Chapter 4His Stand-In Ex-Girlfriend Is Done Playing Nice

Not until the car door slammed shut did Julian release my wrist, as if snapping out of a trance.

A suffocating silence filled the car.

Julian's eyes fell on the red marks on my wrist where he had gripped me. He opened his mouth several times, but ended up pressing his lips into a tight line. His arrogant pride was at war with unfamiliar emotions.

He wanted to explain, but didn't know where to start.

More than that, he couldn't bring himself to swallow his pride.

A sudden urge to laugh bubbled up inside me.

What was this supposed to be?

I was no longer the naive teenage girl who would throw her entire life away just because a boy spoke up for her once.

I broke the suffocating silence first.

"I get it, Mr. Sterling. I've always known my place. A stand-in, a shadow, a toy to kill time with."

"You defended me back then, and I flattered myself into thinking it meant something. I chased after you like an idiot.”

“ For the past three years, thanks to your 'generosity,' I had food and shelter, and my mother was taken care of. I truly appreciate that."

"Victoria is coming home any day now. We should end this cleanly."

Julian couldn't believe that after he had just stepped in to save me, I was still ungratefully pushing for a breakup.

His temper flared:

"What are you still throwing a fit for?!"

"Elena, do you really have to degrade yourself like this? Do you have to ruin what we have..."

I cut him off with a mocking smile:

"Mr. Sterling, you don't actually think there was love between us, do you? You never treated me like a partner. You treated me like a pet cat or dog. Did you ever show me an ounce of respect?"

"I just don't want to be your dog anymore. Is that a crime?"

My words were too sharp, too brutal.

Julian snapped completely, his gaze turning terrifyingly dark.

"Three years, and that's how you see me?"

"Elena, I'm giving you one last chance. Take back what you just said!"

"Step out of this car, and we are completely done!"

Meeting his furious glare, I gave him a faint, gentle smile.

"No need."

"I wish you and Victoria a lifetime of happiness."

Julian laughed out of sheer fury, nodding repeatedly:

"Fine! Just fine! You're really something!"

In a blind rage, Julian whipped out his checkbook, scribbled down a number, and threw the check violently against my chest.

"Take this money and get the hell out!"

Julian roared:

"Never let me see your face again!"

I quietly picked up the check from my lap and slid it into my pocket.

Out of courtesy for the amount on it, I offered him a soft farewell:

"Thank you, Mr. Sterling. We're even."

With that, I pushed open the car door and walked into the night without looking back.

The next morning, Julian sat in his penthouse office, his fingers tapping anxiously against the polished mahogany desk.

He convinced himself that last night was just a temper tantrum. By this afternoon at the latest, I would call him crying, begging for his forgiveness.

That was how it had always gone.

Today, however, his phone remained dead silent.

After hours of waiting, Julian couldn't take it anymore.

He hit the intercom and barked at his assistant:

"Call Elena Vance. Tell her she has twenty-four hours to pack up everything she left in the villa and get out."

He paused, adding another humiliating order:

"Go supervise her yourself. Not a single thing of hers is allowed to stay. She disgusts me."