The victory party

Despair etched itself onto Julian's face as he sighed heavily. With a rueful shake of his head, he muttered, "Esme and I were the best of friends before the whole engagement thing. Things between us turned ugly, and we got separated, but… we both wanted to maintain the friendship. At least, I genuinely wanted to mend things with her."

A bitter laugh escaped his lips. "Seems I let her down really bad. She doesn't even want to be friends anymore." Sadness painted his features, glistening with unshed tears.

Daphne observed him, paying attention to each word he had uttered. Julian's sadness was evident. His regret twisted around the misconception that Esme was upset with him because he had not answered her calls that night and had not gone to help her. But the reality was different from what he was thinking.

A sharp pang of guilt lanced through Daphne. After reflecting on his words, she realized she had been wrong.