Chapter 122: She’s Back

"Elena, please don’t be afraid!"The moment the fear crossed my face, Julian pulled the car over.

But the second it slowed, I shoved the door open and ran.

My heart slammed hard against my ribs as my feet hit the pavement. Cold air burned my lungs. My mind raced. How did he replace my driver without anyone noticing? The thing I’d dreaded most had finally happened.

Julian knew.

No one would ever believe something like this unless they’d lived through it themselves. A soul returning. A second life. A stolen body.

Behind me, a door slammed.

Footsteps followed.

Fast. Steady.

My instincts screamed. Run. Hide. Survive.

I turned sharply into an alley, my pulse roaring in my ears. He was chasing me, and the way he moved focused, relentless made me feel like prey cornered by something stronger.

People who lost their grip on reality were the most dangerous.

"Stop!" I spun around and raised my phone. "Stay back! One more step and I call the police!"

He halted at the mouth of the alley. His chest rose and fell, eyes dark, sharp, but his voice softened.

"Elena, please. I won’t hurt you. I swear. I just want to talk. Away from the Hale house. That’s all."

So that was it.

He hadn’t dared say any of this in Lewis’s territory.

I tightened my grip on my phone. The emergency number glowed on the screen, ready. One tap.

"Fine," I said coldly. "I won’t run. But explain one thing first."

I met his eyes.

"Why did you call me Elena?"

I wasn’t about to admit anything. If he believed this, let him prove it himself.

Julian exhaled slowly. Then he smiled soft, almost reverent. Like someone who had just found something precious he thought he’d lost forever.

"Elena... are you still angry at me?" he said quietly. "We’ve known each other for twenty years. I met you when you were eight. Do you really think I wouldn’t recognize my own wife?"

My stomach twisted.

The affection in his voice made my skin crawl.

"Wife?" I scoffed. "Julian, listen to yourself. Elena is dead. She’s been gone for over a month. Her body was never found. Why are you saying things like this to me?"

He didn’t flinch.

"I investigated you," he said. "Riley Ashbourne. Your habits. Your expressions. The way you speak. Dress. React. You’re nothing like the Riley from before."

I stared at him calmly.

"People change," I said evenly. "I’m mated now. Of course I’m different. When I was younger, I loved sweets and hated spice. Now I like bold flavors. Hot food. Strong tastes. That’s life. We grow."

But he stepped closer.

"Riley loved Yenik," he pressed. "She didn’t want to tie herself to Uncle Lewis. After her suicide attempt, she came back like a stranger. Doesn’t that seem wrong to you?"

I laughed softly. Cold. Sharp.

"So that’s your theory?" I said. "That’s what you came up with?"

My gaze hardened.

"I didn’t try to die because of Yenik. That cheating coward wasn’t worth it. I was broken because of betrayal. Because of what the Ashbournes did to me."

I took a breath.

"And I chose Lewis," I said firmly. "He protected me when no one else did. That’s why I’m with him now. Not fate. Not ghosts."

I met his eyes without fear.

"And definitely not because I’m Elena."

"Elena, stop lying to me."

Julian stepped closer. Not rushing. Not touching. But the space between us shrank anyway, like the air itself bent to his will. His voice was tight, sharp with conviction.

"You didn’t tie yourself to Uncle Lewis out of love," he said. "You did it to get back at me. And Camilla. That’s why you rushed everything. No ceremony. No celebration. You signed the papers and moved straight into the Hale estate like you were claiming territory. You had other reasons. I know you did."

I stared at him, stunned.

Since when did he start thinking this clearly? Since when did Julian stop being careless and start reading between the lines?

He didn’t wait for my response.

"If this was just gratitude," he continued, eyes burning, "then why are you still so angry? At me. At Camilla. At my family. After I read that journal... I finally understood." His voice faltered. "We treated you horribly. For years."

The edge in him cracked.

His eyes shone, wet but stubborn. "Elena, I had no idea you suffered like that. All alone. Our baby..." His breath shook. "I found the little grave. Joy’s grave. You were on that operating table with no one holding your hand. No one protecting you."

My chest tightened violently.

"I’m sorry," he whispered. "I really am. I loved you. I did. But after so many years... I got careless. I thought you’d always be there. When Camilla appeared, everything felt new again, and I " He swallowed. "I was selfish. I ignored you."

The moment he said Joy’s name, something inside me snapped.

It felt like claws raked straight through my chest.

I lowered my head, fists clenched so tight my nails bit into my palms. He didn’t deserve to say her name. He didn’t deserve to grieve her.

I spoke without looking at him.

"And who do you think killed Joy," I said coldly, "if not her father?"

The words landed like a blow.

Julian froze.

His face drained of color, his breath catching like he’d been struck. For a long moment, he didn’t move. Didn’t speak. He had wanted confirmation.

Now he had it.

Maybe he had been testing me. Maybe he truly knew.

Either way, I could feel how unstable he was. Raw. Unbalanced. Dangerous in a way only wounded men could be. If I let this spiral, he could ruin everything I had built. And if Camilla got to him first

I made my choice.

If I couldn’t silence him, I would aim him.

Camilla cared about Julian. That alone made him useful.

I lifted my head and met his gaze fully this time.

"If you hadn’t shoved me at that café," I said quietly, every word measured, "I wouldn’t have lost the baby. When you carried Camilla away, did you even think to look back? Just once?"

My voice didn’t shake.

"If you had," I continued, "you would’ve seen me bleeding on the ground. But you didn’t. Not even a glance."

His face twisted. Guilt. Horror. Regret. It all crashed over him at once.

His lips parted, trembling. "Elena... so it really is you?"

Snow fell around us, thick and silent, blanketing the world in white. The cold didn’t touch me. I stood straight, unmoving, holding his stare without fear.

"Julian Hale," I said slowly, clearly, letting each word sink deep, "Elena Morrigan is back."