He Kept Postponing Our Marriage for Her Crises… So I Ended It Myself Chapter 06
Julian’s pulse kicked hard. His body tensed to move.
He stopped himself before it showed too much.
But Chloe still flinched awake, her fingers clamping down on his. “Don’t leave… Julian, don’t
leave…”
He reached over and pressed the intercom on the nightstand, keeping his voice low.
“Ms. Jenkins. Keep your voice down.”
Silence below.
A moment later, Ms. Jenkins’s footsteps came rushing up
She stopped in the doorway, mouth half-open, then shut it.
She caught herself just in time.
the stairs.
When Julian hired her, he’d made one rule perfectly clearith a threat that backed it up: “Not one word about my wife in front of Miss Mercer. Not one.”
Ms. Jenkins swallowed hard, her face pale.
Her hands twisted in her apron, trembling. When she finally spoke, it was only one line.
“N-nothing’s wrong… just a pest downstairs. I overreacted. You rest, sir. I-I’ll handle it.”
Julian gave a slight nod.
Ms. Jenkins turned and slipped down the hall.
He sat by the bed for another fifteen minutes.
He waited until Chloe’s breathing evened out and her grip on his hand went slack.
Only then did he ease off the bed and leave the room.
He pulled the bedroom door shut and went downstairs.
The living room was dark. The only light was the blue glow of the TV on standby.
Exhaustion hit him all at once.
He dropped onto the sofa, shoved a pillow behind his neck, and closed his eyes.
The TV kept murmuring, the low drone of late-night news blurring into white noise.
His eyes drifted toward the basement door.
The bedding had been brought down. She’d be asleep by now.
He shifted once, twice, and then sleep dragged him under.
A stranger’s voice woke him the next morning.
“Morning, sir. We’re from the zoo just up the road. One of our pythons got loose from the reptile house last night. Security footage shows it heading this way. Mind if we take a look around the property?”
Julian shot upright.
“What did you just say?”
