Chapter 15 - The Confession
They sat on the small rug in front of the iron stove, the wind raging outside, creating a bubble of complete isolation. There was no company to run. No galleries to manage. Just a man, a woman, and a fire.
Julian stared into the flames, the orange light dancing across his sharp features.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. The words were so soft Clara barely heard them over the storm.
"For which part?" she asked quietly.
"For leaving you alone in crowded rooms," Julian said, his voice cracking. He turned to look at her, and Clara was shocked to see tears shining in his eyes. "When we lost the baby... six years ago. I didn't know how to fix it. I couldn't write a code to reverse it. I couldn't buy a solution. So I buried myself in the only thing I knew I could control."
Clara’s breath hitched. They hadn't spoken about the miscarriage since the week it happened.
"I thought if I built the company big enough, if I gave you enough money, enough security, you wouldn't feel the pain," Julian choked out, a single tear cutting through the dirt on his cheek. "But I just abandoned you. I left you to drown while I built a castle in the sky. I am so terribly sorry, Clara."
Clara reached out, her trembling hand finding his. She laced her fingers through his calloused, tar-stained hands.
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"I didn't want a castle, Julian," she wept. "I just wanted you to hold my hand in the dark."
Julian pulled her against his chest, burying his face in her hair. They held each other as the storm raged outside, crying for the child they lost, the years they wasted, and the love they had almost thrown away.
