After Divorce, I Ruled Their World

You Will Regret It

Chapter 3

You Will Regret It

As soon as it was early in the morning, Vivian had thought this was the perfect opportunity for get to get back home, so she got info her car and drove home. She dropped her briefcase by the door and sighed, feeling that last night had been so stressful to her. Hed eyes scanned the living room, and there he was.

Julian was sitting on the living room sofa. He wasn't sleeping. He just sat there, still in the same clothes from yesterday, looking so drained and weak. The candles from his failed dinner had burned out since, and it was only the dried wax that stayed in place.

“Julian,” she said, her voice rough from champagne and late nights. “My neck is killing me. Come here and give me a massage.”

He didn't move. He didn't even look at her.

She frowned, irritation flaring up in her chest. She thought about Lucas. If it was him, Lucas would have been on his feet already, she thought bitterly. ‘He’s so much more considerate. He knows what I need without me having to ask twice.’

"Are you deaf?" she snapped. "I said I need a massage. It's the least you can do."

Finally, Julian lifted his head. His eyes were red-rimmed and hollow. "Where were you last night, Vivian?" His voice was quiet, but it cut through the room. "Why didn't you answer your phone?"

The question hit her like a splash of cold water. Guilt started growing in her stomach, but it was quickly replaced by anger. How dare he question her?

"I was at the company banquet!" she fired back, her voice rising. "I had a few drinks. My phone died. Is that a crime? Do you have to interrogate me like I'm some kind of thief?"

Julian watched her, the performance of her anger. He saw the slight tremble in her hand, the way her eyes wouldn't quite meet his. He felt a strong wave of sadness. He had spent the entire night hoping, praying it was a fake. Maybe it was an edited video from a rival company to tarnish her image. He knew these kinds of things happen. 

With a slow, deliberate movement, he pulled his phone from his pocket. He didn't say a word. He just found the video and pressed play.

The sounds of the party, the laughter, filled the quiet living room.

Vivian froze. Her face went pale as she watched herself on the screen, watched Lucas get down on one knee, watched her own joyful acceptance. The blood drained from her face.

The video ended. The silence that followed was just…loud.

"I need an explanation, Vivian," Julian said, his voice still calm, but it was a little harder.

For a second, she was too stunned to speak. Then, pure panic took over. Her hand shot out, smacking the phone from his grasp. It clattered against the wall and fell to the floor.

"How dare you!" she shrieked, her composure shattering. "You were spying on me? You had someone film me? You're disgusting!"

Julian watched his phone slide across the floor. And in that moment, his last shred of hope died. Her reaction was all the confirmation he needed. It was all true.

His face fell, the last tiny hope leaving his eyes. "So it's true," he whispered.

That was all it took. Vivian erupted, all her hidden shame and guilt exploding into fury. She pointed a trembling finger at him, her voice so loud she was practically screaming.

"So what if it's true? Look at you! Just look at you! How are you worthy of me? What are you, Julian? Nothing! I need a husband the world can respect! A man I can be proud of! Not a... a servant who only knows how to cook and do laundry!"

The words hung in the air. There was a pause. The words were cruel and just…hurtful.

Julian didn't flinch. He didn't shout. He just looked at her, and the calmness in his gaze seemed to make her fear her even more.

"Is that your reason?" he asked, his voice dangerously quiet. "For cheating? Because I cook and clean?"

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She couldn't form a logical answer. A strange panic seized her, a feeling that she was losing her footing, that something important was slipping through her fingers. But her pride was so strong that she held unto it tight.

She lifted her chin, avoiding his gaze. "If you say it's true," she said, her voice cold and stiff, "then fine. It's true. So what, huh? What are you going to do? You need me, Julian.”

A sad, wry smile touched Julian's lips. It was a smile of utter defeat. He had finally lost his wife. The same one he had transfered all his asset to last night. What a joke. “Then this makes it simple.”

He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a folded stack of papers. He placed them on the coffee table between them.

Vivian stared at the top page. The words were bold and undeniable: DIVORCE AGREEMENT.

He had already signed it. His signature was there, at the bottom.

“I'm not the type to cling,” he said, his voice flat. “And you don't have to worry. I won't expose any of this to anyone. Our business is our business.”

The sight of the signed papers sent a jolt of pure, undiluted terror through Vivian. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. She was the one who was supposed to hand him the papers. She was the one in control.

“No,” she breathed, shaking her head. Then her voice rose. “No! You... you planned this! You were just waiting for me to make a mistake, weren't you? You wanted an excuse! Is there someone else? Is that it? You found some other woman!”

She was grasping at anything, trying to justify her actions. She wanted to see him hurt, to see him angry, to see any emotion other than this terrible, resolute calmness.

Julian just looked at her, disappointed and weary to his very bones. The woman he had loved, the woman he had built an empire for, had been reduced to this screaming stranger in his eyes.

“Calm down, Julian,” he said, standing up. “Think carefully about what you really want. I'll come back in three days to collect my copy.”

He turned and walked toward the door. He didn't take a single thing with him. Nothing in this house felt like his anymore.

The finality of it broke her. “JULIAN!” she screamed, her voice cracking. “If you walk out that door today, don't you ever think about coming back! Do you hear me? You will regret this! YOU WILL REGRET IT!”