Chapter 240:

Julie’s POV

I let out a scoff of pure disbelief at his words. I began pacing the room, my hands moving in agitated gestures. "Robert is afraid of me? The man who kills in cold blood, the man everyone fears... he’s afraid of a confession of love? Max, you’ve got to be kidding me!"

Max stood up and placed his hands firmly on my shoulders to steady me. His voice was calm and resonant. "Julie, men like Robert don’t fear bullets or death. But they are terrified of emotions they cannot control. Your raw, devastating honesty has backed his heart into a corner it’s never visited before. He simply doesn’t know how to handle this kind of assault."

My heart hammered against my ribs. I lowered my head, my voice trembling. "But he hurt me... his words were so cutting. It was as if he was telling me my feelings were just a function my heart performs to satisfy his own."

Max lifted my chin, forcing me to look at him. "He’s floundering, Julie. He’s used to taking everything by force, but love can’t be taken; it must be given. And when you gave it so freely, so impulsively, you stripped him of the control he deifies."

I exhaled sharply and brushed his hands away. I headed for the door, my resolve hardening. "It doesn’t matter. I’ll let him have his control back then. From this day forward, I will treat him exactly as he treats me. He won’t hear the words ’I love you’ from me ever again."

I opened my bedroom door to find Axel jumping toward me excitedly, his tail wagging as if he sensed the storm in my chest. I stroked his head. "Come on, Axel. Robert is waiting for you."

I walked with Axel down the hallway toward Robert’s room. My heart was racing, but my face was as still as a frozen lake. I stood before his door no hesitation, no trembling. I gave two sharp, dry knocks, then pushed the door open and walked in.

Robert was lying back, focused on his tablet, but his eyes snapped to me the moment I entered. I didn’t smile. I didn’t run to him as I always did. Axel hopped onto the bed beside him to lick his hand, while I remained standing at the foot of the bed, my hands clasped behind my back in a formal stance.

He looked at me with confusion, unsettled by my sudden silence. "Julie... is something wrong?" he asked, his voice laced with bewilderment.

"You asked to see Axel," I replied, my voice void of emotion, as if I were speaking to a stranger. "Here he is." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

He tried to reach for my hand, which was close to him, but I pulled it back slowly and calmly before he could make contact, pretending to adjust my clothes. His eyes narrowed, a small crease forming between his brows as he watched my coldness. "What is with you?" he asked hoarsely. "Why are you standing so far away?"

I looked him straight in the eye, unflinching. "Nothing. I’m just a bit tired. I’ll leave you with him to rest now."

I turned to leave, but he barked my name with a tone of command, a desperate attempt to regain his grip. "Julie! We aren’t finished talking."

I stopped at the door and looked back over my shoulder, a faint, hollow smile on my lips that didn’t reach my eyes.

"Actually, Robert, the conversation ended the moment I understood my place. Goodnight."

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Robert’s POV

I watched her close the door, leaving with a coldness I had never seen in her before. A sudden pressure tightened in my chest one that had nothing to do with my bullet wound. I exhaled sharply and threw the tablet aside; it hit the bed with a heavy thud.

"Damn it!" I hissed, trying to shift my position. The movement sent a fresh wave of pain through my injured shoulder, and I ground my teeth until my jaw muscles throbbed. She’s definitely angry because I didn’t tell her I loved her.

I wiped cold sweat from my forehead, my hand shaking slightly with a mix of fury and confusion. Did I really have to deal with this problem now? Couldn’t she see I was shot? Is this what love is... leaving me here alone in the suffocating silence of this room?

I pressed down on my wound as if punishing my body for its helplessness. A bitter, cynical laugh escaped me as I looked at Axel.

Why was I angry? I closed my eyes tightly, but the image of her last look haunted the backs of my eyelids. That look killed me more than any enemy’s bullet ever could.

I leaned my head back against the pillow, exhausted. "Ah, Robert..." I whispered to myself in disbelief. "You never expected there would be a woman who would grow cold and run from you."

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Julie’s POV

The moment the door clicked shut, I leaned my back against the cold wall and closed my eyes, trying to stop the world from spinning. My chest was heaving, and my limbs were trembling a slight tremor I fought with everything I had. I pressed my hands against my thighs to steady the damn shaking.

"You did it, Julie..." I whispered to myself, my voice thick with emotion. I placed my hand over my racing heart. "There’s no turning back now."

It wasn’t easy. Every inch of my body was screaming at me, begging me to turn around, open that door, and throw myself into his arms. I wanted to smell his scent, to tell him I didn’t mean any of it and that I loved him no matter what he said. My hand almost reached for the doorknob of its own accord.

But in that exact moment, his voice echoed in my mind like a thunderclap. I remembered his cold tone, devoid of any appreciation for my feelings, as he said: "Didn’t you say it was enough that you loved me?"

My body stiffened instantly. A harsh chill flooded my limbs, freezing my emotions once more. My desire to hug him turned into blocks of ice. I wiped my face and stared into the void. He put me in that mold; he decided my love for him was "enough" of an excuse for his coldness.

Fine, Robert. I’ll show you exactly how ’sufficient’ my love can be.