Chapter 12 - The Truth About Why He Chose Me
I stared at Julian.
Every instinct told me to step away.
But I stayed.
Because I needed answers.
“What are you talking about?”
Julian looked around my house.
Almost like he was remembering something.
“Your family.”
“What about my family?”
“You think our marriage was random?”
I felt my stomach tighten.
“Yes.”
He shook his head.
“No.”
“Everything was planned.”
The room felt colder.
“By who?”
Julian didn’t answer immediately.
And that scared me more than anything.
Because for the first time…
He looked afraid of someone else.
“Victoria?”
He looked at me.
“Yes.”
My heart sank.
“Why?”
Julian sat down.
The arrogance disappeared.
For a moment…
I saw something human.
Something broken.
“My mother believed your family had something she wanted.”
“What?”
“A company.”
I frowned.
“My father’s company?”
Julian nodded.
“She wanted access.”
I laughed bitterly.
“So I was just a business move?”
He looked away.
“At first.”
The honesty hurt.
More than a lie.
“Then what changed?”
Julian was silent.
Finally, he whispered:
“I started caring about you.”
I stared at him.
“Don’t.”
“What?”
“Don’t try to turn this into a love story.”
His eyes moved toward me.
“Because it isn’t.”
“You hurt me.”
“You humiliated me.”
“You treated me like property.”
“I know.”
“No.”
“You don’t.”
“You know you lost control.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
Julian looked down.
For the first time…
He had no argument.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A man’s voice spoke.
“Elena Carter?”
“Yes.”
“You need to leave your house immediately.”
“Who is this?”
“My name is Daniel.”
“I worked with Victoria Whitmore.”
My body went still.
“What do you want?”
“To warn you.”
“About what?”
A pause.
Then:
“She knows you found the documents.”
My grip tightened around the phone.
“So?”
The man lowered his voice.
“She’s not trying to protect her reputation anymore.”
“She’s trying to erase the problem.”
I looked at Julian.
He heard every word.
His face changed.
“What did he say?”
I ignored him.
Daniel continued.
“You need to understand something.”
“Victoria doesn’t lose.”
“And if she thinks you are a threat…”
“She will destroy everything connected to you.”
The call ended.
The silence returned.
Julian stood up.
And for the first time…
He wasn’t my enemy.
He looked like someone who was scared.
“Now you understand.”
I looked at him.
“Understand what?”
He whispered:
May you like
“Why nobody ever escapes my mother.”
To be continued...
