Chapter 237:

Robert’s POV

I didn’t know how to answer her. I didn’t know if what I felt was truly love, but I knew that I went insane when she wasn’t near me, and I was ready to kill anyone who even looked at her. But was that love? Mafia men don’t love; it’s not in our nature. My body went rigid under her searching gaze, and a heavy silence filled the room, broken only by the sound of her expectant breathing.

"What is wrong with you? Why aren’t you answering?" she asked, her voice tinged with bitterness as she watched my frozen state.

I would have preferred to take another bullet to the chest rather than answer that damn question. I averted my eyes, my voice turning cold. "Why are you asking?"

"Because I want to know," she insisted, her grip tightening on my arm.

I exhaled a sharp breath of frustration. "It isn’t necessary to know everything."

She sat up straight, and I felt the tension in her body beside me. "I want to know what kind of relationship we have. I came to you because I love you... but you? Why did you let me in?"

"Because I find you attractive," I muttered, trying to escape the pull of her eyes.

"Is that it?" she asked, her voice breaking.

I felt a sudden sense of suffocation. "Julie, let’s change the subject," I snapped with slight intensity.

"So, you don’t love me," she whispered, her lips trembling with pain.

I ground my teeth until the muscles in my face bulged. "Are you trying to start a fight?"

She shook her head sorrowfully. "Not at all. I’m just trying to understand what is between us. Are you treating me like Sarah?"

At the mention of that name, I recoiled, and a fire ignited in my eyes. "I told you before never mention Sarah!" I warned, my voice low and dangerous.

But she didn’t back down. She raised her voice, struggling to hold back her tears. "I want to know what I am to you, Robert!"

I wanted to scream at her, to tell her: ’You are my air and my life. Because of you, I feel things I’ve never known before.’ But the words choked in my throat. Instead, I spoke with a coldness that betrayed everything I felt. "You are someone I am very fond of."

Her eyes widened in disbelief, her voice shaking. "What am I? Am I just a girl you fuck, Robert?"

"Of course not," I replied instantly, my tone sharp and final. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Then what?" she asked, lost.

The pressure was mounting, and in my desperation to end the conversation, I said something I regretted the moment it left my lips: "Didn’t you say it was enough that you loved me?"

Her expression vanished in a split second. The light in her eyes died out, replaced by a terrifying calmness. "Yes... you’re right," she said quietly. "I’m sorry."

I realized my mistake and reached out to catch her hand. "I didn’t mean it like that..."

But she pulled away quickly, distancing herself. "Don’t worry. I understood exactly what you meant."

She stood up abruptly, turning her back so I wouldn’t see her tears. She walked toward the door with unsteady steps. "I’m going to get Axel." She left the room and closed the door behind her, leaving me alone to slam my fist against the bed in a fit of self-loathing. Why did I say that? I should have just said it... I should have said I love her. Why is it so hard?!

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Julie’s POV

I walked out of his room, tears on the verge of falling. I quickened my pace before I could completely break down; I didn’t want him to see me weak, and I certainly didn’t want him to see me begging for his love. Was it really that hard for him to say it? Was everything I felt from him just an illusion I had woven in my mind?

Before I knew it, I was at Max’s door. I pushed it open forcefully and walked in, thanking God that he was there and not working. He looked at me in bewilderment as he saw my state. "What’s wrong?"

My lips trembled as I sat on the edge of the bed, feeling defeated. "He doesn’t love me."

He frowned, confused. "Who? I don’t understand."

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. "Is it wrong that I asked Robert if he loved me?"

Max went still, staring at me in shock. "Did you ask Robert that?"

"I confessed to him that I loved him a few days ago," I said, looking away.

"You confessed to Robert?!" he echoed, frozen in place.

I glared at him. "Stop acting surprised like an idiot! What is wrong with you?"

"Because everything you’re saying is a shock," he said, shaking his head.

I hit the bed with my palm. "Damn you! I was having a breakdown, and you’ve completely ruined the mood!"

"That’s good," he replied calmly, trying to absorb my anger. "Being angry is better than breaking down."

I started to stand up. "I’m the fool for coming here to talk to you."

I tried to leave, but he was faster. He grabbed my wrist firmly and pulled me back down. "You’re not going anywhere. Tell me what happened."

I sighed painfully. "I told Robert I loved him, but he didn’t say it back."

He looked at me for a long moment before saying, in a tone I didn’t expect, "I didn’t think you were this... easy, Julie. Did you say ’I love you’ on the first day?"

I felt a sting to my pride. "Is that a bad thing?"

"It’s not bad," he said, rubbing his forehead. "But let’s just say you rushed things."

"Aren’t people supposed to say ’I love you’ when they sleep together?" I asked innocently, feeling lost.

Max burst out laughing, which made me feel insulted. "What era are you living in, Julie?"

"What’s so funny, you idiot?" I snapped, pushing his shoulder.

"It’s not necessary for people to love each other to sleep together," he said, trying to stifle his laughter.

My heart skipped a beat, and a chill swept through my limbs. Was he just playing with me? Did he fuck me without loving me? "Did he trick me?" I asked, my voice trembling. "Did he sleep with me without loving me?"

His expression turned serious when he saw how pale I had become. "Calm down, that’s not what I’m saying."

"Then what are you saying?!" I shouted, shaking his shoulders.

He sighed, trying to explain. "Look, from what I know about Robert... men like him don’t know what love is."

"And did I know what love was before?" I challenged him. "But I felt it! I knew it!"

He shook his head sadly. "It’s different. First, you’re a girl and he’s a man. Second, you’re young; you can experience these emotions and confess them instantly, as you did."

"Yes," I muttered.

"But he is older," Max continued, interlacing his fingers. "He is a mafia man who only knows the language of weapons and violence. I don’t think Robert has ever said the words ’I love you’ to anyone in his life."

"You talk as if he’s your best friend sharing his secrets with you!" I scoffed.

"I don’t need to be his friend to know that," he replied calmly. "Because that’s just how mafia men are, Julie."

A lump formed in my throat. "So, he doesn’t love me because he doesn’t know how... the result is the same, Max. He doesn’t love me. I don’t care about the reason."

"Give it some time," he tried to soothe me. "Your relationship only started a very short while ago. No one says ’I love you’ this early, even if they aren’t in the mafia."

I wiped my face. "I’ll stop loving him too."

Max chuckled, clearly not believing me. "Sure, Julie."

"I asked him if he loved me and he started dodging the question," I continued, the memory of his cold face burning in my mind. "Do you know what he finally said to me?"

"What?"

"He said: ’Didn’t you say it was enough that you loved me?’" I whispered, tears starting to fall.

Max stopped laughing and stared at me in shock. "Did you actually tell him that?"

I nodded slowly. "Yes."

He let out a long breath. "Julie, dear... you are truly terrifying."

"What’s terrifying about that?" I asked, sitting up.

"You are so impulsive," he said, watching my reaction. "Usually, the man is the one who pushes. You... you’re making him afraid."

My eyes widened. "I’m making Robert afraid?"

"Yes," Max said seriously, looking me in the eye. "You really are."