Arielle took a step forward, anger and confusion swirling in her chest. "Stay away from you? Julien, after everything we've been through? You can't just tell me that!"
He stepped back, his hands raised as if to keep her at a distance. "You don't understand. You think you know me. But everything I've told you is a lie. I've been hiding from these people for years. And now... they know about you."
The words hit her like a slap. People? What people? What had Julien gotten himself into?
He seemed to read her confusion and desperation in her eyes, and for the first time, his mask cracked.
"They're dangerous, Arielle. And they don't just disappear."
She stepped closer to him, refusing to back down. "Then why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you trust me?"
"Because I was protecting you," Julien said, his voice breaking. "But now... I don't know how much longer I can protect you. They'll come after us both."
The cold chill in the air grew heavier. Arielle felt the gravity of his words sink deep into her chest. There was more at stake here than just their relationship. She was tangled up in something far more dangerous than she could have imagined.
"I can't keep running," she whispered, her voice steady with newfound resolve. "I won't let you push me away again. If you want to keep me safe, then let me in. Let me help you."
Julien didn't answer right away. But when he finally spoke, his voice was quieter, almost resigned. "You don't know what you're asking for, Arielle."
She looked at him, the silence between them stretching long and heavy. There was no going back.
"I'm asking for the truth."
The warehouse was cold, and the silence between Arielle and Julien felt like a tangible thing, heavy and oppressive. For the first time, she could see the exhaustion in his eyes, the lines of tension around his jaw. This wasn't the man she had fallen for. This was someone different—someone who had been hiding behind a carefully constructed mask.
She stood there, waiting for him to speak, to explain the cryptic words he had just dropped. But he only stared at her, his brow furrowed, as if struggling with something inside.
"I'm not asking for anything you think I am," Arielle said, her voice steady. "I just need to understand. You've kept secrets from me, and now... you're pushing me away because of them. I can't live like that."
Julien exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair in frustration. He looked like a man on the edge of something—a breaking point.
"You think you can handle the truth?" His voice was soft, almost bitter. "Arielle, this isn't something you can fix. This isn't something that goes away. The people I've been running from... they don't care about who I am or who you are. They want what they want, and they'll destroy anything in their path to get it."
Arielle's pulse quickened. The man in the café had warned her. The same warning now echoed in her head—Don't trust anyone.
"But why didn't you tell me before?" She took another step forward. "You could have told me any of this, Julien. I've trusted you for years. I deserve to know."
His eyes flicked to the floor, and for a moment, he seemed lost in thought. "You do deserve to know. But I didn't want to bring you into this. I thought I could protect you by keeping you away from all of it."
Arielle shook her head. "That's not how it works. Keeping me in the dark, pushing me away... that doesn't protect me. It just makes everything worse."
Julien's expression softened, but only for a moment. He rubbed his temples as if trying to ward off a headache.
"You think I don't know that?" he snapped, his voice raw. "You think I haven't been kicking myself every damn day for not telling you? But I couldn't risk it. I couldn't risk you getting hurt."
Arielle took a deep breath, the air thick with tension. "Tell me, Julien. Tell me everything."
He hesitated. The seconds stretched on, unbearable in their weight. But then, with a deep sigh, Julien finally spoke.
"Alright," he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "I've been involved with a group of people for a long time. Not by choice, mind you. They pulled me in when I was young, and I had no way out. At first, it was about money—easy money. But it quickly became something much worse."
Arielle's chest tightened, but she remained silent, urging him to continue.
"They're dangerous people, Arielle. I thought I could cut ties with them years ago, but they don't let go. Not easily. They've been watching me, waiting for the moment when I slip up. And when I did—when I got too close to you—they made their move."
Arielle's mind raced. "Made their move how?"
Julien's gaze hardened. "They've been setting me up for something big. A deal I can't back out of. I've been trying to keep you safe by keeping you away from it all, but I was wrong. They know about you, Arielle. They know everything."
The words hit her like a freight train. They knew everything.
Her stomach twisted. "So what do they want?"
Julien's jaw clenched, and he looked away, his gaze darkening. "They want control. Power. And if I don't deliver for them, they'll take everything—everything—from me. From both of us."
Arielle felt her legs weaken. This wasn't some petty criminal group. This was something bigger, something much darker than she had imagined. And now, she was tangled in the web too.
"You didn't tell me sooner because you were trying to protect me," she said softly, the realization settling in her chest. "But keeping me in the dark isn't protection. You're putting me in more danger."
Julien looked at her, his eyes full of regret. "I didn't know what else to do. I thought... I thought if I stayed away, if I pushed you out of my life, they'd leave you alone. But I see now that was a mistake."
Arielle stepped closer to him, feeling a cold resolve building inside her. "You don't get to push me away again, Julien. You don't get to make decisions for me. We're in this together now."
He looked like he was about to argue, but she raised her hand, silencing him.
"I'm not leaving. Not now. Not after everything that's happened. If we're going to get through this, we do it together."
Julien stared at her for a long moment, as if searching her face for any sign of doubt. But there was none. Arielle's resolve was as clear as day.
He let out a long breath. "Alright. Together," he murmured, his voice resigned but grateful. "But you need to know—this isn't going to be easy. The people we're dealing with… they don't care about anything. And they'll do whatever it takes to get what they want."
Arielle nodded, her heart racing. "I understand. But I'm not afraid."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The weight of their shared decision hung in the air, heavy and unspoken.
"You'll need to be careful," Julien said, his voice now quieter. "They'll be watching. They'll always be watching."
Arielle felt the chill of his words sink into her bones. The man in the café had been right. They were already deep in it.
But she wouldn't back down. Not now. Not ever.
"Let's face this together," she said firmly.