Better Late, But Never His Again novel Chapter 2

The elevator doors opened, and a woman in a white dress stepped out.

The crisp click of heels approached, and as they brushed past each other, a fresh citrus perfume filled the air. Hazel's footsteps faltered, and she instinctively turned to watch the woman head straight for Julian's office.

The scent was incredibly familiar. It was the same fragrance that had been lingering in Julian's car lately.

The woman stopped at the office door and knocked gently.

That had to be Evelyn Vance...

Hazel stepped into the elevator. As the doors slid shut, she saw Julian come out to greet her. Those eyes, usually as calm and deep as a dark pool, suddenly lit up with a brilliant spark.

Leaning against the elevator wall, Hazel suddenly found it all so laughable.

In five years of marriage, she had never seen him look at her like that.

The moment Hazel drove away from the law firm, her phone started ringing relentlessly. Seeing the caller ID, her heart instinctively sank.

Her finger hovered over the accept button, hesitating until the call dropped. She was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when it rang again, more urgent this time.

Hazel closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, swallowed by an overwhelming exhaustion. Exhaling heavily, she pulled the car over to the side of the road.

The second the call connected, Mrs. Garrison's shrill voice pierced through the speaker. "Hazel, did you do what I asked? You're useless! You can't even get your own husband to help! If he doesn't defend him, your brother is never getting out!"

Hazel frowned and pulled the phone away from her ear. Once the screeching stopped, she brought it back, her voice completely flat and devoid of emotion.

"He declined. Gideon assaulted someone and deserves to face the legal consequences. Harassing me isn't going to change anything."

Hazel's original plan for visiting Julian today had been to beg him to represent Gideon, her parents' precious golden boy.

Julian was born into the powerful Hayes Family, yet he gave up his inheritance to pursue law. He was sharp, brilliant, and excelled at everything he touched.

Just three years after graduating, he had already made a name for himself as a top-tier attorney.

But he had a strict rule: he never represented family or close friends, not even his own parents or brother.

Hazel had begged him for days, but he never budged. Yet here he was, personally handling Evelyn Vance's case.

So-called principles meant absolutely nothing in the face of true love.

"You ungrateful brat!" Mrs. Garrison's voice spiked an octave.

Hazel squeezed the steering wheel, her eyes burning red.

Those words were carved into her soul, sometimes keeping her awake all night.

The year she graduated high school, she got accepted into a prestigious university. Mrs. Garrison told her that girls didn't need higher education and that she should get a job immediately to support the family.

She had cried and begged for half a month, promising to send money home every month and vowing never to abandon Gideon, just to earn the right to keep her acceptance letter.

Later, she met Julian.

He was the very first person to tell her that her ambitions mattered, too.

Hazel had felt like a drowning victim who had finally found a piece of driftwood to cling to.

Only now did she realize it was all an illusion.

A crushing wave of exhaustion washed over her. Expressionless, Hazel put the car in drive. All she wanted right now was to go home and sleep.

She slept straight through until evening. When she woke up, she printed out the divorce papers and stapled them together. Just as she finished, the roar of a car engine echoed from downstairs.