Chapter 3

The silent treatment had officially begun.

I didn't return to the villa, and Julian didn't come looking for me again.

He probably assumed that if he just ignored me for a few days, I'd be the one to back down and make peace, dutifully returning to his side, just like before.

After all, for five years, I was always the one to compromise first.

But not this time.

I poured all my energy into my company.

Apex Tech, a startup, was founded by me and a few seniors after college.

Years ago, our funding dried up, and we were on the brink of bankruptcy. It was Julian who stepped in with an investment, bringing the company back from the dead.

Now, Apex Tech was back on track and preparing for a new round of financing.

I was swamped with work every day, trying to numb myself with endless tasks.

Until Friday afternoon, when my assistant, Sarah, knocked on my office door.

"Ms. Hayes, have you seen the news?" Sarah handed me her tablet, her expression complicated.

The screen displayed an entertainment gossip headline.

"Thorne Corp. CEO Splurges on 'Tears of the Ocean' for a Mystery Woman."

The accompanying image was a blurred profile shot.

Julian, dressed in a custom black tuxedo, was leaning down to fasten a sparkling sapphire necklace around the woman's neck.

I'd recognize that woman's figure anywhere.

It was Serena Bell.

And that "Tears of the Ocean" necklace was an exhibit I'd looked at for a moment too long at a gala Julian and I attended last month.

I'd casually remarked that it was beautiful.

Julian, however, had coolly commented, "It's too flashy. It doesn't suit you."

It wasn't that it didn't suit me; it was that it didn't suit him to buy it for me.

Now, that flashy necklace adorned the neck of his long-cherished first love.

"Ms. Hayes, this..." Sarah looked at me cautiously.

"It's fine. You can go." I pushed the tablet back, my voice so calm it surprised even myself.

Did it hurt?

It felt like the pain had numbed me.

I opened my laptop, pulled up a divorce agreement I'd drafted long ago, filled in the date, and printed two copies.

If he wouldn't end things amicably, I'd make him.

At 3 PM, I took the agreement to Thorne Corp.

This time, I wasn't stopped downstairs. The receptionist respectfully called me "Mrs. Thorne" and let me pass directly.

I pushed open the door to the executive office. Julian was listening to an executive report.

Seeing me enter, he raised a hand, signaling the executive to leave.

Only the two of us remained in the office.

Julian leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on my face, seemingly assessing my state over the past few days.

"Have you come to your senses?" he asked nonchalantly, his tone carrying an arrogant certainty that he was in control.

I walked to his desk and slapped the divorce agreement down in front of him.

"Sign it. Let's get a divorce."

Julian's gaze landed on the bold black letters "DIVORCE AGREEMENT," and his face instantly darkened.

Without even looking at the contents, he picked it up and tore it in half right in front of me.

"I told you, no divorce."

The shredded paper was casually tossed into the wastebasket.

I expressionlessly opened my bag, took out another copy, and placed it before him.

"It's alright. I printed plenty."

Julian's eye twitched, and he tore it up again.

I kept taking them out.

He kept tearing them.

Until I produced the twelfth copy of the agreement.

Julian finally lost his patience, abruptly stood up, braced his hands on the desk, and glared at me.

"Audrey Hayes, are you ever going to stop? It's just a necklace; do you really need to make such a scene?"

"A necklace?" I laughed. "Julian, do you really think if you toss me a crumb of your patience, I should be grateful and continue being your perfect wife? You use my affection to fawn over another woman, and you expect me to applaud magnanimously?"

"I bought that necklace because Serena needs it for an important gala she's attending! She needs to make a good impression!"

"She needs to make a good impression, so you use something I admire to boost her image?" I met his gaze without backing down. "Julian, stop making excuses for your favoritism. Just sign it. It'll be better for everyone."

Julian clenched his jaw tightly, his chest heaving.

He looked at my resolute eyes, seemingly finally realizing that I wasn't playing hard to get.

I followed him, neither of us speaking, as we drove separately to the courthouse.

There weren't many people applying for divorce in the afternoon.

Soon, it was our turn.

The clerk checked our documents and, as per routine, asked, "Irreconcilable differences, confirm you want to divorce?"

"Confirmed," I answered without hesitation.

The clerk turned to Julian. "And you, sir? Are you sure?"

Julian sat in the chair, his jaw as rigid as iron.

He stared at the divorce petition in front of him, his pen hovering, never quite touching the paper.

Time ticked by, second by second.

The clerk grew a bit impatient. "Sir, if you haven't made up your mind, you can always go back and reconsider."

Julian suddenly flung his pen down and abruptly stood up.

The chair scraped against the floor with a harsh sound.

"I won't divorce."

He dropped those three cold words, then turned and walked out.

Chapter