Better Late, But Never His Again novel Chapter 1

"As soon as he heard I was getting a divorce, he dropped his wife and came to handle my case personally—if that isn't love, what is? Don't call me the other woman; the one who isn't loved is the real third wheel, and besides, he's spent the last three months by my side."

Just as Hazel Garrison arrived downstairs at Julian Hayes's law firm, she scrolled past this explosive forum post.

The comments section was already a warzone of insults, and Hazel originally just wanted to swipe past it, but those words—three months—pricked at her like a needle.

For the past three months, Julian had inexplicably grown cold toward her.

Her finger paused on the screen, scrolling down slightly.

Attached to the post was a photo taken at a riverside restaurant, showing a woman intimately clinging to a man's arm. Only a third of the man's face was visible, but there was a distinct red mole on his wrist.

Hazel froze completely.

She zoomed in on the photo, staring at that red mole for a long time. The world seemed to suddenly go quiet, leaving only the heavy, suffocating thud of her own heartbeat in her chest.

Julian Hayes had the exact same red mole on his wrist.

Was it just a coincidence?

The moment the thought surfaced, Hazel rejected it. She stepped into the elevator and locked her phone screen.

Married for five years, she knew Julian's phone password, his schedule was always transparent, and his holiday gifts never missed a beat. He used to pull her into his arms, smiling as he said, "I'm yours for the rest of my life, honey."

How could a man like that cheat?

Hazel shook her head with a self-deprecating smile, convincing herself she was overthinking.

The elevator doors opened, and she stepped out.

The door to his office was slightly ajar. Just as Hazel was about to push it open, an unfamiliar voice drifted out, dripping with sarcasm.

"Julian, why are you playing the devoted saint? Evelyn Vance getting a divorce has you this worked up? What, did you spend all these years pining after her when she got mad and moved abroad to marry me?"

Evelyn Vance.

That name hit Hazel like a bucket of ice water.

She had heard that name before. Julian had murmured it in his sleep once when he was drunk.

At the time, she told herself it was just drunken nonsense and brushed it off.

But now...

The man's cold sneer continued. "Every year on your wedding anniversary, you use work trips as an excuse to go abroad. Weren't you just visiting her? Does your wife have any idea how you've been spending all these years?"

Hazel's hand slipped from the doorknob.

She instinctively took a step back, her spine pressing against the cold wall. The chill seemed to seep straight into her heart, draining all the color from her face.

Through the crack in the door, she saw Julian sitting in his office chair. He wore a perfectly tailored dark gray suit, his sleeves rolled up to his forearms, the silver of his watch gleaming under the lights. He pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and slid a document across the desk, his voice low and steady. "Are you done? Then sign it."

How could he be so calm after hearing all of that?

The man was furious. He slammed his hand on the desk and tossed the divorce papers into the trash can. "Let me tell you, it won't be that easy to get me to sign! You like playing with other people's wives so much? Let me have some fun with yours, and maybe I'll think about it."

"You aren't planning to rekindle things with Evelyn? If she hadn't gotten mad and moved abroad to get married, you never would have rebounded with Hazel. Honestly, if it wasn't for Hazel, you and Evelyn would have been the perfect power couple!"

Julian took a sip of water, his voice remaining level. "Evelyn is just getting divorced. If I divorce Hazel right now, it might cause unnecessary drama and negatively impact Evelyn's career. We'll talk about it later."

Hazel lowered her eyes, a bitterly painful smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

So that was it.

Evelyn wanted a divorce, so he couldn't wait to pave the way for her. Once everything settled down, he would probably be the one to hand her the papers.

Leaning against the wall, Hazel tilted her head back, desperately fighting the burn in her eyes, and let out a long, shaky breath.

Her phone suddenly vibrated.

She looked down to see that the forum post had been updated.

"He said he wants me to move into his place and have his wife take care of me. Should I go, ladies?"

Below it was a screenshot of a text conversation. The contact was saved as "Julian."

"Things are messy right now. Come stay at my place for a while. She's easygoing and won't make things difficult for you."

Hazel stared at that line of text for a long time until her vision blurred. She squeezed her eyes shut, letting the tears fall. Her breath hitched in her throat for a painful second before she violently wiped the moisture away. When she opened her eyes again, there was a fierce resolve in them.

A second later, she opened her messaging app and sent a text to her best friend, Nellie York.

"Nellie, draft a divorce agreement for me."