Chapter 158

They'd known each other for a while, but Anna barely knew anything about Julian aside from a few things she'd heard secondhand. And now, out of nowhere, Julian had opened up about something so personal, something he'd usually keep under wraps. Was he trying to comfort her? That was the only explanation that made sense. Just thinking about it made Anna's cheeks burn. She didn't dare dig too deep into what that meant, so she quickly tried to change the subject to cover her nerves. She subtly wiped whatever was on her face onto his shirt, thinking he wouldn't notice. Then she looked up and said, dead serious, "I'm fine. Really, I'm okay." Yeah right—her eyes were practically swollen shut. Julian held the girl in his arms, knowing she was probably a nervous wreck inside, but he didn't call her out on it. Instead, he grabbed a tissue nearby and gently helped her wipe away the mess. "I know. It's late, get some sleep." Anna normally acted all tough, so breaking down like she had tonight was