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Julia turned to the bed Madeline was lying in it, eyes closed "Did you do this?"

There was no response from Madeline, but Julia walked around to the side she was closest to "Madeline, I know that painting wasn’t finished when I left earlier"

Still no response

Julie stared at her

There was so on here "Madeline, did you put these paintings together?" Her voice sharpened and her hands closed into fists "Answer me!"

Madeline’s eyes opened

Julia sucked in a sharp breath Madeline wasn’t looking back at her No Her gaze was focused on the--

A door creaked behind her and warm air lifted the hair off her shoulders Ti sped up She turned around, her sto on the paintings Canvas crunched under his boots In his hand--a gloved hand--was thediary

She tensed as she took a step back "What are you--?"

Julia never got to finish the question Pain exploded along her jaw Stars burst, blinding her, and then there was nothing

Chapter 30

Lucian wanted to punch Dev again

So leaving that das he’d done in a while The only thing cal closer to Julia

Christ, he was going to have to tell Julia He didn’t want her to know, but he felt like she needed to It felt too da to keep it from her

He honestly wouldn’t blaht and left If she did, he would probably doby his room first, he found that she wasn’t there He headed the short distance to hers, a frown pulling at his lips when he saw that her door was open

"Julia?" he called out, scanning the roo in the closet, she wasn’t here either That meant there was only one other place she could be

Maddie’s room

A small smile pulled at his lips as he pivoted around and made his way upstairs Her devotion to her job--to his sister was just another reason why he lo--

"Holy shit," he gasped

Lucian stopped on the stairs He didn’t let hiht was

It was another reason why he loved her

He actually felt dizzy cli the steps, weak in the knees kind of shit, but he was s as he walked down the hall and rounded the corner

"Ms Hughes, are you?" He trailed off Maddie’s door was open, so he saw right inside "What in the fuck?"

His sister was not in her bed

She was not in the chair before the easel

Julia was nowhere in the room, and there were

Lucian stalked around the bed, staring at the paintings on the floor He knehat he saw--holy shit, it made no sense, but there wasn’t ti, because Maddie was gone

So was Julia

A surreal feeling slammed into him Like he’d experienced all of this before, and fuck, he had The night hisaround wildly, he stopped when soht his eye Dropsdrops of blood?

Pressure cla to the open porch doors He shot forward, whipping the curtains out of the way as he stepped outside