“You think I would say it if I didn’t mean it? When I have, I said anything I didn’t mean?” Julie followed him into their bedroom before he said this to her. “Often, actually. You contradict your words with your actions. I can’t keep things straight with you sometimes and I am the one left thinking it’s a problem with me.” Julie’s patience with Michael was wearing thin. He made her promise not to leave and then he at once goes back to his highhanded ways. She questioned whether anything kept her here besides self-doubt and fear of solitude. “Well, it is. But the problem isn’t from a lack of effort on your part. That’s one of the things that helped me change my mind. As I went down that rabbit hole, as we’re describing my research. I saw what you did to express yourself. You know I hate anyone who takes advantage of someone who’s not able to defend themselves. When I made you sign that contract, I thought you were trying to take advantage of the situation, so I
Julie stepped into the bathroom and slammed the door in Michael’s face. She couldn’t believe she did that, but she couldn’t listen to him anymore. She didn't do it to him because it would make him furious. The dread built as the seconds ticked by. However, he refrained from yelling or knocking on the door. He simply said, "Your clothes are on the door, Julie." You have ninety minutes to get ready. You don’t need to worry about makeup.” Then he was gone. He’d sounded disappointed or sad. She wasn’t sure which. He said he loved her. Really? How could he live with her for three years without truly knowing her, only to suddenly declare his love for her? When he said that, he looked surprised at himself. As if he’d said something he’d not expected to. If he loved her, then she’d achieved more than she’d ever dreamed of. Julie pondered whether she could still love him despite everything that happened. Could she trust him not to change his
“I discovered a popular new restaurant that everyone is talking about. They make special claims about the dining experience there. If I tell you about their claims, then I’ll give away the surprise. It's reservation only. I secured this booking quickly through arduous work.” Julie had never seen Michael like this. Michael avoided situations involving her and refused to try new things together. He deliberately went out of his way for others to notice him and allow others to recognize him. "If this place is popular. Why the casual dress code and no makeup?" You won’t want anyone to see you with me.” “I'm indifferent to our location and my appearance. Our interaction will focus on each other. Not the world at large.” Julie yearned to express herself, but it made her speechless. She wasn’t sure whether she could trust him. It felt as if someone waved a red flag frantically to get her attention. Eventually, she forced words to pass her lip
Michael helped Julie into their car as Edward held the door for him. He felt oddly eager over this dinner, which wasn’t like him under normal circumstances. He dismissed the feeling of anxiety and its potential impact on their plans. He wasn’t sure when he started thinking of it as their future rather than his. But he’d noticed it as they spoke before Julie got ready for this outing. As she climbed into the car, he got an excellent view of the black denim hugging her figure and now remembered why he’d refused to allow her to leave the condo wearing them in his presence. The woman's jeans highlighted her attractive hips, catching every man's eye. By the time she’d settled in her seat, and he sat beside her, all Michael wanted to do was sit her in his lap and have her grind on him until he came in his pants like a horny teenager. They didn't have time for car sex before reaching the restaurant. That’s when he subtly looked at Julie phys
Julie didn’t know what she expected from Michael. After his fixation on her taking her medication and she’d not missed him calling Stephen or speaking with Beck when she wasn’t supposed to be there. He’d been trying to convince Stephen to let him have a copy of her contract. She could see where this was heading. He was trying to break his prenuptial contract to get some of her money. Of course, it did not satisfy him with all his wealth. He needed to pad it more with her hard-earned money. Michael couldn’t give her any of his money, but he could take hers from her. If she gave him permission to talk to her psychiatrist, he could use what he learns to claim she couldn’t manage her own finances. He’d have control of her money and she’d see none of it and be working to pay for his fees to administer her money. Immediately, Julie felt guilty about only thinking this. The car stopped in front of an imposing brick building with low-key sign
Julie knew she shouldn’t have followed Michael in. The excuse she told herself was, she could always leave. When she entered the Quiet Corner, Julie found it was exactly that. The space wasn’t overly warm or overly lit. The music wasn’t blaring, and the décor wasn’t over the top. They didn’t squeeze a ton of people into a tiny space and expect them to deal with the loud conversations and excessive food smells. Julie felt like she could suddenly breathe. Nobody approached them aggressively. Instead, the Matre’d stood back and waited for them to approach him. “Hello, reservation for Barron.” Michael strolled up to the man. He informed them of their reservation, while Julie hung back a little, not wanting to be pompous or demanding. “Yes sir. If you will follow me. The table is ready. If you have questions, please ask. When you are ready to order, we’ve printed the information on how to send your order on the menus. To call for help or ask questions,
Julie finally stood in the bathroom. She just needed a break from Michael. Confused by a situation with two potential explanations, she struggled to think clearly, knowing only one could be correct. Why did this have to happen now? She had deadlines to make. Mike, her editor, needed the manuscript she was still working on. Michael’s constant presence at home made it challenging to focus on work. Sure, he worked from home once in a blue moon before this. Now he was always at home. He wanted to date. Even get to know her. Why did she not see this coming? How did it come into being? Then his admission that he loved her. Nothing fit his character. His latest confession was he’d been treating his personal life with the same philosophy that he managed his business life and that he’d been wrong to do this. When had he admitted he did anything wrong? The man could deny anything and everything. Michael could justify why he committed murder and make a jury believe it wa
Michael couldn’t believe she’d asked that question. Julie didn’t turn things back onto him. She didn’t give as good as she got. No, he saw Julie as a doormat for him and his asshole attitude toward women. A bloody doormat for his muddy feet. A perfect doormat, clean of everything, but the sins he reaped on her. He couldn’t admit this to anyone, let alone Julie. He wanted her to stay. Admitting to this would have her leaving as soon as she could. “Michael, I know your true identity, and this isn’t it. You’re the pot who calls the silver tea kettle black. Instead of addressing your pain, you lash out, and you go to great lengths to achieve success, just to receive a small amount of praise and recognition. But you don’t look for personal connection or search for love. You don’t let anyone care and if they do, you beat them down. The Michael I know doesn’t let love enter the conversation because he’s afraid there won’t be any for him. That’s the Michael I know.”
Julie removed her earbuds as she sat at her desk. She’d just listened to the ready-to-print version of her fifteenth novel. It was survivable, at least. She felt Stephen and her publisher would love it. She could hear everyone out at the pool having fun. Michael entertained the early bird parents and kids as they slowly arrived for Johnathan’s birthday pool party. Their children’s parties seemed to be an event where people wanted invitations and their presence recognized by their peers. Julie couldn’t believe the changes that had happened over the last few years. Johnathan’s birth shone in her brain as the mark when Julie knew Michael was hers. He’d not settled, but he’d found a different direction for his life that made him happier. Michael had help from the parents, nannies, and several staff members minding the chaos of children everywhere. They’d long ago child proofed the house, and currently Michael hid his genuine prized items in a series of locked rooms away from t
Aria’s honeymoon was so much more than she had expected, and she used her social media accounts to poke the bear that was her father. She posted teasing photos of the place where she got married. Sold a few of her wedding photos to a couple of magazines with an interview hinting at why her father really wasn’t at her wedding and how disappointed she was at his betrayal of family ties. At the end of the interview, Aria made it good and clear that she’d broken off all ties with her father and she wasn’t interested in ever reconciling at any time in the future. He and his staff burned those bridges. As she went around Europe and saw the unique way of life there, some of it initially felt confusing and complicated. But she investigated other differences in how they treated people. It was something she’d not given much thought about until her life spiralled out of control and she finally understood why she was the way she’d become. It wasn’t pretty, and she had the photos and v
“Edward has everything in the car, Julie. We’re ready to head for the hospital. Now, you’re sure you’re okay with going through with a c-section? I mean, if you change your mind, you can still back out.” Michael could see how large Julie grew and wondered how his son hadn’t torn his way out. Michael worried Julie could no longer stand and walk safely. Life kept changing and he couldn’t believe he’d once thought this part of his life could go on without him. Over the last eight and a half months, he’d learned so much about a woman’s body he had to wonder if they were the same species. Women were so complicated, and Julie had some unique complications. A common comorbidity Julie had called EDS would complicate even the epidural she would need. Her joints had more range, and it caused her shoulders, back, and hips to be uneven. It could complicate administering the epidural. If she couldn’t get it, then she’d have to give birth naturally without it. This terrified Julie, alon
“I’m glad you’re doing this, Julie. Honestly, I don’t know what her father is thinking. But if he thinks she could embarrass him normally, to not come to his daughter’s wedding. Campaigning or not, he’s going to look bad. He recognized her as his daughter when it was convenient for him. Now he pulls this because it’s not convenient. His poll numbers will go down and he’ll lose the public confidence. If it gets out and it will that we showed up after that entire mess that started all of this. He’s sunk.” “You don’t think this is a mistake? She will not pull something fast. Like become caught in someone else’s bed?” “Julie, Aria’s been through a lot in the last six months. Leon didn’t just send her to rehab to just get off the medication. He sent her to a location that deals with complex abuse cases. She doesn’t realize it, but they did. He had to wait for over two years to get her a place there. It’s why I took her in like I did. I admit there were other stupid
The small plane landed at the secluded island airport, and Julie sighed in relief. There was something about travelling she disliked. To come all this way for a wedding for someone she didn’t like seemed crazy. But Leon was Michael’s best friend and Julie would muddle through it for five days there. What she still couldn’t get over was Aria’s request to come and bury the hatchet somewhere other than Julie’s back. She’d apologized. The hadron collider must have tested something again, and the world altered in reaction to the outcome of that test. That’s how Julie thought of why things changed in ways she didn’t see coming. Not that she believed the conspiracies; it was just a humorous way to look at her problem because Julie didn’t believe she’d ever find out the true reason these things changed. But jumping off into another timeline felt as sane as any other reason, and perhaps sometimes more logical. They stepped off the plane with the other guests, and a protracted line
Michael had said that he didn’t want to celebrate something that didn’t change. He didn’t want to admit he’d changed, and that changed their relationship. His explanation for this was he’d not been aware that he could be any other way until he’d seen how she lived in perpetual difference. Her effort to give him an easier existence while ignoring her own struggles had him questioning and rejecting much of his father’s teachings. It’d crossed over into his work life to and several people mentioned it over the months. So much so it became part of the water cooler gossip. Julie only found out about this after they’d gone back to the gym, and she heard the gossip at the juice bar. Michael hadn’t gone with her today as he now often did. Julie still struggled to become used to his constant presence around her. But she knew why this time around she struggled with it. Julie had to fight putting up a mask for the world and in that moment with Michael at the gym, she couldn’t figure
Christiana brought Aria upstairs, showed her the room, and helped her to unpack her things. Aria had to wait an hour before Leon came upstairs to her. But once Christiana ended with that, she gave Aria an odd warning before she left Aria to her own devices. “My dear, you’re not as sweet as you pretend to be, but that’s not a mark against you with me. The problem you will have been with the men of this family. They run this family with an iron fist, and we are not part of the conversation or the family business. So, if you think you will control anything or anyone within this family, then you’ll be walking a thin line between surviving or disappearing within an unfortunate accident. Please be careful what you say and do. This is something we say to all women who enter this family. Think carefully and long. If you stay, learn to keep your head down and your mouth shut. You can do and say anything outside of the family but don’t allow the bad to reflect on the family.”
“Julie love, you fell asleep. We’re here now. Let’s go in for our appointment.” Julie woke up to Michael’s voice. During their trip to her doctor’s appointment, she’d fallen asleep. Today she would talk to the doctor about her pregnancy and what to expect, including her birthing plan. Something she’d been avoiding because it absolutely terrified her. With pain, she had an odd relationship with it. There was no normal response to it for her. It either didn’t register or she was in a world of hurt that no one understood. Medications didn’t seem to work correctly either when dealing with pain. She’d believed that she was imagining this issue for most of her life, but Julie learned not too long ago that wasn’t the case. Her body resisted many pain medications, and she did in fact register pain differently to other people. “Great, let’s get this over with because there’re things I need to get done today.” She’d been grumpy for most of the day. Between
Julie sat there in the conference room with her lawyer. They’d been hashing out exactly how things would go from here on out. Michael had given her a file of documents which gave her terms he was willing to work with and he’d changed all the wording. Her lawyer had to review it all over the last few days and he had admitted to Julie that the generosity in the new offer was off the charts compared to the first time they sat down to get through this. But to stay was more beneficial for both parties. However, he warned her not to do anything if it wasn’t in her heart, or best for her safety. She should do what she believed was best for her and her child. “I will, I promise you that. But I will have to say that things have changed greatly in the last six months. I’m still unsure what changed things. If it was a single event or multiple events, but he’s not the same man. No, before you say it’s temporary, understand he’s happier now with the changes he’s made. It’s