Chapter 12
The house felt hollow without Julia. The whole place was so quiet, it was almost eerie.§
A thin film of dust had settled over the coffee table and the dining room. It was obvious–no one had been home in days.
Nathan barely had time to take it all in before the security guard met him at the door, holding something in his hands. He hesitated, looking like he wanted to say something, then finally spoke up.
“Mr. Haskins, Mrs. Haskins left this with a courier for you. You haven’t been back, and she hasn’t either. I was about to call you.”
Nathan frowned, taking the envelope without much thought. “What is it?”
But when he saw the deep red cover and the big bold letters–Divorce Certificate–his heart stopped.
No. No way. Julia wouldn’t do this. There had to be a mistake. Maybe the courier messed up the delivery.
He lied to himself as he fumbled to open it, hands shaking. But there it was–his name, his details, the official seal. It was all real.
A rush of heat flooded his face, his eyes burning. Anger boiled up inside him, wild and sharp.
He clutched the certificate, knuckles turning white, and tore through the house in a frenzy. Everything of Julia’s was gone. Every photo, every gift, every trace of their life together–wiped clean.}
She’d really left him. She’d really divorced him.§
With a crash, Nathan punched the wall. Blood welled up and down his hand.>
“Wow, Julia. Really?” He laughed, bitter and broken. “We promised forever. I never agreed to this. I would never let you go!“}
“I love you–how could you just walk away? I won’t let this happen!“}
His voice echoed through the empty rooms, bouncing back at him, as if the house itself was mocking his pain.
Nathan’s eyes turned cold and dark, his whole body tense with barely contained rage.
He dialed his assistant, his tone icy. “Find out how Julia managed to get this divorce. I never agreed to it. How did she even do this?”
There was a pause on the other end, the assistant clearly shaken. But he just said, “Yes, sir,” and got to work.”
It didn’t take long for the assistant to call back. His voice was nervous, almost apologetic. “Mr. Haskins… About the divorce… You actually signed the agreement yourself. A month ago, Mrs. Haskins took the papers–with your signature–to the office.”}
He trailed off, barely audible, as if he was afraid Nathan might explode.
Nathan didn’t disappoint. He threw his phone at the wall so hard the screen went black.
“Julia!”
He shouted her name, the sound raw and ragged, echoing off the walls.
He replayed everything from the last month, searching for the answer, until it hit him–there’d only been one time he signed anything for Julia. Right after the kidnapping.
That day, Julia had asked for a divorce. He couldn’t deal with it, flat out refused, apologized over and over again, desperate to fix things.
He’d thought she’d forgiven him. She’d said if he bought her a house, she’d let it go. But in reality, she’d tricked him into signing the divorce papers.
I IS F IS = 2 Z
If only he’d actually read what he was signing. Would things be different now?
And the reason he was distracted that day? Sarah.
Nathan’s chest heaved, fury pounding in his veins. He was losing it.
Of course, that’s when Sarah decided to call.
“Nathan, the power’s out at my place. I’m all alone, and I’m scared… Can you come over? Please?”
Her soft, helpless voice just made everything worse. All the anger, the heartbreak–it snapped.
“No! Leave me alone. Don’t ever contact me again!“&
