Leaving You Bereft (Willow and Julian) novel Chapter 39

Catherine wanted to go over to Julian, but Nancy held her back.

“This isn’t the place for jealousy,” Nancy whispered. “Catherine, you need to know when to pick your battles.”

Catherine froze, her eyes welling up with tears.

She longed for Julian’s attention. But he didn’t even glance at her. Instead, he held Willow’s hand and exchanged pleasantries with Timothy and Heather. “Mr. Chapman, Mrs. Chapman.”

Timothy smiled warmly. “You’re a lucky man, Julian.”

A wife’s beauty was a husband’s honor.

Even Julian couldn’t help but glance at Willow. A faint smile tugged at his lips.

Heather reached for Willow’s hand with genuine affection. “I heard you two have reconciled. I was so happy for you, but I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Timothy wrapped an arm around Heather and chuckled. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Let’s not get in their way.”

He adored Heather, which naturally gave him a favorable impression of Willow. His tone was warm. In an effort to amuse Heather, he blurted out, “You and Mrs. Ziegler hit it off so well. If you look closely, your features even have a bit of resemblance! Don’t you think so, Julian?”

Julian wasn’t one to study women’s faces, but he was a natural in social diplomacy. “There is a slight resemblance.”

Heather stared at Willow, a sense of longing in her expression.

She really liked Willow. It would be great if she were her daughter.

But that wasn’t possible. The world was vast. What were the chances of such a coincidence?

Timothy, noticing Heather’s momentary daze, immediately pulled her closer. “That was careless of me. I’ll make it up to you later.”

Heather leaned against his shoulder, looking delicate and fragile.

Not far away, Charlie watched, his face drained of color.

How could it not ache to see the woman he once loved sharing such a bond with another man? His usual gentle expression cracked ever so slightly.

Later in the evening, Charlie finally found an opportunity to speak with Heather alone on the terrace.

“Heather,” he called softly.

She turned around, her usual gentleness replaced by an icy demeanor. “Mr. Burke, let’s not pretend to be close. There’s nothing between us anymore. Call me Mrs. Chapman.”

Charlie winced at her coldness. “Heather, must you push me so far away? We once loved each other.”

“Love?”

Heather let out a sharp laugh before spitting out, “How dare you say that word? If it doesn’t make you sick to say it, it certainly sickens me to hear it.”

Charlie knew the past was long gone, and there was no going back with Heather.

So, he changed the subject and asked about his missing daughter, “Has there been any news of her?”

At the mention of her lost daughter, Heather’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

That winter was brutal. Her daughter was only five years old. Heather had collapsed from illness, and when she woke up, the child was gone.

Years had passed. Was her daughter still out there somewhere?

Charlie’s face was full of regret. “I wronged you back then. I know that now.”

His younger daughter?

Heather shook her head in disbelief. She had underestimated Charlie.

Even now, he had the audacity to stand before her, shamelessly trying to secure a future for Catherine. And what about the child she’d lost?

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Chapter 39

Just as her emotions threatened to spiral out of control, the glass doors to the terrace swung open. Willow stepped inside.

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