Chapter 7 - Fractured Walls
The tension in the house snapped not from the paparazzi, but from a sudden, terrifying medical emergency. It was past midnight when Grace woke up gasping for air. She had always suffered from severe asthma, but this attack was vicious. Evelyn rushed into the girls' bedroom, grabbing the emergency inhaler, but Grace's lips were already turning a terrifying shade of blue.
Julian heard the commotion and sprinted down the hall. Without hesitating, he scooped Grace into his arms. We are not waiting for an ambulance, he shouted over Evelyn's panic. My private medical transport is on the helipad out back. We go now.
Within minutes, a private chopper was flying them to the top pediatric hospital in Chicago. Julian had his medical team ready on the roof. As the doctors rushed Grace into the emergency room, Evelyn collapsed into a chair in the waiting area, burying her face in her hands. She was trembling uncontrollably.
Julian sat next to her. He did not say a word. He just pulled her into his arms, wrapping his large frame around her shaking body. For the first time in five years, Evelyn did not push him away. She leaned into his chest, sobbing violently as the terror of losing her child overwhelmed her.
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I've got you, Julian murmured into her hair, his own voice cracking. I am right here, Evie. I am not going anywhere. I will never let anything happen to them.
They sat like that for hours, the walls of resentment and anger temporarily crumbling under the weight of their shared fear. When the doctor finally came out to tell them Grace was stabilized and breathing normally, Julian kissed the top of Evelyn's head, thanking God for a mercy he felt he did not deserve.
