I Raised My Husband's Love Child...Then He Shot Me

Chapter 37

I yanked my hand free and walked away, not looking back.

Behind me, her voice cracked with hysteria, ringing through the café. "You think you've won? Jonathan will never let you go! You'll never find peace for the rest of your life!"

The glass door closed with a soft click, cutting her voice off completely.

The sunlight outside was blinding. I squinted, pulling out my phone. A message from Julian popped up. [Done talking? I'm at the bookstore on the corner.]

I glanced back at the café one last time.

Through the glass, Wendy was still kneeling, her shoulders trembling violently. I couldn't tell if she was genuinely crying or just putting on a show.

That ###Chapter of my life was over.

The day after our divorce cooling-off period ended, Julian asked me to walk with him by the sea.

The gentle waves washed over the sand before receding, leaving a damp trail behind.

Julian stood at the water's edge, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, bending down like he was looking for something in the sand.

Pax was nearby, squatting, head tilted, watching him as its tail traced fan-shaped patterns in the sand.

"Daphne!" Julian suddenly straightened up and waved. "Look what I found!"

I walked barefoot toward him, the cool seawater brushing over my ankles.

He opened his palm, revealing a smooth, round, blue-grey pebble, polished and shining under the sun.

"Doesn't it look like the ones we used to pick up by the river when we were kids?" he asked with a smile, his eyes sparkling in the fading light.

I took the stone from him, my fingers brushing against the thin calluses on his palm.

When we were eight, Julian had dragged me to the riverbank after a rainstorm to look for the prettiest stones. He said we'd keep them as family heirlooms.

We'd ended up covered in mud like little stray cats and got scolded all the way home.

"You said those stones were dragon eggs," I laughed. "You told me they'd hatch and protect me."

Julian scratched the back of his head, his ears turning red. "I just wanted a reason to protect you forever."

Pax suddenly pounced on me, muddy paws leaving prints all over my dress.

Julian bent down to wipe them off, but the playful cat knocked him over, sending him tumbling into the shallow water.

We both burst out laughing at how ridiculous we looked.

As the tide rose, Julian held my hand and led me back to the dry sand.

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small tin box, tossing it onto the sand. The rusty lid still had a faded cartoon sticker on it.

"Remember this?" he asked, opening it gently. Inside were a few yellowed glass marbles, a crumpled candy wrapper, and a pencil stub.

I picked up the candy wrapper, surprised. "This is that orange candy from our elementary school!"

"You always gave me half," Julian said, his fingers brushing the pencil stub, where the word "Daphne" was carved in childish handwriting. "That was the first time you taught me how to write your name."

"Julian," I said softly, holding one of the marbles. "Why do you care so much about me?"

"Because from the first time I saw you when I was six, I knew—" His voice dropped lower, softer than the sea breeze. "I knew I wanted to protect you."

"I like you, Daphne."

Pax had run off somewhere, chasing seaweed washed up by the tide.

Julian took a deep breath, then knelt down in the fine sand, but it wasn't a proposal. He was looking me in the eye.

"I know you don't believe in forever and hate being tied down," he said, his voice steady.

"So I'm not promising forever. But right now, I want the world to know... I'm Daphne Lancaster's boyfriend."

The sea breeze suddenly softened, and all I could hear was the frantic beating of my own heart.