Chapter 22 - The Unwanted Visitor
Just as I was closing my laptop to go make a cup of fresh coffee, a sharp, urgent knocking echoed from my front door.
My smile vanished instantly. I froze, my ears straining against the sudden silence. Nobody knew I was back in the city except Natalie, and she always texted before dropping by.
*Knock. Knock. Knock.*
The pounding was louder this time, accompanied by the distinct, frantic rattling of the brass doorknob.
I stood up slowly, walking cautiously toward the entryway. I peered through the narrow fish-eye peephole, and my breath caught in my throat.
Standing on my welcome mat was Julian.
Gone was the polished, impeccably groomed groom in his designer tuxedo. He looked exhausted, his hair rumpled, wearing a heavy wool coat thrown haphazardly over a wrinkled sweater. Dark circles bruised the skin beneath his eyes, and his posture was slumped with an unmistakable weight of utter humiliation.
For a long moment, I considered simply ignoring him. I could walk back to the kitchen, pour my coffee, and let him pound on the door until his knuckles bled. I owed him nothing. He was Paige’s fiancé—or rather, her *ex*-fiancé—and the collateral damage of a war I hadn't started.
And yet... curiosity won out.
I unlocked the deadbolt, turned the handle, and pulled the door open just wide enough to block his entry, keeping the chain lock firmly secured in place.
May you like
Julian blinked against the bright interior light, his eyes locking onto mine with a desperate, haunted intensity.
"Clara," he breathed, his voice cracking. "Thank God you're home. I... I didn't know where else to go."
