a lot of pain.”
Her tears…
Oh God, she had a miscarriage.
She must have.
The realisation had Julian covering his face with his hands. He mumbled, “She must have. Fuck! I said some shit that I can’t take back.” He dropped his hands and gazed at his brother. His vision blurred by his unshed tears. “I have to go talk to her. I have to apologise. I have to tell her that I didn’t mean it.”
Before Julian could even leap off the stool, Rob’s hands were on his arms, caging him. “If she tells you she had an abortion, then you can’t be mad at her. It was her decision, Julian. It was her body. You can’t say you’re emotionally attached to something that wasn’t really yours. You only knew of the baby. She would have felt it inside of her. She was alone in this, and you would have made her feel a lot worse. So answer this. That baby that doesn’t exist or your Stephanie? Choose. You can’t have both.”
“Stephanie,” he answered without hesitation. “She’s my all-in, and I gave her and everything away. I need her to forgive me.”
“Then you better pray to God that you’re not too late,” Rob stated before he took a step back and allowed Julian to get off the barstool.
Don’t let me be too late.
“Stephanie!”
His fists connected against her door.
“Stephanie, please!” he begged and let his fists pound once more.
Still no reply.
“Goddammit, Blondie! Open this door, please. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Let me explain. Talk to me. Please. Please!” he cried.
Suddenly, he heard the flick of a switch and light seeped through the gaps the door had made. It had only taken him ten minutes to drive to her apartment. And by the time he had reached her floor, it was just after nine p.m. The unchaining of the deadbolt had him straightening; his heart beat uncontrollably. He’d beg and cry. Beg and plead. He’d do anything to win back her trust.
When the door opened wide, his heart dipped and his stomach recoiled. “Ally?” he breathed out, confused.
“Julian? Why are you screaming Stevie’s name?” Ally yawned and then scratched her head.
“What… what are you doing in Stevie’s apartment?”
Her brows furrowed. “I live here when I’m back in Melbourne. You woke me up. I just got back from New York and decided to come visit Stevie. Wait. I thought she was… She’s not with you?”
Julian shook his head. “No. Do you know where she is?”
It was Ally’s turn to shake her head. “Come in. We’ll find her. Have you tried calling Clara? She might know?”
He quickly dug his phone out of his pocket once he entered the apartment. Julian then went into his contacts and pressed on Stephanie’s number. When he brought the speaker to his ear, he heard the disconnection beeps. He tried—once, twice, three times—and was met with the same tones. With a heavy exhale, he scrolled until he came across Clara’s name and then dialled her number. It took seconds for her to pick up.
“Julian, seriously, can’t you give it a break? I’m on my honeymoon, remember? Now’s not the best ti—Oh! Noel! Cut that out,” Clara told off.
“I don’t give two fucks that you’re probably in the middle of screwing your husband. I need you to tell me whether you’ve heard from Stephanie?” he asked.
“What do you mean? Is she okay?” The concern hitched in Clara’s voice.
“Have you heard from her?”
“No. Not since the call from the other day. Julian, what is going on?” Clara asked with more forcefulness in her voice.
Julian had sighed before he asked in a small, tight voice, “Clara, did she have an abortion?”
Clara fell silent, and Julian heard Ally’s gasp.
“No,” Clara finally answered. “She miscarried, Julian. And she feels a lot of guilt and still grieves over it. I saw it. It still hurts her.”
“I’m a fucking asshole,” he breathed.
“You didn’t?”
Julian nodded, knowing that she couldn’t see. “I did. Where do you think she’s gone to?”
Clara let out a heavy sigh. “You should leave her alone for a while. If you did what I think you did, then I don’t want you near her. She’ll come back when she’s ready.”
His heart sank and Julian dropped to his knees. “She’d go to him?”
“The way she spoke of him, she had a lot of love in her voice, Julian. She told me that he saved her life. Ask Jarred if he knows where Stevie’s gone. But I think maybe this time she doesn’t want to be found. Maybe