149 — “Tell me yes...”

When Julian opens the door to the hotel room he has booked for our date, my heart tightens. The main suite of the most expensive hotel in New York is so majestic that I can see the starry sky the moment we set foot in it.

He enters the room, leaving me standing in the doorway with my feet frozen on the floor.

His expression has remained serious ever since he put me in his car and drove here. I smelled alcohol mixed in his cologne, but I didn’t dare say a word... In fact, my voice has been gone since I left that damn restaurant.

Now, I feel a screaming anxiety that makes me hold my breath.

Julian is standing with his back to me, running his hand over his face and up through his hair, in a deep silence that, heavens, is making me so desperate that I can hear my own heart beating.

Honestly, I feel terrible... I’ve been on the verge of tears ever since I heard all those hateful words... ever since I saw Mrs. Smith’s mask fall and found out she