Leaving You Bereft (Willow and Julian) novel Chapter 150

Julian immediately stiffened,

Alicia’s gentle, drawn–out cries from behind gradually broke through Julian’s defenses as she said, “It’s so lonely living in Grandsburg, Julian. I see nothing but the sky and that one church from the hospital balcony.

“I would lie in bed every day and hear the pigeons flying by; my signal that morning had arrived. I could also deduce that it is nightfall once they return to their dwelling at the church. It was a cycle that repeated endlessly, month after weary month, year after desolate year.

“In the past, I could still look forward to your visits every month. I would collect all my thoughts and stories for an entire month, just to share them with you. It brought me so much joy back then, even though I knew you were always thinking about work, thinking about Nebula Group’s future. I chose to accept that then. You eventually stopped visiting me, though, just because your wife didn’t like it.

“Catherine’s already dead, Julian! If they still can’t find a kidney donor for me, I probably won’t last much longer either. I don’t want to die alone in Grandsburg, Julian. I want to stay in Brindley. I can’t stand waking up every day to the sound of pigeons flapping their wings anymore. It’s driving me insane! I don’t want to face death alone, Julian. I’m begging you please let me stay.”

Julian’s resolve faltered after hearing the woman he once loved in his youth plead with such desperation. He turned around and lowered his gaze to Alicia. She had a white bandage covering her forehead, with the blue and white hospital gown hanging loosely off her slender shoulder, emphasizing her delicate and sickly appearance as tears flowed freely down her face.

Julian couldn’t help but feel a wave of emotion wash over him as he recalled his history with Alicia. He remained silent for quite a while before murmuring, “It’s already over between us, Alicia. It has been so many years now, and time has changed us irrevocably.”

Upon hearing that, Alicia’s eyes fluttered shut, a tear slipping down her cheek. Her lips trembled as she murmured, “I know.”

Yet, what she knew with even greater certainty was that Julian had finally conceded, allowing her to stay in Brindley.

It was 4:00 am when the Burkes arrived at the hospital. Their family reunion was, understandably, a bittersweet occasion.

Julian saw to all the arrangements and then quietly slipped away.

It was around 5:00 am when Julian arrived at Willow’s studio apartment. He pushed the door open only to find a faint sliver of light piercing the darkness and no one inside–Willow wasn’t there.

He then walked into the kitchen and noticed that the kettle had recently been used, and a can of beer was missing from the fridge. It seemed that Willow had recently returned here.

He then went up to the rooftop of the apartment and found that dawn had already begun to break, casting a pale, whitish hue across the eastern horizon, edged with the delicate colors of dawn. He noticed the deserted rooftop, with only a flattened beer can lying discarded in a corner.

It was then that the sound of a message notification rang. Julian took out his phone and noticed that it was a WhatsApp message from Caleb, stating, “Hey, Julian. I’m off to drop Ms. Harper at her family’s place. You clearly didn’t appreciate her, so I’ll gladly step up. Your ex barely has any flesh on her, though. What’s up with your tastes?”

His messages were also punctuated with a sly grin emoji after every sentence, making one feel extremely infuriated.

Julian stared at the messages several times, growing increasingly rritated. He had been the one who sent Caleb over to Willow, who had now become his constant source of annoyance.

Julian was convinced that Willow had gone to Yarrowmere. He immediately reached out to Esther and asked her to arrange for a private plane to fly out to Yarrowmere the first thing in the morning. Having ended the call, he returned to the apartment. It felt

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Chapter 150

cold and abandoned, the dark couch still echoing with the memory of their last intimate entanglement.

+25 BONUS

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