Chapter 11 - A Father's Plea
Victoria froze, her arms dropping to her sides as she stared at Julian in disbelief. "An arrest warrant? Julian, darling, you can't be serious. We've been together for four years! My father is—"
"Your father is currently on the phone with my crisis management team, begging me not to bankrupt his remaining hotels," Julian interrupted, stepping past her without offering her a single glance. He signaled to his trailing security car, and two armed bodyguards stepped out, surrounding Victoria and guiding her forcibly back toward her silver sports car.
Julian didn't watch her leave. His eyes were fixed entirely on me, and then, slowly, they shifted down to the three little faces peering out from behind my coat. Maya was crying silently, her small fingers gripping my hem, while Leo had his fists raised in a defensive stance he had seen in his martial arts cartoons.
"Are you all right?" Julian asked me, his voice softening into a raw, vulnerable tone that made my heart ache despite myself. "Did she hurt you?"
"We're fine," I said, my voice trembling slightly as I stroked Maya's hair to calm her down. "Why are you here, Julian?"
He took a step back, respecting my space, and looked down at his shoes before meeting my eyes. "I came to apologize. Not just for today, or for my mother, or for Victoria. But for being blindly arrogant enough five years ago to let them convince me you would ever walk away from our marriage without a fight. I failed you, Clara. I failed as a husband, and I failed as a father before I even knew I was one."
I looked at him, seeing the dark circles under his eyes, the lines of exhaustion etched around his mouth. For five years, I had hated the man I thought had abandoned me. Now, I realized I was looking at a man who had been robbed of the greatest joy of his life by the people he trusted most.
"He's the man who yells at lady bosses," Noah whispered audibly from behind me, pointing at Julian.
May you like
Julian let out a sad, self-deprecating laugh. He knelt down on the sidewalk, keeping a safe distance from the kids. "You're right, Noah. I was very rude. I am trying to learn how to be a better man. Do you think... maybe one day, I could take you and your brother and sister to the zoo? To make up for being grumpy?"
Noah looked at me for permission. I didn't say yes, but I didn't say no either.
