Page 64 of You. Me. Us.

Julius moves closer, his hand lifting as if to caress her cheek, but he hesitates, letting it fall back to his side. The small gesture, the aborted attempt at comfort, sends a sharp pang through Hillary’s heart. She searches his eyes, hoping to find a glimmer of the warmth that once filled them, but all she sees is a profound sadness and resignation.

“Hillary, I...” Julius started, his voice cracking with emotion. He took a deep breath, but never finished.

The words hit her like a physical blow, knocking the air from her lungs. She wants to argue, to plead with him to give her another chance, but the finality in his tone stops her. This isn’t a decision he’s made lightly, and she knows, deep down, that there’s no changing his mind.

Julius runs a hand through his hair, his gaze drifting to the floor. “I’ve arranged for a car to take you to the airport. But I need to be alone when we’re not on the press tour. I hope you can understand.”

Hillary nodded, not trusting herself to speak. A thousand things she wanted to say swirled around like water going down adrain. A thousand apologies and promises, but she knew they’d fall on deaf ears. She’d lost him, lost the one person who made her feel like she belonged in this glittering, unfamiliar world.

As Julius stepped back, putting physical distance between them, a profound sense of emptiness settled in her chest. She watched him turn, his broad shoulders slumped under the weight of their shared pain, and walk away from her, from their future.

The sound of his footsteps fading into the distance. Hillary stood there, frozen, as the reality of their breakup settled over her like a suffocating blanket.

Now, she had to find a way to go on, to rebuild her life from the shattered remnants of their love, a dangerous press mistake and god-only-knew what else before she could run away from this world she didn’t belong in from the start.

The click of the door closing behind him echoed through the apartment, offering a resounding finality. Hillary sunk to the floor, her legs no longer able to support her, and buried her face in her hands as hot tears spilled down her cheeks.

She’d known from the moment she stepped into Julius’s world, that she was out of her depth. But she’d never imagined it would end like this, with her heart in pieces and her dreams of a life with him crumbling to dust. How could she have been so naïve, so foolish, to believe that their love could conquer all?

As sobs wracked her body, Hillary curled in on herself, her arms wrapping tightly around her knees as if to hold herself together. The plush carpet beneath her was a cruel mockery of the comfort she craved, the comfort she’d found in Julius’s embrace.

She thought back to the first time he’d held her, the warmth of his strong arms around her, the way his heartbeat had thrummed steadily beneath her cheek. She’d felt so safe, socherished, like nothing could touch her as long as she was with him.

But now, the memory of his touch only served to deepen the ache in her chest, the knowledge that she’d never feel his skin against hers again. She’d never wake up to his sleepy smile, never share lazy Sunday morning trading gentle kisses and whispered confessions.

Hillary’s tears fell faster, blurring her vision until the elegant lines of Julius’s furniture became nothing more than a hazy smear of color. She’d thought this place could become her home, a sanctuary where she and Julius could build a life together, sheltered from the chaos of the outside world tucked away from Hollywood in the UK.

Instead, it’d become a monument to her shattered hopes, a reminder of everything she’d lost.

As minutes ticked by, Hillary’s sobs gradually subsided, leaving her feeling hollow and drained. She lifted her head, her eyes red-rimmed and puffy looking back at her in the clean glass window, and took a shuddering breath, trying to steady herself.

With a shaky hand, Hillary reached for her phone, her fingers hovering over the screen as she debates who to call. Her mind flickered briefly to Ethan to confront him, but she dismissed the thought almost the second she had it. She couldn’t turn on him, not after everything that happened.

No, she has to do this on her own, had to prove to herself that she’s strong enough to survive this heartbreak without blaming anyone else. She would go back to her old life, back to the small, simple world she’d left behind, and try to forget the magic and the pain of loving Julius Theon.

Slowly, Hillary pushed herself to her feet, wincing as her stiff muscles protested the movement. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin, determined toface this new reality with as much grace and dignity as she could muster.

She moved through the apartment gathering her few belongings, fighting back a fresh wave of tears as she tucked them into her bag and zipped it closed.

With one last look around the apartment, she tried to steady herself. The sunlight streamed through the windows like a ray of hope that wasn’t there. The faint scent of Julius’s cologne lingered in the air to taunt her. She would carry pieces of him forever, bittersweet reminders of a love that had burned too bright to last.

With a heavy heart, Hillary walked to the door, her hand trembling slightly as she reached for the handle. She paused, closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steeling herself for the journey ahead.

“Goodbye, Julius,” she whispered, her voice barely audible in the stillness of the apartment. “I hope you find the peace we both deserve before the tour.”

Stepping out into the hallway, the door clicked shut behind her with a loudness that echoed through her very soul. She knew the road ahead would be hard, that there would be days when the pain would be too much to bear. But she also knew that she was stronger than she realized.

She did her best to hold her head high as she called the elevator and waited for it to take her down, back to her original reality.

The future was uncertain, but Hillary was ready to face it, ready to discover who she was without Julius by her side. And though her heart may be bruised and battered, she knew that someday, it would heal, even if she had to face him a million times before then.

The shrill chime of Hillary’s phone pierced the heavy silence of the elevator she’d gotten into, jolting her from her thoughts.With a furrowed brow, she reached for the device, her heart skipping a beat as Ethan’s name illuminated on the screen along with a text message.

“I heard about what happened with Julius directly from him. I know you’re probably feeling lost and confused right now, probably really fucking pissed at me, but I want you to know that I’m here for you. I can help you navigate this mess, help you find your way in this crazy spotlight. Julius was never going to be able to handle the pressure, but I can show you how to thrive in it. Let me know if you need anything.”

Hillary’s grip on the phone tightened, her knuckles turning white as a surge of anger courses through her veins. How dare he? How dare Ethan reach out to her now, after everything that’s happened? And how dare he be right about Julius? He didn’t even apologize.

Part of her wants to ignore the message, to delete it and pretend it never existed. But another part of her, a small, insistent voice in the back of her mind, wondered if Ethan might be onto something. He could help her put up a shield and deal with the mess they made together.

---