His Tight Praise Outed His Affair,I Made Him Beg

Chapter 3

Julian didn't come home that night.

The next day, he walked through the door with Mia trailing right behind him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, staring directly at Mia.

Before she could open her mouth, Julian spoke up, "She's sick. The doctor said she needs someone to take care of her for a while. I didn't feel safe leaving her alone, so I let her move in with us for now."

He paused and added defensively, "Besides, didn't you always hate me going to her place? Now I don't have to. This way, you can't accuse me of hiding things from you."

Mia walked toward me. She was wearing Julian's oversized jacket.

He was a massive germaphobe. In our four years of marriage, even if I was soaked to the bone in the rain, he never once let me wear his coat.

But now, his most intimate loungewear was draped over Mia's shoulders.

A triumphant smile played on Mia's lips. "I really hope I'm not intruding. You don't mind, do you, Aria? I brought my kid. Julian said your master bedroom has the biggest bathroom, so..."

She tilted her chin toward the bedroom hallway. "He cleared out the master bedroom for us. Do you mind moving your stuff out?"

With her back to Julian, she stepped intimately close to my ear and lowered her voice. "Aria."

I replied, "What?"

"Julian treats you incredibly well. You really need to cherish him," she said.

I didn't take the bait.

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you," she whispered.

I uttered, "Spit it out."

She tilted her head, locking eyes with me. "Julian said women who have given birth have way more tricks in bed. They know exactly how to soothe a man."

She flaunted a neck covered in fresh hickeys, her eyes gleaming with pure smugness. "You're just too stiff in bed. As your best friend, I had no choice but to help him blow off some steam."

I thought I wouldn't feel any emotion after deciding to leave, but seeing the dark bruises on her neck still made my chest tighten painfully.

Forcing down the agonizing sting in my heart, I shot back mockingly. "You threw yourself into his bed just to have his kid, didn't you? Yet, you're still not the one wearing his ring, right?"

That single sentence perfectly hit Mia's rawest nerve.

Her smug facade shattered instantly. She shoved me violently.

"I already have his children! You're the one desperately clinging to him and refusing to let go!" she shrieked. "Your psycho mother killed your own dad! The only reason Julian refuses to have kids with you is because he's terrified your spawn will be a psycho too!"

When her insults targeted my mother and her curses hit my unborn children, my last thread of restraint snapped. I raised my hand and slapped her across the face with all my might.

Smack!

Mia instantly burst into weeping sobs. "I just saw you seemed unhappy and wanted to apologize! How could you bully me like this, Aria?"

Julian rushed over and shielded her behind his back. The disgust in his eyes when he looked at me practically overflowed.

I looked at him calmly and articulated every word. "She called my mother a psycho. She said my whole family is insane. If I beat her to death, she deserves it."

Annoyed and completely blinded by Mia's crying, Julian instinctively snapped back, "You're just coming up with any excuse to take your anger out on Mia! Everyone knows your mother had clinical mental issues. What's wrong with her mentioning it?"

In that exact moment, a bone-deep, paralyzing cold spread through my entire body.

Only Julian knew the dark past between me and my mother.

He knew perfectly well that my mother's mental illness was the deepest wound of my life, a wound I never wanted anyone to touch.

He knew that during her psychotic break, my mother accidentally killed my father only because my father was violently beating me, and the sight of it triggered her episode.

So that was why Julian refused to have kids with me. He was terrified the illness was genetic.

I felt like my soul had been ripped out of my body. Tears fell silently down my cheeks.

Realizing he had crossed a massive line, Julian reached out to hug me.

I stepped back, completely dodging his touch.

I looked up at the man standing before me. He was completely unrecognizable.

My mind was flooded with the memory of him kneeling outside my door in the pouring rain all night, just to earn my trust.

That night, his vows sounded so incredibly beautiful. "Aria, if I ever betray you, may I die a miserable death. I promise, I will give you a warm, loving home."

None of his words were real. It was nothing but lies.

I forced a bitter smile and whispered softly, "Julian, we are done."

Hearing those words, Julian visibly stiffened, panic leaking into his eyes. He opened his mouth to apologize.

Suddenly, Mia let out a sharp yelp, followed by the sickening sound of something shattering on the floor.

It was the hand-sculpted ceramic guardian angel my mother had made for me during a rare moment of clarity.

It had taken her an entire month to mold and paint it with her trembling hands. She told me it was my wedding gift, a charm to bless me with "a happy marriage".

The day I brought it home, I cried for hours. Julian had held me tightly and sworn, "From now on, this is the ultimate treasure of our home. No one is ever allowed to touch it."

But now, it was smashed to pieces. Mia dropped it.

"What the hell are you doing?" I yelled, spinning around in fury.

"I didn't drop it on purpose!" Mia explained and backed toward the door, glancing down at the wreckage. "Ugh, I accidentally knocked it over while moving my bags. Sorry, okay? How much is it? I'll pay."

"You'll pay?" I shouted, grabbing a jagged shard from the floor, and glared at her. "Then pay with your life!"

The fake smile vanished from her face. "It's just a cheap piece of junk! Are you seriously acting like this?"

Julian walked over from the living room and glanced at the bloody ceramic shard in my hand.

"Stop overreacting. Mia didn't do it on purpose," he warned, his brow furrowing deeply. "What exactly do you want?"

I looked at him, unable to believe my own ears.

"Divorce. Or tell her to go die," I cut him off.

I sniffled, pointing the sharp edge of the ceramic shard right at her throat. "Tell her to die right now or sign the divorce papers."

Smack!

Julian's heavy palm struck my cheek with brutal force.

My entire face instantly burned with searing agony.

"Is it in your DNA to be this twisted? Do you just want everyone dead like your mother did?" he roared. "You really are a psycho, Aria!"

He waved a dismissive hand, calling his assistant over. "Print out the divorce papers! I'll sign them right now!"