He sat on the cold steps outside Colette's house and told her everything, without missing any detail. Antonia listened without interrupting. When he finally stopped talking the line was very quiet.Then she spoke."If you need to cry, then cry. I won't judge you for it."Julian's breath caught. His throat closed up and his eyes burned hot. He covered his face with his hand and let out a sound he'd been holding back for hours. For years, maybe.His mother stayed on the line, saying nothing. When he finally stopped, she spoke again."I forgive you." She said, “But I will not pity you,”Julian exhaled. His chest loosened slightly, “I'm not asking for pity,”“Good. Because you do not deserve it,” She said, “I am aware of everything that has been happening to you over the past five years – including the events of this past month, and even what happened today.”“As my son, I refuse to accept you being a coward—a useless person who gets bullied but lacks the courage to strike back.” she s

"Justin, what you did was totally unacceptable! You need to come to my office and apologize to Sebastian, properly and in person."Colette's voice was sharp through the phone. Julian stared at the table in front of him, his coffee going cold."If you don't," she continued, "I will never forgive you for this. Do you understand me? Never.”There was silence for a while, then,"No," Julian said coldly, "Everything that happened tonight is your fault. Yours and Sebastian's. I'm not apologizing for anything."He heard muffled sounds on the other end, like someone was speaking in the background.Then Sebastian's voice cut through, loud enough for Julian to hear clearly. "Colette, it's fine. I don't need an apology. Really. I don't want to come between you two."Julian's jaw clenched.Of course Sebastian would say that. The perfect, understanding gentleman, making Julian look like the unreasonable one."See?" Colette snapped. "See how understanding he's being? And you can't even do the bare

Panic flashed across Colette's face like lightning.Her hands gripped the divorce papers so tightly they crumpled at the edges. Her eyes, wide and disbelieving, searched Julian's face for some sign that this was a joke, some terrible misunderstanding."Why?" she demanded, her voice shaking. "Why are you bringing up divorce?"Julian looked at her with cold, detached eyes. "Because I don't love you anymore."The words landed like physical blows.Colette's face went pale, then flushed red. Tears welled up in her eyes but she blinked them back furiously."Is it just because I asked you to apologize?" she cried out. "You're doing this because I asked you to apologize to Sebastian?"Julian's expression didn't change. "Is that not enough?""Enough?" Colette's voice rose to a near-shriek. "You're going to throw away everything we've built together over the past three years? Everything we've shared? You're going to discard our entire history because of one argument?"She took a step toward him

Colette stood frozen in place, her hand still gripping the car door, her mouth hanging open.Sebastian was equally stunned beside her, his earlier smugness wiped clean from his face.Neither of them had expected this.The woman sitting in the driver's seat wasn't some random blonde Julian had picked up at a bar. She was Gianna Brennan, the legendary figure whose single contract had brought Mercer & Co more profit in six months than Colette had managed to secure in the previous two years combined.And she was the one person Colette had been desperately trying to expand a partnership with.Colette's mind raced, trying to make sense of what she was seeing.Why was Julian – her house husband, the man who cooked her meals and did her laundry – sitting in a car with someone as powerful as Gianna Brennan?It didn't make sense. None of this made sense.Colette released the car door and took a step back, her face flushing hot with embarrassment."Ms. Brennan," she stammered, forcing a smile th

Colette walked back into Mercer & Co with her head down, her heels clicking against the polished marble floor. The lobby was full of employees—some waiting for elevators, others chatting near the reception desk, a few lingering by the coffee station. All of them looked up when she entered.Colette felt their eyes on her like a physical weight. She kept her gaze fixed straight ahead, refusing to meet anyone's stare, and walked directly to the elevator.Sebastian followed close behind, still cradling his wrist.The elevator ride up was silent and suffocating.When the doors opened on the twentieth floor, Colette walked straight to her office and shut the door behind them.She sank into her chair, her hands trembling as she pressed them flat against the desk.Her mind felt foggy, disconnected, like she was watching everything happen from a distance.Julian had been with Gianna Brennan, the same woman Colette had been desperately trying to secure a deeper partnership with for years and s