He Asked Me To Divorce, I Said Yes Chapter 05
A group of business partners stood behind him.
My stomach dropped.
The moment Audrey slapped me, I had decided to make things unpleasant for them. But I had only meant to give Julian’s employees something to gossip about—not humiliate him in front of his business partners.
Office gossip would only damage his reputation behind his back. This could cost him actual business.
I had no idea what Julian might do to me afterward.
I only wanted my settlement and a clean exit.
So when Julian started walking toward me, I backed away in fear.
His gaze settled on the injuries to my face, and his frown deepened.
“Who hit you?”
I turned my head away. “No one.”
His chest rose sharply as though he were fighting to contain his anger.
“Nora, even if we’re getting divorced, we’re not strangers. If someone hurt you, you can tell me.”
The moment he finished speaking, Audrey ran out of the emergency stairwell.
As soon as she saw Julian, her eyes filled with tears.
—
“Julian, she was the one who came after me…”
“She slapped herself and then started screaming through the office, accusing me of things I didn’t do…”
Julian’s gaze turned ice-cold as it shifted back to me.
“Apologize.”
My head snapped up.
I had known he would take Audrey’s side. I simply hadn’t expected him to decide I was guilty without asking a single question.
I rose to my feet and turned my face slightly so he could see the handprint clearly.
“Julian, you’re not stupid. You know the difference between a self-inflicted slap and one delivered by someone else. Look at my face.”
A bright red handprint stood out against my cheek. Blood still marked the corner of my mouth, and my hair was a tangled mess, strands clinging to the sweat-damp skin along my collarbone.
A flicker of concern crossed Julian’s face.
I didn’t see it, but Audrey did.
Her tears spilled over immediately.
“Julian, she’s never come to the company before. She only showed up today because she planned to cause a scene. Don’t believe her…”
Julian’s expression never changed. His eyes remained frighteningly
—
cold as he stared at me.
Suddenly, the entire thing felt pointless.
Audrey didn’t need to explain anything. Julian would take her side regardless.
He had never given me that kind of unquestioning loyalty.
I stopped defending myself. Turning to Audrey, I dipped my head in a stiff, formal apology.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Collins.”
Then I straightened and spoke calmly.
“While I was packing, I found a sealed corporate envelope bearing the Prescott Holdings logo. I called you, but Ms. Collins answered and didn’t tell you about it.”
“After that, I contacted your driver and asked him to deliver it. He said Ms. Collins had forbidden me from contacting you, so I had no choice but to bring it to the company myself.”
“You don’t have to believe me, but that is what happened. From the moment you asked for a divorce, I have never intended to interfere in your life.”
“Julian, once the waiting period is over and the divorce is final, let’s never see each other again. Only if we become strangers can I stop getting hurt like this.”
With that, I turned and left.
I went straight to a clinic and scheduled an abortion.
—
The doctor studied my disheveled appearance before asking cautiously, “Would you like me to call the police?”
I stared at her in surprise, then shook my head. “No, thank you.”
Her concern deepened.
She looked over my test results and suddenly asked, “Are you certain you want to terminate the pregnancy?”
“Is something wrong?”
The doctor sighed. “You were born with underdeveloped ovaries. If you terminate this pregnancy, it may be very difficult for you to conceive again.”
I tightened my grip on the report, suddenly unsure of what to do.
I instinctively reached for my phone to contact Julian, but the moment I saw his profile picture, I remembered who I was to him.
I remembered the time when Julian had hated me most.
He hadn’t hated my appearance, my behavior, or my personality.
He hated the one thing I could never change.
He hated where I came from.
I was the Bennett family’s illegitimate daughter.