Chapter 3

So that was the truth.

I looked at Julian. On our wedding night, he had claimed he was too drunk and slept in the guest room, leaving me alone in the master suite. Turns out, he was busy pouring his heart out to Chloe.

I smiled. "And yet, I'm still the one sitting in the seat of Mrs. Carter."

"If you're so capable, why don't you get Julian to divorce me?"

"Audrey!" Julian roared.

The rest of the table looked incredibly uncomfortable, not knowing where to look.

Julian grabbed Chloe's hand. "We're leaving. You don't need to apologize to her!"

He dragged Chloe out of the room. As she passed me, she shot me a smug, triumphant look.

The others stood up one by one, making quick excuses to slip away.

Julian's best friend, Tyler, stopped by the door and looked back at me. "Audrey, can't you just swallow your pride for once?"

"Julian is a man. He always tells us how suffocating it is to be with you!"

I looked up at him coldly. "You have a lot of opinions for someone whose father is currently dealing with three secret illegitimate children trying to sue for their inheritance. Focus on your own burning house, Tyler."

Tyler’s face turned bright red, and he slammed the door on his way out.

Only the waiter and I were left in the VIP room. The waiter looked terrified.

I said calmly, "Please finish peeling the rest of the crab for me."

They didn't want to eat, but I certainly did. After a peaceful, expensive meal, I drove straight to my parents’ house.

When they saw me walk in at this hour, they were surprised.

"Dad, Mom, I’m divorcing Julian."

"Is this because of the Apex contract? Surely it's not that serious," my dad said, surprised.

"It is. I handled the Apex deal from start to finish. Julian ruined it, and we had to clean up his mess. His mother even had the audacity to suggest I hand the contract back to them to save face. Why should I?"

I handed my phone to my dad. On the way over, Victoria, my mother-in-law, had sent me a long paragraph on Snapchat, telling me that I had handled the Apex situation 'unprofessionally' and that I needed to come to the family estate tonight to apologize to Julian’s father.

My dad’s face darkened as he read the message. "Charles Carter has gone too far!"

I added fuel to the fire. "Chloe, their former housekeeper’s daughter, is back. They were together last night. They've been sleeping together the entire year of our marriage. Dad, the Carters scammed us into this marriage."

Initially, Julian's parents had talked a big game about how our families were a perfect match and how a merger would help us secure the massive Vanguard Group contract.

Once the papers were signed, the cooperation went smoothly. But at that time, my family had already done the heavy lifting, and we only partnered with the Carters because of a temporary cash flow issue.

Now that the profits were secured, they were turning on us. Since that was the case, I was done with them.

My parents stayed silent for a moment before agreeing. My mom looked at me gently. "Marriage is a big deal, Audrey. Just make sure you’ve thought this through. There's no guarantee the next man won't be the same."

I took a deep breath. Julian was the one who made a mistake, not me.

My only concern now was protecting my assets.

I hired the best divorce attorney in the city and began the asset division process.

Since our families' businesses were deeply intertwined, it was going to take some time.

But I never expected Julian to be so utterly shameless. He actually brought Chloe into our home.

When I opened the front door of our penthouse, I saw a pair of dirty sneakers kicked carelessly onto the hardwood floor of the entryway.

Chloe was lounging on the velvet sofa, her bare feet draped over Julian’s lap as she played a mobile game. She had a lollipop in her mouth. "Julian, save me! You're so bad at this!"

Julian laughed, playfully swatting her foot. The marble coffee table was covered in empty chips and fast-food wrappers.

I shook my head. Julian could ruin his own life, but I was going to live mine with class.

I walked in, my heels clicking loudly against the tile. Julian jumped up as soon as he saw me. "You... what are you doing here?!"

I let out a cold laugh. "Why? Am I interrupting your domestic bliss?"

"No... didn't my mom tell you to go to the family estate?"

"That’s your mother. Go explain your mess to her yourself."

I signaled the bodyguards I had brought with me. "Go upstairs and pack all of my things."

Julian froze. "Audrey, what is the meaning of this?"

"Chloe just got back and has nowhere to stay. I’m letting her crash here for a couple of days. Is there any need to act like this?!"

I stared at him. "Julian, I’m moving out so you two can live together openly. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"What do you mean?"

"I’m divorcing you, Julian. I’m done."