Page 33 of Julian's Curse

The coldness of his tone drilled a hole through my heart. This was new, new to us. Within seconds, I heard the door slam shut, leaving me feeling panicked and hollow. I collapsed to the floor, my back against the kitchen cabinets, and I began to sob uncontrollably.

The roar of his Lambo echoed in the distance as it sped away.

It tookme a while to collect myself, nevertheless, I eventually got up to call Rose. She had been Julian’s assistant, chef, and family all rolled into one. If anyone could console me and offer some insights, it was her, the fixer extraordinaire.

At around seventy years old, she was still a woman of sharp wit. She also saw me as the best thing that happened to Julian, so this would work to my advantage. Maybe she could talk to him before it was too late, before his pain drove him into the arms of another woman amidst his self-doubt. The way Julian dealt with pain was with revenge, and if he was convinced that I’d cheated with Bradley, then maybe he would try to prove a point by doing the worst he could do to sever our bond.

“Hi, Rose,” I gasped, still struggling to catch my breath after crying so much. Still, crying had made me feel better about the situation, like a soothing rain after a scorching drought. I wiped my eyes and managed a shaky smile.

“Hunny, are you okay?” She immediately recognized that something was off.

“Julian saw articles about me while he was in Dubai. I think he believes the story.” I blurted out.

“Oh, Lucie.” Based on the tone of her voice, she was already familiar with the news. “I know you wouldn’t do such a thing. Besides, he must know the truth.”

She was quite right that even if I wanted to sleep with a guy, there would be no way to do so without Will being aware of it. So why did he even ask me this in the first place?

“Please, can you talk to him? I don’t even know where he went. But I think he’s going to take home another girl.” I wrung my hands together in nervousness.

She inhaled sharply. And I suddenly noticed something seemed wrong. It was as if she was struggling to breathe. “Are you okay Rose?”

“I apologize, Lucie, I’ve had some pain in my chest today but I think it’s just indigestion. It usually flares up when I eat potatoes, for some reason I am sensitive.”

She managed to settle my mind. I suffered from heartburn too, especially when I was under stress.

“Julian and I had an argument, and we are not on speaking terms as of now.” She continued without giving me time to inquire about her health further.

What? I blinked in surprise. Had something happened between them? Was this the reason Julian seemed so on edge? It felt distinctly strange that they had a problem with each other. Rose was like a grandmother to him, or at least that’s how I would describe their relationship if I could only use one comparison. The two hadn’t had a falling out that I knew of.

“What happened?” I pressed Rose to better understand.

“Lucie, I had to promise him that I would not tell you the reason. While I disagreed, I do believe that it’s best if it comes from him.” Her voice sounded shaky and weak.

“I just need to know he’s okay,” I frowned. “I didn’t mean to hurt him.” Julian had struggled with depression, and the last thing I wanted was to be the reason he shut down. “Please tell me what’s going on. He doesn’t seem to be fine.”

She got silent. I waited and waited for her to explain herself.

“I do worry about him. He’s…” Her voice suddenly faltered as she spoke on the phone. “I’m dizzy,” she murmured. “I apologize.” She hardly finished the sentence.

I heard the unmistakable sound of her cell phone clattering to the ground.

“Rose?” I called out, fear creeping into my voice. I strained to hear anything, but there was nothing—no response, no sound. She’d fallen, and I knew I had to hurry to do something about it. My heart hammered against my ribs while I quickly dialed 911 on the other line, my fingers shaking as I pressed the numbers. “Please, I need help,” I spoke rapidly, my voice trembling. “My friend—she’s in trouble. She just said she was dizzy while on the phone, and I think she fell too.”

“Do you have her address,” the dispatcher asked.

I ran to the office, to find it, and thankfully I still had it written down where I remembered. I hurled it out like it was the most important information I’d ever given to anyone. “Heart attack, she might be having a heart attack.”

As I waited for the operator to respond, I could feel the seconds stretching into an eternity. “Rose!” I took off hold the other line, desperate for any sign of life. I imagined her alone, vulnerable, and the thought of her possibly gone turned unbearable. On the other end of the line, the phone buzzed with an eerie silence. Each moment felt heavier, a crushing weight of fear in my chest as I battled against my rising panic. “Please, don’t go Rose,” I wailed into the speaker, hoping she could somehow hear me. My knees buckled, and I collapsed to the floor, the shock of it momentarily grounding me. But I couldn’t stay there, not with her life hanging in the balance. I pushed myself up, my legs trembling, and without another thought, I bolted for the door, rushing toward the closest ER near her house.

The doctor wouldn’t come out for a while, but eventually, she appeared with an encouraging expression on her face. I rose from my chair after having prayed for hours.

“She’s going to be okay,” she chimed.

Relief washed over me. Suddenly, Rose’s well-being became my only priority. Her relationship with Julian seemed almost irrelevant now in the light of survival.

“Initially, she’ll be weak and fatigued, and this is normal as her body went through significant stress. It would be helpful if we could get her into a personal rehabilitation program. Does she have any other family?” The doctor queried. She seemingly assumed that I was her granddaughter because that’s what I’d put in a form to get information.

Rose and I had never talked about any family members of hers. I’d never heard her mention kids and it felt that I’d know bynow about them. And a husband had never been in the picture either. Knowing that Julian might be the closest person to her felt heavy, especially now.

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