27 Calls 2 Wristbands 1 Empty Anniversary Chapter 10
I drove straight to Julian’s office.
This time, I didn’t let anyone stop me. Brushed past Emily. Straight into his office.
Surprise lit his face. And something like hope.
“Sophie. You came. You forgive me?”
He motioned Emily out. Just the two of us.
Looking at that expression, my stomach turned.
I used to think he was just cruel.
Now I knew. He was rotten.
I pulled up the screenshots. Set my phone in front of him. Watched.
Julian’s face went white. A weak, strained smile.
“Who sent you this? Someone’s trying to set me up. Photoshopped. It’s fake.”
I laughed. Cold. Pulled up the clinic confirmation. Slid it in front of him.
“Fake? What about the baby in Maddie’s belly? Fake too?”
The color drained completely. Panic. Real panic.
“That night was a mistake. I was in the guest room. I don’t know how—”
“Don’t worry, Sophie. I’ll make sure she doesn’t keep it. You’re my wife. Only you.”
The words made me sick.
The last trace of the Julian I’d built in my head crumbled to nothing.
He wasn’t a man. He was a sewer.
I just wanted distance.
“I don’t care what you do with Maddie. I want a divorce.”
“If you don’t sign, I’ll have Jessica file in court. The evidence of infidelity is right here. Your move.”
The blood left his face. Bit by bit. A bitter smile.
“You really are that cruel. Not even one chance.”
I took the divorce papers out of my bag. The ones I’d been carrying this whole time. Set them on his desk. Slid them toward him. Looked him in the eye.
“Sign.”
At last, he understood. I wasn’t bluffing.
And he didn’t dare let me take it to court. The reputation of his family’s firm couldn’t survive that.
He picked up the pen. His hand trembled. Slowly. Stroke by stroke. His name.
I took the papers. Turned to go.
Behind me, his voice. “Sophie. I’m sorry.”
I didn’t look back.
That afternoon, we finalized the divorce at City Hall.
A month later, when it was time to pick up the decree, Maddie came with him.
Triumph all over her. “Julian’s mine now.”
I shrugged.
Julian didn’t say a word.
I was about to get in my car when he called my name.
“Can we still be friends?”
Two words. Clean. “No.”
I drove off. Behind me, their voices rose. Fighting. Sounded like Maddie wanted a wedding date. Julian didn’t.
I drove all the way to JFK. Boarded a plane. Started traveling the world.
Every country, I stayed at least two weeks. Soaked it all in. Sent postcards to my parents. My friends.
At some point, Lauren updated me on Maddie and Julian.
“Sophie, you need to see the news.” Lauren’s voice was dramatic on the other end of the line. Even across the Atlantic, I could hear the glee. “You know how huge Julian’s project was? Maddie barged right into the boardroom. Pointed at the female partner on the other side and screamed ‘stay away from my man.’ That partner? One of the top M&A lawyers on Wall Street. Had legal send a letter on the spot.”
“And then?” I leaned against the window of my hotel in Iceland. Casual.
“And then? Maddie went after her in the hallway. Shoved her. Lost her balance on the marble stairs. So much blood. Lost the baby right there.”
Lauren paused. Lowered her voice. “You know what? When Julian heard the baby was gone, he wasn’t devastated. He was relieved. The next day, he had a severance package drafted. Wanted to pay Maddie off. Get her to ‘leave New York.'”
“She didn’t take it.”
“She went insane. Unmarried. Pregnant. Nothing official. Then the baby’s gone and he tries to pay her off like a problem employee? She wakes up in the ICU and the first thing she does is find a lawyer. Wants to sue Julian. Then one day, they’re in his car on the West Side Highway. She’s screaming at him. Irresponsible. Ruined her youth. Destroyed her life—”
“And?”
“She grabbed the wheel.”
Lauren’s voice dropped. Heavy.
“The car hit the guardrail. Totaled, Sophie. Julian was in the ICU for two weeks before he woke up. Doctors said compound fracture in his right leg. He’ll need a cane for the rest of his life. That man who used to look down on Manhattan from his Tribeca penthouse? Now he can barely climb stairs.”
I made a small sound. Said nothing.
“As for Maddie—the Upper East Side crowd has blacklisted her completely. Her family’s money is a joke compared to the medical bills. I heard she’s still fighting Julian in court for compensation. All those so-called ‘best friends’ of hers? Not one showed up at the hospital.”
Lauren added one last thing. “You know what the nurses said? When Julian was in and out of consciousness in the ICU, he kept saying a name. Yours. Not Maddie’s.”
I was quiet for two seconds.
“Lauren.”
“Yeah?”
“The northern lights are starting.”
She laughed. Knew exactly what I meant. “Alright. I won’t keep you. Hey—that post you made earlier—”
“Which one?”
“‘Best decision I ever made.’ Guess who liked it?”
“Who?”
“Maddie.”
I blinked. Then laughed out loud.
I hung up. The aurora was exploding.
Green bands of light rippled across the black Icelandic sky. Spreading. Folding. Like someone had spilled a jar of stardust.
I stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows. Lifted my phone. Took a picture.
In the group chat—we called it the Coven—Lauren replied first: “Queen! ??”
Courtney: “We’ve got your back!”
Jessica sent a string of all-caps: “FINALLY!”
I posted the aurora photo. One line.
[Best decision I ever made.]
Then I shut off my phone. Left all of it on the other side of the ocean. Those people. That past.
The world is so beautiful. Why waste time on things that don’t matter anymore?
(The End)