Chapter 0440


    I sneaked out of the bathroom while Nichs stayed to clean the lipstick off and adjust his clothes. As


    the leading man, he had to be certain that he looked perfect. I insisted. Someone would be sure to


    notice if even a hair of his was out of ce, and then our rtionship could


    be threatened.


    As I entered the room where most of the others waited, I looked around for Julian, but he


    wasn’t waiting with the others. Perhaps he was watching the show?


    I checked in with Elva. She was with Veronica now. Most of Veronica’s scenes were over so she could


    watch her during Susie and my remaining scenes. Knowing Elva was in good hands, I sneaked out of


    the sitting room to peak in on the y itself from the actual


    backstage.


    Admittedly, I cared more about finding and confronting Julian than I did about the actual y, but I


    ended up hitting two birds with one stone.


    Julian was onstage, in a scene with Bridget, and they were arguing.


    “You act like I’m the viin, but where is my restitution?” Julian demanded. “All these years, I’ve


    followed you. I’ve loved you. And now you are casting me off for someone you’ve


    known for mere weeks?”


    “Love is not apetition,” Bridget said, which I always thought was a strange line, given our current


    circumstance. The entire Luna selection process was a bigpetition. “I met him, and I loved him.


    The love between us had time, but never blossomed.”


    “For you,” Julian spat. His acting was exceptionally good today. He was always a talented


    actor, but the sheer amount of raw emotion in his voice made me shiver. He was even putting Bridget


    to shame. “I have loved you from the moment I saw you.”


    “It’s not enough,” Bridget said. “I’m sorry.”


    “You’ve never appreciated me. All I’ve done. All I’ve sacrificed –”


    “You’ve sacrificed?!” Bridget’s voice rose now. “What of my sacrifices? I had turned my


    heart off for so long! How can you not be happy that it’s nowe back to life? If you truly loved me –“}


    “I should be pleased you love another man?!” Julian’s voice rose to match.


    “If you truly cared!”


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    “You are delusional!”


    “Am I?” Bridget demanded.


    My thoughts paused a moment. I didn’t remember some of those lines from the script. Did they decide


    to improvise? Was that what they were truly doingst night?


    If they were even together.


    Yet even if they talked about this, which I honestly doubted, the fire and passion under their words


    seemed too real. It could have been that they were both just very good actors, which they were. But I


    had a suspicious feeling not all these feelings were for show.


    “You are the one holding me here,” Bridget said, bringing it back to the familiar words of the script. “You


    threaten terrible things. You were never in love with me. You’ve only ever been obsessed with me.”


    Julian growled. “You will regret those words when I make you my bride.”


    “I will never be your bride,” Bridget said firmly.


    They stared each other down.


    The curtains closed. The crowd erupted in apuse.


    Julian stormed off the stage.


    He wasing my way, so I tried to step into his path. “Julian –”


    “Not now, Piper,” Julian said and sidestepped around me.


    “But I…”


    He didn’t wait to hear me out. He just kept walking toward the sitting room where the


    others were.


    At that same moment, Nichs wasing out from the room. Julian smashed his shoulder into


    Nichs’s as they walked by each other.


    “Julian?” Nichs called, but Julian didn’t turn. He continued to storm forward.


    Slowly, Nichs made his way over to me. “What was that about?”


    “Tough scene, I think,” I said, and motioned toward the stage. Bridget was still there. She


    had a solo scene next.


    “I don’t think it’s just that,” Nichs said. “He’s been off all day. I’m a bit worried about


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    him.”


    I didn’t want to break Julian’s confidence, or b some rumor that Bridget said before I could verify the


    truth with Julian himself. So I couldn’t tell Nichs everything that was going on. I wasn’t even sure I


    could tell him anything. 1


    We faced the stage side by side as the curtain opened for Bridget’s solo scene. In it, shemented


    Julian’s terrible treatment of her. How he was so terrible for making him choose between the two of


    them, and then forcing her hand when she refused him. 1


    I knew it was theater, not real. But for all the simrities between the y and their actual situation, it


    made me so mad at the possible implication that Julian would attempt to force her.


    “You know more than me,” Nichs said, side–eyeing me. “Julian confides in you more than he does


    anyone else. Except perhaps Brian, though I’m not sure there’s counts as a friendship.” 1


    “He hasn’t confided in me about this,” I said. “Not fully.”


    Nichs hummed. We continued watching Bridget’s performance for a moment. Soon Nichs would


    have to go onstage to rescue her from the tower where Julian’s character had trapped her.


    I had so many questions for the three of them: Bridget, Nichs, and Julian. Sometimes it seemed like


    Nichs was the only one who would give me a straight answer. Though his memory seemed skewed.


    I wasn’t sure he knew all the truths of what was going on around


    him.


    Maybe he knew this, though.


    “Nick. Do you know how Julian feels about Julian?” I asked.


    “His puppy love crush?” Nichs said. He smiled at first, but it quickly flitted away. “It never meant


    anything. Julian never means anything with his feelings. He finds excitement, grows bored, and moves


    on. He’s always been that way, even with Bridget.”


    “But what if…” I struggled to find the correct words. “What if it’s real with Bridget?”


    “Can’t be,” Nichs said, as dismissive as if I had suggested Julian grew another arm, or flew to the


    moon. Impossible. Ridiculous. 1


    Nichs wasn’t even considering the possibility of the words. In Nichs’s opinion, Julian would never


    have true feelings.


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    That seemed short–sighted.


    “He might find love eventually,” I said. “He’s not immune to it. No one is.” I wanted to suggest it without


    pressing too hard. I could risk revealing Julian’s secret. Facts were, I knew that he definitely felt he was


    in love with Bridget, and had been for years.


    Maybe Nichs was right. Maybe it wasn’t real love. But to Julian, it felt like it was. Wasn’t that enough


    to take it seriously? Julian deserved support. How would he even know what was love or not if no one


    ever heard him out?


    “Nick, I really think –”


    “Trust me, Piper,” Nichs said. “Whatever is going on with him, it doesn’t have anything to do with


    love.” He looked at me then, again. His eyes were worried. He wasn’t a terrible brother, just one who


    thought he knew Julian better than he did. “Will you find time to talk. to him? Make sure he’s okay?”


    “I will,” I said, and it was a promise, not just to him, but to myself.


    I couldn’t believe what Bridget had said to be true, that Julian had said all those terrible things.


    Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    We were friends. That was real.


    I had to speak to him, and find out the truth.


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