His Betrayal: Choosing Her Over Me

With that thought, Julian flicked a glance at Leia’s flushed cheeks before heading straight for Piper and prying open the first-aid kit.

Leia itched to leave. Watching them be so close was more than she could bear. But the second she turned to go, Piper called her name.

"Leia, could you help me with the ointment? Julian’s all thumbs, honestly."

Leia went rigid. She clenched her fists so tight her nails dug half-moons into her palms. This woman really was something else.

Julian turned toward her too. "Leia, would that be okay? I can handle it if you don’t want to."

Leia bit down on her lip until she tasted copper, then answered coolly, "Sure. I can help."

Under both their gazes, she walked over to Piper and knelt slow. Piper lifted her foot, a smug little grin tugging at her mouth—she was clearly doing this just to get under Leia’s skin.

Right as Leia went to take Piper’s foot in her hands, Piper spoke again.

"Oh goodness! My feet got so dirty walking all day. It’s gonna be impossible to get the ointment on right like this!"

Leia’s eyes narrowed. She lowered her head, and heard Julian say, "You’re right. I’ll go get water to clean them off."

"No, Julian. Can Leia do it? I have something I need to talk to you about right now."

Piper’s soft, sweet, pitiful act was impossible to say no to.

Leia’s hand tightened. Bitterness clawed its way up her throat, her chest burning so bad it ached. She waited to see if Julian would actually make her wash Piper’s feet. She told herself he wouldn’t—he’d always taken her side before, always looked out for her.

But she’d underestimated how much Piper meant to him. Julian frowned, even looked a little annoyed, like he suspected she was doing this on purpose. Still, he answered patiently, "We can talk later. It’s not urgent."

Leia exhaled, breath rushing out her lungs, tears pricking the back of her eyes—then her heart plummeted right to her stomach.

Piper pleaded, "But I can’t wait. Please, Julian."

After a long, heavy silence, he caved. He gave Leia a muted, guilty look. "Leia, could you…"

Before he could finish, Leia swallowed down the bitterness clogging her throat, forced a smile, and said, "No problem."

As she walked calmly out the door, Julian’s gaze stuck to her back, a twist of unease settling in his gut.

He turned back to the woman on the bed, and his voice dropped straight to ice. "You did this on purpose, didn’t you?"

Piper looked up, and the tears she’d been holding back came spilling down. "Julian, what are you even implying?"

"Making Leia haul water and wash your feet just to embarrass her. That was deliberate, wasn’t it?"

His usually soft, warm eyes held a coldness Piper had never seen before—sharp, accusatory.

She’d never seen him like this. A chill went straight through her, and she only cried harder. "Julian, that’s so unfair. How could you think that of me?"

"Am I really that awful of a person? Boo-hoo…"

"I just had something I needed to tell you. I didn’t mean any harm. I never expected you’d misunderstand me like this."

Her tears fell like pearls, splattering against her frilly Victorian dress.

The ice in Julian’s eyes started to soften. How could the woman he loved—kind, sweet, good—do something like that? He wouldn’t believe it.

He stepped over, wrapped her in his arms, and murmured soft apologies. "I’m sorry. I misjudged you."

She playfully swatted his chest, still sniffling. "Don’t let your mind run wild like that. It hurts when you think such terrible things about me."

"Okay. I won’t."

Leia came back with the water, and one look at the two of them curled up together made her freeze. The heavy basin nearly slipped out of her hands. If she hadn’t caught herself at the last second, she would’ve gone tumbling to the floor, red-faced and humiliated.

One look at Leia’s paper-white face, and Julian unconsciously let go of Piper. He spoke soft, "Leia, just set it down. I’ll wash her foot for her."

He was going to wash Piper’s feet. She’d half expected it, but the pain still cut deep, sharp enough to take her breath away.

Leia pulled herself back together, stepped forward, and set the basin on the floor. Julian crouched down, ready to start, but right as his hand neared the water, a shriek split the air.

"Ah! It’s burning hot!"

Piper yelped, yanking her foot out of the water so hard she knocked the whole basin over. Water went flying everywhere, spreading across the hardwood, and her pale foot was already puffing up red.

Just a faint redness, nothing too extreme.

Leia’s eyes went wide. She couldn’t believe it. With Julian standing right there, Piper had framed her right to her face. How could she not be shocked?

The water was a little warm, sure, but not scalding. But there the redness was, clear as day on her foot. How had she even done it?

Leia hurried over, her words sticking in her throat. "Are you okay?"

No one answered her. Julian’s back, still crouched, shook just a little.

That red, swollen foot burned like a brand in Julian’s line of sight. He grabbed it fast, blowing soft little puffs on the skin, and his eyes blazed with white-hot anger.

Piper whimpered, "Julian, it hurts. The water was so hot."

She lifted her tear-streaked face to look at Leia. "Leia, did you do this on purpose? You were upset I asked you for help, weren’t you?"

"If that’s what this is, I’m sorry."

"I really just wanted to talk to Julian. I never thought you’d take it that way."

Her words stacked up like dry kindling, turning Julian’s already roiling anger into an inferno. His eyes were a violent storm, just waiting for a spark to explode.

Framed right to her face. Leia had had enough. She shot back cold, "Piper, I’m not half as vicious as you’re making me out to be. The water wasn’t that hot. Your little act is nauseating."

She’d hit her breaking point, and she wasn’t holding back anymore. She never had been the type to lay down and let people walk all over her—why would she start now?

Piper’s sobbing got louder. "Julian, I didn’t do it, I didn’t…"

"You know damn well what you did. Cut the disgusting act, and get this through your head: this is my house."

Leia’s sharp retort. Her blazing anger. Her open defiance. Every part of it rubbed Julian the wrong way.

In his eyes, she’d always been gentle as a lamb—obedient, docile, easy.

But now her words cut like glass, her attitude screamed defiance, and all he felt was disappointment.

He stood slow, stepping toward her one step at a time. His eyes were colder than the dead calm after a tornado.

"You say you didn’t do it on purpose, but the proof is right in front of us. Her foot is red, Leia. If you didn’t want to help, you could have just said so. Did you really have to stoop this low?"

Julian’s words hit Leia like a bolt of lightning. For two years, he’d cherished her. For two years, she’d thought he knew her.

She wasn’t scared of misunderstandings. She wasn’t even scared of being framed.

What terrified her was that he didn’t trust her. That he actually thought she was that petty.

His eyes were full of disappointment, anger bleeding through, the whites of his eyes turning bloodshot.

Pushed all the way to the corner, Leia kept her face calm even as her voice shook. "You don’t trust me?"

"How can I? You’ve made everything worse for her."

"You know her health is terrible. How could you hurt her like this?"

"I told you, I didn’t. She’s faking this," she cried, desperate to make him believe her.

"You say she’s the one playing games, but all I see is you. Not her."