Julian's POV
I should have told her everything.
The thought clung to me like a shadow as I stood on the patio, staring out at the darkening woods. I should have just ripped the band-aid off and given her the full truth—the good, the bad, and the messy. It would've been the right thing to do, but I wasn't that guy anymore.
At least, I was trying not to be.
The person I'd been before? He would have buried the truth under excuses and justifications, thinking it was for the greater good. But I'd spent years repenting, trying to move past the decisions that had cost lives and broken hearts. Decisions I couldn't undo.
The worst part? Back then, I hadn't even known it was her.
The sparks I felt now—the pull that made my chest ache whenever I was near her—were unlike anything I
