Chapter 14
592words
Because one night, walking to my car, everything changed.
It was late. The underground parking garage was nearly empty. A hooded figure lunged from behind a concrete pillar. My first thought: robbery.
But when I saw the knife slashing toward my pregnant belly, I realized with horror—he wasn't after my purse. He wanted my baby.
I screamed and stumbled backward, but I knew I was too late.
Yet the searing pain never came.
Julian appeared out of nowhere, throwing himself between me and the blade.
He didn't cry out—just wrapped his arms around me, using his body as a human shield, absorbing the blow meant for me and my child.
The knife plunged deep, tearing through his left kidney.
The doctors saved his life, but with one kidney gone, his health would never be the same.
While Julian fought for his life, police uncovered the truth: Isabelle had orchestrated the attack.
Julian had tried to send her overseas, but she'd refused, convinced I was the reason he wanted her gone. She believed eliminating me would bring Julian back to her. She'd hired some ex-con who knew her abusive ex, paying him to "scare me straight." But high on drugs, he'd escalated from intimidation to attempted murder.
With the evidence stacked against her, prison was inevitable.
Ethan vowed to hire the best prosecutor in the country to ensure she got the maximum sentence.
When Julian heard the truth, he fell into a long silence before finally speaking, his voice raw with regret:
"I'm so sorry, Clara. I never imagined Isabelle would go this far… that she'd try to hurt you."
My response was bitter—a truth four years overdue:
"There are a lot of things you never 'imagined,' Julian. Like the fact that on the day you pushed me down those stairs, Isabelle and her precious daughter attacked me first."
Julian went completely still, the blood draining from his face. He stared at me like he was seeing a ghost. Shock, horror, regret—emotions warred in his eyes before settling into a hollow emptiness.
"I didn't know…" he whispered, his voice barely audible. "God, Clara, I didn't know…"
His eyes rimmed with tears, he looked at me with naked despair. "You'll never forgive me, will you?"
"No."
He closed his eyes like a man accepting his execution. "I understand."
After that day, Julian vanished from my life.
I only caught snippets about him from financial news or old classmates' gossip.
Like how Julian never once visited Isabelle in prison.
How he sent Isabelle's daughter back to her grandparents, unmoved by her tears and pleas not to abandon her.
How, years later, his remaining kidney began to fail, forcing him into regular dialysis treatments just to stay alive.
I barely registered these details, forgetting them almost as soon as I heard them.
Six years into my marriage with Ethan, his love remained as strong as day one. He still put me first in everything.
He remembered every little preference I had, surprising me with thoughtful gifts when I least expected them.
He never stayed out late. Even with business dinners, he'd be home by nine to tuck our children—a boy and a girl—into bed before spending quality time with me.
No matter how mundane my stories, he'd listen with genuine interest.
I'm a restless sleeper who kicks off covers, but Ethan would wake in the night to tuck me back in and pull me close.
Every day with him was a gift, making me excited for our future together.
