Chapter 189
Chapter 189
Andrew's POV
I disgust you? The words echoed in my head as I stared down at Julie's tear-streaked face. Her eyes were red and swollen, vulnerable in a way that made something twist in my chest.
"I disgust you?" I said, my voice low and controlled. "Then what does that make you, Julie? You've been getting close to me for so long. Playing your little games, letting me touch you. If I'm so disgusting, what does that say about your behavior?"
The question hung between us like a blade. Because deep down, I genuinely wanted to know the answer. Had she been playing me this whole time? The thought that someone might have manipulated my feelings—that I might have been the fool for once—made my chest tight with something that felt dangerously close to hurt.
Julie's laugh was bitter, cutting. "Compared to you, I'm just giving you a taste of your own medicine."
Something cold settled in my stomach. The way she said it, with such certainty, such purpose...
"I don't know what you're talking about," I managed to say, but even I could hear how hollow the words sounded.
"Every person is guilty of something, right?" She threw my own philosophy back at me like a weapon. "That's what you said. So what about you, Andrew? What about when you played with Molly's feelings?"
Molly. When she said that name, it was like a physical blow. I could feel myself flinching, my carefully constructed defenses crumbling with that name.
"You approached her, gave her hope, made her believe she was loved, and then what? Then you threw her away like a used tissue!"
That's not what happened. The protest died in my throat.
"You targeted her because she was ordinary. Someone who thought someone like you was out of her league. It made you feel powerful, didn't it? Having someone worship you, someone who thought you were everything. It fed your ego, filled that empty space inside you where a heart should be."
"She was my light," Julie continued, and the break in her voice nearly destroyed me. "She had dreams, Andrew. She wanted to live, to build something beautiful. Do you know what her last message to me said?"
No. Please, no. I couldn't speak, couldn't even look at her.
"She said she'd finally found someone worth trusting with her heart."
The words hit me like bullets. Someone worth trusting with her heart. And I had failed to protect that trust.
My grip on her wrist loosened as images flashed through my mind.
That night. The rain. Racing through the empty streets because Molly's farewell terrified me. Taking the stairs three at a time, bursting onto the roof just as—
Just as she stepped off the edge.
Afterward, I held her body, screaming at the sky, demanding answers that would never come. For months, I investigated, hired people, tried to understand what had driven her to that edge. But there were no clear answers, just the terrible weight of knowing I had failed her somehow.
Julie was still talking, her words washing over me like acid. "You can hurt others without any scruples for profit... Are you even human? Don't you think someone like you deserves to die?"
The question hit its mark perfectly. Because in the dark hours after Molly's funeral, I'd asked myself the same question. Stared at the bottle of pills on my nightstand and wondered if the world wouldn't be better off without me in it.
A laugh bubbled up from somewhere deep inside me. It started small, then grew, becoming something wild and uncontrolled. I laughed until tears leaked from the corners of my eyes, until my chest ached, until I couldn't tell if I was laughing or crying or both.
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Julie's POV
Andrew's laughter was the most terrifying sound I'd ever heard. It wasn't humor—it was the sound of something breaking, something that had been holding on by a thread finally snapping.
He laughed until tears leaked from the corners of his eyes, his whole body shaking with it. But he didn't say a word. Maybe he couldn't. He just stood there laughing like a madman while I watched, suddenly uncertain whether I should continue.
The laughter stopped abruptly. Andrew wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and walked toward my bedroom without a word. I heard drawers opening, clothes rustling. When he emerged, he was dressed and heading for the door.
He paused with his hand on the handle, his back to me. For a second, I thought he might turn around, might say something. But he just opened the door and left, letting it slam behind him with a finality that made me flinch.
I stood there in the sudden silence, my heart hammering against my ribs. Part of me had expected him to hit me, to completely lose control. That's why I'd installed the hidden cameras weeks ago, why I'd been so careful to document everything.
He'll come for me. I knew that with absolute certainty. Whatever game we'd been playing, whatever twisted dance this had been. Andrew would want revenge for what I'd stolen from his phone, for what I'd said about Molly. He wouldn't let this go.
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Grace's POV
I was half-asleep when my phone buzzed against the nightstand. Alex stirred beside me, his arm tightening around my waist as I carefully extracted myself from his embrace. The caller ID showed Julie's name, and something about the late hour made my stomach clench with worry.
I slipped into the adjoining suite so I wouldn't wake Alex, padding across the cold marble floor in bare feet.
"Julie? What's wrong?"
"Grace." Her voice was tense, urgent. "I'm sorry to call so late, but did you receive the files I sent you?"
"Yes, you did well."
"Wilson Holdings is cooperating with NaturaLuxe tomorrow afternoon. Grace, I think this is Elizabeth's way of targeting you."
"I know exactly what she's doing." My good mood from the day's wedding preparations evaporated completely. "Julie, are you safe? Do you need me to send someone?"
"I'm okay for now. But Grace, have you figured out how to respond?"
"Yes, you've done more than enough already. Leave the rest to me."
After I hung up, I stood there in the darkness, my mind racing.