Chapter 5 - Evelyn Needed Julian to Believe She Knew Nothing
Pretending was the hardest part.
Not cancer.
Not the party.
Pretending.
Julian became more attentive as the anniversary approached.
Flowers.
Breakfast in bed.
Massages after treatment.
He booked the waterfront venue himself.
“Ten years deserves something huge.”
I almost laughed.
He had no idea how huge.
The $18 million transfer had originally been my idea, but Julian began asking increasingly specific questions.
“Has Marcus finalized everything?”
“Probably.”
“Do you need me to sign anything?”
“I don’t think so.”
“When does the trustee release it?”
“After the anniversary.”
Each question sounded casual.
Each one made me colder.
Rebecca wanted me to confront him immediately.
“Why put yourself through this?”
“Because I need to know whether he stops.”
He didn’t.
Three weeks before the party, the investigator photographed Julian and Sienna outside an apartment.
Not a hotel.
An apartment Julian had leased through his new development company.
Temporary housing, according to corporate records.
A future home, according to messages Marcus later obtained during divorce discovery.
Julian had sent Sienna:
Just a few more weeks. Once the transfer clears, everything changes.
Everything changes.
He was right.
I canceled the transfer the next morning.
Privately.
The trustee signed the revocation.
Marcus prepared divorce papers.
Only Rebecca, Marcus, and the trustee knew.
Then I let Julian plan his celebration.
He chose red roses because I loved them.
Gold balloons because Harrison—his brother’s little boy—once joked our house needed “more gold.”
He arranged fireworks.
He invited business contacts.
And Sienna.
That surprised even me.
“Why is she coming?” I asked.
Julian barely looked up.
“Her firm is helping with Charleston.”
There.
He had begun moving her into our public world before I was gone.
I smiled.
“Of course.”
On the afternoon of the party, Julian entered our bedroom while I was getting dressed.
He stopped when he saw me.
Bald.
Red gown.
No scarf.
For a moment, his eyes filled.
“You look incredible.”
The tragedy was that I believed he meant it.
People can betray you and still feel something real.
That makes leaving harder.
He stepped behind me.
“Tonight is our new beginning.”
I met his eyes in the mirror.
“Yes.”
He kissed my shoulder.
Then his phone buzzed.
He looked down.
A message preview flashed.
SIENNA:
Is everything still happening tonight?
Julian turned the screen away too late.
I smiled at our reflection.
May you like
“Everything.”
And for once, I was the only person in the room who understood what that word meant.
Related Stories
