Chapter 32: His Heart Softens
EVANDER
I shut the door to the guest room harder than I intended, the sound echoing down the empty hallway.
My breathing was uneven as I walked toward my own room.
The faint scent of her lingered in the air, sweet and intoxicating, clinging to my clothes and skin, mixing with the scent of my own cologne.
I stepped into my bedroom and closed the door behind me, exhaling deeply to get rid of the tightness in my chest.
What the hell was that?
The image of her flushed face and the way her lips had parted slightly like she was begging me to close the distance flashed behind my eyes.
I groaned, running a hand through my hair and tugging at the strands.
I couldn’t stop seeing her.
Her body trembling beneath my hands. The heat radiating off her skin. The way she looked at me with helpless wide eyes.
I cursed under my breath and sank onto the edge of my bed, elbows on my knees, my hands buried in my hair. The room was too quiet, and all I could hear was the sound of my own ragged breathing.
Flashes of moments I didn’t want to think about slammed into me. One that came from the past.
Her beneath me–her skin like fire with her gaze pulling me under.
I hadn’t even touched her like that in years, but it didn’t matter. My mind was already rewriting the moment, filling in the blanks with things I had no business thinking
I leaned back, letting my head fall against the wall. I sighed, staring down at my pants and shaking my head in frustration.
“What are you, a damn teenager?” I muttered under my breath, dragging a hand down my face.
It had been years since I’d felt anything like this. I was twenty–five, not seventeen. I knew better.
And yet…
I groaned again, rising to my feet and pacing the room.
No matter how hard I tried to shake her from my thoughts, Julia was still there. Her face flushed, and her dark hair tousled and falling over her face. Her cheeks flushed pink from whatever David had given her.
And her lips.
I closed my eyes, trying to chase the thought away, but it only made things worse.
It didn’t register at first–especially since I saw her half–collapsed against the brick wall with a bastard.
Back then, I’d been annoyed more than anything. Irritated that I’d had to step in. That she’d ended up in a mess like that.
But a few moments ago, in the guest bedroom, with the moonlight catching her features just right, she’d looked…
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Chapter 32 His Heart Softens
“Pretty,” I muttered under my breath, ashamed to admit it
The word felt insufficient, but it was the only one I could manage.
I shook my head, anger bubbling beneath the surface. What the hell am I thinking?
I stopped and took a breath, trying to steady myself.
It had to be David. That guy–David something.
I already forgot.
I’d grabbed his ID before leaving. He must have given her semething illegal if she was so flushed like that. I would just have Rui handle all of it.
“David,” I muttered, the name tasting sour on my tongue. Il send in a report tomorrow. It was the responsible thing to do. The human thing to do.
And yet, I didn’t feel any better.
I glanced at the clock before sighing.
“She’s not dead, is she?” I muttered.
With that, I retraced my steps back to the guest room, pausing just outside the door. For a moment, I hesitated. I didn’t want to go back in there and see her like that again. The last thing I needed was more images I couldn’t forget.
But I pushed the door open anyway.
The room was dark, and for some reason, much hotter than mine.
Julia lay sprawled on the bed, her breathing soft and even.
She was fast asleep, her face turned slightly to the side, one arm draped across the sheets. Her hair fanned out over the pillow, dark against the white silk.
She looked…peaceful.
I sighed, shaking my head as I stepped closer. She always managed to find a way to get herself into trouble. It was maddening.
I picked up the blanket draped at the foot of the bed and pulled it over her carefully, not wanting to wake her up.
I straightened and caught sight of her phone on the nightstand. It was plugged into the charger, a faint light blinking in the comer.
I smirked bitterly to myself. “Still can’t remember to charge your phone before going out, huh?” I muttered under my breath.
It was such a Julia thing to do.
1 turned to leave when the screen lit up.
My eyes dropped to the phone instinctively. A name appeared on the caller ID.
“My Baby.”
I froze.
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Chapter 32: His Hean Softens
For a few seconds, I didn’t move. I just stared at the glowing screen, the words searing into my brain.
My Baby.
The ringing filled the silence, my brows unconsciously.
I looked back at Julia. She didn’t stir–didn’t so much as flinch at the sound of the call.
I felt it again.
Disappointment. Frustration. And something else–something uglier I didn’t want to name.
I took a step back, letting the phone continue to ring. The warmth I’d felt earlier, the concern that had softened me, even for a second, evaporated.
Of course.
This was Julia.
The same girl who got herself tangled up with the wrong people time and time again. The same girl who somehow made me forget myself, just for a moment.
I clenched my jaw, shoving my hands into my pockets as I turned for the door. I didn’t want to look at her anymore.
Disgusted with myself for caring at all, I left the room without another word.
