Juliette’s steps came to an abrupt halt when her arm was caught by Tamara’s slender hand. She took a deep breath and slowly turned around. Her eyes met Tamara’s, which were filled with worry and hurt. Juliette knew her actions had caused Tamara-her friend-to feel this way. After all, Tamara was her closest friend, and she had never hidden anything from her. But what she was experiencing now was not as simple as it seemed. Many people were hurt because of her.
“Tamara…”
“Julie, I know I may not be able to help you, but please, don’t act like this. I’m worried about you. Tell me what’s going on. Let’s find a solution together.”
Slowly, Juliette’s vision blurred. She desperately wanted to cry and reveal everything she had experienced and felt to Tamara. Juliette couldn’t bear to hold all these tumultuous feelings alone. Still, she loved Tamara too much to let her suffer. Not wanting to end up like Henry, Juliette chose to keep her mouth shut and hurt Tamara’s feelings instead. That seemed better than having to see Tamara in pain. “Julie is that person… whoever he is…”
“You didn’t see anything, Tamara! And everything you heard… it’s all a misunderstanding! I-I was just watching a porn site!”
Tamara furrowed her brow at the absurd excuse. “Do you think you can fool me, Julie? I saw that masked man enter your room!”
“You-”
“I was walking to your room with medicine in my hand, but as I turned the corner, I saw that masked man enter your room. Not long after, I walked closer and heard everything before I turned around and left. I didn’t even go back to the dining room and chose to hide in my room because I was worried about you. Juliette, don’t cover it all up. Please, tell me the truth. I don’t want you to bear this alone. Let me help lighten your burden.” Tamara reached for both of Juliette’s hands and held them tightly. Her eyes were filled with a pleading gaze.
At first, Juliette felt tempted to share everything bottled up in her heart. She could go insane if she had to feel all these emotions continuously-fear, terror, sadness, regret-all of these feelings made it hard for her to move forward. But this time, Juliette didn’t want to be selfish. Henry had suffered enough. Daisy had suffered enough; other people had suffered enough. Juliette chose to go through this alone if no one else was hurt.
She shook her head and pulled her hands from Tamara’s grip. Instantly, disappointment washed over Tamara’s face, and slowly, her hands fell limply to her sides. A single tear rolled down Tamara’s cheek, and Juliette desperately wanted to comfort her friend, but she couldn’t. “You’re overreacting, Tamara. I’ve told you-”
“What’s going on? Julie? Tamara?” Suddenly, Leo’s deep voice interrupted their conversation. Juliette quickly shut her mouth and turned to face Leo. She offered a reassuring smile to her boyfriend, but unlike her, Tamara looked at Leo with eyes full of sadness.
Juliette opened her mouth to answer Leo’s question, but Tamara said, “Do you know, Leo? Do you know what your girlfriend is going through?” Tamara asked sharply.
“Tamara? What do you mean?”
Juliette tried to cover Tamara’s mouth, but before she could do so, Tamara stepped away from her and said, “Juliette is in danger. She’s being threatened by someone.”
“What do you mean?” Tamara bit her lower lip and glanced at Juliette, who gave her a sharp glare.
“Tamara? Tell me!” Leo then looked at Juliette with a worried expression. “Juliette? Honey? What does Tamara mean? Threatened? What threat?”
“I…”
“There’s someone obsessed with her,” Tamara said quickly. Tamara thought her words were just fabrications, but Juliette knew the truth. Tamara’s words were indeed correct. A psychopath was obsessed with her.
“Juliette? Is that true?”
“No! That’s not true! I-”
“We have to report this to the police!” Tamara said, filled with worry. Leo nodded in agreement and took his phone out of his pocket, but Juliette quickly snatched the phone from his hands and shook her head vigorously.
“Julie?”
“No! Tamara is lying! I’m not going through any of that! No one is obsessed with me!”
“But why-”
“Tamara is lying!” Juliette snapped, then shot a blaming look at Tamara, who looked deeply hurt by Juliette’s treatment.
“Tamara?”
Tamara shook her head. “I can’t provide the details of what happened, but one thing is certain, Leo. I’m not lying.”
Leo sighed softly and turned to the Henry family. “We’ll talk later. You-” Leo pointed at Juliette. “And you-” Then he pointed at Tamara.
“Don’t anyone leave this place? Understood?” After saying that, Leo turned and walked toward the Henry family, who spoke with the mourners. The funeral service had just ended, and Leo needed to offer full support to the family of the late Henry.
After Leo left, Juliette shot a sharp look at Tamara. She grabbed the woman’s arm, squeezing it tightly until Tamara winced in pain. “I told you everything you saw and heard is wrong. Why are you so stubborn? Do you enjoy lying, Tamara? Shut your mouth, and don’t interfere in my business!” Then Juliette jerked her hand away and walked off, leaving Tamara looking wounded.
Juliette closed her eyes and whispered, “I’m sorry, Tamara. I’m doing all this because I care about you. It would be best if you didn’t get hurt. It would be best if you weren’t on that psychopath’s radar. It’s better if you hate me as long as you stay safe.”
She shut her eyes briefly to calm her troubled heart before reopening them. She turned to look at Tamara, who was still standing where she had left her, but Juliette’s breath caught in her throat when she saw someone standing not far from Tamara. The man stared at her so intensely that it made Juliette shiver in fear.
Dion.
.
.
The following day, when Juliette entered the dining room for breakfast, dressed neatly and ready for work, she was startled by the sight of Tamara. The woman appeared to be having a serious conversation with Robbin. Robbin’s brow was furrowed as he listened to whatever Tamara was explaining. Juliette felt her heart race. Where were the other De Lavigne family members? Why were only Robbin and Tamara present? How could Tamara have come to the De Lavigne residence so early?
Juliette felt her heart racing. She didn’t want Tamara to open her mouth again in front of Robbin. Yesterday, Juliette managed to deceive Leo, but Robbin was different from her boyfriend. Her stepbrother wouldn’t easily believe her, especially since a witness saw her. Juliette tried to calm herself; perhaps her suspicions were wrong. Maybe Tamara came to apologize to her, even though Juliette should have been apologizing. Yes, maybe that was the reason her friend was there.
Juliette adjusted her expression to be cheerful and entered the dining room. She greeted everyone with a cheerful “Good morning,” which made both Tamara and Robbin turn to look at her. “I didn’t know you were coming, Tamara. You should have told me.”
Tamara smiled and sipped the coffee before her, then returned Juliette’s greeting. “I came here to say goodbye to you.”
“Tamara…”
“I have to go back to Colorado today. My mom called and asked me to come home immediately because there’s something important. I’m sorry for my behaviour yesterday, Juliette.” Tamara gave Juliette a sad expression, but it was only for a moment before that sadness was replaced with a smile. “I realized I went too far yesterday. I should have recognized your feelings. I’m sorry, Julie.”
Instantly, Juliette’s face changed to one of regret and sorrow. “No, Tamara. I should be the one apologizing.” Juliette walked over to Tamara and sat beside her. This time, her hand gently clasped Tamara’s hand. After their argument yesterday, Juliette realized how precious Tamara was in her life.
“I’m the one who should apologise for my excessive behaviour yesterday.” Juliette pulled Tamara into a warm embrace and whispered, “Please forget everything. I don’t want you to get hurt.” Then, Juliette pulled back and smiled at Tamara.
A soft clearing of the throat was heard, and both women immediately turned to the source of the sound. Robbin sighed softly, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “I feel a bit left out here.” Juliette chuckled softly at Robbin’s remark and stood up, then briefly hugged her stepbrother before returning to her seat to start breakfast.
“Should I be jealous because you love Tamara more than me, little sister?” Robbin asked with a wide grin.
Juliette rolled her eyes at Robbin and thanked the waiter who placed chamomile tea in front of her. “I’m not little, Robby. I’m a grown woman now. Stop with that nickname.” Robbin laughed at Juliette’s words. “What?”
“You’re still my little sister. A six-year-old girl whose chatter can outdo Aunt Mona.” Juliette only huffed softly and chose to eat her breakfast.
A long silence fell between them. Juliette was curious about the conversation between Robbin and Tamara before she entered the dining room. Occasionally, she glanced at Tamara and noticed the woman sitting uncomfortably. Eventually, curiosity overtook Juliette. She set her cutlery on the table and looked at the two people in the dining room. “So, what were you two talking about before I came in?”
Tamara lifted her head and stared at Juliette with wide eyes. Juliette was puzzled by Tamara’s reaction, but her confusion grew when Robbin answered, “Nothing. Just the usual stuff.”
“The usual stuff?” Juliette repeated.
Robbin nodded briefly. With a calm posture and a flat expression, he said, “Tamara said she likes me.” Juliette blinked in shock. Robbin said it as if it were an ordinary matter as if he were commenting on the weather when it was significant for Tamara.
“WHAT?” Juliette exclaimed, then looked at Tamara in disbelief. But seeing Tamara’s nervous expression and face flushed with embarrassment, Juliette couldn’t help but believe Robbin’s words. “Why… why are you so calm, Robby?” Juliette asked, curious.
“Um… Julie, that’s not important. I-”
“I will support you both if you become a couple.” A broad smile spread across Juliette’s face. “We can double date. I think that’s not a bad idea. So what’s your answer, Robby?”
Juliette was slightly taken aback by the darkening expression on Robbin’s face, though only briefly before he chuckled softly. “I don’t have any feelings for her. Your friend is also my friend. Besides, I already have someone else.”
“What-”
Tamara cleared her throat softly and stood up, cutting off whatever Juliette was about to say. She smiled at Robbin before looking at Juliette with sadness. “I should go. I can’t miss my flight.”
Juliette nodded and grabbed her bag before standing up. “Let me take you.”
“No.”
“Juliette.”
Tamara and Robbin said in unison, which made Juliette hide a smile. She looked at Tamara as the woman cleared her throat softly. “You don’t need to bother, Julie. You should just finish your breakfast.”
“But…”
“I’ve already ordered one of the drivers to take Tamara to the airport. You don’t need to worry, Juliette.” This time, Robbin spoke.
“But I…”
“Juliette, stop. Listen to me!” Suddenly, Robbin raised his voice, startling Juliette with his unpredictable change in tone. She looked at Robbin with wide eyes, prompting him to breathe and say, “I’m sorry, Julie. I don’t want you to skip breakfast and get sick. Your mom entrusted you to me.”
“Where is mom?”
“Meryl has business with the foundation. She left early.” Juliette nodded, understanding. “Julie, listen to me. Besides, you can still go to Colorado if you miss Tamara and Hannah. I’ll accompany you.”
“Robbin is right, Julie. You’ve just touched a little bit of your food. You don’t want to make Aunt Meryl worried, do you?”
Juliette sat back down in her chair. Defeat was etched on her face. She bowed her head and resumed eating her breakfast. Was it wrong for her to want to take Tamara to the airport? Juliette heard footsteps approaching and jumped when her shoulder was touched. Instantly, Juliette looked up and saw Tamara standing close to her with teary eyes.
“You can call me anytime, Julie. I will always be there for you,” Tamara said softly.
Juliette nodded and stood up, and they embraced for the last time.
.
.
Juliette had just arrived and settled herself into her work chair. She had just placed her bag near her desk and turned on her laptop when her phone rang loudly, causing the silence of her room to erupt into chaos. Juliette sighed quietly, feeling the tension rise in her chest, then pulled out the phone she hated most from her bag.
She pursed her lips in displeasure, anticipating that it might be the psychopath calling her. Still, upon seeing Robbin’s name displayed on the screen, Juliette straightened her posture and tapped the green button on her phone. She brought the phone closer to her ear and said softly, “Robbin? What’s going on?”
“Julie… I just received a call from the police.”
“Yes? Why? Are you in trouble?” The noise in the background was audible, making Juliette increasingly curious. Where was he? Why was it so noisy? “Robbin? Where are you?”
“At the studio? What’s going on?”
“I received a report from the police, Julie… I’m sorry, but the car carrying Tamara got into an accident.”
“No… that can’t be true… you must be joking. Right, Robbin?” Juliette laughed nervously and shook her head briefly. “Your joke isn’t funny at all, Julie.”
“Juliette…”
“No! It can’t be!”
“Julie, listen to me carefully. I’m on my way to the studio to pick you up. Wait for me at the door of your studio. We’re going to the hospital together.”
“Robbin… it can’t be… Tamara…” she said with a trembling voice. She felt her eyes start to heat up, and a sense of panic began to engulf her, making her feel like there were shards of glass stabbing her while her chest tightened under an unbearable weight.
“Shh, don’t cry, Juliette. I’ll always be by your side.” Robbin’s gentle and calming voice gave her a little strength amid the overwhelming panic.
…