Chapter 6

Valerie Vance POV

It would take a few more days to finalize the sale of the cottage.

I endured it. I endured everything.

I was waiting at a café near Julian's corporate office to sign the final batch of paperwork with the real estate agent when Serena suddenly showed up. She had brought two of the socialites from the gala with her.

The moment I saw her, I knew there was going to be trouble.

Serena walked over to my table, pulled a thick white envelope from her Chanel bag, and slammed it down in front of me.

"Valerie, Julian asked me to give this to you. You've worked hard all these years. Think of this as your severance package."

She didn't shout, but her voice was loud enough for the surrounding tables to hear.

Instantly, whispers broke out around us.

"Is that his mistress?"

"She's definitely pretty enough. No wonder she was being kept."

I knew this couldn't be Julian's doing. But with Serena framing it this way in public, anything I said would sound like a weak excuse.

I pushed the envelope back. "I don't need this. Take it back."

Serena blocked my hand, pressing her fingers firmly onto my shoulder. Her manicured nails dug into my skin. Her smile remained sweet, but her voice dropped to a venomous whisper.

"Valerie Vance, who do you think you are? Your father would have died in a ditch years ago if Julian hadn't paid his debts. Your entire pathetic family would be begging on the streets. What right do you have to act so high and mighty in front of me?"

My entire body went rigid.

I could tolerate her insults directed at me. I could tolerate her humiliation. But I would never tolerate anyone dragging my father into the dirt.

My father had been paralyzed in a wheelchair for five years. My mother had aged a decade trying to care for him.

The main reason I had endured being Julian's shadow for five years was to keep my father in that state-of-the-art care facility.

In a blind rage, I grabbed my cup of iced coffee and splashed it directly into Serena's face.

Serena shrieked, taking two steps back. The dark liquid dripped down her forehead, ruining her expensive makeup.

"Valerie Vance! Are you out of your mind?!"

The two socialites gasped and rushed to wipe her face with tissues.

Serena was shaking with rage. Just as she was about to scream at me, she spotted Julian walking through the café entrance. In a split second, her expression transformed, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Julian! I came here out of goodwill to check on her, but she rejected it and threw coffee in my face..."

Julian took one look at Serena's ruined clothes, then turned his gaze to me.

His face was a mask of pure ice. "Apologize to Serena. Now."

He didn't ask what happened. He didn't care about the context.

My eyes burned with tears. "She insulted my family first."

"I asked if you are going to apologize," Julian cut me off, his voice dripping with cold, menacing authority.

I bit my lip, standing my ground.

Julian let out a cold, mocking laugh. He reached down, picked up a glass of ice water from the table, and without a second of hesitation, poured it directly over my head.

The freezing water drenched my hair, running down my neck and shivering down my spine. My clothes clung to my skin, and my wet hair plastered against my face.

The entire café fell dead silent. Everyone was staring at me.

Julian looked down at me like I was dirt beneath his expensive leather shoes.

"Serena is my fiancée. Humiliating her is humiliating me."

He wrapped his arm around Serena's waist and walked out.

As Serena passed by, she threw me a smug, triumphant look.

I stood frozen in the middle of the café, water dripping from my hair onto the floor.

I remembered my first year with Julian. We had been caught in a sudden downpour without an umbrella. He had taken off his custom coat, draped it over my head, and walked a mile in the freezing rain just to keep me dry.

On that day, I had truly believed he was the kindest man in the world.

Yet today, he was the one who poured ice water over my head.

He didn't even bother to ask why.