Once a Doormat Now Untouchable (Caleb and Sydney) novel Chapter 482

**When The Ocean Learned My Name and Whispered It Back to You**
**by Aurelia Novel 482**

**Chapter 482**

As the meal progressed, Tiffany’s keen eye finally picked up on the subtle shift in Sydney’s demeanor. It was a change that hadn’t gone unnoticed, even amidst the clattering of cutlery and the hum of conversation around them.

“Is it because Alan and his wife have moved back home?” she inquired, her tone light and teasing, as if trying to coax a smile from her friend.

Sydney responded with a soft, almost helpless laugh that lacked its usual spark. “How could I possibly feel sad about that?” she replied, her voice light but the weight of her words heavier than she intended.

After all, Alan’s new home was just a short drive from Haven. It hardly constituted a farewell that warranted tears or grief, not when the distance felt so manageable.

“Then what’s really bothering you?” Tiffany pressed, her brow arching in curiosity as she spat out a chicken bone and reached for her beer, the sound of the bottle clinking against the table echoing in the air.

Sydney’s heart fluttered with uncertainty as she took a deep breath, the truth poised on the tip of her tongue. “Julian found out.” She hesitated, the gravity of her revelation hanging in the air. Realizing how vague that sounded, she continued in a hushed tone, “He knows that Eloise was responsible for my adoptive parents’ deaths.”

Tiffany’s expression shifted from playful to serious in an instant, her appetite evaporating as she froze mid-bite. “And what did he say?”

No one understood the pain of that truth more than Tiffany. It had always been the deepest, most jagged thorn lodged in Sydney’s heart, a wound that had festered for far too long. As long as that truth remained, Sydney’s hopes of a future with Julian felt nothing more than a fragile dream, one that could shatter at any moment.

Sydney lowered her gaze, a wry smile creeping onto her lips, directed inwardly at her own foolish optimism. “He didn’t say anything at all. Just got a call in the middle of our conversation. Eloise fainted, and he rushed out.”

What had she expected? Deep down, Sydney knew that she should have never harbored the hope that Julian would choose her over the obligations of family. Blood ties always seemed to take precedence.

—

At the Sterling family’s private hospital, the atmosphere was thick with tension.

By the time Julian arrived, Eloise had already been moved to a VIP ward, and the air was heavy with an unspoken dread.

Natalie, Victor, and several others stood vigil around the bed, their expressions a mix of worry and resignation, as if they were preparing for a battle they knew they might lose.

Julian stepped into the room, an eyebrow raised in sardonic amusement as he surveyed the scene. “What’s this? Are we waiting for her to draft her will?” he quipped, his voice dripping with mockery.

The room fell into a suffocating silence. The words hung in the air like a dark cloud, a thought everyone had entertained but dared not voice, especially Victor, who was Eloise’s favorite grandson.

“Come on, my dear aunt,” Julian replied, an amused glint flickering in his dark eyes. “You, of all people, should know that I seized that power with my own hands.”

He dragged a chair over, sitting with one leg crossed over the other, his posture relaxed yet commanding. His gaze swept over the gathered relatives, each of them acutely aware of the unspoken history that hung between them. “If I hadn’t fought tooth and nail for it, you would have erased me from this family long ago.”

It was a truth they all recognized, a truth that cut deeper than any wound. They hadn’t just tried to erase his name—they had sought to erase his very existence.

Natalie’s breath caught in her throat. She understood that reality better than anyone else in the room. Before she could gather her thoughts to respond, Julian tilted his chin toward the doorway.

Moments later, Elliot entered, his demeanor calm and steady. “Mr. Sterling would like a private word with Madam Sterling. If everyone could please step outside for a few minutes.”

Victor hesitated, a frown creasing his brow. “But Grandma hasn’t even woken up yet…”

“Really?” Julian replied, his gaze flicking toward the monitor. “Then tell me, which unconscious person’s heart rate looks like that?”

As he spoke, the heart monitor emitted a series of rapid beeps, escalating in speed, each sound echoing the tension that had enveloped the room.