CHAPTER 33: DID HE F\/CK LUCY?!

Catherine’s POV

I ended up skipping school for the rest of the week. My face still stung whenever I looked in the mirror, and the bruises on my ribs hadn’t faded enough for me to pretend I was fine. Every time I tried to move too fast, the pain reminded me of Sasha but what made my blood boil even more wasn’t the pain, it was Lucy.

Apparently, she was staying with us for a while.

The words alone made me want to punch a wall. No one had asked for my opinion, of course. She was just there, always laughing, talking, breathing the same air as me and the worst part was that Julian didn’t seem to mind at all. If anything, he seemed perfectly content with her presence.

She followed him around the house like some lost puppy, and he didn’t push her away. They’d talk, laugh, and share stupid inside jokes. She had full access to his room like it was hers too. I’d walk past and see her leaning against his doorframe, and he’d be there to entertain her.

I told myself I didn’t care either but that was a lie.

They were always together. Breakfast, the living room, the gym downstairs. She even went jogging with him.

By Friday evening, I was losing my mind.

Exams would soon be around the corner, so I tried to study, emphasis on tried

. I had my textbooks spread across the bed, a notebook open, a pencil between my fingers but every time I focused on a sentence, Lucy’s voice or her stupid music bled through the walls.

I could have just ignored it by plugging my ear blocks in but I didn’t want to. This was the perfect excuse to pour my anger on her for coming into this house and stealing attention. Julian’s attention, to be specific.

I slammed my book shut and stormed out of my room, every step shooting pain through my side, but I didn’t care. I marched straight to her door, without bothering to knock. I just pushed the door open, ready to yell but the scene that greeted me froze me in place.

Julian was standing near the bed, halfway through pulling on his shirt, his hair a mess like he’d just run his fingers through it a thousand times. Lucy sat on the bed, her hair tangled and messy, with her cheeks flushed. The bed itself looked like a storm had passed through it, pillows were tossed, sheets were crumpled and one of his shoes was lying on the floor.

For a few seconds, my heart dropped to my stomach.

Did they....? No, I didn’t want to finish the thoughts but my mind started spinning, connecting dots that made me feel sick. The loud music, scattered bed, disheveled hair, Julian half-dressed.

They’d just had sex.

Of course they had. Why wouldn’t they? Lucy had been practically glued to him all week. And Julian—he was Julian. He could sleep with anyone he wanted except ME!

A sharp sting spread in my chest, so sharp it almost made me dizzy. My mind shifted to the scars on his back, the ones he refused to let me see. The ones he’d hidden from me but apparently had no problem showing Lucy.

Anger snapped inside me and the words flew out of my mouth.

"Are you deaf? Or do you just enjoy being inconsiderate, Lucy? The whole house can hear your music."

Her eyes went wide. She scrambled to her feet, clearly startled. "Oh—I’m sorry, I didn’t realize—"

"Didn’t realize?" I cut her off, stepping further into the room. "You’ve had it blasting for hours. There’s no way you didn’t realize. Maybe try using that head of yours next time."

Julian’s voice came in sharp, laced with irritation. "Catherine, stop overreacting. You are being too harsh for nothing."

The sound of his voice made my blood boil. How dare he? He was taking her side over mine!

I turned to him, narrowing my eyes. "Stay out of this. You could have told her to lower it but no, you were having so much fun with her—" I stopped myself, my anger bubbling too high to contain. "So just shut up and stay the hell out of this, fuckboy."

His eyes darkened. "Excuse me?"

I didn’t answer him.

"Turn that music off or make sure it doesn’t cross your room," I shot at Lucy before turning on my heel and storming out, slamming the door hard enough.

My heart was pounding by the time I got back to my room. I didn’t even know if I was angry, hurt, or just humiliated. All I knew was that I couldn’t stop shaking. My throat burned, and my chest ached so badly that I wanted to scream.

Two minutes later, the door burst open and Julian stepped in without knocking, his expression was unreadable but his jaw was tight. "What the hell is going on with you? Why have you been acting weird?"

"Weird? Get out," I hissed, standing up fast and storming over to him while trying to push him back toward the door. But it was useless. My hands barely moved him an inch.

"Stop," he said firmly, his hands catching my elbows and holding them in place. "Catherine, stop acting like this. What’s wrong with you?"

His voice was lower now, almost gentle but it only made me angrier.

"Don’t play that tone with me," I snapped, struggling to pull away. "You think you can do whatever you want and I’m just supposed to sit here and watch?"

He frowned, clearly confused. "What are you talking about?"

I let out a bitter laugh, tears stinging my eyes before I could stop them. "You know exactly

what I’m talking about. If you wanted to fuck every girl in town, you shouldn’t have acted like you had any interest in me."

For a moment, Julian just stared at me, like I’d just spoken a language he didn’t understand. Then he stepped closer, his grip still firm on my arms. "Catherine, I—"

"Don’t," I interrupted, shaking my head. "Don’t you dare lie to me again."

"I’m not lying," he said, with the kind of tone that used to make my heart stop. "You know I—"

"Want me?" I scoffed. "Please. You want everyone. You just enjoy messing with me because I’m the only one stupid enough to fall for it."

He looked almost hurt by that, but I didn’t care.

"Didn’t you just have sex with Lucy?" I demanded.

His entire expression shifted, he looked shocked, it turned to disbelief, then anger. "What?"

"You heard me," I said, folding my arms even though my hands were shaking. "You were in her room, half-dressed, and the bed was a mess. What other explanation can you give for that?"

He blinked, his mouth opening like he wanted to speak, but no words came out at first. Instead, he rubbed the back of his neck.

He took a step forward. "You’re overreacting."

I laughed bitterly, pressing a hand to my forehead. "My goodness, you must really think I’m stupid."

His patience seemed to snap then. His jaw tightened, and his eyes hardened. "You need to pull yourself together," he said quietly but firmly. "Stop acting like this. People will start to think things."

I paused for a while.

"People?" I repeated, my voice holding disbelief. "You mean Lucy, right? You’re worried your little girlfriend will find out about us?"

Julian exhaled sharply, like he was tired of the whole thing. "Fine! Think whatever you want, Catherine."

He turned toward the door but before he could reach it, I spoke again. "Why did you let her see your scars but not me?"

He stopped. His back tensed, but he didn’t turn around. For a long moment, he just stood there, his hand hovering near the doorknob. Without saying a word, he walked out.

The door clicked shut behind him, and I just stood there, staring at the space he’d been standing in, so many emotions running through me.