*Julia*
Braxton’s face has my heart leaping up into my throat. After my initial statement, letting him know that I have to go, I don’t know how to explain myself to him, to tell him that I can’t stay or why.
“What do you mean you have to go?” Braxton asks, taking a few cautious steps toward me but stopping well short of touching me. “Why would you need to go?”
I clear my throat, swallowing hard. “Because… it’s for the best if I do.”
His eyes widen in shock. “For the best? For who?”
“For everyone,” I tell him. “Especially you.”
“No, Julia,” he says as he shakes his head emphatically. “It is most definitely not best for me.”
I disagree with him. “Braxton, I heard what happened today. Jeff didn’t take the settlement, right?”
He doesn’t answer, only continues to stare at me, unblinking
