Chapter 744:

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He let out a faint, hollow laugh as he slowly loosened his grip. Her back pressed against the cold wall; there was no more space to retreat. His shoulders sagged, and he leaned his forehead gently against hers.

Katherine clung to that closeness like a thief guarding stolen time, but the air between them felt suffocating.

She thought of pushing him away, but when she looked up, she saw it—his eyes, red with emotion, and a tear sliding silently down his cheek. It broke against his skin and mixed with her own.

The ache in her chest dulled to a quiet, hollow pain. She brought her hands to his face, cradling it gently.

“Julian, I’ve given back everything I owed you. Let’s act like there was never anything between us.”

That single line broke everything.

Julian stared at her, and something inside him stopped moving. His hands slowly dropped, and he stepped away from her, inch by inch.

Katherine didn’t hesitate. She didn’t bother drying her tears. She turned and reached for the door.

“Katherine.” Julian’s voice came from behind her, raspy and stripped of warmth. “Make sure we never cross paths again.”

A small, weary smile touched her lips.

“I grew up in Bresa. There’s only so far I can run. But you don’t need to worry. Whatever was between us… it’s finished. Our paths won’t cross.”

𝘛h𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘵 rеа𝗱іոg e𝘅𝘱𝘦rie𝘯c𝘦 𝗼n 𝗴a𝗹𝗇о𝘃e𝘭𝗌.с𝘰𝘮

Julian remained in the room for a long while. He didn’t move. He simply stood there, staring through the frosted glass as snow drifted quietly outside.

Then the door creaked open behind him. Colten stepped in, framed by soft light, giving a polite knock.

Julian turned his head slightly, eyeing him from the side. They had never met face to face before.

But now, the small mole at the corner of Colten’s eye felt like a blade to Julian’s chest. He let out a low, scornful laugh.

“So, got the girl now. What, you came here to rub it in?”

Colten stayed composed but distant. He didn’t waste time.

“Aren’t you the least bit curious who I am?”

Julian let out a cold laugh.

“Another one of my father’s mistakes, a bastard. Why should it matter to me?”

Colten moved in, closing the space between them. They looked alike—uncannily alike—though Colten lacked Julian’s sharpness.

“We’re twins. If I’m the bastard child, then what does that make you?” he said with a dry chuckle.

Julian froze. A blurred memory flickered in his mind. From the time he was old enough to remember, he had never met his mother, but he remembered her name. It was burned into his mind like a brand.

She had been a Daxton too.

Colten watched him with a mixture of disgust and amusement.

“Did Laurence never mention it? Naturally not. He abandoned his wife to create an ideal life with his mistress. Why would he bother keeping track of how many children she had? You, Julian—you took the worst of what he had to offer. You take what you have for granted, and only when it slips away do you start to feel the weight of loss. You’re pathetic.”

Julian lunged forward and seized Colten by the collar. His voice cut like glass.

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