I Found Better When He Left

Chapter 4 Apologize to Her

Julie finally smiled through her tears, and she left while clinging to Xavier's arm.

Brianna let out a quiet, self-mocking laugh.

Xavier loved Julie so deeply that he was willing to get a vasectomy just to make sure only Julie could bear his children.

Brianna touched her belly, feeling the tiny, three-month-old life growing inside her.

Since she was going to remarry eventually, there was no point in bringing an unloved child into the world just to suffer.

She wiped away her tears and made a phone call.

"I want to schedule an abortion immediately."

The procedure was over quickly.

Before Brianna even had time to rest, Xavier called.

"Brianna, are you not home?"

Brianna asked, "What do you want?"

Xavier paused at the question, but he still spoke in a patient tone, "All right, sweetheart, stop being mad at me. I had an anniversary gift custom-made for you. Come home and take a look."

Brianna dragged her aching body back home.

Opening the door, she was met with the last person she expected, Julie.

"Well, look who's back," Julie said.

Julie stood in the living room directing the workers as if she belonged there more than Brianna did.

In the middle of the room stood a statue, about waist-high, draped in a white cloth.

When the white cloth covering it was pulled away, Brianna's eyes widened.

The sculpture showed naked bodies tangled together, with several men pinning a woman beneath them while ecstasy twisted across her face.

The woman's face was unmistakably hers.

"You!"

Julie smiled with open malice. "What is it, Brianna? Mr. Hansen had this made for your birthday. Don't you like it?"

Julie tilted her head and continued. "Art imitates life, after all, so I specially asked a master sculptor to create this for you. Doesn't it look exactly like you?"

Before Julie had even finished speaking, Brianna raised her hand and slapped her across the face.

Pain tore through Brianna's chest as if something inside her had split open.

The sculpture looked like a reenactment of the night she had been assaulted!

Julie gave a smug little smile, but the instant her gaze shifted behind Brianna, she burst into tears. "Mrs. Hansen, I'm sorry. I don't know what I did wrong, but please stop hitting me..."

"Julie!"

In the next second, a violent shove sent Brianna crashing to the floor.

"Brianna, you've gone too far. Why did you hit her?"

Brianna looked up blankly at Xavier. The eyes that had once held so much love for her were now filled with hostility.

"Why?"

Brianna asked, tears streaming down her face.

"Why did you tell her? Why did you tell her about that?"

That memory was the darkest wound in her life, and Xavier had once sworn that he would take that secret to the grave.

Now Julie was using it to laugh at her. It felt as if someone had ripped open a scar that had barely formed and forced her to relive the humiliation forever.

Only then did Xavier seem to notice the sculpture.

Julie looked at him with a pitiful expression. "I'm sorry, Mr. Hansen. I didn't know Mrs. Hansen would hate the sculpture I chose this much. I'll apologize to her if you want..."

Xavier immediately moved to protect Julie, and then he turned to Brianna with disappointment in his eyes.

"I chose the gift," he said coldly. "Why are you taking this out on Julie? Apologize to her right now."

Brianna almost argued back, but the pain from the abortion stopped her.

She suddenly realized that there was nothing left to explain. Xavier would always side with the person he loved.

"Xavier, I'm not apologizing. She knows exactly what she was trying to do."

Brianna looked straight at him and said, "And I want a divorce."