Accidental Fiancé (Unintentionally Yours #5)

32. Julian

Chapter 32

Julian

I watched from the second-floor balcony as Maggie carried her luggage through the foyer, shoulders back, her steps steady, and her head held high. A pang of pride shot through me, even as she marched away. Seeing her spar with Chloe was incredible. I couldn’t believe she stood up to her like that.

If she wasn’t leaving me right now, I might have been aroused by seeing her so thoroughly trounce Chloe. But she was walking away, away from what we had built together, even if it was a lie at first. The ache was suffocating, and even though I hated it, I couldn't deny the strength she carried. She'd been through hell—betrayal, rumors, her bakery burning down—and yet she still moved through the world with grace. That was Maggie. Human resilience.

As she neared the door, Chloe hovered nearby. Marcus was with her, along with a few others who gravitated to the foyer. Somehow, no matter how awful she was, people fell in line with Chloe, even if only to see what she’d do next. She was a venomous snake, eyeing her prey, and still, people always wanted to watch.

I clenched my fists as I watched her lips curl into that signature sneer, the one she saved for when she was about to strike.

Here we go again.

Before I could run down the stairs to tell her to shut up, she sniped, “Before you leave, Maggie, there is one more thing I’d like to say.”

“I've no interest in anything else that comes out of your mouth.”

“Such a shame about your little bakery. I guess some dreams aren't meant to last.”

Maggie stopped cold, and I swallowed. How dare Chloe say that? But I had to let Maggie handle this. If I stepped in to rescue her now, she’d hate me forever.

Her hand dropped to her side and her back stiffened, but she didn't respond immediately. She was calm and calculated. The woman I had fallen in love with—again.

Chloe, emboldened by the silence, took another step closer, her voice lowering into a sarcastic taunt. “You must be so devastated with that insurance money tied up. I mean, how are you going to rebuild when the fire marshal’s report is taking so long? You know those things can drag out for months, maybe even years.”

I froze. How did Chloe know about the fire marshal and the insurance? To my understanding, that wasn't public knowledge. My chest tightened as I leaned closer, trying to hear Maggie's response.

Her voice was soft but steady when she finally spoke. “Are you close personal friends with the fire marshal? Because there's really no other way you would know that.”

“I have my ways.” Chloe's grin widened. “You don't deserve that insurance payout, and I will make sure you never see a single penny from it.”

Maggie stood there for a moment, the meaning of Chloe's words settling in. Then, in a voice sharp enough to cut glass, she asked, “Did you have anything to do with the fire?”

I held my breath. The whole room seemed to join me.

Chloe's eyes gleamed. She crossed her arms over her chest, tilted her head slightly, and said, “Of course I did.”

Maggie gasped. “Why?”

“I had put our little rivalry behind me until I started getting involved with the reunion committee. That's when I learned how you and your family were doing. How your dad came back to his senses, how you had turned your life around from a nearly homeless existence with your mom into a successful baker, looking to expand. How your bakery had become your whole world.” She shrugged and smirked. “So, I took it away.”

A wave of nausea rolled through me. Chloe destroyed everything that Maggie had worked so hard for. I wanted to run down there and scream at her. But I forced myself to listen while getting my phone out to record her words.

Maggie's voice broke through the shock. “Why? Why do you hate me so much?”

Chloe's face twisted as her anger became uncontained. A brow raised as she glared. “I go through all this trouble, and you don't even know why I'm doing it?”

“What did I ever do to you?”

“Do you remember the parent-teacher night in elementary school? It was fifth grade. Mrs. Harrington put out lemonade and cookies and?—"

“Yeah, I remember,” Maggie said roughly. “What does this have to do with anything?”

“My dad was there, and your mom was flirting with him the whole night. She broke up my family!”

“What are you even talking about?” Maggie shifted her stance like she was ready for a fight, but she clearly hadn’t expected that.

“My parent’s marriage was never the same after that night,” Chloe continued melodramatically. “They got divorced, and I had to watch my family fall apart. That's your fault, Maggie. If you hadn’t brought your mother that night, my parents would still be married.”

All of us stared at Chloe, utterly baffled as Maggie managed to find her words. “You’ve hated me this whole time, tormented me all these years, because ten-year-old you thought my mom flirted with your dad, ultimately leading to your parent’s divorce? Are you being serious right now?”

“Your mother destroyed my family.”

Maggie blinked, taken aback. “Chloe, that's insane. My mother never?—"

“She did! I saw her!” Chloe snapped, her voice rising. “Your mother ruined my life, and I've been paying for it ever since!”

Apollo stepped into the fray, ever the prosecutor. “What did you see her do exactly, Chloe?”

“Her mother groped my father right in front of everyone!”

“Groped him?” Maggie was aghast until she searched her memory for a beat. “Didn’t he spill lemonade on his suit or something along those lines?”

“Yes, and she insisted he take the jacket off so she could run it under the tap. She helped him undress right in front of the whole class! I had never been so humiliated in my life!” Chloe snarled, “If you hadn’t brought her that night my parents would still be together!”

“ That’s what you call flirting?” Maggie ran her fingers through her hair. “My mom innocently helped your dad because he was freaked out over his suit, and you took it upon yourself to light my bakery on fire because of how you interpreted her kindness when we were in fifth grade ? Is that what you’re telling me?”

Chloe’s jaw locked tight. “She was flirting with him.”

“She was helping him, you psycho!” Maggie shook her head in disbelief.

It was like the air had been sucked out of the room. No one dared to speak.

Even Marcus paled. His eyes shifted from Chloe to Maggie and then to the floor, trying to make sense of nonsense. The silence continued for a few more heartbeats before Marcus straightened, finally breaking the tension. His voice was low and filled with disgust. “You set fire to Maggie's bakery because of something you think happened between your parents? That's fucked up, Chloe.”

Her eyes flickered to him, confusion flashing across her face. “Marcus, this has nothing to do with you. Back off.”

He shook his head, stepping away from her. “We are done. I'm not going to stand by and support whatever this is. You've gone too far.” His voice was cold, final. “It’s over between us.”

Chloe's face crumpled with shock then anger, but Marcus didn't give her a chance to speak. He turned and walked away without looking back, his footsteps echoing through the foyer.

But Apollo had plenty to say. He looked Chloe up and down, his gaze as icy as his tone. “I'm filing charges against you on Monday, Chloe. You'll be lucky if this stays a local case, but I can't promise that it will. I suggest you don't leave the city.”

Chloe's face bleached, the reality of Apollo's words sinking in. “You can't be serious. It wasn’t a big deal. No one was hurt.”

“You’re lucky nobody was hurt. Arson is a serious crime,” Apollo replied smoothly. “And you just confessed in front of several witnesses.” He gestured around the room.

I couldn't help but admire Apollo's stoicism. The way he dismantled Chloe's arrogance with just a few sentences was impressive. But what really mattered was Maggie. She just stood there in the middle of the chaos, unbroken. I'd never been prouder of her.

As Chloe turned and stormed off, humiliated, I jogged down the stairs, trying to find the right words to say to Maggie. But before I could reach her, she turned and met my eyes.

“Julian,” she said quietly. Her voice held both finality and a deep sadness.

What could I say? That I was sorry? That I had made a mistake by letting this happen? That I loved her? She thought she knew how I felt about her better than I did, so there was no convincing her otherwise. There was nothing I could do to stop her from walking out of my life. “I’m sorry. About Chloe, about what she did to you.”

“This isn't on you. What happened, it's done. Don't give me those sad puppy eyes.” A hint of a smile on her plump lips gave me hope for her. Chloe may have burned down her bakery, but she didn't destroy the thing that mattered most—Maggie’s heart and grit.

I swallowed hard. “I know that it's not my place, but I'm proud of you for standing up to her. For everything.”

She gave me a small smile. “Thanks for that.”

Apollo ushered the others toward the lounge and away from the foyer. As I reached for the door to open it for Maggie a moment later, we heard Chloe scream out, “I am not going to prison! Do you understand me? I will not go!”

We both snorted a laugh, trying not to crack up. I wondered if a last-ditch effort would even matter at this point. But I had to say what was on my mind. “Do you think Chloe will look good in prison orange?”

Maggie's stiff upper lip attitude shattered.