Chapter 9 - Julian Mercer Was Not Running Away With Victoria
The affair question finally received an answer.
Julian and Victoria had become romantically involved.
But only after Victoria told him she intended to divorce Nathan.
Was that before she told Nathan?
Yes.
Still betrayal.
Julian had separated from his own wife eight months earlier.
The divorce filing was public.
Nathan had not known.
So the image Nathan initially built—two married people secretly fleeing together—was wrong.
Reality:
two people leaving broken marriages badly.
Victoria and Julian had booked the trip to finalize her employment arrangement and spend additional time together.
One suite.
Romantic relationship.
No point pretending otherwise.
Julian agreed to speak with Nathan once.
Nathan asked:
“Did you tell her to throw Emma out?”
Julian looked shocked.
“No.”
“Did you know she planned to leave Emma at the estate that day?”
“No.”
“What did she tell you?”
“That she was going to speak with you that evening and stay at a hotel afterward.”
Nathan frowned.
“She had already filed.”
“I knew.”
“Did you tell her to serve me?”
“I told her to stop delaying.”
Interesting.
Julian was not hiding the divorce from Nathan for strategic advantage.
He had actually pushed Victoria toward:
clarity.
Then Emma.
Julian knew Victoria was frustrated by Nathan’s parenting priorities.
He admitted hearing too much.
“She said your daughter controlled every decision.”
“What did you say?”
“That children do that.”
Nathan almost laughed.
Then Julian said something harder.
“Victoria believed you used Emma whenever you didn’t want to admit you personally disagreed with her.”
Nathan went still.
Sometimes true.
Cedar Ridge.
He often said:
Emma needs stability
when he also personally disliked aspects of the project.
Why?
Saying:
I don’t want this
created marital conflict.
Saying:
my daughter needs this
made disagreement morally safer.
That was unfair to:
Emma.
Victoria’s resentment was wrongfully directed at the child.
Nathan had sometimes placed Emma rhetorically in the middle.
He needed to own:
that.
Still, Julian was clear.
“Whatever problems were between you two, what she did to Emma was hers.”
May you like
Exactly.
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