Chapter 150\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney\u2019s mind went blank.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They were both adults. Even without firsthand experience, she instantly understood what she had touched.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now she was trapped on Julian\u2019s lap, unable to move.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even through the fabric between them, it felt far too intimate-almost like skin against skin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked up at him, panic brimming in her eyes, and tears threatened to spill. \u201cJulian, I didn\u2019t mean to\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian\u2019s large hand pressed against the back of her head, his thumb brushing over her lips. His deep, husky voice came low and steady. \u201cWhat did you just call me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney froze, afraid to move. She quickly corrected herself. \u201cMr. Sterling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His sharp, commanding gaze lingered. It was the look of someone born to be obeyed. \u201cWrong answer.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Heat swept through her, her whole body burning as she fought the urge to escape. At last, she gave in. \u201cWhat do you want me to call you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you used to call me?\u201d Julian\u2019s deliberate tone coaxed her now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Jules\u2026\u2019 Of course she remembered. But the word felt impossibly hard to say.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cL-Let me down first,\u201d Sydney pleaded, shifting against his grip.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His arm stayed locked around her waist. Julian\u2019s dominance was absolute. \u201cSay it first.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyes welled, shame heating her cheeks. She blinked and stammered, \u201cJ-Jules.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you start stuttering?\u201d Julian demanded, unsatisfied.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJules!\u201d The word burst from her lips, sharp with frustration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The tone-half defiant, half conceding-sounded exactly like it once had.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian\u2019s hold loosened. Sydney scrambled back into her seat, rolling down the window as if cold air could sweep away the suffocating tension and the frantic pounding of her heart.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It felt too strange.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian had always teased her, driving her to stomp her feet in anger. But just now, this was the first time he had gone that far.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe he was annoyed that she hadn\u2019t called him \u201cJules\u201d once since their reunion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As the Sterling heir, he had never tolerated defiance. His pride would not allow it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had won again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian\u2019s gaze darkened as he watched Sydney cling to the window, too shaken to look at him. His palm still held the phantom softness of her waist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That night, Julian dreamed of gripping her there, pulling her flushed face against him. He jolted awake, breathing\u00a0<\/p>\n
hard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Frustrated, he pressed his fingers to his brow, then stalked into the shower.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The cold water did nothing\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sleep abandoned him, so he moved into the living room and picked up the suit jacket Sydney had worn earlier. Her scent lingered, a faint trace of jasmine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His gaze darkened further, desire threading through him as his long fingers crushed wrinkles into the fabric.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Across the hall, Sydney couldn\u2019t sleep either.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hugging her pillow, she went to Tiffany.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tiffany was buried in case files, barely looking up. \u201cWhy aren\u2019t you asleep yet?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sydney\u2019s heart ached at the sight of her friend working so late. \u201cWhy are you still up?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m about to get promoted.\u201d Tiffany lifted a folder with a grin, eyes bright. \u201cIf I win this case, I\u2019ll make partner. My salary will jump like crazy. If I keep pushing, take on more cases-give it two years tops-we\u2019ll finally be able to leave this city,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She hadn\u2019t forgotten. She had promised she would leave Jouleston with Sydney.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Warmth swelled in Sydney\u2019s chest. She poured Tiffany a glass of milk. \u201cReally? Our Tiffany is amazing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNot bad, huh?\u201d Tiffany arched a brow proudly and downed a gulp of milk. She glanced at Sydney. \u201cWhat about you? Another bout of insomnia?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA little,\u201d Sydney admitted, though she didn\u2019t want to distract her. \u201cI\u2019ll drink some milk and try again. You focus. The sooner you finish, the sooner you can rest.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
When The Ocean Learned My Name and Whispered It Back to You by Aurelia Novel 150 Chapter 150\u00a0 Sydney\u2019s mind […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-when-love-is-gone-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22132"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22268,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22132\/revisions\/22268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}