Dear Ex-husband, I'll Make You Beg

Consequences 2

Lara’s expression darkened further. “Why?” she asked coldly. “So you can hurt her again?”

Julian sighed tiredly and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not here to fight with you. I just need to know where she is.”

“That’s funny,” Lara replied sharply. “Because fighting and hurting Sophie seemed to be your favorite hobbies during your marriage. It's odd to see you searching for her now that the marriage is over. Did you maybe hit your head somewhere?”

The guilt in Julian’s chest worsened instantly. He lowered his gaze briefly before speaking again.

“She isn’t answering my calls,” he admitted quietly. “I really need to know where she is.”

Lara stared at him for a moment before rolling her eyes in irritation. “Please,” she scoffed. “Stop pretending to care about her. It doesn’t suit you.”

Julian clenched his jaw silently. He wanted to argue but he knew he had nothing to say in his defense.

“You were a terrible husband when she was with you,” Lara continued bitterly. “Now that she’s finally gone, suddenly you’re worried?”

“It’s not like that,” Julian muttered weakly.

“Then what is it like?” Lara snapped. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you suddenly remembered Sophie exists after throwing her away for that two-faced b***h, Serena.”

Julian felt every word hit harder than it should have. The worst part was that he couldn’t even defend himself anymore.

Because she was right.

He slowly lowered his head in shame. “I didn’t know,” he admitted quietly. “I only found out the truth today.”

Lara frowned slightly. “What truth?”

Julian swallowed hard before answering. “About Serena. About who she really is and how Sophie was wronged all this time. About everything.”

For a moment, Lara simply stared at him. Then her expression turned even colder than before, her jaw tightening so hard her teeth were almost starting to hurt.

“You found out now?” she repeated in disbelief. “After all these years?”

Julian stayed silent.

Lara laughed angrily and shook her head. “Do you know how much Sophie loved you?” she asked bitterly. “That girl spent years trying to earn crumbs of affection from you.”

Julian’s chest tightened painfully.

“She did everything a wife should do,” Lara continued angrily. “She cared for you, defended you, waited for you, cooked for you, loved you…”

Her voice cracked slightly from frustration. “And yet...you treated her like she was disposable. You wasted no time in throwing her away when you were done using her.

Julian shut his eyes briefly as guilt swallowed him whole. Tears gathered in his eyes but he couldn't let them spill. He had no right to cry. Not when he had caused Sophia nothing but pain while they were married.

“Even when I begged her to leave you, she refused,” Lara continued. “She kept saying one day you would finally see her heart and love her back.”

A bitter laugh escaped her lips. “Do you know how pathetic that sounded?”

Julian felt sick.

“She swallowed every insult your family threw at her,” Lara added harshly. “Then the moment Serena came back, you dumped her without hesitation like she meant absolutely nothing.”

Julian rubbed his face tiredly before speaking quietly. “I know I was wrong.”

“No,” Lara corrected sharply. “You don’t.”

He looked up slowly.

“You’re only feeling guilty now because you found out Serena lied,” Lara continued. “If you never learned the truth, you would still be treating Sophie like garbage.”

Julian opened his mouth to argue but stopped himself.

Because once again… she was right.

Lara shook her head bitterly. “You’re too late, Julian.”

The words hit him harder than he expected.

“She finally chose herself,” Lara continued quietly. “For the first time in years, Sophie stopped choosing you.”

Julian’s chest tightened painfully. “Please,” he said softly. “Just tell me where she is.”

Lara looked at him coldly. “No.”

Julian froze.

“You’ll never find her,” she added firmly. “And honestly? I hope you don’t. You don't deserve her.”

Silence fell heavily between them.

"I'd die first before I let you know where she is." She said through gritted teeth. "Try me, Julian Vale."

After a few seconds, Lara stepped back toward her office door. “I'm busy,” she said coldly. “You should leave.”

Then she walked back inside without waiting for a response.

Julian remained standing there for a few seconds before finally turning away. Every step toward the elevator felt like his feet were being peeled off bit by bit.

By the time he reached the parking lot, he felt completely defeated.

He never expected Lara's words to hurt as much as they did and it only made him wonder how much Sophia must have been hurting when he continuously used vile words on her and accused her of things she didn't do.

For the first time in years, he truly understood what it meant to lose someone.

Just as he reached his car, his phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the screen before answering immediately.

“Dad?”

“Where are you?” his father asked sharply from the other end, his voice sounding urgent. “I’ve been trying to reach you.”

Julian leaned against the car tiredly. “What is it?”

“The divorce with Sophia has already been processed,” his father said firmly. “That means you need to move forward with the wedding immediately.”

Julian frowned in confusion. “What wedding?”

There was a brief silence.

“Your wedding to Serena, obviously,” his father answered impatiently. “Now that Sophie is out of the picture, there’s no reason to delay things anymore. Isn't this what you've wanted all along?”

Julian’s expression darkened instantly. “I’m not marrying Serena.”

The silence on the other side lasted for almost a minute. When his father finally spoke up, his voice was filled with a mixture of annoyance and disbelief.

“What?” his father asked slowly.

“I said I’m not marrying her,” Julian repeated coldly.

His father sounded genuinely shocked now. “Have you lost your mind?” he demanded. “You’ve been obsessed with that girl for years!”

Julian shut his eyes tiredly. “Things changed."

His father sighed. “Listen, boy. I don’t know what argument the two of you are having,” his father continued impatiently, “but resolve it quickly and move on with the marriage.”

Julian frowned. “What marriage do you keep talking about? When did I ever say I'll be marrying Serena?”

His father sighed heavily. “There has to be a marriage, Julian. Serena already shared the good news with the family.”

A strange feeling settled in Julian’s chest.

“What news?” he asked slowly, panic rising as he wondered what nonsense Serena must have told his parents but nothing on earth could have prepared him for the words his father said next.

“She’s pregnant with your child!"