Vivian stood frozen, her breath caught in her chest as Julian's presence filled the room. His words hung in the air like smoke, curling and suffocating every thought she tried to have. He wasn't the man she had once loved. Not anymore. Yet here he was, standing in front of her, asking for something she couldn't give.
Damien didn't move. His posture was firm, a protective wall between her and Julian, but Vivian could feel the tension in his shoulders. He wasn't just standing there to shield her. He was waiting, just like she was. What was Julian really here for? Was it guilt? Was it the desperate need for forgiveness?
She hated the feeling of uncertainty. And yet, here it was again, lingering like a shadow in her mind. Julian, the man who had shattered her world, standing before her, looking like he hadn't even broken a sweat in doing so.
"I'm not going to say I'm sorry, Vivian," Julian said finally, his voice eerily calm. "Because words don't do this justice. Nothing does."
Vivian's heart twisted. She couldn't fathom why he would show up now, after everything he'd done, after everything he'd said. She'd spent so long in the dark, trying to piece together the wreckage he'd left behind, and now he expected her to open up and listen?
"I don't need your apologies," Vivian replied, her voice steady, despite the storm of emotions inside her. "You had your chance, Julian. And you ruined it. You ruined us. I don't owe you anything."
She didn't know if it was the anger or the betrayal that burned hotter in her chest, but she didn't back down. She refused to let him have that power over her again.
Damien stepped closer to her, the subtle warmth of his presence a reminder that she wasn't alone, even if the room felt suffocating. His hand rested lightly on her arm, a silent support that grounded her in the moment.
"You need to leave," Damien said to Julian, his voice low, but unwavering.
Julian turned his gaze toward Damien, a flicker of frustration crossing his features. But he didn't argue. Instead, his attention snapped back to Vivian, the quiet plea in his eyes almost making her falter.
"I never meant to hurt you," he said, his voice strained now, as though the effort to maintain his composure was getting the best of him. "I was lost, Vivian. You have to understand. I didn't know what I was doing."
Vivian's chest tightened, her breath catching in her throat. She wanted to yell, to tell him how much he had hurt her, how everything she had known was a lie. She wanted to remind him of all the promises he had broken, of all the moments he had stolen from her.
But instead, she stayed silent. She was tired of trying to explain it all to him. She was done with the past.
Damien, sensing her growing agitation, spoke again. "You don't get to come here and make excuses, Julian. You've done enough damage. Vivian doesn't need your explanations. She needs space, and you need to leave."
For a moment, Julian didn't respond. His eyes darted from Damien to Vivian, but the words seemed to die on his lips. And then, with a long, heavy sigh, he nodded.
"I can't change what happened," he said, his voice quieter now, almost resigned. "But I won't stop trying to make it right."
Vivian didn't answer. She didn't know what she could say. She didn't believe him anymore. Not after everything.
Julian's gaze lingered on her for one last, fleeting moment before he turned and left the room, the sound of the door clicking shut behind him echoing in the silence.
The tension that had been building inside Vivian seemed to dissipate the moment he was gone. She felt a strange emptiness inside her, as though something had been taken from her, but she couldn't tell what. Maybe it was the closure she hadn't realized she was craving. Or maybe it was the finality of it—the fact that she had finally let go of him.
But there was no relief. No comfort. Just the haunting silence that followed.
Damien didn't speak immediately. He stood beside her, his presence still as steady as ever, his quiet strength a stark contrast to the chaos that had just unfolded. It was a strange kind of peace, but it wasn't enough to silence the whirlwind in Vivian's mind.
She turned to face him, her gaze softening, but the weight of everything she was feeling still lingered. "He's gone," she said softly, almost to herself. "I didn't think I'd ever have to see him again."
Damien's voice was quiet, but it carried a reassuring calm. "You don't have to see him again, Vivian. He doesn't get to be part of your life anymore."
She nodded, but her mind wasn't fully there. She had faced Julian. She had told him what she needed to, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't enough to make the hurt go away. It wasn't enough to fix the trust that had been broken. And she wasn't sure she could ever let go of the anger, not completely.
"I don't know if I'm ready to forgive him," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know if I can."
"You don't have to forgive him," Damien said gently. "Not if you're not ready. But you do have to forgive yourself, Vivian. Holding onto that anger—it's not helping you. It's only hurting you more."
Vivian's heart ached at his words, but she couldn't bring herself to let go. Not yet. She needed time. She needed space to figure it out.
"I don't even know where to begin," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I don't know how to move on from this."
Damien's hand found hers, squeezing it gently. "You take it one step at a time. You don't have to figure it all out today, or tomorrow. Just take it slow. You don't have to do this alone."
Vivian looked up at him, her chest tight with emotion. "I don't want to keep hurting. I don't want this to define me anymore."
Damien smiled softly, his thumb brushing against her hand. "Then don't let it. You've already taken the hardest step. Now it's about moving forward, even when it's hard."
The words settled into her chest like a quiet promise. And for the first time in what felt like forever, she allowed herself to believe that maybe—just maybe—she could move on. Not because she had to, but because she deserved it. She deserved peace. She deserved happiness.
The storm that had been raging inside her was still there, but it was quieter now. It didn't feel as overwhelming. And for the first time in a long time, she realized that she had the power to calm it.
But the storm wasn't over. Not yet. There was still more to come. And Vivian knew that she would have to face whatever came next head-on, even if it terrified her.