A Debt Repaid In Blood, A Marriage Paid In Silence Chapter 07
He took a minute to calm his anger, then roughlyÂ
pulled out a cigarette and lit it.Â
Half a minute later, he finally calmed down.Â
“I’ll transfer five million dollars to you, an apologyÂ
gift. I’ll never let anyone near Nola again. JustÂ
trust me.”Â
I said nothing, just let out a tired sigh.Â
Julian grew desperate. He reached over and grabbed my shoulders.Â
“We can work everything out. Just come backÂ
home.”Â
“Why do you even want me back?” I looked up at him, confused. “You hate me so much. Why do you keep begging me to stay?”Â
My voice was calm and soft, like I was genuinely asking a question.Â
But Julian froze, lost for words. A look of utterÂ
confusion filled his eyes.Â
He was right. For all these years, he’d hated WrenÂ
Hale, hadn’t he?Â
Hated that the little sister he’d trusted more thanÂ
anyone had betrayed him for money.Â
Hated that she’d gone to his mother for helpÂ
instead of coming to him.Â
Hated her so much he’d brought other womenÂ
home to humiliate her, just to make her beg for his forgiveness.Â
But why did his heart feel so empty when she was gone?Â
No anger, no hatred–just endless emptiness and coldness.Â
All he wanted was to pull her back, to keep her close…Â
His eyes fell on Wren’s face again, tracing her lips, her nose, her eyes.Â
Those eyes, once filled with nothing but softness and love for him, were now cold and empty.Â
A sharp, stabbing pain shot through his chest again. Julian suddenly felt like crying. So badly.Â
Because in that moment, he finally realized the truth.Â
He’d loved her all along.Â
But his past actions were unforgivable, aÂ
mountain of evidence that pinned him to a crossÂ
of shame.Â
He couldn’t bear to think about it. Not for aÂ
second.Â
Julian hung his head in shame, sweat drippingÂ
from his forehead and nose, even his back.Â
He wanted to say he loved her, but did he evenÂ
deserve to?Â
His love was nothing but cheap words now.Â
He wanted to say he was sorry, but was it even tooÂ
late?Â
The damage was done. He couldn’t even forgive himself, let alone expect her to.Â
I stared in surprise as tears streamed down theÂ
proud, arrogant man’s face, dripping off his chin.Â
I’d never seen him cry before.Â
His hand slowly reached for mine, and heÂ
squeezed it tight, his sobs quiet and broken.Â
“If you have even a little love left for me, let meÂ
make it up to you. Even if I’m not your husbandÂ
anymore, we’ll be family for the rest of our lives.”Â
“Family?”Â
I whispered the word, a cold, bitter smile tuggingÂ
at my lips.Â
Because I knew the truth. His family had neverÂ
seen me as one of their own. I was just a luckyÂ
charm, a foster daughter they’d married off toÂ
their son.Â
Expendable. Replaceable.Â
We’d never been equals, not for a single second.Â
But it didn’t matter. I’d never cared about that. He’dÂ
saved me and my mother all those years ago, and I’d been grateful for it ever since.Â
I just didn’t love him anymore. That was all.Â
“We’ll still be family after the divorce.”Â
That was all I had to say. I pushed open the carÂ
door and tried to get out.Â
Julian grabbed me in a panic, his voice filled withÂ
unbridled desperation.Â
“I’ll give you anything you want! I kicked Lila out! She was just a mistake! I’ve always loved you!”Â
He finally said it, the words he’d buried for soÂ
longÂ
-but his voice trailed off, weak and hopeless.Â
Because he knew how ridiculous it sounded.Â
He was fully prepared for me to laugh in his face.Â
But I didn’t react at all. I just stared at him calmly.Â
“Thank you for loving me. But all I want is aÂ
divorce.”Â
Julian heard a sound, like something inside himÂ
shattering into a million pieces. He stared at myÂ
face, his eyes filled with pain.Â
And he finally understood.Â
I had no feelings left for him at all.Â
Julian disappeared for a week after that.Â
When he showed up in front of me again, he’dÂ
agreed to the divorce.Â
My in–laws were furious, especially about himÂ
letting me take Nola.Â
But somehow, he’d convinced them.Â
Julian gave me a house and five million dollars inÂ
cash.Â
He also agreed to pay for all of Nola’s expensesÂ
for the rest of her life.Â
But he had one condition.Â
I couldn’t remarry for five years.Â
It was an obvious attempt to control me, a final tieÂ
to keep me close. But I agreed anyway.Â
I’d never planned to remarry, and the money heÂ
was giving me was more than enough.Â
All I wanted was to live a quiet life with myÂ
daughter.Â
I didn’t care if Julian kept his promise or not. IÂ
didn’t care about his empty words.Â
All I knew was that when the morning sun peekedÂ
through the curtains, and my world was quiet andÂ
peaceful…Â
That was enough.

