Three Years Forgotten, Why Go Crazy When I Say Goodbye? novel Chapter 128

This was probably the most emotion Julian had ever shown in front of her, and certainly the most words he had ever strung together in a single breath.

Yet, Willow felt absolutely nothing. Not a ripple of sadness, not a spark of hesitation. She didn't want to waste another second breathing the same air as him, let alone explain herself.

"When are you signing the papers?" she demanded flatly.

"I've never seen any papers."

Willow knew he was deliberately making things difficult, but she forced herself to stay focused on the end goal. "Fine. I'll have a new copy sent to you. If you have conditions, state them. I want this finalized before the end of the month."

"Don't waste your breath. I'm not signing anything."

"Why?" Willow was genuinely bewildered. Wasn't this exactly what he and Vivienne had been dreaming of?

She just wanted to cut him loose and walk away cleanly. Willing to make concessions, she tried again. "The terms are negotiable. If you want something specific, just name it. My only requirement is that we do this as fast as possible."

She laid all her cards on the table, assuming her total surrender would satisfy him. Instead, he stared at her like she was a bug on his windshield and delivered a glacial response.

"Since when do you get to dictate terms to me? You don't have the right. Even if we do divorce, I will be the one to initiate it."

Willow was out of patience. She pulled her final move. "If that's how you want to play it, I'll just file a lawsuit for divorce."

Instead of getting angry, Julian let out a dark, mocking laugh. "Go ahead and try. Let's see if a single law firm in New York dares to take your case."

Willow stared at the monster sitting next to her. "You are an absolute bastard."

She reached for the door handle, unwilling to endure his presence for another fraction of a second.

Before her fingers could brush the metal, the locks snapped shut with a heavy *click*. A split second later, a hand shot across the console, his fingers clamping violently around her jaw, wrenching her face toward him.

He ran his tongue over the split skin, chuckling darkly. "I'm out of my mind? Remember your place, Willow. As long as we aren't divorced, we are legally husband and wife. Isn't a little intimacy normal?"

Willow looked at him like he was a full-blown psycho. "Do you even hear yourself?"

"Loud and clear. I also remember you being so desperate to marry me you were practically begging. You loved me to death, remember?"

Realizing reasoning with a lunatic was impossible, Willow stealthily hit the unlock button on her door panel. She threw the door open, stepping out into the freezing wind. Her parting words hung in the icy air.

"See you in court."

Slamming the door shut, she pulled out her phone to hail a ride. But the estate was miles from the city, and the heavy snowstorm meant no drivers were accepting fares.

Left with zero options, she began the grueling walk toward the subway station. Even with the bitter wind cutting through her coat, Willow felt infinitely better than she had in that car. She never wanted to experience that suffocating toxicity ever again.