hapter 6
Inside the cat Lila slept peacefully in her safety seat, her cheeks still rosy from tears. In the driver’s seat, Rafael Steele looked back and smiled softly
“She wouldn’t stop crying for you, so I brought her over. She cried herself to sleep as soon as we got imt
I gazed at him. Rafael’s face had hardly changed over the past seven years.
I half–laughed and responded, “If no known you worked at this firm, I would’ve chosen a different
one.”
Gently amused, he said, “I only reached out after I came back. I figured you’d pick this place.” The air inside the car suddenly grew warm..
I met his deliberately steady gaze and found myself unable to speak.
Just as I tumed to the window, trying to break the strange tension in the car, it rolled to a stop. “We’re here.” Refeel said.
I looked out at the building in front of us. The firm had arranged a new place for me to stay.
After unpacking, I stepped into the living room. Lila was still fast asleep.
Across from her, Rafael lay on his side, eyes closed gently patting her back.
Peace filled the room like soft morning light.
Adrian’s POV
“What the hell do you mean you can’t trace that car?!‘
My voice cracked like a whip across the office, loud enough to rattle the damn windows.
The second I got those words out, my hand moved on its own. I grabbed the closest glass and hurled it on the floor. It shattered, loud and final, glass skittering everywhere.
“That car took my wife,” I growled, stepping toward them, fists clenched so tight my fingers ached. “And you’re seriously telling me you’ve got nothing?”
My heart raced, echoing in my ears. I sensed it throbbing in my jaw, temples, and chest. My vision narrowed as I attempted to breathe through the anger simmering within me.
Then I spotted it, perched on the edge of the table as if it had been waiting for me to take notice.
A small bundle of hair, tied neatly.
it was Lila’s. My daughter’s. My baby girl.
stared at it, and for a moment, everything inside me went still.
The message was crystal clear.
Hair cut. Bond cut.
Julia wasn’t just leaving me. She was cutting off every last tie between me and our daughter.
Adrian’s POV
I slammed my fist down on the table so hard that everything on it rattled. No way was I letting
2:04 pm DDD
this fall apart without a fight.
I grabbed my phone and called her. The dial tone buzzed in my ear like static.
At least she hadn’t blocked me.
As soon as she picked up, I launched in. “Where are you? It was just a smudge on Camille’s dress. Julia, come on. It’s not that serious. But dragging our daughter into this? That was petty. Come back to work. Bring the divorce papers. I’ll tear them up and we can get back to a good
life.”
I kept my tone steady, like I still had control. Like I could still get her back.
My wife. The mother of my kid.
There was a long pause. I could hear her breathing, steady but faint.
Then Julia spoke, “Adrian, are you out of your mind? Divorce isn’t a game you just undo whenever you feel like it. I’ve already sent the agreement to the law firm. A lawyer will contact
you soon.”
She paused, then added, “And I’m not coming back to work. I’m the largest shareholder in Callahan Group. I can resign whenever I want. Don’t call me again. From now on, we go our separate ways.”
Then the line went dead.
I froze. I stared at the phone like it had betrayed me.
I hit redial. Busy.
Again. Still busy.
In all our years, Julia had never hung up on me. Not once. Not first.
I could hear my heartbeat now, loud and fast, pounding like a warning. I tried to breathe through the tightness in my chest, but it wasn’t working. Her voice kept replaying in my head, and then something else crept in.
Just before the call cut off, I could have sworn I heard another man’s voice in the background.
A lump formed in my throat. Something was slipping away from me, fast.
If I rushed home now, maybe I could still catch her and confront her in person.
I grabbed my car keys and bolted from my office without a second thought. I drove like a madman, replaying every possible scenario of what I would say and how she might react.
But nothing prepared me for what I walked into when I got home.
Silence. Complete and hollow.
Julia’s slippers were still neatly by the door, but the house felt abandoned.
‘Julia!” I called out, stepping into the living room.
‘Julia, come on!”
I kept calling her name, my voice bouncing off the walls until my throat went raw.
Then I saw it.
The house key. Sitting on the table.
Still on that goofy little keychain she was so proud of.
2:04 pm DDD
I remembered the day she ran into the kitchen, grinning like a kid, telling me she’d bought us pair of matching couple keychains. I rolled my eyes and said it was silly.
She kept hers anyway.
Now it sat there, cold and alone.
Everything that belonged to Julia and Lila was gone. It was like they had never been there at all.
I remember the day we moved in.
She had asked me three times, “Are we really going to live here?”
I told her yes, and her whole face lit up.
She walked through the place like she was already decorating it in her mind, picking curtains and paint colors. It was supposed to be our forever home.
Now, it just felt empty. The memories clung to every inch of the place like dust I couldn’t wipe away. It felt heavy, like something had sunk inside my chest and refused to move.
Then my phone rang. My heart jumped.
I snatched it from the table, hoping it was her.
But when I saw the caller ID, I let out a long breath and sank onto the couch, disappointed all
over again.
The voice on the other end was bubbly, expectant. “Hey, Adrian, don’t forget that you’ve got that big gala tonight. I already cleaned the shoe print Julia left on my dress. I’ll wear the last design my mom made for tonight!”
It hit me then.
Camille wasn’t calling Julia my wife anymore.
Now it was just ‘Julia.’
At the gala venue, I saw Camille waiting at the entrance, confident, flawless, and practiced.
For a moment, every part of me sank.
Because she had taken my place.
And I was losing everything.
Charterk
