Chapter 1
My grandmother passed away and left me ten apartments.
My husband, Andrew Lane, begged me to sell a few of them so he could pay for Emily Goodwin, his college sweetheart's, cancer treatment.
"Julia, I'm begging you, please save Emily. She's so young. She hasn't had a chance to experience how beautiful the world is. I don't want her to die," he pleaded.
I refused, and he immediately filed for divorce, taking five of my apartments.
"Julia, I love you. I had no choice. Once I sell the apartments and Emily is cured, we'll get back together," he said.
I turned and walked away, never looking back.
He never saw it coming. The developer went bankrupt, and the CEO was arrested for fraud.
Until the day Emily died, the house could not be built.
*****
Andrew and I walked out of the courthouse, and he grabbed my hand.
He looked at me with a complicated expression. "Julia, I know you're upset, but I had no choice.
"Emily is in her early twenties. She is struggling. No one else will help her but me. I have to save her, and I know I can," he said softly as he pressed his lips together and looked at me.
There was a determined look in his eyes.
I jerked my hand free and gave a slight nod. "Hope you two beat cancer. Goodbye."
Andrew was stunned for a moment, then took my hand again. "Julia, hear me out. I never wanted to divorce you. If you won't give me the apartments, this is all I can do. We'll be divorced, but I'll still stay at home with you."
He gently rested my head on his shoulder, his eyes filled with longing and hope.
He added, "When the apartments are built, I'll sell them and use the money to cure Emily. How about we finally have a baby? Didn't you always want a child? And then we'll remarry. I know you still love me deep down."
I gently pushed Andrew away and pulled the divorce papers from my pocket. My voice was tired as I said, "Andrew, we're divorced now. You got five out of ten apartments.
"Everything you wanted. So let's end things on a good note. If you keep bothering me, don't blame me for being rude."
Andrew froze, his eyes wide, as if he'd never seen me act this way before.
He frowned, about to say something, when his phone rang.
He answered, his brow furrowing, then spoke softly, "Emily, hang in there if it hurts. I'm working on getting the money together. Soon, I'll get you the treatment you need. I promise, you'll be okay."
He paused, realizing he might have sounded a bit impatient, and quickly softened his tone.
He said, "I'm coming over right now. Don't worry, I'm always here for you.
"Julia, I'm heading over to see Emily. She can't be left alone right now. Don't be petty. Stay home and wait for me." After hanging up, he turned to me.
With that, he hurried off.
I stood there, watching him walk away, and let out a sigh.
From my grandmother passing away, to getting ten apartments, and then Andrew filing for divorce, this past year had left me completely drained, both physically and emotionally.
I couldn't stand this city anymore. All I wanted was to escape somewhere peaceful, clear my mind, and leave all this crap behind.
After pulling myself together, I headed to the real estate agency. On the way, I passed by the site of my apartments. I saw that the house had been topped out, and it should be able to be handed over in a few months.
When I got to the agency, I put all five of my apartments up for sale in one go.
The agent told me that the house hadn't been completed yet. If I could wait a few months, the prices were projected to go up. I could get a much better return on investment then.
I waved it off. "Doesn't matter. Sell them. I don't care about the money. I'm leaving town."