He Didn’t Know She Was The Heiress Chapter 07
Julian stared at Mia, furious and humiliated.
He’d been so pleased with himself, believing two women loved him too much to leave. Chloe had loved him. Mia had wanted someone to pay her bills.
He pointed at the door. “Get out of my house.”
Lily burst into tears. “Daddy, please. Don’t make Mommy leave.”
“Julian, I’m sorry.” Mia softened her voice. “I’ll be good to Aiden. I promise.”
She bent toward the boy, trying to catch his eye. “Aiden, I was in a bad mood. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. Give me another chance, sweetheart.”
He pressed closer to his father. “I hate you. Go away.”
Julian caught Mia’s arm and pulled her toward the door.
Her pleading stopped.
“You think throwing me out will bring Chloe back?” she demanded. “Once she makes up her mind, that’s it. She’s never taking you back.”
She planted her feet. “And if you make me leave, I’ll tell everyone what you did. If I go down, you’re coming with me.”
Julian stopped. The woman glaring at him seemed nothing like the one who had spent years telling him how much she loved him.
He wanted to put his hands around her throat. Instead, he forced himself to loosen his grip.
His new book was coming out. There might even be a film deal. He had too much ahead of him to let her destroy it all with a scandal.
Mia felt his hand fall away and smiled.
“There it is. I’m not Chloe, Julian. You don’t get to treat me like dirt and expect me to take it quietly.”
She rubbed her arm. “Dump me, and I’ll make sure your readers know exactly what kind of man you are.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“I’ve got nothing to lose. You do.” Mia folded her arms. “You really thought I was doing this for love? I wanted a man I could handle. Someone who’d pay my bills.”
She laughed. “Chloe was stupid enough to fall in love with you. I wasn’t.”
Mia took Lily’s hand and headed upstairs. Halfway up, she glanced back.
“Order dinner from The Copper Oak. You know what I like.”
Julian watched her go. He had driven Chloe away for this woman. He had stood in front of his wife and called Mia his muse.
He picked up his phone and found Chloe’s name. His thumb hovered over the call button. For years, she had answered whenever he needed her. He wanted to hear her voice, even if all she did was scream at him.
Then he remembered the calls that had gone straight to voicemail.
She’d blocked him. He had told her she had no one else, and she had chosen to leave anyway.
He kept staring at her name until the screen blurred. Then he sank down with the phone still in his hand and began to cry.
That afternoon, he decided to report her missing. The police could find her. Once they did, he would apologize. He’d give Mia money to leave town with Lily, and he and Chloe could start again.
He would be good to her this time. He would make up for everything.
He was about to leave when his editor called.
Julian expected another question about the revisions. Instead, Mark’s voice hit him before he could say hello.
“Your wife’s best friend, Julian? You had a child with her?”
Julian gripped the phone. “Mark, how did you—”
“It’s everywhere. Check your phone. Your name’s trending.”
Mark sounded disgusted. “Your wife’s father owns Bennett Group. She gave up her family to marry you, and this is how you repay her?”
Julian barely heard the rest. He remembered telling Chloe she couldn’t afford to leave him. He had laughed when he said it.
“Bennett Group?”
His hands shook as he opened his browser. The affair was all over social media. Entertainment sites had picked it up. There were photos of him and Mia, details of their daughter, and Chloe’s name beside the company he knew all too well.
…
I never posted a word. Bennett Group issued a statement confirming that I was the owner’s daughter. Dad hired the lawyers, and they filed for divorce on my behalf.
Julian would hear from them soon enough.
“You’ve turned this launch into a disaster,” Mark snapped. “We’re invoking the morals clause. Your contract’s canceled. And we want the advance back.”
Julian opened X. Readers who had once begged him for his next book were filling his replies with insults. They cursed him and Mia, repeating the details of what he’d done to Chloe.
The front door flew open.
Mia had gone shopping a little earlier. Now she stumbled inside, her clothes soaked and reeking. A crowd had followed her home. She slammed the door, but the shouting continued, fists pounding against the wood.
She turned on Julian.
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me Chloe came from money?”