Chapter 13 - The Darkroom Discovery
Clara couldn't shake the image of Julian on the roof. It gnawed at her resolve. That evening, Elias asked her to go into the gallery's basement archives to retrieve some old negatives.
While searching through a dusty filing cabinet, she found a manila envelope with her name on it. It wasn't in Elias's handwriting. It was Julian's sharp, precise script.
Frowning, she opened it. Inside were the deeds to three small art galleries in San Francisco, Seattle, and New York. Attached was a note dated three years ago.
Clara, I know I haven't been around. I know I've failed to show up. I bought these for you. You can run them, curate them, build your own empire. I want you to have the world. - Julian.
She stared at the papers. He had never given them to her. He had brought them to Cannon Beach and hidden them in the archives, likely realizing that buying her an empire was the exact opposite of what she wanted.
May you like
He was trying to learn. He was failing, and stumbling, and making massive mistakes, but for the first time in a decade, Julian was actually trying to understand her heart instead of her bank account.
Clara sat on the dusty basement floor and cried. She cried for the years they lost to ambition, for the loneliness, and for the undeniable truth that, despite the pain, she still loved him.
