Justin's POV
She stood beside me.In front of cameras. In front of my enemies. In front of the world.She stood beside me.Her hand in mine. Her voice strong. Her words,God!! her words cut through the doubt like fire through fog.
"Justin is a very diligent and hardworking man. He would never cheat, lie, take bribes, change documents to make money..." She said
I didn't expect it. I didn't ask for it. But it hit me.Hard. !!!
There was something in the way she spoke not just loyalty. Not just performance.It was conviction.I needed that.More than I realized.
As the crowd erupted into applause, I held her hand tighter, almost afraid to let go.But I had to stay composed.Always composed.
Back in the car, I didn't speak. She didn't either. I could still hear her voice echoing in my head. Still feel her hand in mine like an anchor I never knew I was reaching for. Her voice re-echoed in my head. I never expected someone to stand up for me because of my cold demeanor especially Elena because of the way I treated her. I never expected her to do it but Humans are full of surprises. You never know what they are thinking about and what they are planning to do. Very unpredictable.
Her speech had done what my PR team, lawyers, and shareholders couldn't.It stirred trust.Even in me.And that was dangerous.Because trust made you weak. Trust let people in. And when they got in, they destroyed everything.Just like Ivy did.. My face was so stone cold, don't want her to notice that I am thinking about her.
Just like I swore I'd never allow myself to trust anyone again.But then… Elena.She looked like calm in chaos.Like light at the end of the war.And I hated that I noticed.When we pulled into the driveway, the gates shutting behind us, I couldn't breathe.Not because of panic.But because of everything I was starting to feel.I needed control back.I needed the distance. I needed to shatter what was sprouting between us. I needed to do it fast
We walked into the house in silence. I tossed my keys on the marble console and turned to her. She looked up at me with those big, wide, hopeful eyes like she was expecting something.
A thank you? A smile? A kiss?I crushed it."Why did you come?"Her lips parted, confused."What?" "I didn't ask you to come. I didn't need your help. This wasn't your place."Her breath caught. Just once.Then again.
But I wasn't finished.I needed to kill it before it grew. Before she became something I needed.
"Stop trying to play wife. It's not real. This marriage? It's a contract. Don't confuse yourself.You don't mean anything to me and I'm sure you never will."
Her eyes shimmered. Just slightly.But she didn't back away.Not immediately."I was just trying to help," she whispered.
"I don't need your help,Use your help to do something productive with yourself" I snapped. "I don't need you."And there it was.The crack.The glassy veil in her eyes broke. Tears welled, then fell.She didn't sob. She didn't scream.She turned.
Walked away.Up the stairs, down the hall.Back to the guest room where she had been before.
The door shut softly.And something inside me twisted. My heart twitched.I rubbed a hand across my face and walked into the study. Took some documents I was supposed to work on before the scandal happened, but I couldn't focus. I was thinking about Elena.
Thirty minutes later, my phone rang.It was Nathan, one of my executive staffs.
" MrJustin," his voice was breathless. "You won't believe this. The board is getting calls from the investors. They saw the press conference. They're coming back."I froze."What?"
"Yeah. They're impressed by your speech especially with your wife's speech. They said she reminded them why they trusted you in the first place. She reminded them of who Justin his and how you are a man of intent and integrity.That the strength of a man is in the people who believe in him. And that woman? That's a woman who believes in you."
I didn't speak."Justin?""I'm here," I muttered.
But I wasn't.My mind was upstairs.On the woman I'd just broken.The woman who stood beside me when I was too proud to ask.The sensible woman who saw me in distress and saved my company without me asking.The woman whose words just saved my empire.And I couldn't even say thank you. Because I didn't know how. Because I was afraid to be hurt the second time.
Because if I told her the truth that she mattered then I'd never be able to keep my walls up again.
And I wasn't ready for that.I couldn't love her and I couldn't let her hopes high of being with me. I crushed everything.
So I stayed silent.Even though everything inside me was screaming.
When I was done with the call, I continued with the paper work.
* * * * * * *
Later that night, I found myself outside her room.I didn't knock. I just stood there. I heard her voice through the door. Soft. Muffled. Was she crying? Was she calling someone? Then silence.
I turned and walked away. But her voice wouldn't leave my head. "I just wanted to help…"
She did. And she did it better than anyone else ever could've. But I didn't know how to deal with that. I stepped into my room and shut the door behind me.Tried to sleep. Tried to breathe.
But all I could see was the woman looking so pretty called my wife standing in front of a sea of cameras, defending my name like it was her own.I didn't deserve her.But I wanted her.I yearned for her.And that terrified me more than anything.