ZOE’S POV
I was at a loss of words as I stood there staring at him.
His words—“I don’t want you going back to Liam”—rolled in my head again and again, sounding more like a confession than an order. My throat went dry.
“What?” I croaked, blinking at him.
Julian’s eyes flicked up to mine. That difficult to read calm face of his was cracking, only slightly — like he didn’t mean to say it, but also wasn’t about to take it back.
“I said I don’t want you going back to him,” he repeated, his voice low and even. The tone didn’t match the words. He sounded restrained. Like he was holding something back.
For a full second, I just stared. Then, because apparently my brain had decided to go on vacation, I blurted out, “You mean, like, ever? Or just tonight? Because if this is about safety, I can
