I Took Off The Dress And Took Back My Life Chapter 10

I Took Off The Dress And Took Back My Life Chapter 10

Six months later, the eminent domain. 

compensation plan was officially finalized. 

My loft was assessed at a total value of forty–two million dollars. 

Clarence helped me finish the paperwork, 

and I signed the redevelopment agreement. 

That afternoon, Jordan took me to a prime 

steakhouse for a celebratory dinner. 

“Forty–two million! Audrey, you’re rich!” 

“It’s only about thirty million after taxes.” 

“You think thirty million is too little? You 

used to walk to work every day to save two 

dollars on bus fare-” 

“That was for exercise.” 

“Fine, fine, whatever you say. Anyway, 

Julian knows this figure; I bet he’s green 

with regret.” 

“He won’t know.” 

“How is that possible? The whole street is 

being redeveloped; he’ll find out the compensation plan just by asking around. He wanted you to transfer it to him? For 

forty–two million, he tried to trade it for a six–million–dollar wedding house mortgage 

“He didn’t trade; he just didn’t know.” 

“Not knowing is even more ridiculous. 

Scarlett knew he didn’t know. He risked 

everything for Scarlett, only for her to be calculating your forty–two-” 

“Enough, eat your steak.” 

Jordan shut up. After chewing a few bites of 

ribeye, she couldn’t help herself. 

“What happened to Julian later?” 

“The company is shrinking; most investors. have pulled out. He’s trying to find ways to 

pay back the bank.” 

“What was the sentence for the forgery?” 

“Probation. First–time offender, actively 

returned the funds and compensation, and 

pleaded guilty. But he has a criminal record 

now.” 

Jordan shook her head: “It’ll be hard for him 

to get funding in the future-” 

“It has nothing to do with me anymore.” 

She glanced at me, hesitating. 

“What else?” 

“I saw him yesterday. On the street where your old loft was. The redevelopment area is fenced off, and he was standing alone 

outside the barrier. He stood there for a long time.” 

My hand holding the fork paused for a 

moment. 

When we finished dinner and came out, it 

was already dark. After Jordan took a cab home, I strolled for a while to digest. 

Passing the street with the old loft, I saw the green metal hoarding from a distance. Red posters with redevelopment notices were pasted on it, the edges already curled by the 

wind. 

Opposite the hoarding, on the stone edge of 

a roadside planter, sat a man. 

Julian Sterling. 

In his hand was a cup of convenience store 

coffee, the lid unopened. 

He saw me too. But he didn’t stand up, nor 

did he call out to me. 

The streetlights shone on his face; his 

features were vaguely as I remembered them 

the day I met him, but everything in his eyes 

had changed. 

After looking at me for a long time, he finally 

spoke, his voice low, as if talking to himself. 

“Audrey, are you doing well now?” 

I stood on this side of the road, and he sat on 

the other. 

“I’m doing okay.” 

He nodded and looked down at his coffee. 

“That night when Scarlett called, I could 

have chosen not to answer.” 

“But you did.” 

“Mhm.” 

Silence followed for a while. 

“Audrey, I only now understand what you 

meant by that sentence.” 

“Which sentence?” 

“You said–you only notified me after the 

decision was made, which meant in your 

heart, Scarlett’s emergency was more 

important than our marriage.” 

He looked up. 

“You were right. That night I chose her emergency. I’ve been paying for that choice. every day since. But you don’t need to comfort me; I brought this on myself.” 

The streetlights cast my shadow and his 

shadow in two different directions. 

He stood up from the stone edge. 

“Goodbye.” 

I turned and walked forward. 

After a few steps, his voice drifted from behind, lighter than the night breeze. 

“Audrey.” 

“Mhm?” 

“In the next life, I won’t answer that call again.” 

I didn’t turn back. 

“Julian, there is no next life. As for the debts 

of this life, you can pay them back slowly on 

your own.”