Our Wedding: I Divorced Him for His Son

Chapter 3

Ryan didn't waste a second. That very night, he had the divorce agreement express-delivered straight to my door.

The doorbell rang while I was sorting through every last thing that belonged to Julian.

Honestly, the 8 years I'd spent with Julian had been wonderful.

Back in college, he'd show up at my dorm every week with a fresh bouquet. I ended up being the girl in the dorm who received the most flowers.

After we graduated and started working, if I so much as glanced twice at something in a*****e window, no matter how expensive it was, he'd save for months just to buy it for me.

His love for me back then had been genuine.

But so was his betrayal now.

Once I'd finished packing everything, I dragged all his boxes to the front entryway. I was just reaching for the doorknob when I heard Julian's voice on the other side.

I pressed my eye to the peephole.

He was standing outside with Claire and Leo beside him.

"Huh? Why isn't the fingerprint lock working?"

"Try the passcode?"

"No, that isn't working either. I've already entered it wrong three times."

Julian frowned and pulled out his phone. "I'll call Nora."

The second he hit dial, I yanked the door open.

"Nora, you're home!"

Claire froze for half a second when she saw me, then immediately put on that soft, sweet smile she always wore and greeted me as if nothing had happened.

I ignored her completely. I grabbed the divorce agreement and a pen and tossed them at Julian's feet.

"Sign this."

Julian picked up the papers and scanned them. The moment he realized what they were, he slammed them down on the table by the door.

The sudden crash startled Leo, and he burst into tears.

"Nora, don't you think you're being ridiculous? We've only been married for a few days, and you're already talking about divorce? Have you even thought this through? You're 30 years old! Who's going to want you after you're divorced?"

I threw my head back and laughed bitterly, stunned by how warped his view of the world was.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but there are plenty of men dying to marry me."

Claire, who had been soothing Leo a second earlier, immediately grabbed Julian's arm. Then she stepped forward and linked her arm through mine with exaggerated familiarity.

"Nora, don't say things you don't mean just because you're angry. You and Julian only got married two days ago. There's no way you could've found another man that quickly. You can't throw yourself at some random guy just to get back at Julian, okay?"

Julian's eyes filled with contempt as he listened.

"Nora, are you serious? You'd make up a lie this ridiculous just to force me into a divorce?"

I stared at Claire's innocent act and let out a sarcastic laugh before yanking my arm free.

Right then, I watched her deliberately twist her left ankle inward before collapsing onto the floor.

"My ankle! Oh my God, my ankle! I think I sprained it!"

Claire sat on the floor, her face twisted into a perfect picture of agony.

Leo, who had finally quieted down, saw her fall and burst into tears all over again.

I was still frozen in place, too stunned to process what had happened, when Julian slapped me hard across the face.

"Claire was trying to be nice and talk some sense into you. How could you push her? You want a divorce? Fine! I'll sign the damn thing!"

Julian snatched up the pen and scrawled his name across the agreement.

Then he gently lifted Claire into his arms, concern softening his expression as he carried her straight into the elevator.

"Nora."

I looked up. Ryan stood there, his face flushed and covered in sweat, breathing heavily. His eyes were filled with nothing but concern.

"I just saw Julian at the entrance. Did he hurt you?"

Ryan looked me up and down in a panic, his gaze darting over me until he spotted the bright red handprint on my cheek.

His voice trembled.

"He hit you?"

I brushed my fingers over the stinging mark on my right cheek, bit down hard on my lip, and blinked back the tears burning my eyes.

"One slap in exchange for a divorce? I'd say it was worth it."

Ryan pulled me into his arms and rested his chin gently on top of my head.

"Don't worry. No one will ever dare hurt you again. How about I take you on a trip? We can leave tomorrow."

I lifted my head and met his soft, gentle gaze. Before I even realized what I was doing, I nodded.

For the next 2 weeks, Ryan took me to a place called Silverlake, somewhere I'd been dying to visit for years.

Before we left, I dropped all of Julian's belongings off with the security guard at the front gate.

As it turned out, Julian never even bothered to pick them up during those two weeks.

Instead, my best friend told me he'd been posting constantly on social media, and almost every post showed him spending time with Claire and Leo.

He didn't return to my apartment until right after I got back from Silverlake.

He tried the fingerprint lock first, then the passcode. Neither worked.

He tried messaging me, only to discover that I'd blocked him.

With his tail between his legs, he turned to leave.

Just as he reached the entrance, the security guard called out to him, "Are you Mr. Hollis? We've got some of your things in the guard booth. They've been sitting there for over 2 weeks, and you never came to get them."

Julian stared at the guard in confusion. "What things?"

The guard pointed toward my building.

"Ms. Ellison from Apartment 901, Unit 2, Building 13, left them with me before she went on her honeymoon with her husband. She said I should give them to you if I saw you. You want to come with me and pick them up?"

Julian let out a scoff.

"Her husband? I'm Ms. Ellison's husband. Don't you security staff even recognize the residents of your own property?"

The guard shook his head. "That can't be right. Ms. Ellison's husband is Mr. Dalton. I even have him on social media. Look, these are the photos he posted from their honeymoon."