After I Left, His Empire Collapsed Chapter 04

After I Left, His Empire Collapsed Chapter 04

Mr. DeVries’s voice broke through my thoughts. He sounded genuinely happy.

“Really? Vanessa?”

“We’d love to have you. But I thought you were getting married. Settling down in Texas. What changed?”

I forced a small laugh.

“Nothing. Just broke up.”

Silence. Then he spoke carefully.

“I don’t know the details. But I know you.”

“Losing you? That’s his loss.”

My phone buzzed. A fifty-thousand-dollar transfer.

“This is for relocation. Legal fees. Whatever you need. I’ll be waiting for you in Amsterdam.”

We talked logistics. Work transition. Then I hung up.

I confirmed the deposit.

Julian updated his Instagram.

New post. A trendy steakhouse. Sadie was feeding him a bite of ribeye across the table. The table was loaded. Tomahawk steaks. Lobster pasta.

Caption: “First sight, heart racing. All this time, still racing.”

Julian used to say he hated European food. Pretentious steaks. Overpriced sauces.

His father got seduced by a French woman. Abandoned Julian and his mother when Julian was three. Left deep scars.

He despised anything European. Only worked with domestic clients. Must’ve walked away from hundreds of millions in overseas deals over the years.

Our first date. I didn’t know any of this. I wanted something special. Spent a month’s internship pay on the best French restaurant in the city.

The steak arrived. Julian flipped the table. Scalding juices splashed across my dress. He walked out without a word.

Left me there. Whole restaurant staring.

Then he iced me out for a week. I slept on the couch. Transferred him all my savings as “emotional compensation.” That’s what it took to move past it.

Now here he was. Sadie feeding him some cheap frozen cut. He looked blissful. Not a trace of disgust.

Love really does cure everything. Even childhood trauma.

My coworkers flooded his comments with heart emojis.

Sadie always posted these ambiguous little updates. Everyone knew what was going on. But without Julian confirming, they all looked the other way. Safer that way.

Now he’d basically gone public. They were all pledging loyalty.

Julian, who usually kept a stern, untouchable facade, was replying to every single one. Smiley emojis. All around.

I knew what he was doing. Trying to provoke me. Make me crawl back like I always did.

I just closed the app.

My stomach growled. I hadn’t eaten all day.

I texted my best friend.

“Barbecue? Terry Black’s?”

She replied instantly.

“I’m already putting on shoes.”

The smell of smoked brisket filled the air.

My friend was tearing into a rack of ribs when she glanced at her watch. Her expression flickered.

“So. That man of yours. He’s got you on that ten o’clock curfew, right?”

“It’s almost time. You’re not leaving?”

It was ridiculous. Julian always said he had trust issues. Afraid I’d stray. He set strict rules.

Home by ten. Reply to his messages instantly. His calls? Never more than three rings.

If he FaceTimed to check on me and I declined, even in the middle of a client meeting, he’d walk out that night. Silent treatment for days.

I always accommodated him. His childhood trauma. His wounds. I understood.

But he never held himself to the same standard. He’d go dark for an entire day. Stay out all night. No explanation.

Once, I got worried. Just concerned for his safety. I video-called him. He exploded. Dozens of texts. Called me controlling. Said I didn’t respect his privacy. Froze me out for a month.

He thought he was slick. But Sadie had already sent me the photos. The two of them at a hotel pool. Just to gloat.

I was the fool. Following his curfew like gospel. Canceling on friends. My social circle shriveled until it was just him.

Now I see it all clearly. None of it was worth it.

I bit down hard on a chunk of brisket.

“Don’t worry about it. He doesn’t get to control me anymore. We’re done.”

My friend blinked. Then she slapped my back. Genuine happiness on her face.

“Vanessa. Finally. The crap Julian pulled? He never deserved you.”

“Anyway. Forget him. Dinner’s on me. We’re not leaving until you physically can’t eat anymore.”

I grinned. Ordered two more plates of sausage. We ate until midnight.

I unlocked the front door.

A throw pillow hit me square in the face.

Julian’s voice. Ice.

“Do you have any idea what time it is? Finally decided to come home?”

I hadn’t expected him here. Usually when he went out with Sadie, he’d use the “investor meeting” excuse and not come back until the next afternoon.

I didn’t duck fast enough. The pillow knocked my glasses sideways. A sharp sting. Blood. Both nostrils.

Julian froze. Something flickered in his eyes. Guilt. He grabbed a tissue. Started to stand.

Then he stopped. Sat back down on the couch.

“Why are you back so late? You blew past curfew. Where were you?”

I ignored him. Opened a drawer. Iodine. Cotton. Cleaning the blood.

The silence made him angrier. His voice pitched higher.

“Vanessa. I asked you a question. Are you deaf?”

“Or did you do something you’re ashamed of? Is that why you won’t tell me?”

I looked up at him.

“What about you?”

“Why are you home? No need to keep Sadie company tonight?”

His face tightened. He hadn’t expected me to say it out loud.

“What are you talking about? I didn’t have any social obligations today. I finished helping Sadie. I came home. It’s that simple.”

“All those times before? Purely business trips. You’re reading into things.”

“I came back because you seemed upset. Look, standing you up today was wrong. But that doesn’t mean you can just ignore my messages. And staying out this late? I thought something happened. I almost called the police.”

“And now you come home and snipe at me. I was worried you’d be hungry. I got your favorite. That seafood gumbo. The one you love.”

I looked at the container on the coffee table. Cold. Grease congealing on top.

Nausea hit me.

He still hadn’t noticed. Every single time he needed me to cave over something Sadie-related, he bought that exact gumbo. A bribe. I’d come to associate that smell with swallowing my pride. With losing.

Just the scent made me physically sick now.

“I already ate.”

Julian didn’t catch the flatness in my voice. He thought I was already soothed.

“Good. So. Sadie mentioned the green card interview is really strict. They want extensive proof the marriage is real. We need to take wedding photos tomorrow. Lifestyle shots. For the USCIS interview.”

“You know photography. You’ve done all that research on dresses. Which studio is fast? Which dress designer should we use?”

He was giving me orders. Eyes lit up.

I felt my stomach turn.

He knew. He knew I’d done all that research for our wedding. And now he wanted me to consult on his and Sadie’s “marriage authenticity evidence.”