Page 66 of You. Me. Us.

Julius’s jaw tightened. “I can’t. Not after the way things ended between us. I don’t have that right anymore.” He stood abruptly, the script falling from his lap. “We need to focus on the next movie. That’s what’s important right now.”

Rebecca watched him with a mixture of sympathy and frustration. “Julius that’s not how love works.”

But he was already walking away, his heart heavy with the weight of his regrets. He couldn’t keep dwelling on the past, on what could have been. He had to move forward, even if every step felt like a knife twisting in his chest.

As he stepped outside, the cool air hitting his face, Julius closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had to let her go, had to find a way to move on. But even as he tried to convince himself of that, he knew deep down that he would never be able to forget her. She had left an indelible mark on his heart, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to erase it.

twenty-eight

. . .

Hillary leanedback in her office chair, the familiar hum of the Muse magazine newsroom enveloping her like a comforting blanket. The clacking of keyboards and murmur of voices felt like home after a eight months away. She took a deep breath, savoring the scent of fresh coffee and printer ink.

This was where she belonged.

Her eyes drifted to the framed article sitting on her desk, her first front page piece at Muse. A small smile tugged at her lips. She had worked so hard to get here, pouring her heart and soul into every word. And now, after the tumultuous whirlwind of her relationship with Julius, she was ready to focus on her true passion—journalism.

Three months since the hellish article and while she was able to show her face in the office, she hadn’t heard from Julius even once.

“That’s fine. He told you he wanted space, and you needed to learn to navigate his world. You picked your world.” She muttered and returned her focus to the screen.

“Hillary, do you have a moment?” Ethan’s smooth voice cut through her concentration as she typed away at her latest article.She glanced up, surprised to see him of all people standing at her desk, wearing the incognito hat and glasses he wore throughout filming.

“Ethan, what are you doing here?” Hillary asked, her brows furrowed in confusion. After the scandalous photos of her and Ethan surfaced they’d dealt with it head on and not spoken since.

He stepped closer to her desk, keeping his terrible disguise on. “I came to make you an offer,” he said, his blue eyes intense. “A chance to continue your acting career, and even get Julius back.”

Hillary’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of Julius’s name. The pain of their breakup was still raw, a constant ache in her chest. But she pushed it aside, focusing on Ethan’s cryptic words. “What do you mean? My career is right here, and it’s not like your kiss ruined acting, I did that on my own. Turns out I did it to make Julius happy, not me.”

“Bullshit, you are great at it and I saw how much you enjoyed it.”

“I don’t want to make a scene, come with me and get coffee. We’ll talk there.”

She stood and brushed past him without a word, not really caring if he followed her to the elevator or not. Only once she got on and turned did she see him there beside her.

“Hillary—”

“Coffee. Hush.”

As the elevator went to the fourth floor where a makeshift coffee shop had been created for the building while she was gone making it much easier to get Olivia coffee than before. Not that she still did that, coffee runs. She tried to keep her breathing steady. She’d gained so much confidence on set, and she didn’t want Ethan’s sudden appearance to burn that away.

The elevator chimed, and she stepped out, again not caring if Ethan followed as she approached the counter and ordered before stepping to the side and waiting for her coffee. Ethan did the same and somehow managed to keep quiet while they waited for their drinks.

Hillary blinked, pulling herself out of the memory. She had taken Ethan up on his offer that day, and true to his word, he had helped her weather the storm of scandal and keep her career intact. But Julius, that was a different story.

She shook her head, pushing thoughts of her lost love aside. She had work to do, stories to uncover.

Hillary’s fingers tightened around the steaming mug of coffee as it was handed to her before moving to a table and taking a seat. Her eyes locked on Ethan as he settled into the seat across from her. The bustling café faded into the background, the chatter of patrons and the hiss of the espresso machine melting away until all that remained was the tension between them.

“I’m sorry, Hillary,” Ethan began, his voice low and sincere. “I clearly misread your attraction to me. I thought...” He trailed off, shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter what I thought. I was wrong, and I’m sorry.”

Hillary’s jaw clenched, a flicker of anger sparking in her chest. “You’re damn right you were wrong,” she snapped, her voice trembling slightly. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? What your little stunt cost me?”

Ethan leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table. “I know, and I’m truly sorry. But Hillary, you have to believe me when I say that I was only trying to protect you. If anyone had found out about your relationship with Julius, the scandal would have been?—”

“I don’t need your protection,” Hillary interrupted, her eyes flashing. “I’m a grown woman, Ethan. I can make my ownchoices, my own mistakes. And how does kissing you fix a problem in dating Julius?”

Ethan sighed, running a hand through his tousled hair. “I know that now. And I want to make it up to you, Hillary. I want to help you navigate this industry, to make sure you get the recognition you deserve. Breaking you away from him would save you when he came back from the film and realized he wasn’t as interested as he thought. Which he does with everyone he dates.”

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