Chapter 3

Two days later, Julian and I walked out of city hall side by side.

He snapped a photo of our marriage certificate, carefully tucked it into his pocket, and asked me, "Can I post this on Instagram?"

"Do whatever you want."

He quickly typed a one-word caption—"Married"—attached the photo, and posted it.

The next second, his phone began buzzing non-stop with notifications. Calls and messages from friends and business partners flooded in.

He casually replied to a few right in front of me.

I glanced over and caught one message:

[Is it really her? Damn, man. You’ve been secretly in love with her for years, and now you finally landed her.]

Secretly in love?

With Julian's face, body, and net worth, he had a secret crush?

On whom?

A seed of doubt planted in my mind.

Just as I was about to ask, Julian locked his phone. "Let's go."

I assumed we were heading to the trust fund office. "It's a bit late. They'll be closed by the time we get there."

Julian chuckled softly. "What are you thinking? Do you really think I married you for your money?"

I was confused. "Then where are we going?"

He patted my head gently. "Our honeymoon."

He clearly had everything planned.

His private jet took off that night. Our first stop was Santorini, a place I had once posted about on Instagram.

The stunning beaches and iconic white-washed buildings were a dream I had held onto for years.

When I was with Marcus, I had begged him to take me countless times. But he always claimed he was too busy with work.

Gradually, I had lost interest.

But when our yacht cut through the crystal-clear blue waters, I couldn't help but scream with excitement.

Julian wrapped his arms around me from behind, his lips brushing against my cheek. "I want to do something wild on the water."

My heart skipped a beat. "Don't tell me you'll want to do something wild in the desert next."

I don't know what part of that amused him, but he let out a deep, rumble of a laugh.

His firm chest pressed against my back, his heartbeat steady and strong.

Blushing, I let myself be swept away by him.

We stayed in Santorini for nearly a week before heading to Dubai.

Beyond the glitz and glamour, we watched the sunset together in the quiet desert.

Julian kissed me just as the sun painted the sand a deep crimson.

On the drive back to the hotel, I finally checked my phone and saw several missed calls from Marcus.

Just as I was about to block him, the phone rang again.

I answered. Before I could say a word, he started yelling.

"Sera, have you had enough? Ignoring my texts, not answering my calls... have I spoiled you too much? Where the hell are you?!"

I reminded him coldly, "Marcus, we broke up. I don't need to report my whereabouts to you."

Marcus fell silent for a moment, then laughed dismissively.

"You're just throwing a fit because I went public with Chloe. Fine, I'll dump her and make our relationship public instead."

"I'm the one calling you. Know when to stop. Don't push your luck."

In Marcus's eyes, his calling me was a grand act of charity.

I was supposed to be deeply grateful and return to being his loyal puppy.

Otherwise, I was being ungrateful.

I was utterly speechless. "Go public with whoever you want. It has nothing to do with me. Just stop annoying me."

This pushed his buttons. "Sera! I'm giving you a way out, and you're stepping all over it?"

"I'm telling you, this is your last chance. If you keep acting like this, you can cry and beg on your knees, but I will never take you back!"

I rolled my eyes. "You're delusional."

Marcus gasped in anger.

I hung up immediately and blocked his number.

The rest of the trip was pure bliss.