After He Walked Away Penniless, the Diagnosis Changed Chapter 02

After He Walked Away Penniless, the Diagnosis Changed Chapter 02

Julian stood frozen, staring at the signed document in disbelief.

While he stood there shocked, I made quick work of packing all his stuff into two oversized suitcases.

His expression darkened. “Siana, are you really that eager to get rid of me?”

“Far be it from me to stand in the way of true love.” I said, pushing the suitcases in front of him.

“Your clothes are all in here. I’ll ship the books from your study.”

“Cash on delivery. Don’t forget to pick them up.”

He stared at me for a long time, then let out a cold laugh.

“Siana, you’ve been trying to get rid of me ever since you found out I was sick, haven’t you?”

He seemed convinced of his accusation, glaring at me with open contempt.

“This. This is exactly why being married to you has been such a misery.”

“You’re shallow. Materialistic. All you care about is the bottom line.”

“Being with you has been a complete waste of my life.”

Then his gaze softened, tinged with a dreamy longing.

“But life is meant to be beautiful. Emma says it’s like snowfall. Something worth pausing to take in.”

I kicked one of the suitcases hard. It rammed right into his knee, and he yelped.

Before he could start yelling at me, I spoke in a cold, flat voice.

“I’m a vulgar woman, remember? I don’t get all your poetic crap. Take your junk and get the hell out of my house.”

Julian’s hand hung in midair. His eyes were filled with pity and condescension.

He was about to speak when his phone suddenly rang.

He answered, his voice soft and gentle, a tone he had never once used with me.

He popped in his Bluetooth earpiece, murmuring into the phone as he dragged his suitcase out the door.

I stood there, looking at the empty room.

I thought I would cry. I thought I would fall apart. But I didn’t feel anything at all.

I touched the misdiagnosis report in my pocket.

He wasn’t going to die. He’d walked out of my life in the most perfect way imaginable.

I had once been a caged bird.

When I was a kid, I’d been snatched by a rival family and dumped in the slums.

I wasn’t found by my real parents until I was fifteen.

They never wanted to lose me again, so they locked me inside the family estate, keeping me far away from any danger.

I was fed, clothed, and rich. But I wasn’t free.

Marrying Julian had been the most rebellious choice I had ever made.

I had escaped the Varno estate during a shift change in the guards, flagged down a passing car, and begged the driver to take me far away.

That driver had been Julian.

He had come to Rome for an academic conference.

And he’d agreed, playing the knight in shining armor to a runaway heiress.

But he always kept an emotional distance from me.

I had never met anyone so cold, and that only made me want to conquer him even more.

To me, his bookish charm had felt like something straight out of a romance novel.

When his family began urging him to marry, I left my mafia family behind, moved to New York, and became his wife.

He had never told me he loved me. I told myself it was just his introverted nature.

When Julian was diagnosed with a terminal illness, I cried day and night, completely heartbroken.

It took him asking for a divorce for the truth to finally hit me.

I had never loved him as a person. I had loved what he represented. Freedom.

Now, I felt no sadness at all. Only pure relief.

I took stock of all the assets.

There was more than enough money for me to live comfortably. There was no need to return to my family.

While waiting for the divorce to be finalized, I took time off and traveled the world, savoring every moment of my freedom.

I had been perfectly happy.

Until I came across a reel on Julian’s socials.

He appeared alongside his soulmate, Emma Blake.

She looked delicate and gentle, her soft chestnut hair falling over her shoulders.

Julian wore his usual comfortable knit sweater and those elegant metal-framed glasses.

They talked about literature, poetry, and prose.

When the topic turned to love, Julian looked straight into the camera, his expression sincere.

“Love is irrational. You can’t fight it. Not even social convention or fate itself can stand in the way of true love.”

He gazed at Emma tenderly, gently tucking a strand of windblown hair behind her ear.

I watched their intimate moment, but my heart didn’t stir in the slightest.

I was absolutely certain. I had never loved him.

I smiled faintly and locked my phone.

Not long after, the court called. Julian and I officially received our divorce certificate.

Emma stood beside him, glaring at me with wary hostility.

I was calm, even offering a slight smile.

Julian said confidently, “We’ve finally corrected this terrible mistake. I wish you real happiness.”

I lifted the divorce agreement and smiled.

“Thanks. I will. Just not by cheating on my husband.”

I turned and walked away without looking back.

When I got home, I confirmed that all the asset transfers had been completed.

Then, without hesitation, I dropped the cancer misdiagnosis report in the mail to his new address.