Chapter 16
Julian sat alone at his dining table, a meal untouched in front of him. The clink of silver against china was replaced with silence. Across from him, the empty chair stared back like a ghost—one that wore Katherine’s face.
He had sent flowers.
Made calls.
Even tried to have her former clients brought back into Nash Group, hoping she’d take the bait.
But Katherine hadn’t responded. Not once.
Not even with a thank you.
And that silence was louder than any goodbye she’d ever spoken.
He picked up his phone, fingers hovering over her number. He thought about sending a message. Something simple. “Can we talk?”
But what would he say?
I’m sorry I didn’t see you until you were gone?
I thought you were using me, but it turns out I used you?
None of it felt like enough.
None of it would undo the night she had cried alone, broken and drugged, while he told her to call the police.
None of it could erase the way she had whispered his name in fear—and how he had still turned his back.
Julian leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling, haunted by memories of her soft voice, the way she used to quietly place his tie on the dresser, the way she smiled when he came home late just to be sure he’d eaten.
He hadn’t loved her the way she deserved.
He hadn’t even tried.
And now, she was the woman on everyone’s lips. The one leading campaigns, launching initiatives, commanding rooms he couldn’t enter without hearing her name.
Even Eloise, his sister—the same woman who once orchestrated Katherine’s worst night—had gone strangely quiet. She hadn’t shown her face at the office in weeks. Word was she was being investigated for internal misconduct.
Julian hadn’t lifted a finger to protect her.
For once, he let justice take its course.
But none of it made him feel better.
Because Katherine hadn’t stayed to see it. She hadn’t needed revenge.
She had just walked away.
And somehow, that hurt more than anything.
He rose from the table and walked toward the window, the city glowing beneath him. Somewhere out there, she was probably smiling. Laughing. Living.
Not with him.
Never again.
And the cruelest part?
She was finally happy.
Without him.