Chapter 4
1148 Words
Julian's bold move shut down the hate in seconds. With him coming to her defense so openly, no one dared to trash Gia anymore.
Right around then, my deadbeat father, who I had not seen in ages, suddenly dropped an interview out of nowhere.
He stared straight into the camera and went after me, full blast.
"Lily Kay is just as ruthless as her mother. She stops at nothing to get what she wants.
"Back then, Lily's mother used her power and money to break up me and my pregnant first love.
"Now Lily is following in her mother's footsteps. She broke up Gia and Julian all over again..."
That leak torched my reputation in one fell swoop.
I had gone from being the envy of every fan girl out there, the one who actually married her idol, to public enemy number one.
The whole internet called me a bully who traded on her family name to push people around.
I tried calling Julian. He did not pick up.
I dragged myself home, only to find the place empty. Julian and Gia were both gone. The master bedroom was trashed.
All my makeup and clothes were scattered all over the floor.
The Patek Philippe couple's watches Julian and I had shared were bobbing in the toilet. Five of the rarest vivid pink diamonds my brother had given me were cracked and ruined...
And on the bed, a note from Gia, left like a little taunt.
Lily Kay, I am going to take everything you have, piece by piece!
I crushed that note in my fist.
The family I was born into had no love. Just schemes and betrayals.
My father was a gold digger who married my mother for her money.
He had been sneaking around with Gia's mother behind my mother's back the whole time. He tricked my mother into marrying down for love, then deliberately pushed her into depression until she lost control and took her own life.
The only saving grace was that by the time my mother passed, my brother was already grown. With my grandfather's family watching over us, my father never got his hands on the inheritance. But that did not stop him from making our lives a living hell whenever he could.
I refused to bow my head to Gia.
But I wanted my child to grow up in a family with real love.
If Julian and Gia really had something going on, I placed a hand on my still-flat stomach and wondered....
Maybe this baby should not be born after all...
I needed to hear it from Julian himself. What was the real story between him and Gia?
I called his agent and found out Julian was at the company.
I headed over right away and walked straight into a conversation between my brother and Julian.
Both of them were barely containing their fury.
"Julian, you lost the bet. You agreed to marry Lily, and you did. Since you married her, you should treat her right!
"You went on Gia's stream and called her the most important person in your life. What about Lily?
"I am going to blacklist Gia today! As long as I am around, she will never get a break in this industry!"
"Victor Kay, leave Gia alone!"
Julian's voice went cold as ice. "Lily is carrying my child right now. I am sure you do not want anything to happen to her, do you?"
Every word hit my eardrums like a hammer. I felt the chill creep through my entire body.
Then my stomach lurched. I clamped a hand over my mouth and stumbled toward the restroom at the end of the hall.
I threw up until my throat burned. My mouth tasted like bile. My whole body went weak.
In the mirror, I saw my own reflection. Pale as death. Eyes swollen and red.
A bitter laugh escaped me.
What a joke.
I thought I had landed a fairy tale. Turns out it had been a business transaction from the very start.
No wonder Julian proposed to me and then treated me like a stranger afterward.
The baby I thought was a joyful surprise was nothing more than leverage for him to threaten my brother...
I leaned against the sink for a long time, still trembling.
I pushed myself off the wall and walked out of the restroom on shaky legs. And there he was. Julian.
He saw my red-rimmed eyes, and for once, that stoic face of his showed a flicker of surprise.
"What are you doing here?"
I looked at him calmly and said, "I saw what you posted on Gia's stream.
"People are saying I broke you two up. That I am a homewrecker."
The air went still for a moment.
Julian's face darkened. "The internet loves to blow things out of proportion. Do not let it get to you..."
"What do you think? Do you think I am a homewrecker too?"
The weight on my chest was crushing me now.
But Julian just frowned, his patience clearly wearing thin.
"Gia's presence does not affect our marriage."
That half-hearted answer was the final nail in the coffin.
I had been his fan for over a decade. I had loved him with everything I had.
I could put up with his coldness. I could even put up with him having someone else in his heart.
But if that someone was Gia Kay, and I still chased after him like a lovesick fool, that would be rock bottom.
I took a deep breath and straightened my spine.
I looked Julian straight in the eye and told him, calmly.
"I did not know about the bet before. I am sorry I got in the way of you and Gia.
"Julian, I want a divorce."
I looked at the man in front of me, and for the first time, I felt nothing. No joy. No flutter. Nothing.
Julian froze. That icy composure of his cracked for just a second, and something like panic flickered across his face.
He studied the woman before him. Lily had never looked at him like this before.
She used to look at him with those bright, sparkling eyes, full of warmth and adoration. Now her gaze was calm. Empty. The light was gone.
Something in his chest twisted. He did not like it.
His jaw tightened. "I am not agreeing to a divorce.
"Gia and I are not what you think. Stop sulking and go home. Just take care of the baby."
Before he even finished, his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen. It was Gia.
He picked up and walked away without another word.
I watched him disappear down the hall. Then I turned around, printed out a divorce agreement, and went to see my brother.
"Victor, I want to go abroad. I am done with Julian. For good."
- Writer
