Forsaking All Others Page 4

  “So, if you won’t come to me, can I come to you?” Devon was relentless.

  Julianna checked to make sure her sister hadn’t woken up. “Goodnight, Devon.” She worked to keep her voice calm and level as she enunciated the words. “Please, give me some time to figure things out.”

  His mood immediately changed. “I didn’t know I needed permission to come and see my wife. And what the hell do you mean by ‘figuring things out’?”

  Exhausted, Julianna rubbed her temples. “Look, Devon, I’ve been trying so hard to make things work—”

  Her sentence was cut off as Danicah swiped the phone from her hand and ended the call. Alarmed, she lunged for it. Julianna tempered her annoyance to a low hiss to avoid waking Jason, Danicah’s husband of eight years.

  “Danni! Why did you do that?!”

  “Because I was tired of listening to the same thing. Him yelling, and you trying to fix it. Let him yell at himself for a change.”

  Danicah folded her arms and locked her eyes with her sister’s, waiting for Julianna to deny it. Instead, Julianna looked away and hung her head.

  “I want him to understand.” She closed her eyes. “I don’t understand why he doesn’t understand.”

  Danicah stepped forward and enveloped her sister in a hug. “Talking to him while he’s upset is just going to confuse you more. Give yourself time to sort things out. That’s if you believe the two of you can come back from this.”

  She couldn’t help but add that last part. She hoped her sister would open her eyes and realize she could do much better.

  When Julianna had shown up at her house earlier that day, her eyes, fearful and haunted, brimmed with tears. She’d recounted her last few weeks with Devon, how he had been cold and indifferent. That he was scaring her. But Danicah knew there was more. There was always more when it came to Devon.

  Danicah scoffed. God, she hated that man. There was something about him that never quite sat well with her, even when Julianna had first introduced him to her. Even Jason couldn’t stand him, after only meeting him a handful of times. It was because of those feelings that Danicah had hoped and prayed for this day—the day that her sister would open her eyes and leave Devon.

  She gave her sister one last squeeze before she stepped back, scrutinizing Julianna’s face. Julianna’s once vibrant brown eyes were dull and mirthless. She looked stressed.

  And scared as hell.

  Danicah didn’t understand how her sister could have endured for so long, as optimistic and naïve as she was. But, at this point, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that Julianna had left him.

  Danicah sipped her coffee as she eyed Julianna over the rim of her mug, as the two of them sat at the kitchen barstools having breakfast. Julianna’s face contorted in confusion as she contemplated what Danicah just told her. Danicah had done her best to hold her tongue over the last several weeks as Julianna stayed with her. She remained tight-lipped except to provide comfort with every little thing that Devon had done, but this time, she couldn’t remain silent. Just as she had suspected, Devon had been up to no good when she’d seen him with another woman in the early morning hours. Too early for a friendly call. She’d spotted them after she had driven by the house after an early morning gym session to make sure that everything had been all right.

  This, her sister couldn’t ignore, and neither would she.

  She could sense Julianna’s nervous energy, amplified by the way she kept wringing her hands and shaking her head.

  “I’m sorry, Julianna, but I saw a woman leaving the house today.”

  Danicah kept her sister in the gaze of her sympathetic eyes and waited in silence for the words to sink in.

  “No, Danni, there has to be an explanation.”

  Danicah had come rushing home to tell Julianna she’d seen a woman leaving their house. She was sure, from the way Devon had embraced the woman, something was going on.

  Julianna shook her head and got up from her seat at the kitchen counter. “Devon may be…difficult, but the last thing he would do is cheat on me.”

  Danicah’s face contorted into a frown; frustration shook her shoulders. Sometimes, Julianna could be so naïve. She had only driven by to make sure that Devon had been behaving himself. He still called and texted Julianna even though she refused to engage him. At least, she hoped Julianna hadn’t been speaking to him. Ever since dating Devon, and it had worsened after their marriage, Julianna had become so secretive, and even more of the people-pleaser she already was. So, it was a possibility. Her brow furrowed even more at the thought.

  The woman in question had been wearing a skin-tight black dress that barely covered her ample breasts or ass. Little had been left to the imagination, and Danicah had gotten the feeling that had been the intent. And Devon had been all over her, taking his time with the embrace she’d witnessed. Given the “problems” that forced Julianna to leave, it didn’t add up to anything good. When she tried to open her mouth to speak again, Julianna raised her hand.

  “Danni, I know how much you don’t like Devon, so it would be easy for you to misinterpret what’s going on, don’t you think? It’s not like we’ve gotten a divorce or anything, so maybe it’s not what you think. I don’t know why you dislike him so much.”

  Danicah caged her rage and let out a groan of frustration instead. Each time she’d tried to point out an obvious wrongdoing, Julianna acted like there wasn’t an issue. She was beginning to see just how much Devon had manipulated her little sister. She was sick of it.

  He didn’t treat Julianna right. Sisterly instinct had told her as much since Julianna never talked about it. Over the last few years, Julianna had become more secretive and withdrawn, and Danicah was sure Devon had something to do with it. He always seemed to be put on edge whenever she and Julianna spoke to each other.

  “Fine. You won’t listen to me, then ask him about her. That’s all I ask.”

  Danicah forced herself to remain quiet. One day, she would give both Julianna and Devon a piece of her mind. She didn’t know on what planet Devon had been raised, but there was a facade about him that always put her on edge.

  She sighed when she realized Julianna had looked away, refusing to meet her gaze.

  “What now?”

  Julianna cleared her throat. She put her hand up to touch her hair, a new habit of hers now she’d allowed her curls to grow out.

  “Um, about that. I agreed to meet with him today.” When Julianna saw the widening of her sister’s eyes, she raised her hands in a defensive gesture. “It’s just lunch! I got tired of him calling me and threatening to come by.”

  Danicah’s eyes narrowed. Julianna fidgeted under her sister’s scrutiny.

  “Why didn’t you tell me this before? Why did you tell him you were staying with me?”

  She could barely control her annoyance. Julianna was weak when it came to Devon, oblivious to the obvious signs of an abusive relationship.

  Julianna rubbed her arm and hung her head. “I didn’t. I think he has an idea but just wants me to admit it. I swear, I didn’t tell him.”

  Julianna’s voice was soft and childlike.

  She looked up to meet Danicah’s gaze. “I mean, I am married. For better or for worse, right? I need to see if I can save things with my husband.”

  With a sigh, all the fight left Danicah’s body. Her sister was hurting and didn’t even realize the whole world could see it.

  Julianna had always been a soft-spoken, bleeding-heart. A people-pleaser with a spine made of rubber.

  Growing up, she had been the one always having to shield Julianna from anyone who tried to hurt her. She still regretted not being more verbal about her dislike for the manipulative bastard Julianna had married.

  He preyed on those qualities in her sister. He preyed on other women like her, chose those he knew would acquiesce to his every whim. Groomed them.

  He dominated her, and Julianna always shrank back to avoid conflict.

  Danicah stroked
Julianna’s arm and nodded. “Okay. You do what makes you feel comfortable. Just please be careful. I don’t trust him.”

  Julianna nodded. Danicah embraced her sister, kissed the top of her head and prayed that Julianna would soon see everything for what it was.

  Very soon.

  11

  Devon turned when he heard someone calling his name.

  It’s about damn time.

  His smugness was short lived. He turned to find Julianna wearing a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt. The bright sunlight of the early afternoon seemed to illuminate all of her faults as she approached and stood in front of him in the park. He remained seated on the bench where he’d been waiting for her, seething.

  A frown crossed his face. They were having lunch. She would stand out. And not in a good way. Clean clothes didn’t equate to acceptable. Everything he’d taught her was being dissolved by the time she spent with her sister, which he’d been afraid of.

  He removed his shades and raised an eyebrow. “Where did you think we were going to lunch? The homeless shelter?”

  She looked sloppy and horrible. This was no way to greet her husband. Did she even try anymore? She always used to look so beautiful and put together when they’d first started dating. What had happened to that?

  He continued to scrutinize her clothing. He’d been more than elated when Julianna finally agreed to meet up with him. A good wife would have come home already. And she wondered why they were having “problems”.

  It was at this lunch he’d hoped to get to the bottom of Julianna’s little tantrum, and he had every intention of telling her whatever it was she wanted to hear to get her back into their home. When he got her there, she would have to answer for everything she’d done wrong—like making him wait so long for her return and ignoring some of his calls. She should have known by now what was expected of her. However, he would remind her. Maybe she’d forgotten, but they were married, and this was not the way married couples acted.

  Did she really think throwing a fit over not receiving enough attention was enough for her to leave? He’d explicitly told her that her behavior hadn’t been appreciated, and she’d retaliated by leaving like an insolent brat. He had much better things to do than babysitting his wife.

  I’m being more than lenient for allowing her to carry on this way for this long.

  He scrutinized Julianna’s face, focusing on her drawn eyes and dull skin. Was she looking bad to get pity out of him?

  All it was doing was annoying him. She could have done something more about her appearance. They hadn’t seen each other in a couple of weeks, and this was how she decided to let him see her again? She could have at least put on a dress or cover that ridiculous haircut.

  He mentally sighed as his gaze continued to rake over her. If Julianna only took more care in her appearance, she would really see her potential.

  The first thing she needed to do was get extensions. He hated short hair, but she’d still gone out and cut it, most likely to punish and embarrass him. Nevertheless, she was here now, no matter how she looked.

  He glanced at his watch, not wanting to waste any more time. Her outfit would just have to do.

  12

  Julianna’s face crumpled. She hadn’t felt the need to dress up to meet Devon for lunch. It was nothing fancy, but she looked decent enough. He didn’t have to be so harsh.

  She sighed and glanced down at her clothing, now self-conscious. “If you wanted to go somewhere fancy, why didn’t you tell me? I didn’t think we’d be going anywhere too fussy.”

  “Obviously.”

  Devon straightened his immaculately ironed shirt and stood up from his spot on the bench. He kept his voice low amidst the throngs of people passing by. It had annoyed him immensely that she’d wanted to meet at the park instead of having him come and get her from her sister’s place, where he knew she’d been staying. At first, he’d been ready to refuse, but he would let her have this one. Allow her to feel as if she had some say. For now. But this shit ended today.

  “You know what, it doesn’t even matter. Just don’t be surprised when people look at you funny.”

  Julianna hesitated, unsure of the reason she was even there. He’d said he wanted to talk, and she had complied. Why he was being so rude made little sense to her.

  When he noticed her hesitation, he groaned and rolled his eyes, his frustration nearly palpable.

  “What is it now, Julianna?” His irritation was barely concealed.

  He looked down at his watch, the diamond-encrusted face gleaming in the sunlight. Funny, she’d never seen that one before. It looked expensive. Very expensive.

  Instead of answering, she walked. She’d promised to talk to him, and that was what she would do. She wouldn’t let him get to her.

  Devon fell into step with her and they walked together toward the restaurant from the park. It was a beautiful day, and Julianna couldn’t help but linger in the store windows as he led them to a diner they’d frequented numerous times in the past. More than once, she’d stopped to look into a window only to realize Devon had gone far ahead of her, impatiently waiting for her to catch up.

  When they finally made their way into the diner, they sat in silence, waiting for someone to take their orders.

  She scanned the menu. A soft growl sounded in the pit of her stomach. For the past few days, she hadn’t really felt hungry, so she was glad to know her appetite was returning. She’d been so stressed over the situation, her appetite had disintegrated into nothing.

  She felt Devon’s eyes on her, his disdain like cold shards of ice while she considered what to have, and she looked up expectantly. “Yes?”

  Devon bristled, realizing he’d been caught staring. “Why did you leave, Julianna?”

  His voice was low and gentle. Yet, his dark eyes were assertive and bore into hers while he waited for her to respond.

  She smiled up at the waiter who arrived at their table, grateful for the distraction. She needed time to think through her answer so she could be as clear and concise as possible. She ordered, deliberately taking her time before she decided on a suitable response. So far, he hadn’t seemed to grasp that his critical behavior was a serious problem.

  Maybe he doesn’t want to.

  Before she could reply, he spoke again. “Are you trying to embarrass me?”

  The waiter had left them, but he still kept his voice low and occasionally glanced around, doing his best to keep their conversation private, although there were few people around them. Their table was situated in the far corner, away from the steady stream of people that walked in and out of the diner.

  He took a purposeful sip of his drink that the server had returned with before lacing his fingers and waiting for her to respond.

  Julianna studied his hands. They were manicured and moisturized, an obvious indicator of a privileged life.

  She tore her eyes away from his hands and focused on his face, which was devoid of any emotion. His dark eyes never broke contact as he leaned forward. The irony was not lost on her that it was his eyes that had first attracted her to him. To her, they had been assertive and alert. Missed nothing. Now, years later, those same eyes unsettled her the most.

  “I left because I was tired,” she said. “And scared. And disappointed.”

  Although there was more she wanted to say, she casually sipped her drink and looked out the window to focus on the throngs of people walking along the sidewalk.

  “Okay. So, why aren’t you back home now, then? I’ve given you more than enough time to get over it.”

  Julianna cocked her head to the side, staring at him in disbelief, a small smile on her face. Did he really think she’d just had a tantrum and left? There were obvious reasons she’d left, but either he didn’t care, or he was oblivious to them.

  “Who was that leaving our house early this morning?” she asked.

  A bemused close-lipped smile appeared on Devon’s face. “So, you have been watching. I guess you’re referr
ing to Michelle. We had business to attend to.”

  Her interest piqued, Julianna pressed on. “She was there awfully early. Did she give you the watch?”

  Devon looked down and touched the shiny metal in appreciation. “Baby, it sounds like you’re jealous.” He took another sip of his drink and smiled. “You shouldn’t be. You’re who I’m married to.” The smile grew into a wicked grin. “And to answer your question, yes. It was a gift.”

  Anger bubbled in Julianna’s veins. Why was he being condescending? If he was cheating on her, like Danicah had suspected, he was being awfully arrogant about it.

  “Did you have sex with her?”

  The smile left his face and was replaced by annoyance. Something within his eyes flickered briefly, and he continued to hold her in his gaze.

  “I don’t see why any of this is important.”

  “Devon…”

  “Fine. Yes, Julianna. I slept with her. Last night was the first time. With her, anyhow.”

  He reclined in his seat with a shrug and a smug grin. A jolt of electricity shot through Julianna’s body as his admission sank in. She stared into his eyes in disbelief, fighting for control.

  With her. Did that mean that there were others?

  “There were others?” A piece of her broke with each word.

  Devon sighed again and waved a dismissive hand. “You seem hurt. It was only sex, and for business at that. Do you know the connections she has? Her family spends time with all the top executives in the company. If I get in her good graces, then that means advancement for me. Easy.”

  He’d completely ignored the rest of her question.

  Julianna stiffened, unable to comprehend what her husband was telling her. It was bad enough he’d cheated, but now he was trying to justify it?

  Disgust and disbelief at Devon’s callousness pushed Julianna up onto her feet. This was too much to process.

  Maybe having lunch with him hadn’t been such a good idea.

  Without even looking up from his drink, Devon grabbed Julianna’s wrist and held fast. He took a sip and tightened his grip, forcing her to sit down in an attempt to ease the discomfort of the way his fingers pressed into the skin of her forearm. He still didn’t look at her—didn’t speak, instead choosing to allow his vice-like grip to say everything he hadn’t been verbally expressing to her now.