Chapter 31: The Delayed Homecoming
Philadelphia in the early hours was shrouded in a thin, cold mist, as if the city itself were trying to hide the wounds that had just been inflicted in its dark corners. On the quiet airport runway, the engines of Julian Caldwell's private jet still hummed softly as the door opened. Julian descended with steps that no longer reflected the aura of a celebrity or the arrogant businessman who usually graced magazine covers.
His face was weary, his eyes bloodshot from a lack of sleep and immense mental strain. He didn't wait for his assistants; he didn't wait for security protocols. He walked briskly through the piercing night wind with only one destination in his mind.
Inside the car heading to the hospital, the silence was suffocating. Julian sat in the backseat, staring blankly at the blur of streetlights passing by. His hands were clenched so tightly over his knees that his knuckles had turned white.
