Chapter 10
Julie POV
She was standing near the broken vase, but, thankfully, she wasn’t hurt.
“Do you want to kill yourself?” I yelled.
“You know what, do whatever you want.” I said.
“You’re just being so unreasonable,” I said as I walked out. I headed to the counter where my car key was, grabbed it, and slammed the door hard on my way out.
For about thirty minutes, I drove aimlessly, knowing that going back home wasn’t an option. I headed to a pub. It wasn’t my usual spot, but I didn’t care. I needed to forget about everything, and the pub felt like my only solution at the moment,
As I nursed my drink, I noticed the stranger from the hospital–Damien. I tried to ignore him, keeping my eyes on my glass and hoping he wouldn’t walk toward me. Unfortunately, he did.
Rough day, huh?” he asked casually as he sat beside me
I didn’t respond and kept my eyes on the drink.
“Look,” he started, “I just wanted to say-
“Can you please just leave me alone?” I snapped, cutting him off. My voice was a bit harsher than I intended, but I didn’t care. “I really don’t want to talk right now,” I said, barely able to control the tears.
To my surprise, he didn’t say another word. He simply gave me a small nod and walked away.
The moment he left, I let the tears fall.
“Pathetic,” I muttered as I tried wiping the tears away, but more kept coming. I really couldn’t hold it in any longer. The hurtful words Avery said to me had broken me, and for once in my life, I felt like an incompetent mother.
I took another sip of my drink as I made a decision.
I wasn’t going to let anyone trample on me again—no more being weak, no more being the clueless woman everyone could make a fool of. And definitely, the people who hurt me would pay for it–every single one of them.
After taking the last sip of my drink, I tossed some cash on the counter and headed out to the car. I knew I shouldn’t be driving, but right now, I didn’t care. The rules didn’t matter anymore. Nothing mattered to me at this moment
i drove to the salon, a place I hadn’t visited in years. As I walked in, the stylist, Dorg, greeted me with a broad smile.
“Oh my, you have such healthy, long hair,” she said.
She blinked in surprise. “Are you sure? Your hair is so beautiful.
“Cut. It
I repeated, my tone leaving no room for argument.
She hesitated for a bit, then picked up the scissors and started cutting. As the long strands of hair fell to the floor, I felt a strange sense of liberation. I had kept my hair long because Alex liked it that way, but no more. This wasn’t about what he liked anymore, but about what I wanted
When she finished, I stared at myself in the mirror. The woman looking back at me wasn’t the same timid, broken Julie. She was new, stronger, and stunning.
As I admired my reflection, my eyes caught sight of Maria
She walked up to me with a smile. “Julie!” she exclaimed, sitting in the chair next to me. “How are you? Hope you’re better now?”
I scoffed internally. Was this the same smile she wore while pretending to care about me?
“I’m fine,” I replied, forcing a smile of my own. Confronting her outright wasn’t my style, but I wasn’t going to let her off the hook either
She leaned back in her chair, chatting with the stylist about her hair. Then she looked at me. “So, what brings you here! You look.
1/2
9:59 PM P P.
Chapter 10
different.
“Thanks,” I said with a small laugh, not knowing if that was a compliment. I’m divorcing Alex,” I added.
Maria’s eyes widened slightly, though she quickly masked her surprise. “That’s probably for the best,” she said. “No good woman deserves a man like him.”
I chuckled. She really was good at pretending. Too good.
“No woman deserves a man like him,” I repeated in my head, mimicking her tone. And yet, you didn’t think to tell me about his affair.”
I leaned closer to her. “And I’m suing him,” I added. For assault. And I’m going to make him pay, along with everyone who knew about the affair and didn’t tell me. They’ll all pay for what they did to me.”
Maria’s smile faltered for just a moment. It was brief, but I caught it I could see a hint of fear in her eyes, which was enough to make me feel happy. At least I was getting under her skin, even if only for a moment.
“Excuse me,” she said as she stood up to leave.
“Maria,” I called her back. “Could I borrow your phone for a moment? I forgot mine at home, and I need to call Avery.
She hesitated, just for a second. Then, she smiled, pulled her phone from her bag, and handed it to me.
“Of course, Julie, she said, standing beside me.
“I thought you were going somewhere?” I asked
“Oh,” she said, standing there for a bit before reluctantly walking away.
1.nodded, watching her walk to the restroom. The second she disappeared, I glanced down at her phone.
I stared at the phone. As I hesitated to dial Avery’s number, I felt an urge to go through her phone, as something felt odd about the way the reacted. With tears in my eyes, I swiped to her gallery.
The first few photos were harmless–selfies, pictures of her meals, a few shots of random places.
And then I saw it.
A photo.
I stared at the screen, looking at the image again to see if what I saw was true.
I couldn’t believe it.
“This must be my eyes deceiving me,” I muttered. “It had to be.”
I heard the restroom door open. She was out, but I couldn’t take my eyes away from the phone.
AD
Olivia Harris is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy DaisyNovel. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.