Authors: Suzan Battah
Chapter Seventeen
The next day, Julia was waiting for Chris to pick her up just outside the Convention Centre. She had just attended the Miami Business Women’s Networking Luncheon and wanted to go home and sleep. She had given a speech about the importance of maintaining staff morale in the workplace, but all the while, her mind had been preoccupied by Chris’ declaration.
She was normally passionate about motivating other women leaders, but today she felt deflated and it showed. Being out of spirits was not in her and she knew she needed to pep herself up before Chris started to notice.
Julia recognized the Mercedes cr
uising down the road and stepping
closer to the curb, with a wave so he could see her. Chris pulled up swiftly in front of the entrance. A few of the other women hanging about waved excitedly over to him. Chris hopped out of the car to help her pack her things in the trunk. She climbed into the passenger seat, trying in vain to smile. Her mood wasn’t improving. Chris got in and looked over at her. She leaned over to kiss his cheek in greeting.
“Is something wrong?” he asked, brushing back a bit of her hair from her face.
She shook her head, looking out the window. As soon as the Augustine was finished, she would tell him she was struggling. They hadn’t spoken about Chris’ declaration and she was battling with regret, guilt, and exhaustion. He put the car in gear and they pulled into the traffic, heading for the Augustine.
“I’m tired,” she murmured, trying in vain to make light of her mood, but it didn’t work.
With them both feeling less than perky, it was a bit of a shock to walk into their private sanctuary at the penthouse to find Daniela Augustine lounging on their couch. Chris had never spoken to Julia about his stepmother. She had only heard the
rumors
circulating in the magazines.
“Chris, my love, you must choose your women more carefully. Where did that one come from? Really, find one with class. Why does she walk like that?”
Julia’s eyes widened. She was a little unsure on how she should take the insult. But the woman was obviously drunk, to the point of slurring her words.
“Shut up, Daniela!” Chris tensed. “Julia’s a better woman than you. What the hell are you doing here? Where’s Dylan?”
Julia couldn’t blame Chris for being furious. This woman must be the stepmother he had been discussing in that phone call. Daniela rose from the couch with a sneer lifting her full lips, and crossed her arms across her big fake breasts.
His stepmother was in her late thirties, still quite attractive in expensive jewels and designer clothes. She had a sharp angled haircut, stopping just below her ears.
Now Daniela sauntered over, looking Julia up and down as if she were some sort of pest. The strong smell of liquor nearly made Julia gag in reflex. Julia wrinkled her noise in distaste.
“Daniela, what are you doing here?” Chris snapped.
Julia covered her eyes as the other woman wobbled precariously on her three-inch heels, almost losing her balance. She glanced at Chris, his expression high with
color
and fury.
Daniela burped as she approached them, completely shattering the immaculate façade. Julia couldn’t help it. She burst into laughter, quickly tamping it down when Chris shot her a furious look.
“Just get out,” he muttered, pointing at the door.
“Don’t worry, Chris, your secret’s safe with me,” Daniela slurred, giving him a wink as she sashayed past.
Julia couldn’t believe it. As Daniela came closer, she could see the woman’s eyes were glazed and bloodshot. She turned a questioning brow at Chris. He looked like blue murder and his jaw started ticking in his own anger. Julia sobered in an instant, realizing how seriously upset Chris happened to be with Daniela there.
“Oh, by the way Dylan is sleeping in your bed. Thanks, darling, appreciate the help,” Daniela slurred. “He’s very tired while we’ve been out on the run.”
“You better not come back for him, Daniela, he’s staying with me. Get it!”
“No he’s not!” Daniela started screaming. “I’m… I’m going to make sure you never have him. Ever! I’ll come back and you’ll never know he’s gone. You’ll have to give me the money your father owes me first.”
“When hell freezes,” Chris growled.
From the bedroom, the young boy cried out because of their raised voices. Chris and Julia both turned, distracted. Daniela let out an almighty screech and threw herself at Chris, attacking him.
“Stop!” Julia tried to pull the woman off him. “Stop it!”
“Jules, move away before she hurts you.”
Daniela
pummeled
into him with her fists. She scratched at his face. She kicked viciously, but Chris didn’t lash back. He blocked Daniela’s heavy blows and eventually grabbed onto both her wrists to try and hold her still. The woman heaved, but didn’t relent. Julia’s heart squeezed painfully, she tried again to get the mad woman off Chris.
“Julia, call the police,” Chris ordered. “Now!”
That was all it took, his stepmother stilled. Chris released her wrists and she dropped to the floor with a groan.
“Get out. Don’t even try and take Dylan.” Chris wiggled his jaw, wincing a little.
Daniela smoothed back her hair, pulling her pointy heels off and standing up. Even bare foot, she wobbled a bit, but otherwise remained standing as she glared at Chris.
“You forget, Christophe,” Daniela sneered. “I have full custody of that child until the court says otherwise.”
“Mommy?” The young boy in question was standing at the bedroom door, all
disheveled
with wide eyes.
“Go back to bed, Dylan!” Daniela snapped without even glancing at her son.
“Hey, Dylan.” Chris smiled warmly, opening up his arms. “I’ve missed you, buddy.”
Dylan rushed over to Chris, throwing himself into his big brother’s arms. “Chris! Chris! Can I stay tonight?”
“You sure can, little man. This is Julia, she’s my friend.” Chris turned so that Dylan could look at Julia.
Julia smiled at the young boy. He had so much of Chris in him, his eyes especially. “Hello.”
“Hello.” Dylan smiled back, hugging Chris tighter.
Daniela didn’t even care at that point. She turned her back on them all and finally left. They were alone.
Chris licked his swollen lip, a spot of blood was dripping from the corner of his mouth.
“Maybe I should go?” Julia stepped back.
Chris paused, deep in thought for a moment before he answered. “Just give me a second,” he said over his shoulder.
He carried Dylan back into the bedroom. A few minutes later, he came out, leaving the door open so he could hear him if he called out during his sleep. Julia saw that Chris was worried about the young boy, so innocent in his mother’s impossible manipulations, who would need love and support.
Julia searched for a small bowl and filled it with warm water. She grabbed a small cloth from the bottom drawer in the kitchen and headed to where Chris was lying down on the couch. She knelt down beside him, dipping the cloth into the bowl before squeezing the excess water out. He leaned his head to the side as she gently bathed the cuts and bruises on his face. He stared at her, watching her every move as she washed the blood away.
He stopped her administrations, holding into her wrist. “I’m sorry.”
Julia put the cloth into the bowl with a disapproving frown. “Chris, don’t even say that.”
“You have to understand, Julia. My father is ill. He’s in his seventies and taking care of a little boy, well, he can’t manage.” Chris wasn’t able to look at her, as he added, “Daniela is careless. She spends my father’s money recklessly. She’s constantly drunk. Dylan is a priority for me. My father prefers him to stay with me. They’re going through divorce proceedings right now, so it’s rather messy.”
Julia sensed he was justifying his actions to her. She frowned. He didn’t need to do that. Of course Dylan would be a main priority. “I don’t know what to say. You don’t have to explain yourself,” she said softly.
“I’m fighting for full custody of my brother, Julia. You should know that. I should have told you.”
Julia wasn’t surprised, after everything that happened tonight. Chris shifted into a sitting position. She joined him on the couch, lying against him, offering the comfort he needed.
“She’s going to snatch him,” he snapped, bitterly. “She doesn’t even want him, but she’ll do it just to spite me.”
Julia tried to reassure him. “It’ll be alright.”
“You don’t understand, Julia. He’s a child. She can’t keep doing this to him.”
It was if he hadn’t heard her. Julia felt a twinge of regret. Chris thought she didn’t care or that she didn’t comprehend the gravity of the situation. She went to run her fingers through his hair, but Chris turned away from her touch. Julia swallowed, a small squeeze of her heart making her cringe on the inside. She wanted him to know she was there for him, make it absolutely clear.
“You may not believe it, but I understand what you’re feeling. You want Dylan to know he is always safe with you, always loved. He does, Chris. He does know.”
“That’s not the point.”
Dylan cried out again a few moments later. Chris jumped up to attend to him. Julia couldn’t stand seeing Chris hurting. She didn’t know how to get through to him. She was yawning when he finally came back out of the bedroom.
“I think it best I go home,” she murmured into the silence.
There was a tension between them that wasn’t there before. She waited for him to do or say something to stop her from leaving but when he didn’t, she picked up her bag and left.
Chapter Eighteen
The next week was hectic. They hardly got a chance to see each other. Sure enough, within a week of Daniela leaving Dylan in Chris’ care, she took off with him again. Chris had enrolled Dylan into a local
daycare
centre. Daniela had slyly signed him out of the centre and slipped away. Chris only found out when he arrived to pick his brother up. He was so furious the centre had released Dylan to Daniela, but couldn’t do much. So he stepped up his plans to ensure he gained full custody, preparing a petition to the courts.
All during that week, Julia tried to help Chris. Yet he wouldn’t open up. She felt left out, as if he didn’t trust her enough. While Chris was preoccupied with getting Dylan back, Julia was having trouble sleeping again and needed to take some pills to help her. She couldn’t tell him she needed help, not when he was going through a hard time himself. She just couldn’t admit it, even to herself.
On the day before Cole and
Andreena’s
wedding, Julia made sure everything was ready. Hair and make-up sessions had been set up and the flowers had been delivered, so all was working to plan. She was worrying over Chris, Dylan, the wedding, and everything else that kept popping into her head.
She turned into bed very early that night, taking only one sleeping pill to help her relax. They were spending the night at her place, as they had to get to
Andreena’s
house early in the morning.
Chris was already deep in sleep, exhausted from the rush of events, especially now that he was processing the documents as evidence for the custody case. He had spent half the day arguing about the Augustine with Julia and then most of the rest of the day talking with lawyers about Dylan. He only shifted when she climbed under the covers.
She sighed, thankful for the medication allowing her to sleep. After spending most of the day arguing with both Ben and Chris over the Augustine renovations and dealing with
Andreena’s
nerves for the big day, she deserved complete uninterrupted sleep. But probably because of all the emotional upset of the past week with Dylan and Daniela, the celebration for Carlos, and Chris’ confession of love, her mind just kept going around and around.
Even when she’d ruthlessly banned all those thoughts from her thoughts, Julia still stirred. Something was niggling at the back of her mind. She couldn’t relax into sleep. Exhaustion and the pill made her shut her eyes again and will herself to sleep. But that nagging thought kept ringing through her tired brain. She knew she had forgotten something, so she couldn’t settle.
When she stirred, Chris pulled her closer toward him, a hand resting on her hip. In an instant, she was awake, sitting up straight. The mirror to the side of her bed reflected her confusion, her long hair a complete tangle, eyes wide open. Her heart was palpitating fast. She knocked Chris awake when her elbow connected with his stomach.
“Dinner!” she cried out. “Mama invited us to dinner.”
“What’s going on?” Chris muttered. He was rubbing his stomach and fell back on the bed, covering his eyes.
“Get up and get dressed.” She jumped out of bed, heading straight for her closet. She rummaged through to find something nice to wear. Her head was spinning, blood pumping full of adrenaline.
It was already seven-thirty, but hopefully they could still arrive on time without being hassled as to why they were late. She didn’t want her mother to think she had forgotten, even though she had. Julia pulled his covers back, and finally he climbed out of bed stretching.
She held up her hands in dismay. “Mama invited us to dinner. I forgot. Oh, God, we’ll never make it!” She was rushing about looking for something to wear as she explained to Chris.
“I’m going to have a shower. I’m still half-asleep,” he said, heading for the bathroom. “I’m sure we’ll get there.”
Julia pounced on him, both hands on his bare chest. “No, we don’t have time. We have to leave now. Quick, just put some clothes on. Quick, quick. Please, Christophe, they’ll think I’m hiding something, or, ah… I don’t know. It’s just dinner and I can’t believe I forgot.”
His mouth dropped open. She was jumping about while putting on some clothes. He wanted to laugh, she could tell. “Relax, sweetheart, call your mom and tell her we’re running late, but we’re on our way. I’m going to shave,” he snapped, heading for the bathroom again.
“No! Put some clothes on and let’s go.” She went through her closet, finding a nice shirt and pants for him to wear. She threw them in his general direction, without looking behind her to see if he caught them. His clothes fell on the floor in a pile.
He went to scoop them up before they got wrinkled. Then he frowned, his temper being tested. “There is no way I’m walking into your mother’s place unshaven. You know how I feel about that,” he growled. “I’ll be ready in five minutes, or you can leave without me. Besides, I don’t think your mother would have planned a dinner tonight, not with the wedding on tomorrow. Are you sure?”
“You don’t want to come? My boyfriend doesn’t want to see my mother?” She rubbed her head again, as her eyes were going in and out of focus. She felt exhausted.
He paused at the bathroom door with a shake of his head. “Jules, what’s wrong with you? I’m going to call your mother.”
“I’m fine. Please, Chris, get ready.”
He approached her, tilting her chin to look up at him. “The wedding’s tomorrow, Julia. Your mother wouldn’t have organized a dinner tonight.”
“No, you don’t understand. There is no time. I don’t have time. Please, when you’re ready, we’ll go. Don’t shave. I love that unshaven look.” She pulled on her top over her head, deciding to wait for him in the car.
Julia felt like she was going crazy. A thousand thoughts were running through her brain: work, dancing, the wedding, her mother, Carlos, Chris. It was all too much. Possibly, the medication had turned her into this monster, but she thought it was just everything coming together right now. She couldn’t tell him that she was having too much stress. The Augustine renovations were really important to him. He trusted her that everything would be completed on schedule. Yet these days she was always grumpy and Chris was beginning to notice her moods.
Julia was sitting in the passenger seat, fidgeting and thinking about what needed to be done. She didn’t notice Chris coming out of the house. She got a fright when he tapped on the car window, still in his boxer shorts with a rather annoyed expression on his face.
“What?” she demanded as she wound the window down.
“I just spoke to your mother. We’re not having dinner tonight, the wedding is tomorrow.”
There was a moment of silence, her face heated up with embarrassment. Chris frowned, indicating for her to get out of the car. She sighed, unbuckling her seatbelt and getting out, wondering how to explain it.
“You haven’t been yourself lately,” Chris said. “What’s going on, Julia? I know I’ve been distant lately, with everything that’s going on but… are you okay, baby?”
She laughed a little too hysterically and stopped abruptly when Chris raised a brow at her, his jaw tense. “I’m fine. So I made a mistake. Sorry. Come on, I’m glad we’re not going to dinner, I’m exhausted anyway.”
They walked back into the house straight to her bedroom. Chris looking at her with an odd expression she couldn’t read.
He grabbed her arm to stop her from going into the bathroom. “Tell me what’s going on, Julia?”
“I’m fine, really,” she said weakly, trying to pull free. “Can’t I go to the bathroom?”
There was a tense moment as he looked down into her face. She thought he might see the truth in her eyes. Reluctantly, he let her go, to her relief.
“I won’t be long. Go back to bed.” She shut the door gently, letting out a relieved sigh. Then she switched the faucet on to let the water run, scooping up some cold water to wash her face. All through her mind, she couldn’t stop thinking of how much she needed to get done.
***
The next day, as expected, was busy. She was woken roughly from her deep sleep at 6.30.
“Baby, we’re going to be late.” Chris had to force her to get up, with a couple of shakes before she grudgingly sat up and headed for the shower.
Chris dropped Julia off at
Andreena’s
house and headed straight for the Augustine to check messages and get ready for the wedding.
“I’ll see you at the ceremony.” He kissed her cheek, before she got out of the car.
No immediate issues arose. Hair, make-up, and photographers showed up at the house right on time. Julia was grateful that everything was running smoothly. She already had an awful headache. She would be no help if needed.
On arrival, the flowers were flawlessly crisp and fresh with sweet scent. Shoes didn’t go missing, and the dress slid on, fitting close to
Andreena’s
curvy body. Her friend looked beautiful, and Julia was happy for her. Chris stood next to her mother and family during the ceremony. She couldn’t help but keep looking his way. He looked gorgeous in his formal black tie.
The transitions from the ceremony to photographing to the reception went by in a blur. She couldn’t even remember how she got to the reception. With all the details dealt with, Julia hoped she could now relax and enjoy the party and catch up with Chris. Unfortunately, it didn’t work like that. Every time they tried to get close together, someone desired Chris’ attention. Almost everyone wanted to talk to him. Most of her family were meeting him for the first time and she had a large extended group to deal with.
Chris approached the table she was sitting at. “Everything okay?”
Julia was not paying attention at first and looked back at him blankly. A loud buzzing noise started to ring loudly in her head and when she realized it was the sound speakers being tested, she started to giggle a little uncontrollably.
“Jules?” He was looking at her, his brow creased with worry, he rubbed her shoulder to get her attention.
“Chris! Chris!” Another friend of the family called him over as if they were old buddies.
“It’s okay, Chris, go and meet everyone. Come and grab me for a dance later.” Julia squeezed his hand, hoping he wouldn’t notice the slight tremor.
Julia and Chris were swept away from each other every time they tried to get close. Friends and family would come up to them all the time to chat about the bride and groom. A lot of the male guests were keen to meet Chris and talk about sports and cars. They all knew he owned a couple of race cars, and every time he tried to get away, someone else grabbed his arm and started talking about engines.
Over two hundred people had been invited to celebrate Cole and
Andreena’s
beginning of a new life together. So though she felt like curling into a ball and falling asleep, she kept up a good front and a bright smile. She watched Chris being ushered from table to table to say hello. Luckily, no one suggested she introduce him to her extended family. In truth, she was so tired, she had taken some pills to keep her awake. She was just glad Chris wa
s occupied for the moment and
she sat back and tried to relax, determined to see him late
r
. She requested some ice cold water from a waiter, but nothing would take away the painful swimming of her head. Dimly, she realized that something wasn’t right.
The flash of the cameras only made things worse. Julia’s head was spinning and continued on a spiral. Her eyes kept going in and out of focus, but she managed to get through the wedding without breaking down.
The first signs that she felt something definitely wasn’t right was when her hands started to tremble. Every time she touched something, she shook uncontrollably. She couldn’t manage to do the simplest things, and through the heat of her skin, she felt a prick of uncertainty. Her tremors began to get worse. Attempting to calm herself down with deep breaths didn’t help. She lost sight of Chris in the buzz of the reception. Her family were not willing to let him go so easily. Julia didn’t mind, but she had hoped he would have come back already.
There in the banquet hall, energetic music was pumping loudly. Her head felt like it was splitting in two. Many of the guests began to dance. Through the pain and confusion, she had one thought: Where is Chris?
Hours seemed to pass and the night was nearly at a close. A few ballads came on for couples to take advantage of.
Finally, as she was sitting at the raised wedding table, she thought she spotted Chris. He was standing near the stairs leading down to the restaurant. She tried
signaling
at him to get his attention, but when that didn’t work, she started to rise, seeing her chance to get away.
Andreena
was relaxed and past the major drama of the night, so Julia thought it safe to take a breather. But before she could even move,
Andreena
grabbed her hand.
“Where are you going?”
Andreena
asked, leaning back in her chair.
Julia hovered by her seat. “I’m going out onto the terrace for some fresh air. Do you need something?”