One Night Stand, Eight Surprises: Pampered by My CEO Husband --- - Chapter 188: Chapter 188
You are reading One Night Stand, Eight Surprises: Pampered by My CEO Husband ---, Chapter 188: Chapter 188. Read more chapters of One Night Stand, Eight Surprises: Pampered by My CEO Husband ---.
The email came just after midnight.
Julian was already awake, pacing his dorm floor, chewing the inside of his cheek raw.
He clicked it open, breath shallow.
Exam Results: Final Term
Grade: Fail.
The world dimmed. The screen blurred. His knees buckled.
All those nights of studying. All those years of being the responsible one. The “firstborn,” the “reliable,” the “leader.”
Gone.
He didn’t cry. Not yet. Just curled up on the floor and stared at the glow of failure.
By morning, he hadn’t moved.
Ava was the first to notice he didn’t text back.
Skylar called. No answer.
Zane cursed under his breath and called the campus office pretending to be a cousin with “an emergency.”
Within hours, the siblings knew.
And so did Arielle.
She didn’t say a word. Just packed a bag and drove.
Damien called ahead, getting them access to the dorm.
When she opened the door and saw her son—broken, small, eyes glassy—she didn’t speak.
She sat on the floor.
And pulled him into her arms.
“I failed,” Julian whispered. “I let everyone down.”
“No,” she said. “You fell. And falling is part of flying.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know how to get back up.”
“You don’t have to,” Arielle whispered. “We’ll come down to you.”
That night, the living room at home glowed softly.
All eight kids. Damien and Arielle. Blanket piles. Pizza boxes.
No lectures.
No pressure.
Just presence.
Leila brought old photos.
Amara played piano until Julian smiled.
Zane told the most embarrassing story of his life.
Even Aiden wept when Julian finally admitted he was scared of losing himself.
“Failure,” Damien said, “doesn’t define you. It teaches you.”
Julian asked, “What if I’m not who everyone thought I was?”
Arielle took his hand. “Then we celebrate who you are. Not the roles. The real you.”
They all went to sleep in the same room.
Like they used to when thunder scared them.
In the dark, Julian whispered, “I love you guys.”
Ava’s voice answered, “We know.”
Skylar added, “We never stopped.”
And for the first time
in days, Julian closed his eyes.
Safe.
Held.
Human.
Loved.
And rising—slowly—from the fall.
Julian was already awake, pacing his dorm floor, chewing the inside of his cheek raw.
He clicked it open, breath shallow.
Exam Results: Final Term
Grade: Fail.
The world dimmed. The screen blurred. His knees buckled.
All those nights of studying. All those years of being the responsible one. The “firstborn,” the “reliable,” the “leader.”
Gone.
He didn’t cry. Not yet. Just curled up on the floor and stared at the glow of failure.
By morning, he hadn’t moved.
Ava was the first to notice he didn’t text back.
Skylar called. No answer.
Zane cursed under his breath and called the campus office pretending to be a cousin with “an emergency.”
Within hours, the siblings knew.
And so did Arielle.
She didn’t say a word. Just packed a bag and drove.
Damien called ahead, getting them access to the dorm.
When she opened the door and saw her son—broken, small, eyes glassy—she didn’t speak.
She sat on the floor.
And pulled him into her arms.
“I failed,” Julian whispered. “I let everyone down.”
“No,” she said. “You fell. And falling is part of flying.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know how to get back up.”
“You don’t have to,” Arielle whispered. “We’ll come down to you.”
That night, the living room at home glowed softly.
All eight kids. Damien and Arielle. Blanket piles. Pizza boxes.
No lectures.
No pressure.
Just presence.
Leila brought old photos.
Amara played piano until Julian smiled.
Zane told the most embarrassing story of his life.
Even Aiden wept when Julian finally admitted he was scared of losing himself.
“Failure,” Damien said, “doesn’t define you. It teaches you.”
Julian asked, “What if I’m not who everyone thought I was?”
Arielle took his hand. “Then we celebrate who you are. Not the roles. The real you.”
They all went to sleep in the same room.
Like they used to when thunder scared them.
In the dark, Julian whispered, “I love you guys.”
Ava’s voice answered, “We know.”
Skylar added, “We never stopped.”
And for the first time
in days, Julian closed his eyes.
Safe.
Held.
Human.
Loved.
And rising—slowly—from the fall.
End of One Night Stand, Eight Surprises: Pampered by My CEO Husband --- Chapter 188. Continue reading Chapter 189 or return to One Night Stand, Eight Surprises: Pampered by My CEO Husband --- book page.