Dear Ex-husband, I'll Make You Beg

LuminaTech 2

He sighed, running his hand through his hair. Just as he was about to shove his phone back into his pocket, another message entered.

Serena: [You haven’t been home properly in days. I miss you.]

His jaw tightened instantly.

For a second, he considered ignoring the messages entirely, but eventually, he grabbed his coat and left the office anyway. If nothing else, it was still his house too. He didn't have to stay away even though he hated the person he shared the space with.

An hour later, Julian stepped through the front door of the mansion, exhaustion weighing heavily on his shoulders.

The television was on when he entered and Serena sat comfortably on the couch with a wine glass in her hand, looking like she was having the time of her life.

The moment she saw him, her face lit up.

“Julian!” she said happily before hurrying toward him.

She wrapped her arms around him instantly, trying to hug him tightly, but Julian moved away before she could fully touch him, flinching as her touch burned him.

The smile on her face faltered. She should be used to his attitude by now but she wasn't the type to give up easily. Not after everything she did to get to where she was. So, she masked her annoyance and plastered a bright smile on her face.

“I made dinner,” she said happily, pointing towards the dining table. “I was hungry but didn't want to eat alone, I waited for you.”

Julian loosened his tie tiredly. “I already ate.” He replied coldly.

That was a lie.

He had barely eaten anything since morning and was only functioning on the loads of caffeine in his system.

Serena clearly knew it too.

Frustration flashed briefly across her face before she forced another smile. “You could still eat a little with me.”

“I’m tired.”

He started walking toward the stairs immediately when she suddenly called out. “Julian.”

Her voice stopped him halfway up the staircase and she slowly turned back to see Serena standing there, gripping her wine glass tightly as her expression started to finally c***k.

“How long are you going to keep doing this?” she asked sharply, her brows knitting as frustration appeared on her face.

Julian frowned slightly. “Doing what?”

“This!” she snapped. “Acting like your life ended because Sophie left!”

His expression darkened immediately. Serena laughed bitterly and shook her head. “It’s been five years already, Julian.”

Five years.

Hearing those words again left a strange feeling in his chest.

“You never even loved her when she was here,” Serena continued angrily. “So why are you acting like you lost the love of your life?”

Julian stayed silent but his silence only made her angrier. She walked closer and wrapped her arms around him again despite his obvious discomfort.

“You have me now,” she said more softly. “We’re in a relationship now. We built a life together. You need to move on and focus on us instead of obsessing over the past.”

Julian slowly removed her hands from his arm and took two steps backwards, wanting to be as far away from her as possible.

The coldness in his eyes made her chest tighten.

“You are in no position to advise me about anything,” he said quietly.

Serena opened her mouth to speak but he waved his hand. Then, he sighed tiredly and rubbed a hand over his face.

“Look, Serena. I don’t have the energy for this tonight. I've had a long day.” he muttered.

Then his gaze dropped deliberately toward the ring on her finger. “You should be happy,” he continued coldly. “You finally got what you wanted.”

Serena’s face paled slightly, her right hand reaching out to touch the finger her ring was on.

“You got the ring you were so desperate for,” he added bitterly. “You got the house. You got the life you wanted after trapping me with a fake pregnancy.”

Her eyes widened instantly. “How dare you say that?” she yelled. “Do you even remember what I went through after losing the baby?”

Julian laughed, the sound harsh and bitter. “Please,” he said coldly. “Don’t insult my intelligence.”

Her mouth opened to defend but it closed immediately as the words caught in her throat.

“We both know there was never any baby.”

Her face twisted instantly with anger. “You’re unbelievable!”

“No,” Julian replied quietly. “What’s unbelievable is that I was stupid enough to believe you for years.”

Serena looked genuinely furious now. “You keep punishing me for mistakes from the past while acting like Sophie was some perfect saint!”

At the mention of Sophie, Julian’s expression shifted instantly. Pain flickered briefly across his face before disappearing again.

“I know exactly what Sophie was and I now know what you were as well,” he said quietly.

And that was precisely why he hated himself now.

Serena’s eyes glistened with frustrated tears.

“I can’t keep living like this!” she shouted. “You treat me like I’m some burden you regret!”

Julian stared at her for a long moment before answering, choosing his words wisely.

“You won, Serena,” he said tiredly. “So live happily and leave me alone.” Then he turned and walked upstairs, leaving Serena in the living room, her lips parted in disbelief.

Julian entered his bedroom and shut the door behind him quietly. The room felt empty despite how luxurious it looked. Nothing about this place felt like home anymore.

He loosened his tie completely before sitting heavily on the edge of the bed. For a long while, he simply stayed there in silence.

Then he laughed quietly to himself again.

“How did I ever fall in love with someone like her?” he muttered.

Maybe he really had been blind.

Maybe he truly deserved every miserable second of his current life.

Because no matter how successful he became, no matter how wealthy or powerful he was, none of it changed the fact that he had destroyed the only person who genuinely loved him without asking for anything in return.

And he could never take it back.

His phone suddenly rang. Julian frowned slightly before reaching for it.

“Dan?”

“Mr Vale!” Dan’s excited voice came through immediately. “I finally managed to reach LuminaTech.”

Julian straightened slightly.

Finally, some good news.

“And?”

“They accepted the invitation.”

For the first time all day, Julian actually looked a little relieved while Dan sounded almost breathless from excitement.

“Their CEO will be attending the gala personally.”