Page 62 of You. Me. Us.

Julius walked to the window, staring out at the city skyline, gazing at the The Eye as his thoughts a tangled web of emotions. He wanted to pull her into his arms, to assure her that everything would be alright. But a part of him, the part that had clawed its way to the top of this unforgiving industry, knew that the road ahead would be far from easy.

He turned back to Hillary, his expression softening. “We’ll get through this,” he said, his voice low and reassuring. “But we need to be smart about it. We need to control the narrative before it controls us. Assuming there’s a narrative to control.”

Say there is.

Hillary nodded, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I’m sorry, Julius. I never meant for any of this to happen. He did it once before, blaming it on excitement.”

“That bastard,” he nearly punched out the window. “He’s done some shit before, not one to be content being in the shadows, but this is too fucking far. You weren’t some meaningless fling he had to prove he could fuck too.”

She flinched and tears began to slide down her face.

Julius crossed the room, gathering her into his embrace. He held her close, his chin resting atop her head. She didn’t feel the way she always did in his arms. Yes, she fit like a puzzle piece, but he couldn’t stop playing Ethan’s sentence over and over in his mind as he tried to hold her tight.

But as the silence stretched between them, the weight of the situation began to settle on his shoulders. He stepped back, his hands gently gripping her arms as he looked into her eyes, searching for answers he knew she didn’t have.

“Why, Hillary?” His voice was strained, a mixture of hurt and confusion. “Why did you let him get so close? Didn’t you see the signs? Why didn’t you tell me when it happened before? Ethan made it sound like this happened before and I had no idea. No way to protect you.”

Hillary’s gaze dropped to the floor, her shoulders sagging under the burden of guilt. “I thought...I thought he was just being friendly. I never imagined he would do something like that.”

Julius released her, running a hand through his tousled hair as he turned away. The anger that had been simmering beneaththe surface began to bubble up once more. “Friendly? Hillary, he’s been after you since the moment you stepped on set. How could you be so naïve? How could I? It’s what he fucking does.”

The words hung in the air between them, sharp and cutting.

Hillary flinched as if he’d struck, her eyes brimming with tears. “I’m sorry, Julius. I never meant to hurt you.”

But Julius was already moving toward the door, his jaw clenched tight. He paused, his hand on the doorknob, and looked back at her. “I need time, Hillary. I need to think about what this means for us, not because you kissed him back—because you did—but because if you can keep a secret from me, one that I could have helped protect you from, I don’t know what that means for us. There’s so much pressure in this lifestyle, and this could make or break some”

And with that, he was gone, the door closing behind him with a finality that made Hillary’s heart ache. She stood alone in the apartment, the silence pressing in on her from all sides. The tears she had been holding back finally spilled over, streaming down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around herself, desperate for comfort.

As the minutes ticked by, Hillary’s mind raced with the consequences of the evening’s events. The press, the public, the studio...they would all have opinions, expectations. But more than that, she feared losing Julius, the one person who believed in her from the start.

With a shaky breath, Hillary moved to the window, staring out at the London skyline. The city lights blurred through her tears, a kaleidoscope of uncertainty and fear. She knew that the road ahead would be difficult, that she would have to face the fallout of Ethan’s actions. But in that moment, all she could think about was Julius, and the love they had built against ridiculous odds.

Hillary’s heart sank as Julius’s words echoed in her head. It was like she was falling apart, piece by piece. The room spun around her, and she stumbled over to the nearby sofa, collapsing onto it with a heavy sigh. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at the floor.

She had tried to keep her distance from Ethan, but he was always there, constantly flirting with her, making it hard for her to resist his charm. And now look where it had gotten them—in the middle of a scandal they couldn’t escape from. All she’d had to do was tell Julius when he’d kissed her two months ago.

She thought back to the press tour party. His lips had been warm against hers, tasting of sweet wine and temptation. She’d never felt anything on set, and she hadn’t then, but for some reason she’d leaned into the kiss.

“You went to hurt him because he tried to control you.” the tears slipped into her mouth and she closed her eyes. “He was trying to help you become more than you were and you panicked and then lashed out. Kissing Ethan has never felt like anything, but you gave in because you were mad. That isn’t you.”

She slumped against the window, hating that she was here and not in New York. Here she was alone.

twenty-six

. . .

Hillary paced Julius’s apartment,her bare feet sinking into the plush carpet with each anxious step. Julius’s words from last night never left her thoughts, a discordant chorus she couldn’t silence. She wrung her hands, replaying the hurt in his eyes, the accusation in his voice.

“It’ll be okay,” she whispered to herself, a desperate mantra. “He’ll come back. We’ll talk it through.”

She knew Julius, knew the depth of his feelings for her. A first fight was always bound to be dramatic. And she’d been so convinced Ethan hadn’t meant any harm on set, it made sense she hadn’t accused him of anything.

“Didn’t it?”

With a sigh, Hillary’s gaze darted to the door for the hundredth time, willing it to open. Julius just needed time to cool off, to realize she wasn’t the deceptive person the tabloids made her out to be. They would get through this, stronger than before.

A sudden knock shattered the tense silence. Hillary froze mid-step, heart leaping into her throat. He was here, knocking at his own apartment to not intrude on her.

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