Don't be a crybaby Chapter 2

That evening, Julian called. “Chloe, I’m going to be late. Leo’s running a fever…”

“Okay.”

My quick agreement seemed to catch him off guard, his excuses dying in his throat. He must have thought I was giving him the silent treatment, because his tone sharpened with irritation.

“Chloe, don’t be like this.”

Then he hung up.

Ten minutes later, a series of texts came through.

【OMG Chloe, I’m so sorry. Leo has been so clingy with his dad lately.】

【But seriously, Julian shouldn’t have just ditched you and Mia the second I called. That was not cool of him.】

【I’ll be sure to give him a talking-to. Don’t be mad, okay? 😉】

It was Amber. Less of an apology, more of a declaration of victory.

I had no energy to fight her over a man I no longer wanted. I deleted the texts and blocked her number.

A moment later, Julian called again, his voice tight with anger.

“What the hell is your problem, Chloe? Amber reaches out to apologize and you give her that attitude?” I could faintly hear a woman and child crying in the background.

I said nothing. After a long, tense silence, his voice dropped, heavy with disappointment.

“Chloe… how did you become this person?” he said. “I’m so disappointed in you.”

It was always the same. Amber would provoke me, and the moment she shed a tear, Julian would paint me as the villain.

When I got home, I started packing.

While Julian was on the phone lecturing me, I’d been on the phone with my lawyer. I was entitled to at least 30% of his company’s shares. And in custody cases where both parents have similar means, the court typically favors the mother.

My last hesitation vanished.

Clothes, handbags, jewelry, Mia’s favorite toys—all of it needed to go. As I taped up the last box, my hands trembled. I found myself staring at an old, dust-covered wooden chest, its wax seal cracked with age.

Inside was a lifetime of letters—from the Julian who was 17, all the way to 22.

I broke the seal and picked up the one on top. It began:

【To my Chloe, age 27. This is me, Julian, age 17.】

【This is the first love letter I’ve ever written you. As we planned, we’ll open this together in ten years.】

【I bet we’re married by now. Maybe we even have a beautiful kid.】

My phone buzzed. It was the 27-year-old Julian.

“Chloe! Did you know Amber took Leo and left? They’re gone!” he roared into the phone. “If anything happens to them, I swear to God, you’ll pay for it.”

My eyes drifted to the bottom of the letter I was holding.

【Signed, Julian. Who will love his Chloe forever.】

A sharp pain, like a shard of glass, pierced my chest. Something inside me quietly shattered.

I hung up the phone and tossed the entire box of letters into the fireplace.