Chapter 39

Pov: Jules

I wake up wrapped in warmth, the scent of cedarwood and something distinctly Nathan surrounding me. His hoodie. The fabric is soft against my skin, carrying the lingering traces of him—comforting yet unfamiliar. I pull it tighter around myself, an unconscious reaction, before I even register why I have it. Then it all comes back—the bonfire, the fight, Juno, the kiss, the way Nathan had wrapped his arm around me on the walk back, shielding me from more than just the cold.

We didn't say much last night. He handed me his hoodie without hesitation, watching me shiver in a way that had nothing to do with the temperature. When we reached our dorms, we shared a hug—one we both desperately needed.

"Goodnight, Jules."

"Goodnight, Nate."

Simple words, yet they held so much weight. Like something unspoken was lingering between us, waiting to be acknowledged. Now, as I sit up in bed, my fingers gripping the fabric of his hoodie, the memory of our kiss presses at the edges of my mind. It's a mess of emotions—grief, exhaustion, the warmth of his touch, the quiet comfort of knowing he was there.

A knock at the door startles me. Nathan stands there, two cups in his hands—coffee and tea. His eyes flicker over me, his lips pressing together slightly before he steps inside without a word, setting the coffee down in front of me.

I take it, the heat seeping into my hands. "Thanks."

He doesn't answer right away, instead placing a folded napkin on my desk. I hesitate before picking it up, unfolding it with careful fingers. It's a sketch of Juno. Every detail—his fur, the slight tilt of his head, the expression that always made him look like he knew something I didn't—is captured perfectly. My chest tightens.

"How did you draw him so perfectly?" My voice is barely above a whisper.

Nathan points to the picture of Juno and me on the wall. At the bottom of the sketch, in small, neat handwriting, he's written: A memory, never lost.

A lump forms in my throat. I look at him, my eyes stinging. "Thank you, Nate."

His face is unreadable for a moment, but then I notice the bruise on his cheek, stark against his skin. Carter. My fingers twitch. I want to touch it, to erase it somehow—to take away whatever pain he must be feeling. But I don't. Instead, I just hold the napkin closer, gripping onto something I can't bear to lose.

The cafeteria is alive with chatter, the hum of weekend energy filling the space. The scent of coffee and syrup lingers in the air, but my appetite is nonexistent. Still, Nathan and I move toward Harper and Finn, who are already seated at our usual table. Finn spots us first, waving us over with his usual grin.

"Hey! Over here! Man, you guys look like you survived a storm. Grab some food and spill the details!"

Nathan touches the bruise on his cheek as he sits down, wincing slightly. "You could say that."

I force a small smile. "Morning"

Harper's eyes widen the moment she sees Nathan's face. "Holy—Nathan, your face! What happened with Carter? One moment everything was fine, I blink, and BAM."

Nathan exhales, his voice flat. "Mhm. Things escalated quickly."

"Yeah, it was wild." Finn shakes his head. "I bet Carter has it way worse. You should've seen it, Harper."

Nathan glances at me, concern flickering in his expression. "Yeah, it was rough. Thanks for pulling me off the guy, Finn."

Finn claps him on the shoulder. "Always, man. We look out for each other."

Harper's gaze flickers to me, her usual energy dimming. "Jules, you okay? You were standing pretty close."

I exhale slowly, tightening my grip on the coffee cup. The words stick in my throat for a second before I manage to get them out. "Yeah, I'm okay. My dad called later and told me that Juno passed away. That's why we left early... it was just a lot all at once. Sorry about that."

The table falls silent. Harper reaches across, squeezing my hand. "Oh, Jules, I'm so sorry about Juno. That's just heartbreaking. Don't worry about leaving early—none of that matters. How are you holding up?"

Finn leans forward, his usual humor absent for once. "Jules, I'm seriously sorry to hear about Juno. If you need a distraction or just want to throw popcorn at bad movies and yell at the screen, I'm your guy. Just give me a shout."

Before I can respond, a familiar voice cuts through the moment.

"Looks like heroics come with a price, huh, Nathan? Trying to keep everyone safe?"

A girl I don't know walks past with a tray, her smirk in full force. Nathan stiffens beside me.

"Something like that, Lila," he says, irritation lacing his voice. "Why don't you focus on your own morning, huh?"

Harper rolls her eyes as Lila walks off. "The fuck's her deal? Anyways, Finn, how did things end up with you and Allie? You two seemed to hit it off last night."

I let the conversation drift as I take a sip of my coffee, feeling the warmth spread through me. It doesn't fix everything—not even close—but it's something. And right now, that's enough.

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After finishing breakfast, we decide to head up to the guys' floor common room. It's quieter there, a good place to decompress. Nathan and Finn lead the way, Harper and I following close behind. The couch is already occupied by someone half-asleep, but Finn nudges them off with zero remorse, sprawling across it like he owns the place.

"So, Nathan," Finn says, stretching out. "That was quite the stand you took last night. Feeling okay?"

Nathan shrugs, leaning back against the armrest. "Yeah, it's nothing. Just glad Jules wasn't hurt."

I shoot him a look. "You still didn't have to do that."

Nathan meets my eyes for a second before looking away, his voice quiet but firm. "I did. Carter was minding business that wasn't his. I couldn't just stand back."

Harper groans, stretching her arms above her head. "And in lighter news, I actually kissed Eric last night. After you guys left, the night turned... interesting, to say the least."

Finn sits up immediately, eyebrows raised. "Wait, hold up—Eric? As in tall, dark, and track-star Eric?"

Harper smirks. "The one and only."

Finn lets out a low whistle. "Damn. And here I thought the biggest shock of the night was Nathan throwing hands."

Nathan sighs. "Can we not make this a thing?"

Harper grins. "Oh, it's definitely a thing."

The conversation shifts into teasing and laughter, the weight of last night still lingering in the air but feeling just a little bit lighter.

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I shut the door to my dorm and lean against it for a moment, exhaling slowly. The common room had felt suffocating, despite the laughter and the usual weekend chatter. Grief sat heavy in my chest, and even though I appreciated Harper and Finn's support, I needed to be alone.

I sink onto my bed, tugging Nathan's hoodie tighter around me as if it could hold me together. The fabric is warm, oversized, and still carries his scent. It should make me feel better. Instead, it just reminds me of last night—the weight of his arm around me, the quiet understanding in his eyes, the way he had stayed.

I need a distraction.

Grabbing my laptop, I pull up the notes I've been keeping on the mystery surrounding our parents. Papers are scattered across my bed, old articles and financial records Nathan and I had found, but none of it fits together the way it should.

I lose track of time as I dive into the tangled web of connections between our families, scrolling through articles, cross-referencing names, trying to piece together something that makes sense.

A knock at the door pulls me out of my trance. I blink at the sudden shift back to reality, realizing my hands are clenched into fists around a page I had been reading.

"Jules?" Nathan's voice comes from the other side.

I hesitate for a moment before standing and opening the door. He's standing there, holding a bag from a nearby restaurant, his eyes scanning me with concern.

"Hey, you weren't at the restaurant," he says, stepping inside. "Everything okay?"

I push a hand through my hair, suddenly aware of the mess I've made of my bed. "Just... needed some space. It's all a bit much, you know?"

Nathan nods, his eyes drifting to the scattered papers. "What's all this?"

I glance at the documents, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed. "Oh, uh... I was looking into our parents' mystery again."

He steps closer, setting the bag down on my desk and glancing over the papers. "Alright, that leads into my next point." He turns back to me, his expression unreadable. "I've been thinking. Maybe we should talk to my mom about all this. She was never mentioned in anything we found, and she might know something."

I stare at him for a moment, processing his words. Amelia Talon had been a blank spot in all our digging. Maybe that meant she was the key to understanding it.

I nod slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense."

Nathan gives me a small, approving nod. "Then we should make a plan."

And that's what we did... plan

We sit cross-legged on my bed, notes spread out between us. The food Nathan brought sits mostly untouched, long forgotten as we map out how to approach Amelia, Nathan's mom.

"I don't want this to feel like an interrogation," I say, twirling a pen between my fingers. "She might not even know much. If we come in too strong, she could just shut us down."

Nathan nods. "Yeah, I was thinking the same. We need to ask open-ended questions, give her room to talk without making her feel cornered."

"We should focus on what she remembers about your dad's business—especially anything about my parents," I add. "Maybe there's something she knows that connects them."

Nathan leans back against the headboard, running a hand through his hair. "We should do this somewhere neutral. Not at our house."

"A café?" I suggest. "Somewhere casual. Less pressure."

He nods. "Yeah. That works. I'll text her and set it up for later today."

I exhale, leaning back on my elbows. "I hope this actually leads somewhere. I feel like every time we get a lead, it just turns into more questions."

Nathan looks at me, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. "We'll get there, Jules. Together."

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The café is warm and cozy, filled with the low murmur of conversation and the rich scent of coffee. Nathan and I sit at a table near the window, watching as Amelia walks in. She spots us quickly, her expression unreadable as she makes her way over.

"Hello, my dears. I was wondering when you both would come asking," she says as she slides into the seat across from us. "Especially after I heard you two were rooming together. What exactly are you hoping to find?"

Nathan shifts slightly, glancing at me before speaking. "We found things, Mom. Papers, records... it's a lot. We know Dad was involved in things he shouldn't have been. But your name never came up. Not once. Why is that?"

Amelia exhales slowly, her fingers wrapping around the mug in front of her. "I was never part of your father's business deals, Nathan. I saw... signs, yes. Stress, late nights, phone calls he wouldn't take in front of me. But he always kept that part of his life closed off. When things started to fall apart, I was as blindsided as anyone."

Nathan's jaw tightens. "But how could you not know? Weren't there signs? Something that made you question what was happening?"

Amelia meets his gaze, her voice steady. "In a marriage, especially one under strain, it's sometimes easier to overlook things than to face them head-on. I regret that now, but at the time, it seemed easier to keep the peace. For your sake."

I lean forward slightly, my voice gentle. "Did you ever suspect that what he was doing might hurt people? That it might come back to affect Nathan?"

Amelia's expression softens, her eyes shadowed with something like regret. "I worried, of course. But David was always so sure he had everything under control. And after he left, I was more concerned with picking up the pieces and looking after Nathan than uncovering the past."

Nathan's shoulders relax slightly, the anger in his posture ebbing. "I remember those days... You did everything for me, even when things got really bad."

A small, sad smile tugs at Amelia's lips. She reaches out, placing a hand over Nathan's. "I may not have all the answers you're looking for. But I can help you look for them. If it means digging a bit into the past, facing some hard truths together."

I glance at Nathan, then back at Amelia, warmth creeping into my chest. "Thank you, Mrs. Talon. That means a lot to both of us."

She gives me a small smile. "Call me Amelia. And actually... I might have something that could help. There are still boxes of old papers, diaries, and files at the house. I haven't looked through them in years, but if you want, you can come by and see if there's anything useful."

Nathan lets out a breath, nodding. "Yeah. That sounds like a good idea."

Amelia smiles, a tear glimmering in her eye."Then let's start from the beginning. Together."

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A/N

IEHH GUYS SORRY TO KEEP YOU WAITING SO LONG.

Next chapter is going to be a GOOD ONE. TRUST!

Love you all for reading this far into my story, THANKYOU! <33