The words are there, waiting at the tip of her tongue. Waiting to shatter everything.
You belonged to me first.
But she can’t say it.
Because saying it would make it real.
Julian steps closer, forcing her to meet his gaze. There’s desperation in those golden eyes now, an urgency she’s never seen before.
"Ana, listen to me," he murmurs. "Whatever he told you—it’s a lie. He’s manipulating you."
Her stomach clenches.
"Then tell me the truth," she whispers. "Tell me what you took from me."
His jaw clenches.
"Julian." She swallows the lump in her throat. "Did you erase me?"
His silence is deafening.
"Julian." Her voice trembles now. "Did you?"
His hands clench into fists. He looks away.
And suddenly, she knows.
A sharp inhale leaves her lips. "You did."
Julian squeezes his eyes shut, his entire body rigid. "Ana, I—"
She staggers back, shaking her head.
"You lied to me," she chokes out. "All this time—you lied."
Pain flickers across his face. "I did it to protect you."
"No." The word rips from her, raw and broken. "You did it to control me."
Julian’s entire body stills. For the first time, he looks truly afraid.
"Ana," he breathes, stepping forward. "Please. Let me explain."
She doesn’t want to hear it.
Doesn’t want to hear anything but the sound of her own breath as she turns on her heel and runs.
"Ana!" Julian’s voice chases after her, desperate.
But she doesn’t stop.
Because if she does—if she lets him touch her, hold her—she might believe his lies again.