Chapter 3

I stared at him in silence for a few seconds, then let out a quiet, resigned laugh.

"Fine. Believe whatever you want."

I didn't care to explain anymore.

Walking past him into the bedroom, I pulled my suitcase from the closet.

Chloe trailed right behind me like a shadow.

"Look at that! She's packing! Next stop: the airport, waiting for you to stage some dramatic chase scene to beg her to stay!"

Standing outside the bedroom door, Julian finally lost his temper.

"Lauren, enough is enough!" he barked. "I'm not going to indulge your pathetic little drama. You might not care about your dignity, but the Vance family has a reputation to uphold."

No dignity.

That was his verdict on me.

I glanced back at him, but his eyes were stone-cold, set in the smug conviction that he had finally seen through my facade.

A biting chill settled deep into my bones.

Five years of love and devotion shattered into worthless dust.

I opened the dresser drawer and continued packing my things.

Suddenly, a bottle of Lexapro slipped from my hand, rolling across the hardwood floor until it bumped against Julian's shoe.

He bent down and picked it up. His pupils contracted sharply.

"You're... you're taking antidepressants?"

Chloe clutched her stomach and laughed out loud.

"From tragic runaway bride to depressed victim? Wow, you really went all out on the martyr script! Julian, don't let her guilt-trip you. If she'd really been on meds, do you think you wouldn't have known?"

Of course he didn't know.

Being a top equity analyst came with immense pressure on its own.

On top of that, Julian's parents had spent the last five years putting my integrity through sick, twisted "loyalty tests."

They once hired someone to pose as a high-rolling client trying to use me for money laundering. When I reported it, they claimed it was a test of my moral character.

They paid a matchmaking agency to introduce wealthy bachelors to me. When I turned them down, they claimed it was to test my loyalty to Julian.

Suppliers approached me to broker backchannel deals with the Vance Group. I refused, only to find out his father had orchestrated the entire thing to see if I would exploit their connections.

To vet a "worthy" daughter-in-law, they had thrown every manipulative trick in the book at me.

I had once broken down and told Julian, "Your parents are crossing the line. It's driving me insane."

Julian had merely replied with a detached shrug: "A clear conscience fears no accusation. Unless you actually have something to hide."

Eventually, the chronic stress broke me. I started seeing a therapist and taking medication in secret.

Because I knew that if his paranoid mind ever found out, he would only sneer: Are you feeling guilty about something?

Now that he had seen it, there was no longer any need to hide.

I walked over, plucked the bottle from his hand, and tossed it into my suitcase.

"Lauren, I asked you a question," Julian demanded, his voice growing frantic.

My hands never stopped packing. "Yes. I've been on them for three years."

His entire body stiffened.

Three years.

And he hadn't noticed a single thing.

For the first time, a flicker of doubt crossed his mind---maybe he didn't know me as well as he thought.

Chloe immediately grabbed his arm. "Julian, don't fall into her trap! She's manufacturing guilt! Three whole years and nobody noticed, and suddenly right before the wedding, the pills magically appear? How convenient!"

Julian's expression instantly hardened back into icy detachment.

"Lauren, you've really let me down. It seems I need to reevaluate our entire relationship."

I zipped my bag and shook my head.

"No need to reevaluate."

"We're done."

Julian narrowed his eyes, clearly displeased by my lack of begging.

Suddenly, his phone rang.

"Julian, did Lauren go to Central Hospital today to book an emergency procedure?"

It was his mother's sharp voice over the speaker.

Julian clenched his jaw. "Yes."

The other end went silent for two beats.

"Both of you, come to the estate tomorrow."

Before Julian could reply, the line clicked dead.