Rescued Me Novel – Chapter 9
She had Dominic now.
She had their son.
Cole didn’t matter.
At least, that was what she thought.”
Until she saw the headline.}
The large LED screen above the mall’s main plaza flickered with flashing red text, followed by the crisp voice of a news anchor.
“BREAKING NEWS: Billionaire Cole Laurent Files for Divorce from Julienne Laurent!“–
Julienne froze mid–step, her breath catching in her throat.”
The next words sent a chill down her spine.
“Cole Laurent Confesses: ‘I Married the Wrong Twin–I Was Always in Love with Evelyne.”
Her heart stopped.
What?
The screen shifted, displaying a picture of Cole in his office, looking as composed as ever, a subtle smirk on his lips as he confirmed the statement to reporters.”
Julienne’s entire body stiffened, her hands tightening around the shopping bag until her nails nearly tore through it.” Divorce?
He never said anything about divorce.”
Her mind raced. How? When? They had spoken just last week about a charity event, and he had said nothing.”
Her pulse pounded in her ears.”
This had to be Evelyne’s doing.”
Before she could react, a murmur rippled through the crowd around her.”
Then
Then-
People turned, their phones raised, capturing every second of her shock.”
Their whispers reached her ears.
“Isn’t that Julienne Laurent?”
“Oh my God, did she just see the news?”
“She looks like she’s about to pass out.”
Julienne’s breath hitched.
She needed to leave.
She spun on her heel, ready to bolt-
But it was too late.
The world had already seen her fall.”
The messages started pouring in that night.” You did this, didn’t you?!
You’re such a jealous bitch, Evelyne.}
I swear to God, you’ll regret this.
You just couldn’t let me be happy, could you?”
You took my husband. You ruined my life. I’ll make you pay.}
I scrolled through them, expression blank. She was furious, just as I expected.”
I didn’t bother responding. I didn’t need to. She was already unraveling.”
I blocked her number, tossing my phone onto the bedside table. But the silence didn’t bring me peace. Instead, it brought something worse.
Memories. Of her. Of us.
Julienne and I used to be inseparable. When we were little, we were each other’s world. We wore matching dresses, held hands wherever we went, spoke in our own little twin language that no one else could understand.”
“We’ll always be together,” she used to say. “No matter what.”
We built forts under the dining table, hid inside our closet whispering secrets, and made up stories about how we would grow up, marry princes, and live next door to each other.”
Our mother would smile, watching us from the doorway. “You girls are lucky to have each other,” she would say. “Sisters
are forever.“
And for a while, I believed her. But then–our parents changed everything.
They never wanted us to be together. They wanted us to compete.}
It started small.
“Who got the higher grade?“”
“Who danced better at the recital?”
“Who deserved the bigger birthday gift?”
At first, we laughed it off. But the older we got, the harsher the comparisons became. Julienne started pulling away first. She didn’t want to share clothes anymore. She didn’t want to sit next to me at the dinner table. She started calling me her rival instead of her sister.}
It only got worse when we reached high school. By then, we weren’t just competing for our parents‘ approval.”
We were competing for everything. Who was more popular. Who had the better grades. Who was the better twin. And the final blow came with our baby brother. His name was Ethan. He was the only one who never saw us as two halves of a competition.”
To him, we were just his big sisters. I still remember that day so clearly–the day it all changed forever.
We had taken Ethan to the pool. He was only four, still learning how to swim. Julienne had been in charge of watching him while I went inside to get towels.
I was gone for three minutes. Three minutes. And when I came back, I heard the screaming. Julienne was at the edge of the pool, her face pale, her hands shaking.”
Ethan’s small body floated motionless in the water. I didn’t think. I just jumped in. I pulled him out, screaming for help, performing CPR with shaking hands, sobbing as I begged him to wake up. But it was too late.
And when our parents arrived–0
Julienne’s hands were still trembling. Her lips parted, and the words that came out of her mouth would haunt me for the rest of my life.}
“I told Evelyne to watch him.”
My blood turned to ice.
I turned to her in horror. “Julienne, no-”
But it was too late. Our parents‘ furious, grief–stricken eyes locked onto me.
“Evelyne, how could you?” my mother had screamed.
“You let him die.”
I shook my head frantically. “No! I wasn’t even-”
“Enough!” my father roared. “I don’t want to hear excuses.“>
No matter how much I pleaded, how much I swore it wasn’t me, they wouldn’t listen.
Julienne stayed quiet. She let them blame me. She let me become the bad twin. And from that day forward, I was.
The disappointment. The problem. The girl who let her baby brother dié.
I hadn’t realized I was crying until a tear slid down my cheek. I wiped it away quickly, forcing myself to breathe. Julienne had stolen everything from me. But what hurt the most wasn’t Dominic.}
It wasn’t even Cole. It was the fact that once upon a time, we were
And now–We were nothing.”
A movement caught my eye, and I turned, startled.”
Cole stood in the doorway. He didn’t say anything. He just looked at me. And before I could stop myself–before I could pretend I was fine–he stepped forward and pulled me into his arms.
I stiffened. But only for a second.
Then, against all logic, all reason–I sank into him.
And for the first time in years, I felt warm. Felt safe.
And
And maybe, just maybe–Felt like I wasn’t alone