CHAPTER 37: STOP BEING CHILDISH

Julian’s POV

Catherine turned and stormed off. For a second, I wanted to go after her, to grab her by the arm, make her stop, make her listen. She had to understand how wrong she was acting but before I could take a step, Lucy’s cry broke through the noise in my head.

I spun around. She was still on the floor, trembling, her hands clutching her side like she was in so much pain. My jaw tightened.

"Lucy," I called, rushing to her. "Did she hit you there?"

She sniffed and looked up at me with wet eyes. "Don’t worry, Julian. I’m fine... I think. I just— I didn’t expect her to push me that hard."

The anger that had started to fade flared up again. Catherine had gone too far. She wasn’t just being jealous, she was becoming unreasonable, and violent now.

"I’ll talk some sense into her," I said, helping Lucy up by the arm. "She shouldn’t have done this to you."

Lucy shook her head weakly, her voice small. "No, Julian, forget it. Talking to her will only make her more angry. Please don’t fight with her. I don’t want to be the reason you two argue."

Her words hit soft, full of that sweet innocence she always had around me but when she added quietly, "I think she likes you. She kept on talking about how we are so close, like she’s into you," something in me stilled.

I frowned. "Don’t say that." But as I said it, the thought stayed in my head. Catherine is jealous of Lucy, jealous over me. The idea twisted something inside my chest.

Lucy leaned closer, her hand brushing my sleeve. "I am sorry, I know she’s your stepsister and I’m not supposed to think of something this vile."

"No, I didn’t mean it that way. I’ll handle Catherine, she’s just a spoilt brat, that’s all," I promised, even though talking to Catherine meant something else.

I kept my arm around her as we walked down the hall. She limped slightly, using me for support. That’s when Ethan appeared at the corner, his eyes narrowing at the sight of us.

"Uhm... did something happen?" he asked, looking between me and Lucy.

"Not now," I muttered. "I need to get her to her room first."

Ethan followed anyway. When we got to her room, I helped her sit on the edge of the bed. She smiled weakly, whispering another soft "thank you" before I turned to leave.

The moment we stepped out, Ethan folded his arms. "Are you going to tell me what that was about? Did she fall or something?"

I exhaled sharply. "No. Catherine attacked her."

His eyebrows shot up. "Attacked her? Are you sure about that?"

"Yes. I heard Lucy scream," I said firmly. "When I got there, she was on the floor. Apparently, Catherine was mad at Lucy for always being around me and decided to go violent."

Ethan rubbed the back of his neck, thinking. "But you didn’t see her hit Lucy or did you?"

I glared. "What? You think I’m lying?"

"No, but I think you’re jumping to conclusions," he said calmly. "Catherine doesn’t seem like the type to throw someone to the floor."

"You have no idea. Catherine has a temper," I replied coldly. "You don’t know her as well as you think you do."

Ethan gave a small, almost teasing smile. "I know enough but even if Catherine did anything, it doesn’t mean she’s violent. I know girls fight when they feel threatened. If she really likes you, maybe she just wanted to mark her place. That’s not violence, man. That’s emotion."

I groaned. "You’re unbelievable. You are defending her."

"I’m just saying, bro—"

"I don’t want to hear it," I cut him off, shoving my hands into my pockets. "It almost feels like Catherine’s your best friend instead of me."

Ethan smirked, a sly glint in his eyes. "Depends. If I had to pick sides, I’d probably go for the hotter one."

I shot him a hard glare. "You’re an idiot."

That only made him laugh harder, echoing down the hall. "Relax, man! I’m just messing with you."

"Yeah, well, it’s not funny," I muttered. My head was pounding.

We walked in silence for a while before Ethan finally spoke again, his voice lighter. "Catherine must be hurt by what you did. Remember, you need her to fall head over heels for you. Look, you should talk to her. Don’t let Lucy get between you two like that. I’ve seen how you look at Catherine, man. It’s not nothing."

I clenched my jaw, refusing to answer. I didn’t want to think about Catherine right now.

Ethan nudged me lightly. "See? You can’t even hide it even if you try."

"You can’t just quit your nonsense," I snapped, pushing open my door. "Good night."

He just grinned and walked off. "Sure, lover boy."

The next morning, in the dining room.

Catherine walked in quietly, without sparing a glance at me. Her hair was still damp from her shower, and for a second, I forgot how to swallow. The steam had left a sheen on her neck, and the sight hit me harder than I wanted to admit. I looked away before anyone on the dining table would notice.

Lucy, on the other hand, looked like she’d been rehearsing for this. Her sweet, practiced smile was already in place as she helped Mara pour coffee and handed me a plate. "Here, Julian," her soft voice came. "Eat up before it gets cold."

"Thanks," I muttered, not looking at her for too long. Lucy was perfect in every way.

If Catherine could just be like her.

Lucy turned to Catherine. "Hey Catherine, about yesterday..."

The room stilled and my fork froze halfway to my mouth.

Lucy gave a small sigh, clasping her hands. "I just wanted to say I’m sorry if I made you upset. I didn’t mean for things to get that far. I really hope we can start fresh, maybe even be friends."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, looking between us. "What’s going on? What happened yesterday?"

My eyes stayed on Catherine, half-expecting her to snap, to call Lucy out for trying to start a conversation with her but she didn’t say a word.

Her expression didn’t even shift but there was quiet fury in her eyes. She set her cup down, the porcelain making a sharp sound against the table, then stood up abruptly. Her chair scraped back hard against the tile.

Without a single word, she turned and walked out.

The silence that followed felt like a punch.

"Can someone just answer me? I feel so left out," Gabriel’s voice came again.

"I tried to talk to her yesterday but she went physical. Luckily enough, Julian appeared just in time to save me. She’s still mad at us about it," Lucy answered him with a sorry tone.

She was feeling really bad about the whole thing.

Gabriel frowned, leaning back in his chair. "I’m sorry about that. Just give her some time. I’ll try to talk to her too."

I dropped my fork, the clatter echoing through the room. "Excuse me," I muttered, standing up.

"Julian?" Lucy called softly, but I didn’t answer.

I just stormed out, my footsteps heavy, trying to breathe through whatever was tightening my chest.

Catherine had ignored me completely, I wasn’t sure which part of it pissed me off more, that she was ignoring me or that she was starting to hate me again.

I found her later out on the balcony. She was leaning against the rail, her arms folded, staring at the trees beyond the garden like she wanted to burn them down with her mind.

When are you going to quit being childish?" The words came out sharper than I meant. "Lucy did nothing to you. She just wants to be friends. Why can’t you just apologize to her?"

She turned slowly. The breeze caught her hair, brushing it across her cheek and for a second, all I could see was the curve of her lips before she spoke.

"You’ve got some nerves showing up here," she said, her voice was calm but laced with venom. "Just to ask me to apologize to your sex partner, Julian."

The word sex rolled off her tongue like a challenge. It hit low in my gut, sharp and uninvited. I looked away too late.

"That’s not what she is, Catherine. Why are you bent of forcing this narrative?"

She arched a brow. "Right. She’s just someone you ’comfort’ after she lies about being attacked."

My jaw clenched. She was close enough that I could see the faint rise and fall of her breathing, which was too calm for how furious she looked.

My hand dragged through my hair. "Can you be for real? I understand that you do not like her, I understand that you think Lucy and I are an item but enough of the lies and hostility—"

"Lies and hostility?" she cut in, her tone low but deliberate. "You amaze me, Julian. You really believed her without even asking me what happened."

Her words sank in deep, leaving that bitter sting of guilt I didn’t want to acknowledge. I looked away, my jaw tight. "I saw what I needed. What more did I have to ask?"

"I’m not having this conversation with you," she said quietly. "Having to release cum every night has made you lose all your senses."

She turned away too fast, her hair brushing her shoulder like a whip. I almost reached for her... almost. My fingers twitched, useless at my sides. There was something about the way she moved when she was angry, something wild I couldn’t name, that made my pulse kick up.

My eyes suddenly landed on her buttocks, noticing how sexily they moved in the bum short she was wearing.

OH.. To grab those and squeeze them so hard.

"Dammit, Julian. Control yourself," I muttered, tightly shutting my eyes and swallowing my saliva like it was restraint.