Chapter l445

Chapter 0445

“I didn’t say any of those things,” Julian said, after I explained exactly what Bridget had told me. “And I have no idea why Bridget would say I did.”

I didn’t either, though I had some guesses, none of them very favorable to Bridget.

“I guess I should tell you what actually happened, or you might not believe me,” he said with a self–deprecating kind of chuckle.

He didn’t have to, exactly. I could see now, just from the way he was talking about it with me, that whatever Bridget had said happened was mostly untrue. At least, the parts where he had said those terrible things about me.

It was much easier to believe that Julian had confessed his love and Bridget rejected it. I wouldn’t assume though. Julian could tell me the truth, if and when he was ready.

“I’m just worried about you,” I said. “You’ve acted so strangely today. I don’t even recognize you.”

“I guess there’s a reason for that.” Julian looked down as if ashamed. “It happened again.”

I blinked, confused. “What happened again?”

He glanced to the side now, unable to meet my gaze. “I confessed my feelings for Bridget. I told her she is the only woman I’ve ever loved. I thought if I told her the truth, she might come clean with her own feelings, one way or another.”

“You thought she might reciprocate?” I asked.

“I’ve been so confused since her arrival. Yes, she’s given Nicholas more attention, but she hasn’t ignored me. Nicholas clearly doesn’t feel for her as I do. I thought if I told her my feelings, as well as made clear that Nicholas wouldn’t care for her as I do, that she would see the light.”

That didn’t seem like a very good plan to me, an outsider. But as an objective third party, I didn’t have my feelings tangled as Julian did. My heart wasn’t on the line like his was.

I could see the writing on the wall from a mile away, but that didn’t diminish the heartache I felt for Julian now. While I wasn’t certain their love was genuine, whatever Julian felt hurt him. And I’m sorry that he couldn’t have the dream he wanted.

“She rejected you,” I said. “You’ll need time, but –”

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“No,” Julian said. “That’s the thing. She didn’t.”

My thoughts came to an abrupt halt. Of all the things I had expected him to say, that hadn’t been one of them. It took a long time for my brain to restart, like I was a computer that

needed rebooted.

“She… Wait.” Even with my brain coming back online, I remained confused for a few minutes longer. “She didn’t?”

“She reciprocated,” Julian said. He pushed a hand through his hair. His face crinkled in his own uncertainty. “It was just like it was all those years ago. She told me she felt the same. She was glad that I came forward. We spent all night together, kissing and talking.”

“But…” Why was she acting that way with Nicholas today if she had spent all night kissing Julian? If she returned Julian’s long–lasting love? None of this made sense. But then I realized what Julian had said, It happened again.

Oh. Oh, no. “She didn’t,” I said.

“She did,” Julian said. His eyes met mine again, and there was a hint of sadness within them.

He didn’t usually show his emotions this blatantly. To show them here, to me, meant one of two things, or a combination of them. One, that he trusted me. Two, Bridget had totally

broken him inside.

“In the morning, with the light of the rising sun, her entire story changed,” Julian said. ” She told me that she was mistaken, or that I had heard her wrong. She said last night was fun, but that was all it was.”

He cleared his throat. I knew his next words would be particularly painful. Nothing left

Julian speechless.

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