Chapter 2Polished Parents

Julian whipped his head around. When his eyes met mine, a flicker of panic crossed his handsome face. A moment later, my phone buzzed with a series of texts.

What are you doing here? Are you following me?

Go home. Now. Before I lose my temper.

I stared at the messages popping up on the screen, a wave of bitter absurdity washing over me. For years, whenever his "selective mutism" flared up, this was how we communicated. He would point to his phone, and I would read his words.

Three years. Tens of thousands of messages.

My phone's memory had filled up again and again, but I could never bring myself to delete them. I thought they were our special memories, a testament to our love.

Now I saw them for what they were: proof he had never loved me at all.

I pressed the power button, and the screen went dark.

Something inside me went dark with it.

I looked up at them, my voice surprisingly steady. "Since you can speak, why bother texting? Today was the day I was flying to Singapore to close that ten-billion-dollar deal. I wasn't following you."

I paused, letting my next words land with the weight they deserved. "I heard everything. I'm not feeling well. I won't be closing any deals today."

Rosalind’s face tightened with alarm. She rushed forward and grabbed my hand. "Tia, I know I'm Julian's ex, but you're his wife now. What you heard… we were just joking around. Don't misunderstand."

I yanked my hand away. She stumbled back dramatically, nearly falling.

Her eyes welled with tears as she looked at me, her voice trembling. "Tia, I was just trying to explain. Why did you have to push me so hard?"

It was a pathetic, transparent lie.

But Julian reacted instantly. His hand flew out, and the sharp crack of his palm against my cheek echoed in the terminal.

His face was a thunderous mask as he glared at me.

"Who gave you the right to touch her?"

My cheek burned. I looked up to see Julian shielding Rosalind, his eyes filled with a murderous rage directed entirely at me. My heart felt like it was being twisted by a serrated knife.

For some reason, my mind flashed back to my first year at the Astor Media network. I was being hazed by the senior staff, and it was Julian who stepped in to save me. He gave me resources, mentored me, and championed my rise to lead anchor.

When I was hurt, he was always there. When he was humiliated by the board and forced to face his father's wrath in the family study, I had thrown myself in front of him, taking the eighteen lashes from his father's cane that were meant for him. I still have the scars on my back.

That was the first time I ever saw him cry. He held me so tightly.

"Tia," he had whispered into my hair, "you're my woman. I'm supposed to protect you."

"Don't you ever do that again. You're more important than anything."

I had been so weak I couldn't move, but I hadn't felt the pain. I was drowning in the sweetness of his love.

Now, this one slap from him was a pain beyond endurance, a disappointment so profound it shattered me completely.

I closed my eyes. "Julian, I'm done being your fool."

"Since you love someone else, let's get a divorce."