To be precise, it was Julian and Averil.
It seemed that while Julian was “apologizing” to me on the mountain, Averil was waiting for him at the base.
What was this supposed to be?
Some kind of power play between the wife and the mistress?
A wave of nausea rolled through me again.
Without hesitation, I looped my arm through Norman’s. “Let’s go.”
Julian quickly walked over. “Mr. Carter, may I trouble you for a few minutes to talk?”
“No,” Norman replied firmly, his rejection sharp and unyielding.
“Mr. Carter…” Averil’s voice dripped with sweetness, almost syrupy. “Can’t you give us a chance?”
“No,” Norman said again, his tone even colder.
Averil froze, momentarily at a loss for words.
Julian turned his gaze to me. “Victoria, don’t you think there’s been a misunderstanding between us?”
He offered me a rare gentle smile, his eyes reflecting my image as if I were still his entire
world.
For a moment, I was stunned. My body reacted faster than my mind, alm instinctively nodding in agreement.
Norman pinched the back of my neck, snapping me out of it. I jolted, nearly slapping myself in the face.
Julian’s smile faltered, barely holding. “Victoria, don’t forget what you promised me.”
“What promise?” I found Julian’s words laughable. “If you want to hear it again, fine, I’ll say it one more time.”
“You broke your vows, cheated during our marriage, and Averil willingly played the other woman. You even hired trolls to slander me. Everything you both did at that gala–I will never forgive.”
Julian and Averil’s faces darkened, but Norman seemed downright delighted.
He wrapped an arm around me, pushing past Julian. “Best of luck to you and Miss Wells. May the two of you be the perfect match–trash with trash, forever and always.”
+25 BONUS
Chapter 17
While facing Norman, Julian had no outlet for his anger and could only glare at me in frustration.
“Victoria Dean, do you really want to degrade yourself like this?”
I felt the muscles in Norman’s arm tense suddenly.
Sensing his fury, I quickly gripped his wrist. “Ignore him.”
The greatest insult to Julian now was indifference. To deal with someone like him, ignoring him was enough.
Over the next few days, I perfected the art of ignoring Julian.
He didn’t have my new number, and I’d blocked him on every social media platform. Even if he wanted to contact me, he had no way to do so.
I spent my time at Norman’s villa halfway up the hill, tending to flowers and teasing the birds. Life seemed to slow to a peaceful crawl.
The next time I heard about Julian was on a dance show I loved watching.
A group of contestants had just finished performing when the host announced the arrival of a mystery guest.
Moments later, Averil walked onto the stage.
