Filed to story: The Breaking Point (Maya & Julian) Book PDF Free
Maya winced from the pain, her breath catching. She watched as Julian delicately removed her high-heeled shoe, both his hands cupping her foot. The warm touch against her skin sent shivers up her spine, making her quiver uncontrollably. She felt goosebumps rise all over her body, and her skin stretched taut as if she had been scalded by boiling water.
He squeezed a little harder, causing her to inhale sharply. She tightened her grip on the bedsheet, after which he asked, “Should I call a doctor?”
She replied, “N-No need.” She believed it was not a bone injury but more like a muscle and tissue issue.
Pinching her, he stood up and turned to the fridge to get an ice pack and his handkerchief, in which he wrapped the ice pack. Then, he pressed her ankle against his hankie, and she was slightly surprised. The silk-like touch of the cloth, with the ice pack inside, sent a chilly sensation into her body. She could not help but shrink from the cold.
“Too much?” Julian looked up at Maya.
“No, just caught me off guard.” She shook her head.
He held her foot on his thigh, one hand applying the ice pack and the other gently pressing her ankle. Her feet were pretty, each toe slightly shorter than the last, looking rather cute and chubby. Being a full-time housewife, she hardly wore high heels at home, so her feet had not deformed and looked healthy.
As Julian kneaded, his hand gradually moved upward. Maya’s back stiffened, her body tingling. She stared at him and warned, “Massage the ankle and just the ankle. Don’t do anything else. We’re on a TV show.”
He pinched her calf and leaned closer. “Even if I did, what can the crew do to me?”
“Julian…” Before Maya could say anything else, he kissed her body, causing her words to reverse into her throat. He moved his hand upward, his voice husky. “You’re my wife. I can be affectionate with you anywhere. It’s not against the law.”
Her body went limp; her legs were trapped by Julian and unable to move, so she could only let him have his way. When his hand slipped under her clothes, she could not help but hold his hand. “Be gentle.”
He chuckled and pulled her into the bedding. After they were done, she lay on the bed, too fatigued to move, while he cleaned up for her and started dressing, preparing to leave. Even if he talked tough, he was still worried about getting caught on camera. It would be hard to explain later.
She lay with her eyes closed, pondering in her heart, but there was less resentment than before and calmer after the disappointment. That man left her injured self in the garden, which was enough for her to savor the bitterness and disappointment of that moment.
Julian got dressed neatly and checked the time. It was already 4.00AM. “I’ll go back to my room. If your leg hurts during the day, call the doctor,” he told her.
“Mm.” Maya’s attitude was indifferent.
He stood by the bed, staring at her back for a moment before asking, “Are you mad?”
“Isn’t this how we’ve always been?” she answered quickly this time, not wanting to talk to him about her feelings and thoughts after what happened. There was no need to either. Her desire for divorce had accumulated over time, not just for a day or two. So, she did not want to think about the unreachable just because of their physical intimacy.
Julian sat down by the bed. He looked at her round shoulders and wondered if she was still upset about the child. “You always keep things to yourself. You know I’m not a mind reader,” he said lightly, reaching out to pull the blanket up for her.
“I don’t have anything bottled up. I’m just tired.” Her voice carried drowsiness. Indeed, she was no longer eager to tell him how she felt, nor did she expect their marriage to lead to happiness. She had no fantasies about the future; that was all.
Julian stopped talking and helped massage her ankle for a long time before standing up to leave. Meanwhile, Maya did not feel anything amiss after he left because the room had always been this quiet and cold every time they shared a bed.
He gently closed the door before walking to his room. As he entered, another door opened, and a female designer stood there with a bag of trash in her hands. She narrowed her eyes and stared at his room door with a glint in her eyes.
Maya did not sleep for long but was in deep slumber after being together with Julian. So, she was in good spirits when she woke up. Although her ankle still hurt, it did not hinder her from walking as long as she was slow and steady.
When Luna entered her room, she asked about the design draft, “Did you get it back? Did Julian blame you?” The design draft was a priority for them both, and Luna could not relax if it were left unsettled.
“Yeah, I did. I tore it to pieces and flushed it in the toilet,” Maya answered as she moved her ankle.
Luna let out a breath of relief with a hand on her chest. “Now, we’re safe. But it’s annoying that we can’t use this against Selena.”
Maya patted her shoulder and advised, “Our aim is the diamond ring. Don’t mind her.”
When they arrived at the banquet hall, Maya instinctively noticed Selena’s peculiar gaze on her. When Luna was seated, Maya passed her cutlery as usual.
Suddenly, a designer named Nina Lowery asked with a smile, “Miss Smith, I’ve been curious since I entered. Why doesn’t your assistant stay on the same floor as you do? Instead, she’s staying beside Mr. Graham.”
At that, Luna answered with a smile, “Why don’t you ask Mr. Stewart or Mr. Graham?”
At that point, Selena started to echo her sarcastically. “You can answer that, too. Julian invited you, and you’re close to Mr. Stewart. Both of you are treated better than us in this show.”
The spoon in Luna’s hand fell into the bowl as she looked up at Selena with a friendly smile. “Mr. Graham has asked me to let you off the hook about apologizing to me when you slandered me the last time. It seems you don’t feel guilty at all. Trying the same thing again now?”
Tears started to well up in Selena’s eyes when she heard that. “Luna, you’ve misunderstood me. I just wanted to alert you to be careful of your assistant. If she has any misconduct, your reputation is on the line.”
Then, Maya glanced at Selena with cold eyes. “Why don’t you just tell me what it is? You’re just saying things without proof.”
As the tension grew, the netizens watching the live stream also speculated if Selena was jealous because Julian treated Maya well, explaining why Selena was making insinuations.
‘Selena didn’t even apologize for slandering Alana. How dare she bully her assistant now! Besides, Julian took the initiative to approach the little assistant. Selena’s just using her status to bully the assistant. How shameless!’
‘Julian’s interaction with this flirty assistant is quite normal in the show. The fans just couldn’t bear to watch it and wanted to guard their favorite couple. They probably don’t know Julian helped Selena catch a bug last night in her room.’
‘I think they know. They’re just afraid of shipping the wrong people and acting crazy. Besides, check out Nina’s Twitter, and you’ll know why Selena is targeting the assistant.’
‘I saw her post too. She posted it around 4.00AM. I don’t know what she was hinting at, but that assistant isn’t as simple as she seems. No one knows if Alana is innocent, too!’
The netizens were berating them while the show went on.
Selena pouted her lips like she was wrongly accused of something. “Oh, I don’t have the courage to talk bad about you. You’re Luna’s favorite assistant. I’d have to step back for you even if my man is about to be snatched away by you just for Luna.”
Luna was so angry that she laughed. Exactly who is taking whose man here?! Is Homewrecker Palmer playing dumb here?
However, Maya did not want to argue with her since Julian would step in and stand on Selena’s side if she asked her to apologize.
On the side, Victor watched Selena’s snide remarks and recalled Nina’s tweet at 4.00AM, and on top of that, Julian’s special treatment toward Maya. He furrowed his brows lightly and asked, “Are you guys misunderstanding something here?”
Everyone’s gazes landed on Victor, who glanced at Maya and Selena before speaking with a puzzled expression, “If it’s about how Mr. Graham helped Maya into her room last night, I was there too.”
“At what time did you see Mr. Graham help her into her room?” asked Nina immediately.
He looked at her with a shrug. “Isn’t it weirder for you to tweet at 4.00AM? Are you asking me the time on purpose?”
She let out a snort. “Are you saying I tweeted at 4.00AM just to defame her?”
Victor put on a nonchalant expression. “I wouldn’t know. People usually sleep at that time. Even Mr. Graham would be sleeping, too. Besides, she sprained her ankle when she went to the garden yesterday and bumped into Mr. Graham in the elevator on the way back. Mr. Graham was kind enough to help her, but you guys are insinuating they did something fishy.”
Nina was speechless by his retort and wanted so badly to let the cat out of the bag. She could not tell them that she saw Julian coming out from Maya’s room at 4.00AM as she might be removed from the show if he wanted to pursue the incident.
Besides, she did not take a picture last night. So, she had no proof. What happens if he doesn’t admit it?
Even if he did, the fact was that Julian entered Maya’s room. Hence, it would seem like he was the one who initiated this, which would only make the netizens think that there was something between them.
Victor’s words tilted the scale as the netizens started to despise Nina.
‘And they were saying we were afraid of shipping the wrong people. If Julian liked Selena, he would’ve avoided causing any misunderstanding. Since Victor was helping Maya to her room already, why did he interfere? He must have something for her!’
‘Exactly. Nina is incompetent, and it didn’t stop her from tweeting at 4.00AM. What a b*tch. This is the same tactic with Selena seeing the marks. She sure likes to smear people with that mouth of hers.’
‘The drama in this show revolving around Julian is too much. If I didn’t know, I thought this design show was a dating show. I hope the crew doesn’t put the cart before the horse.”
After breakfast, Maya secretly thanked Victor.
“Don’t mention it. If I didn’t bump into you, I wouldn’t have known the truth and spoken up.” He was gracious.
Then, she nodded as she watched him enter the elevator. After everyone left, Luna wrapped an arm around her shoulder and whispered, “Why didn’t you call me when you sprained your ankle last night?”
