Con

CHAPTER 31

Elijah’s POV

Three years that I haven’t seen her, that I have tried my hardest not to find out anything about her while she was in France and I was here in the US.

I stared at the pile of documents on my desk, unable to concentrate. I kept thinking about what Connor had informed me about a few days earlier.

“She’s graduating next Friday,” he’d told me. I felt like he’d just dropped a bomb and it had exploded in front of my face, leaving me helpless and confused. I know I’d asked him to keep tabs at her school, but it’s been a long time since he’d given me an update. And now, suddenly, here it is. Graduation.

I tried to pretend I didn’t care. I tried not to think about it too. But deep inside, I wanted to see her, to be there for her during this very important moment of her life.

One day, I simply told Connor, “I have a trip to Italy next week, right? I’m leaving earlier. Book me a flight to Paris first. I’m dropping by there before my business meeting in Italy.”

“Yes, sir. Right away.”

After that, I groaned, knowing that I was still greatly affected by this woman whom I had once called my wife.

A week passed, and I soon found myself sitting discreetly at the back of the graduation ceremony, watching Sophia receive her diploma. A flood of emotions washed over me. Seeing her walk across the stage, her face radiant with happiness and pride, brought a bittersweet feeling to my heart.

God, she’s even more beautiful now. And the way she walked and smiled and talked to her friends… She’s different somehow, but in a good way.

I watched in silence as her best friends cheered for her. I could feel my heart being squeezed tightly as I realized how much she had accomplished and how far she had come. I wanted to be one of the people cheering for her, to show her how proud I was of her, but I couldn’t do it. I had to stay hidden in the shadows.

I had known this day would come. Who am I kidding, thinking that I wasn’t actually falling in love with her all those years? I’d tried to ignore the feelings for the longest time, because I was busy and they seemed silly and stupid… I thought it was just a passing emotion…

But now, as I watched her, I knew it was more than I had ever imagined.

I became curious when Sophia began moving away from her friends. When I followed her, I was surprised to see Chris in a heated argument with a woman whose back was turned to me.

Can that be Julia? I wondered silently. From where I was standing, I could decipher Chris’s emotions from the way he was moving his arms.

I know that he has returned to Paris several times the past few years just to find out more about this Julia. Last time, he told me she still wouldn’t agree to a DNA test, and I just said that maybe it’s not Sabrina at all. He should just drop it already.

Chris was certainly persistent. He was very much convinced that Julia was actually his sister Sabrina,

CHAPTER 31

who was also my childhood best friend and my very first love.

+25 BONUS

“I told you already! I’m not the Sabrina you’re looking for!” Julia bellowed at him in distress. “Just leave me alone!”

I felt sorry for her. I could tell from Chris’s stories before that Julia didn’t want to acknowledge his claims because she was already happy with her life.

“You have to help me, Elijah,” I remembered Chris pleading with me some weeks ago. “You need to come to Paris and convince her, because Sabrina has always listened to you when we were little.”

At that time, I hadn’t wanted to come here because of Sophia. For one, she didn’t want anything to do with me anymore. Second, it would be a waste if I couldn’t even get her to speak to me, much less be persuaded to give me another chance.

When did I become this pathetic? I thought, hating myself for these uncontrollable feelings. When we were together, I couldn’t show her how much she meant to me. I didn’t make the most of that opportunity, and now I was paying for it. Big time.

My eyes watered as I continued to watch Sophia from a distance. Even if she was stressed, she was still so damn beautiful. She still moved gracefully and seemed to radiate a light, positive aura.

She may not be carrying my child anymore, but that doesn’t mean I’ve given up on us. It doesn’t mean I’ve moved on and forgotten about her.

In fact, the opposite happened. Throughout the three years that I hadn’t seen her, every single day that I was away from her made me realize how much I cared about her. My actions in the past had hurt her so much and driven her away, and I regretted them every single day. I realized that I’d always been in love with her.

I loved my wife. I still do.

“Julia!” I heard Sophia call the strange girl. But Julia didn’t seem to hear her. She was so pissed off at Chris that she hurried away and disappeared into the crowd.

Sophia was about to go after her. But then she suddenly stopped and turned around. Someone was waving at her. And when he came nearer, I was taken aback.

“It’s Trevis,” I whispered to no one in surprise. Do they know each other?

I saw Trevis shake her hand briefly before moving on to talk to Chris.