Chapter 3

I stared at him for a long moment. I didn't even feel anger anymore.

Just pure, draining fatigue.

I crouched down and unzipped the suitcase.

The contents were sparse.

After five years with Julian Sterling, all I was taking with me were a few changes of everyday clothes.

Mia was determined to humiliate me.

She didn't even bend down. Instead, she raised her foot and dug the sharp point of her designer stiletto right into my folded sweaters, kicking and tearing through my things until my clothes were scattered and trampled across the hallway floor.

Only when she had thoroughly ruined everything did she pull back, satisfied.

She leaned against Julian’s chest, tilting her chin up at me.

"Fine, nothing here. Now get out. You’re an eyesore."

"Julian didn't sleep at all last night worrying about business. We're going to take a nap!"

I looked down at the mess on the floor. Most of my shirts were torn and punctured by her heels. The suitcase lining was ripped. Packing them back up was pointless.

I turned to the butler standing nearby.

"These are ruined. Could you please have someone toss them out?"

The butler looked at me with deep sympathy and nodded quietly.

Just as I reached the front door, Julian suddenly barked from the stairs:

"Chloe!"

My steps paused, but I didn't turn around.

"Apologize for kicking that ring last night, and I'll have Mia move out."

"Otherwise, if you dare walk out that door today, I'll cut off your mother’s hospital funding tomorrow. And the bone marrow? Don't even dream of it!"

My mother's death certificate was sitting inside my handbag.

Julian's threats sounded entirely ridiculous to my ears.

I turned around and met his gaze.

He was gripping the railing on the second-floor landing, his face flushed with anger.

I couldn't fathom what he was actually furious about. He looked like a spoiled toddler throwing a tantrum—getting everything his way, yet still determined to torment me.

"Disgusting," I said softly.

Those were the last words I gave him. Keeping my back straight, I pushed open the double doors and walked out.

Julian’s pupils contracted violently.

It was as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard—and couldn't believe the naked disgust radiating from my eyes. His heart raced with a sudden, suffocating wave of panic.

Beside him, Mia was still whining:

"Chloe has completely lost her mind! How dare she speak to you like that! Julian, you look so pale. Did you not sleep well? Let me help you to bed."

"The doctor said I had a false pregnancy last time because I wanted a baby so badly."

"Julian, why don't we try for real this time without protection? I want to give you a child."

A strange, suffocating irritation flared inside his chest.

Looking at Mia’s youthful, vibrant face, Julian automatically wrapped an arm around her waist and led her into the master bedroom.

Yet, the moment their lips were about to touch, Julian closed his eyes—and all he could see was my rigid, unyielding spine walking out the door without a second glance.

All he could see was the revulsion in my eyes when I called him disgusting.

Julian snapped his eyes open and shoved Mia away.

"Get some rest yourself," he muttered distractedly. "I have things to take care of."

He took two steps toward the door, then stopped, turning back to face Mia’s bewildered gaze.

"Move your things out."

"This house isn't right for you."

He rushed down the stairs.

He didn't care that Mia was upstairs screaming and smashing decor in the bedroom.

Grabbing his car keys, he hurried toward the garage. On his way through the foyer, he passed the butler carrying my ruined suitcase toward the trash bins.

Julian stopped in his tracks.

"Keep it," he ordered.

The butler nodded.

Julian hesitated for a second, then asked, "I've brought women home before. She’s always had a gentle temper. She’s not really leaving, is she?"

The butler looked up, his face blank and silent.

Julian looked away, not waiting for an answer, and sped off in his sports car.

It sounded like he was trying to convince the butler, or perhaps himself:

"She's just throwing a fit because she wants to break up. I know she loves me."

"Her mom is still in the hospital. Her father's heirloom is still at the auction house. She can't just abandon everything."

"A little coaxing will fix it. Once I coax her, she'll come back..."