After He Called Me Trouble, I Quit Him

Chapter 7

Hailey's hand got no farther.

The front door opened, and more than a dozen bodyguards in black filed inside. Their leader switched off the music.

"Our apologies. Mr. Bennett would like everyone to leave."

Hailey stepped away from the young man and looked up, meeting Julian's icy gaze.

Unsurprised, she folded her arms and dropped onto the couch.

The guests filed out. The tanned student was the last to leave.

He looked back at Hailey reluctantly. "Can we hang out again?"

She smiled and waved. "Of course."

"Hailey!"

Julian came downstairs, his expression darkening at the exchange.

The mingled smell of smoke and alcohol made him frown deeply.

"Are you drunk again? Do you even know where you are or what you've done?"

"I'm perfectly sober." Her smile vanished. "You, on the other hand, drank enough that a woman had to hold you upright. You really think God's just going to forgive you for breaking your vow?"

His face turned glacial.

After a tense silence, he exhaled and rubbed his aching temple. He sat beside her, sounding somewhere between resigned and conciliatory.

"Let's talk."

"Good. I have something to say too." She nodded. "Julian, let's get a divorce."

Whatever he'd been about to say died in his throat.

His expression stiffened, then hardened. "I won't agree to that."

"That's your choice. I'm getting one anyway."

Hailey stood, retrieved a suitcase from the corner, and walked out. The door slammed behind her.

Only then did Julian realize this wasn't one of her usual fits of temper. He got up and followed.

But when he opened the door, the cab was already pulling away.

She'd ordered it in advance. This wasn't an impulse. She'd planned it.

His eyes darkened, loneliness settling into his expression.

Hailey began crying the moment she got into the cab.

She'd never known that giving up on someone she loved could hurt this much.

Everything that had happened since she'd arrived in this future replayed in her mind. She searched it for one sign that Julian cared.

There was nothing. Not a single thing.

Tears kept falling. She covered her face, unable to muffle the sobs escaping between her fingers.

A long time later, the cab stopped.

"We're here, miss," the driver said gently.

She'd stopped crying. Red-eyed, she nodded and reached for the door, only to notice the lonely mountain woods outside.

"Where are we?"

The driver blinked and checked his phone. "Mount Alder. That's the destination you entered."

Only then did she remember that her last ride request had been to see Julian. She'd forgotten to change the address.

She could still ask the driver to take her back downtown. Somehow, though, she thanked him and got out.

The abbey looked exactly as it had before, but she felt completely different standing outside it.

After a while, she came to herself and wondered bitterly what she'd expected to accomplish by coming here.

She was turning away when the door opened. The same young novice she'd met before had heard someone outside and come to look.

"Mrs. Bennett, isn't it? It's late. Come inside. You can stay in Mr. Bennett's room tonight."

Hailey was surprised he didn't ask why she'd come. After a brief hesitation, she nodded.

"Thank you."

The novice led her to the guest room Julian used during his retreats and left.

It was clean and sparsely furnished, with a faint scent of beeswax.

Looking around, Hailey began to understand his attachment to prayer retreats. It was peaceful here.

Other people's hearts were impossible to read. Trying to understand Julian alone had exhausted her. He had to deal with cunning businesspeople every day.

Desire could corrupt people. Perhaps he didn't want to become like them.

She took a deep breath and prepared to rest. Then she noticed a note beneath a paperweight on the wooden desk.

She picked it up. The paper had yellowed, and the date was July 12th, 8 years earlier.

Unfolding it, she read the brief note.

I take a wife and have a child not because it is my heart's desire, nor because I wish to abandon my life of devotion, but to fulfill my duty to my parents. I pledge to abstain from meat for the rest of my life to atone for my sins.