Chapter 455/The curiosity is tearing me apart!

Chapter 455

Julie’s point of view

Suddenly, a jolt of realization struck my brain. I sat bolt upright, swinging my legs over the edge of the mattress.

I remembered that day with terrifying clarity... the day I was at the club, and Thomas had specifically asked me about Violet!

I slammed my palm against my forehead, gasping in sheer disbelief. "My God!... How could I have forgotten that?!"

My eyes widened, my hands rubbing together nervously. Thomas already knew Violet! How on earth had I overlooked such a terrifying detail all this time?!

The scattered pieces began connecting themselves, questions pouring over me like heavy rain. What truly existed between the two of them? And why had he spoken her name in that dark, heavy tone back then?!

Suddenly, a horrifying wave of realization washed over me, trapping the air inside my throat. My chest constricted tightly, and I whispered in a trembling, fragile breath:

"Is it possible... that Thomas is the father of one of us?!"

I scrambled off the mattress, my legs trembling as I began pacing the length of the room. Pressing my ice-cold fingers flat against my ribs, I fought to quiet the violent thrum of my racing pulse.

Every single piece of this nightmare puzzle was sliding into place with terrifying precision. The feverish edge in Thomas’s eyes today. The dark, heavy way his voice sounded when he uttered her name. And Violet’s unnatural insistence on gathering every last one of us under the exact same roof tonight.

Drawing in a ragged breath, I choked out a whisper that barely carried in the silent room.

"If Thomas is my father... or Steve’s father... that means..."

I slammed my bedroom door open and sprinted down the hallway, the soles of my shoes slapping hard against the floorboards as I made a mad dash for Steve’s room. Throwing his door back with enough force to rattle the hinges, I found him sitting quietly on the edge of his bed.

I shoved my shaking hands into the air, desperation bleeding into a full-blown panic. "Steve... please just tell me what I’m thinking is completely insane!"

His brows pulled together in instant confusion. "What are you talking about?"

I took a sharp step toward him, my voice straining to cut over the frantic pounding in my ears. "Thomas... Robert’s father. He knows Violet!"

He scoffed at the hysteria in my tone. "He knows her? So what?"

I slashed my hands through the air, completely devoid of patience. "How he knows her doesn’t matter! The point is that he knows her!"

He let out a slow exhale. "Okay... and why is that a problem?"

Closing the distance between us, I leaned down, locking my eyes straight onto his. "Is it possible... that he’s the father of one of us, Steve?!"

His pupils blown wide, the shock hitting him like a physical blow. "What?!"

The color drained entirely from my skin. I whispered, paralyzed by absolute terror, "What if he’s my father?!"

Steve vaulted off the bed, his voice hardening as he tried to yank me back to reality. "Julie... stop this absolute nonsense!"

I snapped, completely losing my grip on composure. Tears flooded my eyes as a sharp cry tore from my throat. "What if Robert turns out to be my brother?! I swear to God, I’ll die if Thomas is my father!"

He seized both of my shoulders in a firm, unyielding grip, his tone commanding. "Julie! Listen to me stop this right now!"

I ripped myself out of his grasp, pacing back and forth across the rug like a caged animal. "What if you are Robert’s brother?!"

Steve went completely still. He stared at me with a cool, unreadable mask, a dry flick of sarcasm cutting through the air to deflate the thick tension. "Great. Then I’d be your brother, your fiancé’s brother, and your fiancé’s husband... and Robert can just call me ’my fiancée’s brother’."

I shoved his shoulder hard, a furious scream breaking from my chest. "I am not in the mood for your damn jokes!"

He shook his head, his tone settling back into a calm, steady rhythm. "You are spouting utter garbage. Just wait until dinner, and you’ll get your answers."

I stomped my foot hard against the floor. "I can’t wait! The curiosity is tearing me apart!"

He sighed, shaking his head at my wild breath. "Curiosity is going to get you killed one day."

I spun on my heel, heading straight for the doorway with reckless determination. "I’m going."

"Where?" he called out, his voice laced with pure astonishment.

"To find proof!" I shot back without looking back.

I bolted out into the hallway and sprinted down the grand staircase, Steve’s fast, heavy footfalls tailing right behind me.

"Julie! Wait!"

Before I could hit the main foyer, the massive front doors burst open.

Violet stepped inside, her towering authority filling the entrance. Her sharp, calculating gaze locked onto the two of us frozen mid-step on the stairs, her lips curving into a patronizing smirk.

"And where do you two think you’re off to?"

I snapped right back, my voice dry and venomous. "None of your damn business!"

Her mysterious smile widened. She gestured lazily with one gloved hand back toward the open doorway. "We have guests."

Stopping dead on the bottom step, I craned my neck to look past her out into the sprawling courtyard.

Two men stood in the soft exterior light, their features tight with intense strain. My eyes instantly locked onto one of them the dark hair streaked with silver, those cold grey eyes that belonged to the man who had rescued me from the kidnappers... the very same man who turned out to be my actual captor, the one who had lied straight to my face!

In an instant, the memory hit me like a splash of ice water the way he had casually admitted to knowing both Violet and Mirdreth.

Violet turned back toward the threshold, her voice dripping with absolute, freezing authority.

"Come inside, gentlemen."

[Now the main question is, do you want this story to end quickly, meaning that I should finish it in several upcoming Chapters, or will you be sad that it’s ending and want it to continue a little longer?

Leave your opinions in the comments. ]