Better Late, But Never His Again novel Chapter 28

Just as Julian's hand brushed the drawer handle, the bedroom door flew open with a loud bang. He froze, instantly turning to look.

Hazel stood in the doorway, her face pale and her chest heaving, clearly having sprinted up the stairs.

Julian's brow furrowed in confusion. "What's going on? Did you run all the way here?"

Even if Hazel couldn't bear to be apart from him, there was no need to panic like this. He hadn't even brought up divorce yet.

Seeing his hand pull away from the drawer, Hazel let out a shaky exhale of relief.

His fingers had been mere inches away from the handle.

If she had been a second later, if he had found those signed divorce papers, it would have been a catastrophic blow to her exit strategy.

Seeing her stand there frozen, Julian walked over. "Why did you come back? I thought you were taking care of Queenie."

Hazel took a deep breath, forcing her racing heart to steady. She walked further into the room, keeping her voice incredibly casual. "I forgot some things and needed to grab them."

She looked at Julian. "What about you? What are you doing home in the middle of the day?"

Julian answered nonchalantly, "I'm grabbing some files. I left the documents for Evelyn's case in this room."

Hazel's heart slammed against her ribs.

She instinctively glanced at the drawer. There was only one document inside, and it was their divorce agreement.

If he opened it...

She maintained a veneer of perfect calm. "I moved your work files to the study when I was tidying up the other day. They shouldn't be in here."

Hearing that, Julian's frown finally relaxed. He stepped forward, naturally wrapping an arm around her waist, and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"You're always so thoughtful, honey. Thank you."

Held in his embrace, Hazel's body went completely rigid.

His kiss felt warm and intimate, but it sent a sickening chill straight down to her bones. Her stomach turned in disgust.

For days, those very lips had been kissing Evelyn, tasting another woman, worshipping someone else. Now, pressing against her skin, all she felt was the vile rot of betrayal.

Julian pulled back and turned toward the door. "I'll go grab them from the study."

Hazel walked over to the window, pulling the curtain back just a fraction to peek outside.

A black Maybach was slowly pulling out of the driveway. In the split second the passenger door was pulled shut, she caught sight of a slender, pale arm.

It was Evelyn. He had brought her home with him.

Hazel's fists clenched tightly at her sides, a heavy weight anchoring in her chest.

He cherished her so deeply now that he couldn't even run errands without bringing her along.

Letting out a slow breath, Hazel ruthlessly crushed the rising tide of emotion. She turned back around, opened the drawer, and pulled out the divorce papers.

The seal was completely unbroken. It hadn't been tampered with. Thank God she had made it back in time.

She shoved the envelope into her purse, took one last look around the hollow shell of a master bedroom, and walked out.

...

Later, at Nellie’s law firm, Hazel dropped the envelope on the desk. "Look over the agreement. What else needs to be added?"