Chapter 2: Nothing Left to Ask

During the entire year I spent in the psych ward, Julian didn't visit me once. I lived in a constant, suffocating state of panic. I would cry and scream at the doctors and nurses, threatening to hurt myself if they didn't let me call him.

I tried once, twice, three times.

He never picked up.

Eventually, the numbness crept in. I got better, and the desperate need to call him faded completely.

I woke up thirsty.

Slipping out of bed, I headed downstairs for a glass of water, and that was when I spotted Julian on the balcony, talking on his phone.

He kept his voice low, but I could still hear every word.

"Yeah, be good," he was saying. "Buy whatever you want at the auction tomorrow. Don't worry about the price tag. Just be a good girl. I'm a little tied up right now and can't spend all my time with you."

His tone was so tender. It was the exact same voice he used to save just for me, but not anymore.

I stood quietly behind him with my empty glass and listened for a moment.

Honestly, I was just bored.

I turned to walk away, but he called out. "Cece? When did you come down?"

He had already hung up the phone. "Just now," I said.

He started to make an excuse, but I cut him off. "I was just thirsty and came down for water. Go back to what you were doing. Ignore me."

He stepped toward me and reached out to grab my arm, but I pivoted and headed up the stairs before he could catch me.

When I reached the landing, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. He was still standing at the bottom of the steps, just watching me.

At breakfast the next morning, Julian poured me a glass of milk.

It was an old habit of his.

Usually, I would drink the whole thing while he watched me with a soft, gentle smile.

This time, though, I ignored the milk and poured myself a glass of warm water instead.

His smile dropped, but he didn't say a word.

Julian stood up, grabbed his coat, and headed for the front door. "I need to step out for a bit."

"Okay," I said.

He paused with his hand on the doorknob and looked back. "Don't you have anything to ask me?"

I did have questions.

The old me would have demanded every single detail.

I would have grilled him about exactly where he was going, how long he would be out, and who he was meeting.

I don't know when I became so insecure, so absolutely terrified of him abandoning me.

Luckily, I didn't feel that way anymore.

When I finally answered, my voice was dead flat. "No."

Julian lingered there for a few seconds, but eventually, he walked out without another word.

The second he was gone, I went upstairs to pack my bags.

I didn't have much to take.

I left the clothes I had worn in the hospital behind, since looking at them only brought back the pain I went through there.

I tucked a photo of my parents into my suitcase.

Then, I found the journal I had kept in the psych ward.

I flipped through the pages. I had only ever managed to scribble a single sentence on each one.

"Called him again today. 180 times. He didn't answer."

"The treatment was so painful today."

"I miss my parents. No one loves me anymore. Now even he treats me badly."

"It's my birthday today. No one remembered."

"I don't think I've thought about him for three days. The doctor says I'm almost better."

I snapped the journal shut and tossed it in the trash.

Julian came back a little while later, bringing three of his friends with him.

They holed up in the study to talk business.

He hadn't pulled the door completely shut, so their voices drifted easily into the living room.

"Mr. Sterling, how are things with her?" It was Damian Cross—the same guy who had once commented on how soft my waist was.

Julian sounded completely unfazed. "Fine."

Then Silas Vance spoke up—the one who used to always complain that I was too uptight. "She seems a hell of a lot more normal now. She was just sitting in the living room reading a book. She barely even blinked when we walked in. I honestly thought she was going to have another breakdown."

Damian spoke up again. "But seriously, Mr. Sterling, Vivian has been drawing a lot of attention lately. She dropped 140 million dollars on a necklace at the auction today without batting an eye. And to top it off, she's telling everyone you bought it for her."