Chapter 34
Julius
I fucking blew it.
Of course I did. The best thing that has ever happened to me and I lost her because of a tiny stupid lie. Well, it wasn't a small lie, and I knew it. My actions were wrong and I have never regretted something so much.
To see her in so much pain and to know it was my fault? I grit my teeth, I wasn't entirely to blame. I looked up toward the stairs to where the root of our problem began.
Josephine.
I march back up the stairs to Stella's bedroom, where Josephine was icing her head. "What the hell is your problem? We had an agreement."
She smiles cynically, "You're lucky I didn't go to the press like the other one planned to. Does Stella know about that? What was her name? Oh, right you never bothered to ask!"
I glare at her, before looking at the men behind her trying to pick up the broken camera pieces. "Get out." I growl at them. They quickly stand up, leaving me in the room with Josie. "I was going to tell her about Kiely, and this too."
She quirks her brow, "Oh really when?"
"Certainly not on her fûcking birthday."
Josie scoffs, "Oh she'll get over it. It's not like she ever liked her birthday anyway." She stands up as she struts over to me, holding the ice pack against her head. "Now that the air is clear, maybe we can finally talk. You know our nights together were special." Her hand rests against my chest before I push her off.
"You're sick Josephine."
She chuckles, "So I've heard? Stella doesn't want you anymore Julius, there's no coming back from this." She cups her hand next to her mouth, "She hates liars." She says in a whisper.
I glare at her again, before heading toward the door."If any of this airs on your show, you will hear from my lawyers."
"Oh, I'm so scared!" She calls out as I leave the room.
I head down the stairs where the crowd of guests were still standing around very confused. "Julius, what happened?" My cousin Jerrell asks as I approach the bottom of the steps.
"I fucked up." I mutter as I go past him toward the kitchen. I grab my keys off the counter before brushing past everyone.
"Dude! Hold up!" Johnny calls out, with Gabriel behind him as I reach the front of the house again.
"I gotta catch up with her."
"Did she find out about Kiely?" Johnny asks.
"Worse, about Josephine." Both guys grimace as I sigh. "I really messed up. I should've just told her as soon as things got serious! I shouldn't have lied when she asked."
"Go tell her that, not us. Good luck dude." Gabriel says as he pats my shoulder sadly. I nod before hopping into my car and heading to the condo. I was speeding down the road desperate to make it before she leaves. Her last location was the condo before she stopped sharing it with me.
I got into the condo and it seemed to look as how I remembered it. "Stella!" I call out. But no response. I rush over to her room, where she had clearly been. Clothes were missing, broken glass on the ground, and the birthday present I had for her ripped to shreds. I looked at the torn photograph, the only legible piece being a photo of her head against my chest. The gold necklace and the diamond bracelet I had given her lay on the floor amongst the broken glass.
"Idiot!" I exclaim before tossing the slashed photo on the bed. I hit the wall out of anger before resting my forehead against it. I took a deep breath as a single tear fell from my eye.
I fucked up.
-
Two days, 6 hours, and 11 minutes. That's how long it had been since I had seen her. I couldn't find her anywhere. She had completely gone MIA.
It felt like I was missing a part of me.
I just wanted to talk to her. To hear her, even if she was yelling at me. Something in the pit of my stomach told me something was wrong, something had happened. That's why I couldn't find her.
But another part of me knows that if Stella doesn't want to be found, she'll make sure she's not found. That's how she's always been. Her mother wouldn't talk to me, didn't give me any assurance of her well-being but made it clear that she wasn't at the house.
I was a mess, I couldn't think about anything other than her. It didn't help that everything in the condo reminded me of her. Her scent was everywhere, constantly reminding me of my pain. I sat in the living room, clutching a beer and staring blankly at the tv.
I felt so lost.
A knock at the door snaps me out of my thoughts. I sprung out of my seat with the small hope that it was her. But as I open the door I come face to face with my father. I groan in disappointment before turning around and taking a seat back on the couch, leaving the door open for him to enter.
"I heard what happened."
I let out a grunt as I continue to stare at the tv. He sighs before taking a seat beside me on the couch. "You don't look well son. You must've really cared for her." He says as he looks me over, as well as my surroundings.
"That's what I fucking told you." I mumble as I take a swig of my beer.
He sighs again, "What did you do to her?"
"I slept with her best friend and lied about it. I'm a terrible person and I don't deserve her anyway." I toss the empty bottle on the floor with the others, "Gosh! Why do I constantly mess things up? You were right! I'm a whore, she said so herself." I rub my hands over my face in frustration, "I hate myself."
My father was quiet for a moment before he decided to speak. "Julius, I was harsh with my words the other day. I could've used better words, and I'm sorry." He picks up a bottle on the ground, "But drinking your sorrows away won't help you. You're a handsome man, there will always be other women."
I shake my head, "No there won't. Not like her."
"And what is so different about her?"
I let out a deep breath as I look forward, "She made me feel a way no one else has. She's beautiful, smart, so damn perfect. And best of all she understood me. She knew me so well dad, all my faults and she still wanted me." I sigh as I look down, "Not anymore though."
He begins chuckling, "You really are in love this time."
"It doesn't matter. She's gone."
He quirks his brow, "If that's the case then what's the use of sitting here and sulking? Either get out there and pour your heart out to her or get on with your life!"
I sigh, "Why am I not surprised? You just don't get it. Everything's so straightforward with you."
"I'll have you know I went through something similar with your mother. She left me for quite some time when we were young."
I look up at him in confusion, "Mom left you?"
He nods, "Early in our young marriage. She thought I was too flirtatious with other women and accused me of having an affair with a secretary."
"Were you?" I ask.
He shakes his head, "No I wasn't. But just the thought broke her heart and she left. I was miserable and scared to lose her. As you know I love your mother very much and promised to clean my act up for her. I begged and pleaded, just hoping she'd take me back and she did."
"Yeah because you didn't break her trust." I mutter.
"My point is, if you do want Stella back you can either keep trying or give up now. Her trust has been broken and you need to attempt to build it again. This will take a long time and you need to first start by talking to her. Communication is key for a strong relationship."
I sigh, "I can't even find her."
"If she's not at her parents maybe she's at a friend's place. Maybe a nearby hotel, you just have to keep looking. Or you can wait till she re-emerges, she can't hide out for too long." He places his hand on my shoulder, "She will come back son."
I look up at him and nod, "Thank you for coming here."
He chuckles, "I couldn't let you sit here and waste away with the beer bottles." I stand up as he does, and he embraces me in a hug before pulling away. "I'm sorry for what I said at dinner. I was just afraid you were going to become what I almost was. You will get through this okay?"
I nod, "Okay. And I forgive you, thank you for apologizing. It means a lot."
"Of course." He pats my back before pulling out his keys from his pocket. "I'll see you."
"See you." I wave as he heads toward the door. I watch as he leaves, feeling a bit better about my relationship with my father. But it was insignificant compared to the damage I needed to fix with Stella.
I needed to find her.
———
Shorter chapter than usual, but it is what it is.
Do you still hate Mr. Ashford?
See you on Wednesday!
- AuggiePooh_