Once a Doormat Now Untouchable (Caleb and Sydney) novel Chapter 500

**When The Ocean Learned My Name and Whispered It Back to You by Aurelia Novel 500**

**Chapter 500**

Raymond’s throat tightened as he stared at her, the silence stretching between them like a taut string ready to snap. After what felt like an eternity, he forced himself to swallow his rising anger. “You really can’t get enough of Glen, can you?” he said, his voice edged with disbelief.

Across the hall, the soft click of a door shutting broke the tension, and Julian instinctively glanced at his watch. *Still early,* he thought, a hint of relief washing over him.

For a moment, he hesitated, caught in a whirlpool of thoughts. Then, with a decisive flick of his fingers, he pulled out his phone and typed a quick message, his heart racing slightly at the prospect of reaching out.

Julian: [Are you busy?]

The reply came almost instantly, as if she had been waiting for his message.

Mrs. Sterling: [Just finished. About to shower.]

Julian lingered on the contact name, a sense of quiet satisfaction bubbling within him. There was something exhilarating about this connection, a flicker of hope igniting in his chest.

He chose not to respond, instead slipping his phone back into his pocket as he made his way to the door.

As he swung it open, he nearly collided with Raymond, who was poised to ring the bell, his expression dark and stormy.

A loud bang echoed down the hall as another door slammed shut, amplifying the tension in the air.

Raymond’s face was a tempest of emotions, but Julian felt a wave of irritation wash over him. His tranquil evening with his “wife” had just evaporated into thin air, leaving behind a bitter aftertaste.

He narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms. “What are you doing here?”

“Drinking,” Raymond replied flatly, his voice dripping with discontent, seemingly oblivious to Julian’s lack of enthusiasm.

With Tiffany back home and the hour growing late, Julian felt a pang of regret. He couldn’t just show up at Sydney’s door unannounced again.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stave off the headache forming at the back of his mind. “Drinking? At my place?”

But Raymond had already stepped inside, commandeering the space as if it were his own. He slipped into a pair of house slippers with an air of ownership and scanned the room, his eyes searching for any sign of Sydney. *Not even a dinner plate,* he noted, disappointment evident in his posture.

Turning back to Julian, he offered a look that was meant to convey camaraderie but only served to deepen Julian’s annoyance. “Fellow man in misery, huh? So, what are we drinking?”

Seeing Raymond still steeped in his heartbreak, Julian felt a flicker of sympathy and decided to extend a gesture of goodwill, just this once. He retrieved a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet along with two square glasses, placing them on the table with deliberate care.

“Didn’t you have dinner with Tiffany tonight?” he inquired while pouring the amber liquid, trying to keep the conversation light.

“Yeah,” Raymond muttered, his body slumping onto the sofa as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders.

*Ah, so they ate, but it wasn’t a pleasant affair,* Julian thought, catching on to the unspoken tension. He filled the glasses to the brim, then sent another text, his mind still half-focused on Sydney.

Julian: [Go ahead, take your time. Be careful, the bathroom floor’s slippery.]

She was pregnant, and the last thing he wanted was for her to risk a fall.

Julian kept his expression light, but inside, he felt the weight of the revelation settle heavily between them.

The impact of the truth hit hard. All sense of shared misery evaporated like mist in the morning sun.

*So much for brotherly solidarity. The bastard secretly pulled ahead!* Raymond thought bitterly, a surge of resentment bubbling within him.

Julian lifted his glass, tapping it lightly against Raymond’s, his voice dripping with mock sincerity. “Proximity advantage, my friend. You live too far away. Not convenient.”

“Proximity advantage?” Raymond growled, incredulity etched across his face. “And what the hell’s the advantage in that little saying of yours?”

He wasn’t playing along, and Julian could see that the earlier camaraderie had dissipated.

Earlier, in the parking lot, when he had confronted Tiffany about never truly severing ties with Glen, she had simply smiled brightly and uttered three infuriating words.

“Yeah, I do.”

*Fine. Let her. I’m done caring,* he thought stubbornly, trying to shove aside the frustration that clawed at him.

Julian swirled his drink thoughtfully, almost idly, and said, “I heard Glen’s looking to rent a place in Haven. If he can’t find one, I could always sublet mine.”

“Julian!” Raymond’s head snapped up, his face darkening with outrage. “Who’s your best bro, huh? Who sat outside your ER room all night when you got shot?”

Julian’s lips twitched into a knowing smile, a glimmer of mischief dancing in his eyes. “So you do want to rent it?”