Storms of the Heart novel Chapter 11

Trina would never return for the rest of her life.

Those words hit Julian like a hammer. His vision went dark for a second, and his knees almost gave out.

He shoved past the men who were still buzzing about pursuing Trina and stormed into the townhouse like a lion pushed past its limit.

The living room was stripped clean. Everything that belonged to Trina had been cleared out. The stark emptiness made Julian's chest tighten.

Only the coffee table held the gifts he had given her, arranged neatly—jewelry, gowns, and expensive trinkets.

On top of the pile lay a folded note.

Julian's fingers trembled so faintly that he hardly noticed it as he picked up the letter and opened it.

The handwriting was unmistakably Trina's, bold and defiant. It was only a few lines, but each word cut into his heart like a cold blade.

"I gave you back your things. My man doesn't get to love another woman. You are not qualified."

Each word landed like a slap across his face, burning hot.

He could practically see her as she wrote them, those beautiful eyes of hers cold and unyielding.

She said he was not qualified.

Julian had been at the top of every field he had ever stepped into. On every evaluation, he had been the one marked "outstanding". No one had ever stamped him as "not qualified".

Yet, in the role of her husband, she had dismissed him outright as unqualified.

The noise outside dragged him out of the shock for a moment.

Those young elites were still outside the townhouse gates, and their voices drifted in clearly.

"Now that Ms. Shepherd is divorced, this is our chance!"

"I wonder what kind of man she actually likes. I need to get prepared..."

Their words were gasoline on the fire already roaring inside Julian.

Julian spun around and strode to the door. His gaze swept over every man standing there. The air around him dropped to a killing chill, his presence so sharp that even seasoned officers instinctively fell silent.

He drew in a slow breath, then spoke, each word hard as a bullet leaving the barrel. "Trina is my wife! She will only ever be my wife! Anyone who dares set their sights on her is declaring themselves my enemy!"

His declaration made the entire crowd freeze. No one dared say another word.

"What was I supposed to do? She threatened to risk her life over it. I'm her father. I couldn't just stand by and watch her do something foolish, could I?"

He spoke in a low, heavy tone, every note dripping with feigned regret. "Julian, this is my fault. I never should have forced you into this marriage. Maybe things are better this way. You're free now. And you have the medicine. You can save the woman you truly care about. As for Trina... Once she calms down, maybe..."

"Enough!" Julian cut him off, the word coming out hoarse.

He stared at Wayne as everything clicked into place.

Trina had already learned the truth. She knew he had someone he loved but couldn't have. She knew about his history with Sienna. She knew their marriage had begun as nothing more than a transaction.

So, Trina, whose pride ran all the way to her bones, had chosen the most brutal and decisive way to leave him.

She erased every trace of him from her life and walked away from a fortune others would die to have. She even left the city where she had been raised, all so she could vanish from his world entirely and set him free to be with the woman he "truly" loved.

She wasn't throwing a tantrum. She wasn't playing hard to get.

She really didn't want him anymore.

She had cut him out of her life so completely that he had never seen it coming.