Chapter 203:

Julie’s POV

The hands of the clock stopped moving, and the air froze in my lungs. Never in my worst nightmares did I imagine Robert would find us in this wretched situation. How could I explain this now? How could I convince him that this man’s presence in my room was nothing but a disaster I didn’t choose?

He marched toward us, his heavy steps shaking the floor. "Carlos!" he bellowed, a sound that rocked my very soul. Then he turned his gaze to me, his eyes like cold blades slicing through my skin. "What the hell is Carlos doing in your room, Julie?"

I felt like my heart was going to stop beating. I was shaking violently, and words flew from my mind like birds startled by a storm. I tried desperately to catch just one to answer him, but my tongue was paralyzed. He looked terrifying; the veins in his neck were bulging, his knuckles white from clenching his fists so hard.

His voice came out like molten lava: "Is this the ’shyness’ you were talking about earlier? Were you too shy for me just so you could be alone with him?"

His words stung so much I felt a literal stab in my chest. Does he really think that of me? But I couldn’t blame him; everything around me was stacked against me my wet hair, the towel I was clutching, and Carlos’s suspicious presence. "It’s not like that..." I rasped.

"Not like what?" he snapped with biting sarcasm. "Is what I’m seeing right now a goddamn hallucination?"

I looked at Carlos in a silent plea, hoping he’d say a single word to save the situation, but he stood there silent, watching the rage burn through Robert. Suddenly, Robert’s powerful hand gripped my jaw, forcing my face toward him with a violence that made me whimper. "Look at me and answer!" he commanded.

"It’s not what it looks like," I said, tears burning my eyes.

Finally, Carlos spoke, but instead of clearing my name, he asked in a strange tone, "Really... how long have you two been together?"

Damn it! What is wrong with you? Is this the time for that cursed question?

In the blink of an eye, Robert drew his piece from his waist and pressed it directly against Carlos’s head with a terrifying click.

My god, is he really going to kill him? Is he going to spill his friend’s blood because of me?

In a state of unspeakable terror, I grabbed Robert’s gun-hand with everything I had and screamed with a breaking heart, "No! Stop!"

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Robert’s POV

I put my piece to his head, pressing the cold barrel against his temple. It wasn’t enough that he dared to be in Julie’s room, but then he has the balls to ask me how long she and I have been together! When I felt Julie’s trembling fingers grab my hand, I spoke, my voice coming out like the hiss of a viper. "Stop for what?"

"I’ll explain everything," she pleaded, eyes overflowing with tears. "Just put the gun down, please."

I looked at her with a lethal suspicion. "Don’t tell me Carlos is ’gay’ too, Julie. Please."

"No, Robert... just put it down," she said quickly, shaking her head.

I lowered the weapon slowly, but the rage was still gnawing at my gut. I stripped off my blazer immediately and threw it over her bare shoulders to cover her up; I couldn’t stand the thought of Carlos looking at her like she was public property. "Talk," I said, barely able to look away from Carlos.

Julie started talking, her voice shaky. "I... I was showering. When I finished, I wrapped the towel and suddenly, when I turned to the mirror, I saw a spider in my hair."

I knitted my brows, looking at her with total disbelief. "A spider?"

"Yes," she said, wiping her tears. "And I started screaming from fear. Carlos came in and got it out of my hair."

"Why the hell did you hide it from me?" I asked sharply, leaning into her face.

She pulled the blazer tighter around herself. "Because when I came out of the bathroom, Carlos was still inside. When you walked in, I didn’t know how to explain it... I was scared you’d misunderstand."

"And why would I misunderstand?" I asked bitterly.

She looked into my eyes with a heavy reproach. "The same way you just did."

I turned to Carlos, who was watching us with a look that was testing my last nerve. "Get out, Carlos. Wait for me in the office."

Carlos walked out without a word. I slammed the door behind him and looked at her. My chest was heaving from the adrenaline. "Julie... you ain’t lying to me, are you?"

"What did you expect, Robert?" she asked with a bitterness that made me feel a prick of guilt. "Really... after the words you said to me... you thought I used ’shyness’ as an excuse to hook up with Carlos?"

I closed my eyes for a second, trying to pull myself together. "My brain stopped working, Julie. I came back to tell you we’re having dinner together tonight, only to find you in that state!"

"You should’ve listened to me instead of just passing judgment," she said sadly.

I took a deep breath. "Fine. We’ll talk about this later." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

She stiffly took my blazer off her shoulders and handed it back. "I don’t want to talk about it."

I took the jacket, but I kept my eyes locked on her, my voice firm. "We’re talking later. End of story."

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Carlos’s POV

I walked out of that room dragging a level of defeat I never imagined. Are they really together? Did he win her heart in the end? Am I going to have to see them together every single time? I won’t be able to take it.

He wants me in the office so he can tell me to back off, to tell me she’s his... no, I’m definitely not ready to hear that.

I stumbled through the Club’s hallways, got into my car, and slammed the door with a violence that felt like I was trying to lock out the whole world.

I put my head on the steering wheel, a crushing pressure exploding in my chest. How did he pull her in so fast? For a second, I thought she’d love me, not him. Why did she choose him? Didn’t she tell me she hated him? That she saw him as a monster? Why did she gravitate toward him and not me?

I didn’t know what to do.

I was just broken, my body shaking from the shock. The feeling that I’d lost Julie forever was killing me from the inside, to the point where I wished Robert had just pulled the trigger. It would’ve been a lot more merciful than seeing her with him.

While she was trying to justify the situation and protect me from his rage, I wished she hadn’t. I wished she’d let it all burn just to end this suffering.

I closed my eyes tight, reliving the memory of that kiss I stole from her, as if the taste of her lips was still lingering on mine.

I wished it was easier. I was the one who set my sights on her first, but Robert was the one who stole her! I’m the one who wanted her, the one who told him how she affected me and lit up my senses, while he was just mocking her and her very existence.

I gripped the wheel until my knuckles turned white, a bitter taste filling my throat. I’m the one who deserves her. Not him.