Chapter 8 - AwakeningJulia was sitting up on the metal cot, coughing slightly as fresh air rushed into her lungs. Her skin was pale, and dark circles shadowed her eyes, but when she looked up and saw me standing in the doorway, her expression transformed from confusion to pure, overwhelming relief.
"You came," she whispered, her voice cracking as tears spilled over her eyelashes.
I rushed to her side, wrapping my arms around her trembling shoulders and pulling her tightly against my chest. For five years, I had believed she left because she couldn't handle my world. For five years, I had tried to fill the void with money, power, and glass towers.
Holding her now, I realized how meaningless all of it was without her.
"I'm sorry," I choked out, burying my face in her hair. "I'm so sorry, Julia. I let my father push us apart. I let him take you from me."
"He... he told me you chose the company," she murmured against my shoulder, her fingers gripping the back of my shirt as if afraid I would vanish like a ghost. "He said if I ever came back, he would destroy you, and our boys."
"Our boys are safe," I pulled back, looking into her eyes with fierce determination. "They’re upstairs. They walked straight into my lobby this morning, holding an old backpack and a faded blue whale."
A watery smile broke through Julia's tears. "They found you... just like I told them to if the worst happened."
"They're incredible, Julia," I said softly, brushing a strand of hair from her forehead. "Just like their mother."
Behind us in the hallway, the heavy footsteps of federal agents and corporate security officers echoed down the corridor, led by Walter Briggs, who looked down at my father cuffed on the floor with a satisfied, professional smirk.
"The building is secure, Nathan," Walter announced, stepping into the doorway. "Federal authorities have taken Arthur into custody. Project Janus is officially dismantled. Your father’s reign of terror is over."
May you like
Arthur glared up from the floor, his face purple with fury, spitting venom as the agents hauled him to his feet. "You haven't won anything, Nathan! The board will tear you apart! Without me, you're nothing!"
I didn't even look back at him as the guards dragged him away into the elevator. Some ghosts don't deserve a second glance.
