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Leaving You Bereft (Willow and Julian) novel Chapter 287

Noah approached Julian with a glass of water and some pills as the sun slowly set. He said, "It's time to take your medication, Julian."

Julian didn't take his eyes off Tolpond Bridge. He was so focused that it was almost as if the woman in white from his dreams—Willow, it seemed her name was—would appear with an easel on her back.

Noah's heart ached when he saw Julian like that. The last time the latter had been lucid, he'd made a request—he wanted to live beside Lake Tolpond, where he'd proposed to Willow.

He'd said the sunsets there were breathtaking, and he wanted to live out the rest of his days there. He'd begged Liam and Melanie to let him do it.

Melanie had wept, wholly reluctant to part with him. Meanwhile, Liam had spent a night thinking things over. He'd ultimately agreed.

Julian had lived an exhausting life. As his parents, Liam and Melanie ultimately chose to respect his wishes. However, they'd sent Noah to care for Julian.

At the same time, they would continue searching for doctors in hopes Julian would one day be operated on. None of them dared do anything as Julian's condition deteriorated, though.

Julian wore a white shirt and dark blue jeans, and he looked much younger than his actual age. It was almost as if he were back to being the Julian of his youth.

He pointed at Tolpond Bridge and said, "Noah, I keep feeling like the person I'm waiting for will show up there."

Tears welled up in Noah's eyes as he nodded. "Maybe they'll show up tomorrow."

Julian silently took the medication. Noah said, "You've sat here for a while now, and it's time to get some rest. You can sit here again tomorrow."

Julian didn't speak. He continued staring at Tolpond Bridge until the sun set. Only then did he get up and head into the cabin. He lay on a small bed. The white sheets were clean and soft, and he drifted off to sleep.

He needed to sleep 20 hours a day; his waking hours were spent watching the sunset and staring at Tolpond Bridge. He waited for Willow to appear…

The days passed just like that.

One night, a tall figure stood outside the cabin and looked inside through the window. He stared at Julian, who was sound asleep.

Dexter didn't want to believe that this was Julian's end. With the latter's personality, he should've lived out life in glory and splendor; he should've thrived in power and prestige. How could he just vanish from the world and live in seclusion like it was nothing?

It felt like Julian had reverted to the innocence of his youth, as if he was untouched by the harshness of reality.

Dexter wanted to storm into the cabin and shake Julian awake, but he couldn't do it.

"Yeah!" Gabriella cried.

Landon wrapped his arms around Dexter's neck and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Dexter whipped out some candy for them.

Willow couldn't help tearing up slightly as she looked at Dexter's side profile—he and Julian resembled each other. She said huskily, "Let's eat."

Dexter kept caring for Landon and Gabriella during the meal. It had been a while since things had been so lively at the villa.

After putting the children to bed, Willow shut the door of their room and headed to the drawing room. She pushed open the door and smelled the fragrance of tea.

Dexter shot to his feet, seemingly wanting to support her before deciding against it. He sighed and said, "Don't make things hard for me, Willow."

She calmly approached him and said, "I once said that to Julian, too. A person's emotions are just that weird, Dexter. I hate him, but I can't stop myself from caring about him. I suppose they wouldn't be what they were if they could be controlled.

"He and I have too much history, and we're too entangled with each other. I can't say I've completely forgiven him, but I don't want anything to happen to him."

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