Chapter 247: Missed him
Amara watched him. She had her hands folded in her lap, and her posture was still, composed, the way it always was when she was gauging how something would land.
Then she uncrossed her legs and leaned forward slightly.
"Listen," she said, and her voice dropped just a little, not low enough to be a confession, but low enough to mean she was being serious.
"I didn’t mean to hide it. I swear to you, Julian, that was never the intention." She held his gaze.
"I just. I needed to get through this. Deal with this problem properly, on my own terms. And now especially..." She paused, and something passed over her face. Something quieter than everything else that had been sitting in the room.
"Now I’ll use it if I have to. If he ever tries to take our baby from me. I’ll burn everything down with it if I have to."
The last words came out steady. Not dramatic. Just true.
Julian looked at her for a long moment. The kind of look that doesn’t need a response right away. Then he reached over and put his hand over hers, easy, unhurried, like everything else he did.
"No one," he said, quietly and firmly, "is taking our baby."
She held his gaze.
"And I don’t hold that against you," he continued. "The company, the shares, any of it. I don’t." He tilted his head slightly. "Honestly, I can’t."
"Why can’t you?" she asked.
Julian sat back. He was quiet for a second... just a second, and in that second something changed in his face. The ease was still there, but it moved aside just enough to let something else through. Something he had clearly been carrying for a while without putting down.
"Because," he said slowly, "I’ve been keeping secrets too."
The room went still. Amara stared at him.
"I’m sorry..." she started.
"Secrets." He said it again, plainly, like he was confirming it to himself as much as to her.
"Julian." Her voice was different now. The composure was still there, but it had a crack in it, thin, barely visible, but there. Her eyes searched his face. "What do you mean you’ve been keeping secrets?"
He looked at her directly. Didn’t look away, didn’t soften it, didn’t reach for an easier version of what he had just said.
But he also didn’t answer. Not yet.
The silence between them stretched out, not cold, not hostile, but full. The kind of silence that only exists between two people who know each other well enough to know that whatever comes next is going to matter.
Amara sat very still. Waiting. Julian let out a slow breath and leaned back against the couch.
"Yeah. I was attacking Seb’s companies abroad too," he admitted.
Amara blinked at him.
"You were what?" Julian rubbed the back of his neck.
"I didn’t like the fact that he kept forcing his way into our lives. Into our business. Every time I turned around, he was there."
His jaw tightened slightly.
"I wanted to handle it like a man, Amara. Fair and square. I wanted him to understand that he had already lost you. That you chose me. That our family was his to stay away from."
His eyes darkened. "But he just kept coming back." For a moment, silence settled between them.
Then something suddenly clicked in Amara’s head. Her eyes widened. "Wait." She sat up straighter.
"Don’t tell me..." Julian immediately looked guilty. Amara pointed at him.
"You are Elav?" Julian coughed. Amara stared. Then stared some more.
"The Elav?" Julian slowly nodded.
"The famous hacker?"
Another nod. Amara’s mouth fell open. "No." Julian smiled.
"Yes."
"No way." Amara shook her head in complete disbelief. She looked at him from head to toe as if she had never seen him before.
"Not in a million years would I have guessed that an innocent, kind face was hiding one of the most famous hackers in the world."
A laugh escaped her. Julian’s smile softened immediately. He loved hearing that sound.
"I don’t know if I should be offended or complimented."
"You should be shocked."
"I am shocked." Amara laughed again. The sound filled the room, warm and beautiful. Julian simply stared at her.
His eyes lingered on her face. On the smile he had missed so much. The smile that had become rare over the past few months.
"What?" Amara asked when she noticed him staring. Julian shook his head.
"Nothing."
"Julian."
A small smile appeared on his lips. "I just like seeing you smile." His voice grew quieter.
"You look extremely beautiful when you do." Amara felt her cheeks warm. For a second, she looked away. Then she laughed softly.
"Wow."
"What?"
"You kept that from me."
Julian winced dramatically.
"Here we go."
"No, seriously." Amara poked his chest. "My husband is Elav. Do you know how crazy that sounds?"
Julian chuckled. Amara still looked amazed. "You’re a genius."
"I prefer handsome genius." She rolled her eyes. "With skills like yours, you should start a tech company."
Julian lifted his shoulders.
"Actually, I do have a Tech company." Amara shook her head again.
"I still can’t believe this."
"Well..." Julian said proudly. "I don’t like bragging, but if I had known it would make you smile this much, I would have told you sooner." That earned him a pillow thrown directly at his face. He laughed. The sound was genuine. Free.
For the first time in weeks, maybe months, the heaviness between them seemed to lift.
The tension that had followed them everywhere was slowly fading away. Life had been hard lately. Too many secrets.
Too many problems. Too many people are trying to pull them apart. Both of them had been carrying their own burdens. Fighting their own battles.
Trying to protect each other while quietly falling apart. But right now... They were simply husband and wife again. Julian moved closer.
This time, Amara didn’t pull away. He wrapped an arm around her waist and gently pulled her against him.
She rested her head on his shoulder. The familiar comfort made her chest ache. Because she had missed this.
Missed him. Missed them. Julian lowered his head and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
