Six years into our marriage, Julian was openly seeing another woman. He pressured me relentlessly for a divorce. I flat-out refused to sign the papers, no matter what. So, he stopped hiding it. He started bringing her everywhere, openly, shamelessly. But one day, I called him, my voice urgent. I told him to finalize the divorce, *fast*. Because I was about to go on a mission, one I’d signed a waiver for, acknowledging the extreme risk. Chances were, I wouldn’t be coming back. I’d been obsessed with Julian since I was a kid. We grew up in the same neighborhood. Unlike his steady, composed nature, I was always loud and a bit wild, shamelessly chasing after him. My elders often said my personality would be perfect for law enforcement. I didn’t join the army, but I did go to the police academy. But Julian never liked me. He always preferred the gentle type, the kind with big, innocent eyes and a soft, delicate look. Yet the woman he loved most left him when his startup was struggling the hardest. That same year, he lost his mother to cancer. And his company, crippled by a lack of funds, couldn’t even get off the ground. He was hit by one blow after another, reaching the lowest point of his life. He wasn’t himself anymore. He was drinking heavily, a complete mess, unshaven and barely functioning. Without a second thought, I sold the house my parents bought me and gave him every single cent. “Julian, take this money. Use it.” When he found out where the money came from, He screamed at me, cursed at me, said the most awful things. He’d always been dismissive of me, but that was the first time his words made me cry. My lips trembled, tears streaming down my face as I wailed, “I believe in you! Your company *will* succeed, you’ll make so much money, you’ll be a big shot! This is just an investment!” To my surprise, he finally pulled me into a tight embrace. He said if the company took off, we’d get married.
I’d never made an investment in my life. But the one I made in Julian was a smashing success. His startup soared. In the very first year, he made a fortune. He bought me a huge house, twice the size of the one I’d sold. And he kept his promise, proposing to me. We got married. House, car, money—we had it all. We lived a happy, fulfilling life. But as his company grew, his business trips became more frequent. He was busier than I was, even with my daily routine of catching thieves and chasing robbers. Just two years into our marriage, his late nights turned into entire absences. By the sixth year, his company was preparing to go public. But I often couldn’t reach him by phone, and his clothes frequently carried the scent of perfume. My insomnia spiraled out of control. “Julian, we need to talk, properly.” He sat there, running his fingers through his hair. “Aubrey, I’ve met someone. She’s gentle, so understanding. I know this is incredibly unfair to you, but if you agree to a divorce, I’m willing to give you ten percent of the company shares.” That day, I lunged at him and slapped him hard. “Julian, you bastard! How could you do this to me after everything? After how much I love you?!” He held me tightly. “I’m grateful for you, for being there for me during my toughest times. But it’s been six years, and I still can’t accept you, Aubrey. Let’s get a divorce.”
I was always compliant when it came to Julian. But with the divorce, I lost my mind. Only because I loved him too much. I still wanted to win him back. I confronted that woman, telling her she was nothing but a mistress, that what she was doing was morally reprehensible. I even offered her money to leave Julian. I even went as far as to expose Julian’s affair to his father. I thought this would make Julian come back. But what happened was, he came home, grabbed me by the arm, and exploded in anger. He called me crazy. He screamed that I knew his father had a weak heart, that I was trying to kill him with my words, that I was intentionally trying to trigger his heart condition. He told me to come at him directly, not threaten that woman. He accused me of having ulterior motives. He smashed a lot of things in the house. He even said I disgusted him and that I should live alone from then on. After that day, I could never get through to him by phone again. I sent him messages. “Julian, I’m so sorry. I know I handled things badly. Please don’t be angry. Come home. I know you like girls with long hair and soft skin. I can grow my hair long, I can take care of my skin.” He replied with just one message. “Aubrey, being with you feels like being with a guy. I just want a divorce. Can’t we just end this amicably?”
That woman got pregnant. He couldn’t wait any longer. He personally brought the divorce papers, along with a ten percent share transfer agreement. It hit me then: he never intended to have a child with me from the start. I’d had a miscarriage once, and after my body recovered, he always made sure to take precautions, no matter how much I protested. Yet now, he’d gotten another woman pregnant. I was sickened to my stomach. I ripped up the divorce papers, tore the share transfer agreement to shreds, and threw them at him. “Julian, *you* betrayed me! I don’t want your shares, and I won’t make it easy for you two!” I couldn’t face any of it. I requested a transfer to field duty, fighting crime, catching criminals. I simply wouldn’t come back to discuss the divorce with him. He stopped caring about appearances. He bought the mistress a villa for her pregnancy. The whole thing became public knowledge among our relatives and friends. Our relatives and friends, believing I couldn’t conceive, tacitly accepted his infidelity, thinking my infertility played a part. They just saw it as a messy, regrettable situation. Even his father, seeing that there was already a child on the way, rarely intervened.
Then, a major figure emerged within a criminal syndicate we were tracking. We raided one of his hideouts, and he retaliated violently: burning patrol cars, ambushing our officers. One of our colleagues, Arthur, was staked out and spotted by them. He was stabbed multiple times and died on the spot. Arthur had a five-year-old daughter. A heavy silence fell over the department. Based on the information we gathered, This criminal syndicate was incredibly brutal, operating near the border, armed with advanced weaponry. I lost five pounds in three days. My captain patted my shoulder. “Aubrey, don’t feel pressured. We’ll get these bastards.” I nodded, but my mind was already made up: I would personally bring those animals to justice. “Here’s your transfer order. Tomorrow, you’re moving to the department’s archives. Pack your things and report there.” I froze for a moment but stubbornly refused. “Captain, I’m not going back. I’m staying in the field.” “Don’t argue. No woman stays on the front lines forever.” I hesitated. “Honestly, Captain, if you didn’t say ‘woman,’ I’d forget my own gender.” Since childhood, I’d preferred uniforms to dresses. Especially after joining field duty, I’d cut my long hair to a short, neck-length bob because it was impractical for chasing suspects. “Don’t be stubborn, Aubrey. Arthur’s death had nothing to do with you. Don’t blame yourself.” I was silent for a long time. This had been weighing on my heart for days. “If I hadn’t taken that day off, he wouldn’t have covered for me. He wouldn’t have died. He died because of me.” That day, I was supposed to be on duty, observing from the corner store. But Julian called, insisting we meet because Celeste was about to give birth. If I didn’t agree, he threatened to come to my workplace to find me, as someone had seen me at the corner store. To protect my undercover identity, I was forced to take that day off, and Arthur covered for me. Arthur had been on the force for a long time and worked many cases. He was recognized by that group. That very night, he was brutally attacked in an alley.
A week later, we got intel: this group was leaving the country in three days. The department issued orders: we had to capture them before they crossed the border. After our final briefing, we were each handed a document. It was a pre-mission waiver, an acknowledgment that we understood the extreme risks, a life-or-death agreement. After I signed it, And called my parents, I finally called Julian. “I’ve made up my mind. I agree to the divorce. Meet me at the courthouse entrance in an hour.” He sounded surprised. “Are you serious?” “Yes, I’m already on my way to the courthouse. You should hurry too.” My journey was longer. He arrived before me, which suited his eagerness to end our marriage. “Madam, this is the equity division agreement. Mr. Hayes said he wants to give you ten percent of the shares.” “No need. I just want eight hundred thousand dollars, right now. Transfer it directly to my account, the amount from when I sold my house back then.” The lawyer and Julian both paused, stunned. But they did as I asked. Julian made a call, and eight hundred thousand dollars appeared in my account. Few people were divorcing that day. It was our turn quickly. “Are both parties divorcing voluntarily?” “Yes.” With a final stamp, our marriage was officially dissolved. I had to rush back to duty. I grabbed my copy of the papers and left. “Aubrey.” Julian, uncharacteristically, called out to me from behind. “Something wrong?” “You’ve lost a lot of weight.” “If there’s nothing else, I need to go.” “Is your team on a mission recently?” “Sorry, confidential.” I got into a taxi and left. In the taxi, I inadvertently looked back and saw Julian still standing at the entrance, watching me leave. After returning to duty, Following our pre-arranged tactical plan, We were grouped and ambushed at three border crossing points.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297286”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic
Leave a Reply