Goodbye Forever Ex-Husband (by Ammund) novel Chapter 20

CHAPTER 020

CHAPTER 020

OLIVIA’S POV

“Yeah, about that…” Julian said, his voice trailing off.

I noticed the way his expression shifted, his usually relaxed demeanor turning somewhat tense. It was subtle, but I caught it. I suddenly

og hesitant about pressing

further. If it was something painful for him, I didn’t want to push.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, I understand,” I said softly.

Julian let out a small breath and shook his head. “It’s okay. The thing is… she’s dead.”

Hearing those words come out of his mouth made me gasp, my eyes widening in shock. I hadn’t expected that. I thought maybe she had cut ties with the family or something along those lines but death? That was something I wasn’t prepared for.

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” I said, my voice gentle

Julian gave me a small, almost reassuring smile. “It’s been a long time now, so I’m good.”

But even as he said that I could tell he wasn’t completely over it. There was a certain weight behind his words, one that lingered even if he tried to play it off.

“A while back, when I was still younger, my family and I, including my sister… we all went on a skiing trip,” he began. His voice remained steady, but there was a slight edge to it. “We got there, and as curious as she was, she wandered off on her own. At first, we thought she was just exploring, but when she didn’t come back… we started searching. We searched the entire place, called the police, hired private investigators… we did everything. But still, we couldn’t find her.”

I listened intently, my heart aching at the thought of what his family must have gone through.

“Law enforcement and my parents presumed she was dead, but I still feel she’s out there somewhere,” he said. His gaze drifted to the ground for a moment as if he was lost in thought.

“What was her name?” I asked gently.

Julian let out a small chuckle, though there was a hint of sadness behind it. “Olivia.”

I blinked in surprise. “Really?”

“Yeah,” he said, nodding.

It was strange to think that we shed. A part of me wondered if that

Successfully unlocked!

was why Julian had been drawn to me quoy when we first met. Maybe, in some way, I reminded him of his sister.

“That’s… quite a story,” I said, not really sure what else to say.

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ER020

“Yeah, it is,” Julian agreed. He leaned against a tree as we walked through the garden, his arms crossed over his chest. “I know how many times I caught my mom crying in the middle of the night, how many times I saw my dad drinking when he normally didn‘ t. It changed all of us.”

“And what about you?” I asked. “How did you feel?”

Julian took a deep breath before answering. “Well, I was still a kid back then, so I didn’t fully understand what was going on. My mom used to tell me that my sister went on a vacation just to make me feel better. But, of course, she couldn’t keep up that lie forever.”

He let out a humorless chuckle. “The first few weeks were the hardest. She was my best friend, and suddenly, she was gone. I didn’t really have anyone to talk to so I felt really lonely… until I met you.”

Hearing that made my heart swell a little. I had never realized how much of an impact I‘ d had on Julian’s life. I always saw him as a strong, reliable friend – the one who never seemed to be shaken by anything. But beneath all that, he had been carrying so much. seemed to be shaken by anything. But b

I smiled at him. “I’m glad I could help, even if I didn’t know it.”

Julian shrugged. “You were just being yourself, but that was enough.”

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