Abandoned by All I Took It All Back novel Chapter 13

"From now on, you're the mistress of this house. I'm usually busy and won't be able to spend much time with you." Then he'd handed her a credit card. "Buy whatever you need."

His tone had been flat, his face expressionless. She had assumed that was just his personality.

It wasn't until she saw how he doted on Yvonne that Janina realized she had never truly known Julius at all.

Julius grabbed Janina with one hand, tossed her onto the bed, and scowled, his brow furrowed with anger.

"Janina, don't play these hard-to-get games with me!"

In Julius's mind, Janina had loved him for ten years - she'd never actually go through with a divorce.

She couldn't leave him.

From her youth to their marriage, he was the only man in her life.

A woman who married right out of college and dedicated herself entirely to her family wouldn't have the emotional strength or the courage to leave.

Julius was convinced she was only bringing up divorce because she wanted him to coddle her.

But there was a limit to these tantrums. He had already explained everything clearly: Yvonne was sick and was just staying with them to recover. It posed no threat to her position as Mrs. Aurelius.

He felt he'd already humbled himself enough. But Janina? She just kept making a scene. He wasn't going to indulge this bad temper of hers.

Janina instinctively protected her stomach. Julius had used considerable force, and when she landed on the bed, she felt a distinct jolt in her abdomen. Even if she wasn't planning on keeping the baby, she didn't want to harm it this way.

She used to stubbornly believe that Julius giving her a black card and expensive gifts was his way of showing affection.

He was busy with work, often traveling, and couldn't be with her, so he tried to make up for it with material things.

What she had thought was love was just her own wishful thinking. The affection she had begged for was nothing more than his charity.

Was Julius blind or deaf? How could he believe Yvonne was just there to recover?

Her blatant and subtle provocations were proof enough that Yvonne had been planning this for a long time.

Trying to wake up someone pretending to be asleep was pointless. Even if he opened his eyes, he would just close them again.

She pulled open a drawer. Inside were three floral-patterned notebooks and a photo album.

The diaries were filled with entries about Julius. From the first time she saw him, to secretly following him, to engineering their 'accidental' meetings, to their first conversation…

She had poured all her shy secrets into those notebooks, pasting in photos of him—mostly of his back or his profile.

Her youth had been as sweet as spun sugar.

From sixteen to twenty-six, she had married the prince charming of her dreams. She wasn't afraid of anything, except Julius not loving her.