Chapter 15

The bedroom door stood closed before Julia. She knocked tentatively, only to be met with Walter's gruff voice from within.

"Leave me alone."

The rebuff startled Julia, but she did not give up. "Walt, it's me, Julia. Can I come in?"

Her voice was a soft whisper in the tense silence.

Inside, Walter broodingly sat on the couch with a cigarette dangling from his lips. He was the picture of brooding, his eyes fixed on the window where he had last seen Evangeline's retreating figure.

No answer came.

With a deep breath, Julia smoothed her skirt and pushed the door open.

Chaos greeted her. The bedroom was in disarray, Evangeline's clothes strewn about as if in the wake of a storm. Walter lounged on the couch by the window, his profile a mask of icy detachment.

He was the epitome of allure, his very presence a siren call of raw magnetism that kept others at bay—a trait she found utterly captivating.

However, as she stepped forward, Walter's gaze snapped to her. His voice was a low rumb