Forsaking All Others Read online

  Danicah rolled her eyes and snorted. “Well, sometimes, things don’t work out as you’d like, but it’s all for something better. You’ll see.”

  They clinked their glasses. Danicah winked and took a sip of her champagne. Just as she finished taking a sip of hers and putting the glass back on the table, Julianna felt a tap on her shoulder.

  “Julianna.”

  All the color left her face. She recognized the voice.

  She turned around to face Devon, felt Danni’s hand take her arm reassuringly, and forced a small smile. His eyes were cold and detached. As usual, he was immaculately dressed, and there was a smug smile on his lips.

  “What’s the occasion?” he asked.

  Danicah jumped down from her seat to stand beside her sister.

  Emboldened by her actions that day, and her sister by her side, Julianna urged, “Devon, please leave.”

  “But I just got here. Why would I leave?”

  Danicah started, “Listen, you piece o–”

  “It’s ok, Danni.” Julianna squeezed her sister’s hand. She looked Devon in his eyes. “You’re right, Devon. You don’t have to leave. We will.”

  The sisters gathered up their things and wove their way through the bar. Julianna looked back and met her husband’s icy glare. He was angry. She took a deep breath, turned around, and kept walking. Once outside, they made a beeline for her car.

  “Julianna, are you—”

  “What’s wrong, honey? Is that any way to treat your husband?”

  Danicah jumped when she heard Devon’s voice once again. She’d been hoping that he would’ve stayed in the bar. Although her heart was racing, she spun around to face him.

  “Devon, please. Just leave us alone. You and Julianna are over.”

  He chuckled to himself, taking an exaggerated interest in his nails before he finally looked up and stared directly at Julianna, her face awash with annoyance.

  “Surely, that’s not true, is it baby?” his voice was nothing but a low murmur as he took a step forward. He’d come to the bar on a whim but couldn’t imagine his good fortune when he noticed Julianna there—and Jason was nowhere to be found.

  Although fear gripped at her insides, Julianna fought the urge to bolt and stared Devon squarely in the eye. She looked around the parking lot to see that they were alone. Her earlier confidence wavered as his presence invaded her space.

  “Devon, you know it’s true.” She breathed steadiness into her voice. “There’s nothing left of our marriage. This isn’t good for either of us.”

  Devon tapped his chin.

  “Is that so?” He took another step forward, enjoying fear that came into her eyes. “How I see it, we’re still married. For someone who’s finished with me, I can’t fathom why you haven’t even taken action to end things.”

  “I have.” Julianna folded her arms.

  Julianna’s admission wiped the smug smile off Devon’s face.

  “What did you do?” The tenderness had disappeared from his voice and his handsome face contorted in anger. “What in the hell did you do, Julianna?”

  His voice ricocheted off her every nerve, but Julianna steeled herself, cleared her throat and stood to her full height.

  “I filed for divorce today, Devon. Our marriage is over.”

  Devon’s nostrils flared. He took a few steps towards them.

  “You have no idea what you’re doing. I was the best thing that ever happened to you. One little misunderstanding, and you want to call it quits?! Where are you gonna go, Julianna? Who’s going to support you? Who would want you after all of this? Who’s so much better than me?”

  She glared up at him. “Any man who truly loves me is a better man than you. All I ever wanted was your love. I can and have been supporting myself.”

  Julianna felt a tug on her arm and looked over at Danicah who had been trying to catch the eye of a pair of men leaving the bar. One of them stopped when he heard the shouting and made his way over to them.

  “What’s going on here?” The stranger’s voice was deep and powerful, his jaw set in a determined line.

  Devon barely spared the man a glance, then returned his gaze to Julianna. He continued to advance, but the stranger wedged himself Devon and the sisters.

  “We’re just trying to get home,” Danicah explained, fishing for her car keys. “This man is harassing us.”

  She sent an icy glare towards Devon, who looked as if he could’ve choked her right then and there.

  The two men looked at each other before settling their gaze on Devon. Devon raised his hands in front of him and stepped back. He had no interest in fighting with either man at that moment.

  He turned to walk away, but then pivoted and pointed at Julianna. “This isn’t over, Julianna. It’s far from over.” He walked backward, all the while staring at Julianna and sending murderous glares at Danicah. When he neared his car, he turned, hopped inside and screeched out of the parking lot.

  After Devon left, the men turned back to Julianna and Danicah. The one who had been the first to approach them extended his hand.

  “I’m Evan, and this is my brother, Hudson. Are you ladies all right?”

  Julianna glanced up at Evan before she returned her gaze to the taillights of Devon’s car disappearing into the distance.

  Evan’s eyes wandered over the face of the smaller woman. The one that the man had called Julianna. She was petite, with smooth brown skin, short-cropped black curly hair and expressive eyes, which at that moment, displayed nothing but pure fear to him.

  Julianna, now out of immediate danger, released a whoosh of air from her chest before she nodded her head.

  “Yes, thank you.” The other woman said, relieved that the men had shown up when they did. This one had thick, black, curly hair that was pulled into a high puff at the top of her head. She also boasted the same deep brown skin and high cheekbones as Julianna. He wasn’t sure what had transpired to make the other man so angry, but he was certain that things would have ended badly if he hadn’t stepped in.

  The woman then smiled and took Evan’s hand in hers. “I’m Danicah, and this is my sister, Julianna.”

  At the mention of her name, Julianna looked up and locked eyes with Evan. An amused expression crossed his face. How in the world could someone so beautiful have gotten herself mixed up with someone like the man who’d just left?

  She forced a small smile. “Thanks for your help. I hope we haven’t kept you from your plans.”

  “Not at all.” Evan allowed his eyes to linger on her face. He turned to his brother, who’d been staring at him in amusement.

  Julianna.

  There was something about her that made him want to see her again.

  18

  Devon jumped up from his seat and slammed his hand down on his desk. The sound reverberated through the comfortable room he’d converted into a home office. His hands balled into fists before they relaxed on the polished dark wood that was now covered with documents. Today, he’d called a friend to see about making the divorce decree disappear, but it seemed there were nothing he could do without raising too many red flags. To make matters worse that damned Julianna had refused to talk about it. She’d said their marriage was irreparable. Nonsense! He’d given her everything she could have possibly wanted.

  He pursed his lips.

  Ungrateful bitch.

  His eyes drifted over to Michelle, who was lounging seductively on the chair next to him, her long legs crossed, her breasts thrust forward. Now that was a real woman. He eyed her breasts, and his hand twitched. He made his way over to her, his troubles temporarily forgotten. Julianna would just have to understand that with each marriage, there were sacrifices. For theirs, her acceptance of his business affairs would have to be one.

  Michelle ran her long, manicured fingernails over his chest, teasing a groan from his throat. It was only a perk that this would be one sacrifice he enjoyed. He motioned for Michelle to kneel in front of him, and his toes curled i
n ecstasy at the way her mouth closed around his length.

  As she pleasured him, his mind drifted to Julianna. She really had to understand that she needed to stop being so uptight about things. A soft groan escaped his lips as Michelle increased her pace, and he snaked his fingers through her long hair and held her head steady, thrusting himself into her mouth.

  No matter what he and Michelle did, Julianna held the title of wife and would always be the one he returned to at night. She would always be the one on his arm, and the one to bear his future children. People like Michelle were there to keep him satisfied when a wife couldn’t, and Michelle was also there to help him advance his career, which would only benefit Julianna.

  He cried out softly at his release and bent to place a quick peck on Michelle’s forehead in appreciation.

  Getting back into Michelle’s good graces had been tough. His mother had immediately asked her to leave and not return after Julianna had caused that scene. The next day, he’d shown up at her place to apologize and, at first, she wouldn’t hear anything he had to say. The night before had left her feeling humiliated and low, and she didn’t want to speak to him.

  However, after some coaxing, she agreed to continue what they had. She had to know it was never about anything more than sex. They’d both win by helping each other advance their careers. They were just two adults getting what they wanted.

  He lifted the back of Michelle's dress, moved her panties to the side, and bent Michelle over his desk. He entered her slowly, hardening even more at her groan. This was exactly what he’d needed to take his mind off Julianna.

  He closed his eyes and increased his pace, enjoying the moans escaping Michelle’s throat in response. He’d deal with Julianna later. Now, he was going to make up for the stressed mood she had left him in.

  19

  Julianna reclined on the sofa at her sister’s house and watched Jason get up and go into the kitchen. He’d gotten more protective of her and Danicah ever since Danicah told him about their encounter at the bar. At first, she’d begged her sister not to say anything, not wanting to create more of an issue, but Danicah had refused to listen to her, stating that Devon was dangerous and that they needed to take precautions.

  Although she had her own place, Jason regularly saw to it that she was okay by checking up on her, either in person or via text.

  She watched his retreating form, smiling. When she’d first heard about Jason, she’d been wary. Danicah had gotten her heart broken many times in the past, so she’d feared Jason would’ve been just another bad one.

  Danicah had stopped looking for love by the time she met Jason. She had turned inward and focused solely on her career. Jason had appeared out of nowhere, swept her off of her feet. He was the polar opposite of everything Danicah had endured and finally, Julianna had seen her sister happy.

  When Julianna first met Jason, she’d at first been taken aback by his handsome features. His skin was a smooth caramel, his eyes dark brown. He had a beautiful, caring smile, and she’d immediately sensed his softness and kindness. He showed, repeatedly, that he would take care of Danicah in every way possible, and he had. It was because of their love she’d desperately wanted that for herself.

  Maybe it was because of her desperation to have someone love her she’d missed all the warning signs with Devon.

  She shook her head.

  Maybe there’d been subtle signs, but he had changed. Significantly.

  Danicah cleared her throat, pulling Julianna from her thoughts. Julianna glanced over to find her sister toying with the hem of the throw blanket situated across her legs as she reclined on the loveseat across from her, a worried expression on her face.

  “I want to ask you something.” She paused and glanced around the room, nervous. “You know what happened at the bar with Devon? Ever since that night, I’ve been worried about you, Juju.”

  Julianna stretched. “When aren’t you worried about me, Danni?”

  “Seriously, sis. Like, real worried. I was wondering, hoping, that you would at least stay here until this whole divorce thing blows over.”

  “Danicah—”

  “He could hurt you, Julianna.” Her voice now just above a whisper. “Has he?”

  All the fight left Julianna’s body in a whoosh. She looked away.

  Danicah got up and crouched directly in front of her. “Has he hurt you before?”

  “He’s never struck me.”

  “How close?”

  “Danni—”

  “How close?”

  “Too close.”

  “Stay with us.”

  “No.”

  Danicah opened her mouth to say more but grew silent with frustration as Jason returned. He glanced between the two before he sat down next to his wife on the loveseat.

  “Did something else happen? What did that piece of shit do now?”

  Julianna shook her head. “It’s nothing, Jason. Danicah’s just worried about what could have happened the other night.”

  A scowl covered his handsome face. He seemed to be deep in thought before he looked over at his wife. “Did you ask her?”

  Confused, Julianna looked between the pair. Danicah placed her hand over her husband’s with a shake of the head. “She said no.”

  “Ask me what?”

  “To stay here.” Jason ran his hand over his face and eased back in the loveseat. “Devon is not someone to take lightly, Julianna. Something isn’t right with him.”

  Julianna snorted, rising from the couch. She appreciated their concern, but she refused to impose on them any more than she already had. Devon was too vain and worried about his status to do something drastic. She knew that now. She said as much as she made her way into the kitchen for a snack.

  She stilled when she heard a knock at the front door. Her heart slammed in her chest. Jason glanced over at her and then his wife, concerned. When she shrugged, he went to the front door and opened it. There was no one outside.

  He was about to close the door when he glanced down. There was a small cardboard box on the doormat. It looked harmless enough, with a small blue bow on top. Julianna’s name was neatly printed on one side. Cautiously, he slid it inside.

  He glanced over at first his wife, and then Julianna, and heaved a heavy sigh when they both shrugged their shoulders.

  “Was anyone outside?” Danicah asked.

  Jason shook his head. A tense silence fell over the room as the box sat there, both innocuous and potentially dangerous. It was slightly larger than a shoe box, without any further writing or logos. A plain cardboard lid was placed lightly on top.

  Jason removed the lid. Julianna held her breath as she waited for something, anything to happen.

  She moved closer as Jason removed the contents. His brow was furrowed in confusion. He heaved a sigh before he removed strips of paper, perfectly shredded.

  “What is this?”

  He turned the papers over in his hands before he handed them to Julianna. She scanned them, but then her eyes fell to a note stuck to the bottom of the box that read: “I said forever.”

  “The divorce papers.” Julianna slumped against the wall, drained.

  Her phone rang. She didn’t have to look at it to know it was Devon. He was refusing to sign the paperwork. Of course, he wouldn’t. He would do anything to make this difficult for her.

  “He can’t do this, can he?”

  Danicah walked over, read the note, and cursed under her breath before gathering up the papers and throwing them into the garbage. “The marriage is done. Just let it go in peace!”

  Julianna’s phone rang again. She picked up, a sinking feeling in her gut. Devon’s heavy breathing clouded the other end of the line. Finally, he spoke, his voice low and even.

  Cold.

  “Baby? You fucked up.”

  The line went dead.

  Julianna stood there, a chill coursing through her veins. Devon was ready for a fight. Unfortunately for him, she would be prepared.


  20

  Devon gritted his teeth as he sat with his lawyer. So far, things weren’t looking good for saving the marriage. He’d refused to sign the divorce papers but hadn’t been aware of the fact that the hearing would still proceed after a given amount of time even without his signature. He’d damn near had an aneurysm when his lawyer had told him, and his rage, raw and unfiltered, had caused his lawyer to shrink back in fear when he’d demanded something be done about it. His rage had continued to sizzle after his lawyer had responded him, in three softly spoken shaky words, that had made him want to choke the man.

  “Legally, I can’t.”

  He had been forced to accept it. For now.

  So now, here they were. Although he’d been on his best behavior, Julianna’s lawyer didn’t seem to want to hear anything he had to say.

  He heaved an angry sigh and adjusted the front of his blazer. Julianna had shown up, looking meek and afraid, with her lawyer. She’d deliberately avoided eye contact with him and had taken her seat. That alone had angered him. To make matters worse, her bitch of a sister had shown up as well-to-do nothing more than cause trouble. She had proved as much when she spoke endlessly about how ‘menacing’ and ‘controlling’ he’d been toward Julianna.

  He inwardly scoffed, doing his best to conceal the anger raging through his gut. Now they wanted to play the game of making him out to be a monster to most likely gain more pity in the settlement. His jaw visibly twitched.

  Julianna was now speaking about how she feared for her life because he’d told her he would kill her before he would allow her to leave.

  Bitch, I just might.

  Devon clenched his fist and reluctantly stilled when his divorce lawyer placed a calming hand on his shoulder. “Those are all lies,” he hissed as he gestured toward her. “She’s hell-bent on making me out to be something I’m not. All I’ve ever done was take care of her.”

  That was another thing that pissed him off. When they’d first started the process, he’d tried to make it go away by promising her more things. Women always wanted more things. However, she’d flat out refused, which had angered him even more.