His blood soaked into the hem of my white dress, spreading through the fabric like something final. Even then, lying against me with a knife wound bleeding steadily through his suit, Julian smiled. Soft, steady, the way he always did when he was trying to make me feel safe.
"Elena, it's okay. Don't cry."
Wisteria stood there for a moment, genuinely stunned. Of everyone she had calculated into her plan, a self-serving Julian willing to take a blade for me had not been one of them. She ripped the knife free with brutal force, and blood caught me across the face, hot and blurring my vision.
Julian's hand found the gun. He fired before she could recover.
Bang.
The shot took her in the chest. She staggered but didn't go down , still moving, still focused on me with that hollow, hateful stare. He fired again, and this time the bullet caught her legs. She hit the ground hard.
"Ms. Blackwell!" The maid scrambled to her side, voice breaking with panic.
