I Took Off The Dress And Took Back My Life Chapter 02
“Audrey, what on earth are you doing? Julian said you want to cancel the wedding?”
At seven the next morning, before I’d even finished a cup of artisanal tea, Julian’s mother called.
“Mrs. Sterling, I’m not ‘doing’ anything. It’s truly canceled.”
“Why?”
“Didn’t Julian tell you?”
“He said he mortgaged the house for some cash to help a friend out of a jam, and you’re unhappy. That’s it?”
“Mrs. Sterling, he mortgaged our wedding house for six million dollars for a woman named Scarlett—”
“I know about Scarlett.”
Mrs. Sterling interrupted me, her tone suddenly stern.
“Years ago, when Julian was in that car accident and lay on the side of the road for nearly half an hour, it was Scarlett who carried him on her back for a mile to get him to the hospital. Julian is alive today because of Scarlett. What is one house compared to that?”
She paused, then added a stinging blow: “Audrey, you shouldn’t be so petty.”
I gripped my cup, my knuckles turning white.
“Mrs. Sterling, Scarlett saved Julian, I admit that. But I’ve been with him for five years, and I put all my savings into that down payment—”
“Once you marry into our family, it’s all family money. The fact that he can make these decisions shows he’s a man of character; you should be happy.”
“Mrs. Sterling, I’ve already canceled the marriage license—”
“You canceled it?”
Her voice spiked.
“Audrey! How could you cancel it without discussing it with me?”
“Fix it right now! If you can’t do it today, sign it tomorrow!”
“Mrs. Sterling, Julian and I aren’t a good fit.”
Mrs. Sterling cold-snorted. “Not a good fit? You didn’t realize that for five years, and now suddenly over one house, you aren’t a fit? Audrey, let me tell you the truth: with Julian’s background, there’s no shortage of women wanting to marry him. You can leave if you want, but don’t come back crying later.”
She hung up.
I thought it was just angry talk.
At two in the afternoon, Jordan Blake sent me a screenshot.
“Take a look at Scarlett’s brother’s Instagram. Posted at 2:00 AM last night.”
In the photo, Jax Rose was leaning against two women with heavy makeup at a nightclub booth, glass in hand, looking arrogant with a wide, white-toothed grin. Five or six empty bottles sat on the table.
The caption: “Best bro’s treat. No sleep ’til we’re wasted tonight.”
2:00 AM—the exact same time Julian told me he was “dealing with a Porsche accident and six million in damages.”
Jax Rose himself was out clubbing.
Not injured, not in trouble, not at a police station.
Jordan immediately followed up with another message: “I had someone check. There have been no police reports of accidents involving a Porsche in that precinct for the last three days.”
I stared at the screen, my fingertips going cold.
It wasn’t even about the six million anymore. The entire reason might have been fabricated from start to finish.
I dialed Julian’s number.
He answered instantly, his tone sounding like he’d survived a disaster. “You’re finally willing to take my call—”
“You said Scarlett’s brother hit a Porsche. Which intersection? What’s the owner’s name? Which precinct?”
“Why are you asking all this?”
“Jax Rose was at a nightclub at 2:00 AM last night. The police have no record of an accident. Where did your six million actually go?”
The other end was silent for a long time.
Then he said something that left me completely chilled.
“Audrey, what’s the point of digging into this? The money is already gone. What difference does it make if you find out?”
