Married My Ex-husband’s Father

5

Morana’s POV

I should have left since that was what I planned to do. But I looked at him and thought about the fact that he just signed without knowing what he signed and instead of feeling relieved, something inside me became desperate.

He still didn’t know. He didn’t read the papers. If he read them now maybe he would stop me. Maybe he would finally understand that I wasn’t threatening him or trying to get his attention. Maybe he would look at me and realize he didn’t want to lose me and everything we had.

“Julian,” I said again, holding the folder against my chest. “There’s something else I need to tell you.”

He looked at me briefly. Before he could answer, a small voice came from the hallway. “Uncle!” Lena appeared in the doorway still wearing the little bracelet she had received for her birthday.

Julian’s entire expression changed when he saw her. He doesn’t look distracted anymore.

“Hey, princess.”

She hurried toward him and grabbed his hand. “Uncle J, Grandma said we have to choose the pictures for my birthday book before we go out and she said you promised you would help me.”

“I did, didn’t I?” Julian replied, glancing toward his mother.

Helen nodded. “You did. We don’t have all day.”

I stood there with the folder in my arms, waiting for Julian to look at me again. He did turn but barely a second.

“I’ll be back,” he told me, already turning toward Lena. “Whatever it is can wait.”

My lips parted. “Julian, I…” He was already walking away.

“Morana can wait,” Helen said impatiently as she followed them out. “Stop nagging him every five minutes. No wonder he is always with Bianca now.”

The last sentence was muttered only for me. It felt like a gut punch to my now empty uterus. I fought back a stagger when I realized that Bianca was still in the study with me.

She looked at me with those soft, sympathetic eyes again. “Don’t take it personally. You know how much Julian loves Lena especially after Anton’s death. She needs him right now.”

I stared at her dumbly. She smiled gently almost like an older sister trying to comfort a younger one.

“Go rest, Morana. You look terrible.” Then she left.

I stood alone in the study and didn’t move for a few seconds. I kept looking at the door waiting for Julian to come back but he didn’t.

I looked down at the folder. Maybe I should leave, take the papers to Tory and let the divorce proceed but I couldn’t do that yet. Because he doesn’t known what he signed and if he found out, maybe everything would change.

So I waited until I heard footsteps in the hallway. Julian came back. I immediately stood.

“Julian.”

He stopped and looked at me, his patience already wearing thin. “What now?”

I swallowed then repeated the words I have talked about more times than I would like to admit. I think Helen is right. I have been nagging about the accident to anyone who would listen. But it wasn’t just an accident. I lost a part of Julian and I that we never thought was possible.

“I was in an accident.” I whispered, my voice trembling a little.

“I know.” His eyes dropped briefly to me.

“No, I mean…I crashed the car.” I licked my lips as I emphasized on the crash.

“You’re here now, aren’t you?” He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

I stared at him seeing how much alike he was to his mother. She told me the exact same thing. He still wasn’t asking if I was okay or what happened.

“I called you nine times before I passed out, Julian.” I stepped closer.

“I was busy.” His brows pulled together.

“Morana, I didn’t see the calls. There were many people and Lena wanted to snap pictures.” He looked annoyed rather than concerned.

“All the nine times?”

“I heard you. Yes.”

“No, you didn’t.” My voice cracked and I hated myself for it. “If you had, you would have known I was scared.”

He looked at me for a moment then his eyes moved down to my arm. There was a dark bruise near my elbow. He reached out and gently turned my arm, examining it for a second. My heart gave one stupid hopeful beat that will have Tory shooting me on spot.

But he finally noticed something! But then he gave a small smile, the kind someone gave when reassuring a child over a scraped knee.

“It’s just a bruise, babe. You’re better than that.”

I stared at him with a frown because I don’t understand. “Better than what?”

“Making yourself this worked up over something small.” He released my arm and glanced toward the hallway. “You’re fine.”

My eyes burned as I swallowed a ball of rage inside my throat. I wanted to scream. I wanted to tell him that I was unconscious for three hours. That I woke up in a hospital all alone. That I had called him nine times because I was terrified and alone! That I had lost our baby while he was celebrating his niece’s birthday!

I didn’t tell him all that though.

“I lost something.” I whispered softly because he deserves to know.

“What?” He frowned and I notice bags beneath his eyes reminding me how much he has in his plates.

Should I even go ahead with this divorce? His company is going through a lot and there’s now Bianca and Lena all on him. Maybe I shouldn’t….

I wanted him to know so badly that my whole body hurt with it. That we lost our baby. But he was already glancing toward the door, clearly waiting for this conversation to end. The company probably isn’t the only thing in his mind.

“Nothing,” I whispered and his shoulders relaxed.

“Then stop worrying about nothing, Morana. You need to rest.”

I nodded, my vision blurry as he walked past me. I stood there until I heard his footsteps disappear. I pressed my hand over my mouth because a sob was already forcing its way up my throat. I bent my head but tears came anyway. The tears are mainly because of the fact that I have totally lost him. There was no hope for us whatsoever.

My cracked phone rang, yanking me out of my sobbing mess. I pulled out my phone to find Sarah’s name sprawled. I picked the call.

“Maam, the Volkov file is …” I cut her off before she could finish.

“Drop the Volkov file. All of it. Effective today.” I told her.

“The restructuring proposal? We’re two weeks from presenting to their board.”

“I know.” I looked back at the study door one last time. “Drop it anyway.”

I hung up before she could ask why because I didn’t have an answer that wouldn’t have made me cry again and I was done crying in this house.