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Chapter 15 - chapter 14

The theatre corridor had emptied now, leaving only the faint echo of heels and the distant rumble of carriage wheels outside. Evelyn stood very still, her pulse unsteady, the echo of her mother's cutting words still ringing in her ears. Julian had not moved either, though his shoulders were squared as if he were bracing against some invisible battle.

Evelyn finally broke the silence, her voice low. "You weren't meant to see that."

Julian's eyes softened, though his expression remained taut. "You mean her?"

Evelyn nodded, folding her arms around herself. "She walked out on us when I was little. I never thought she'd bother to turn up now—at one of my concerts of all places. She never wrote, never asked how I was. And yet she appears tonight, judging me, judging…" Her voice faltered. "…everything."

Julian watched her carefully, his eyes dark with an emotion she could not name. "You think weakness is in letting someone see your wounds," he said quietly, "but I don't. Weakness is pretending they don't exist."

She turned her gaze to him, startled. "You sound as though you know."

His lips pressed into a line, as if he had said more than he intended. For a long moment he was silent, then finally murmured, "I buried a brother before I was old enough to shave. My father never forgave me for surviving. He looked at me the way your mother just looked at you. As though my living was a mistake."

Evelyn's breath caught. She had not expected this man of iron composure, this soldier who carried the weight of discipline in every gesture, to reveal something so raw.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, instinctively reaching for his sleeve, her fingers brushing the rough wool of his coat.

Julian didn't move away. He only held her gaze, and for the first time, Evelyn saw the man beneath the soldier—someone who carried loneliness as heavy as she did.

"You don't need to apologize," Julian said softly. "Just… play your music. Don't let her steal that from you. Don't let anyone steal it."

Her eyes stung, tears threatening, but she blinked them back. "It isn't that simple. She wants something—I can feel it. She's come back for a reason, and I don't know what it is yet."

Julian's jaw tightened, his instincts sparking. "Then whatever it is, face it. But not alone."

The words settled between them, heavy, dangerous. Evelyn drew in a shaky breath, feeling as though she were on the edge of something she could neither retreat from nor fully step into.

Before she could answer, Clara's voice floated from the far end of the hall. "Evelyn? Are you ready? The car is waiting."

Evelyn quickly withdrew her hand from Julian's sleeve, the spell breaking. She smoothed her shawl, forcing composure. "I have to go," she murmured.

Julian gave a small nod, though his eyes lingered on her with an intensity that made her chest ache. "Then go. But remember—you don't have to walk into whatever comes next alone."

And with that, he stepped back into the shadows of the corridor, leaving Evelyn trembling, torn between the safety of silence and the dangerous promise in his words.

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