The Godfather's Love Has Expired Chapter 3

I thought the restaurant encounter would be the last time I saw Julian.

But on the night I officially resigned from all my positions at the Costello Group, my phone rang.

It was an encrypted video call from Julian.

This was so rare that I almost hung up.

Instead, I switched it to voice-only and answered.

"Why did you turn off the video?" he asked, clearly annoyed.

"I just got out of the shower," I lied. "It's not convenient."

I regretted it immediately.

It sounded like I still cared about looking good for him.

Julian laughed, suddenly in a good mood.

"Considering our relationship, is there any part of you I haven't seen?"

His flirtatious tone made me sick.

"What do you want?" I asked coldly.

He sensed my distance and dropped the playful act.

"HR told me you resigned from everything today."

"Yeah," I said.

Silence fell between us.

Julian tried to make conversation, but it sounded forced.

"Resigning is fine. You were the lady of the house, yet you insisted on being an assistant. You were just looking for trouble."

"Besides, you barely showed up for work anyway. Everyone said I was practicing nepotism."

I interrupted him impatiently.

"Don't you need to keep Serafina company?"

Julian muttered under his breath.

"I don't have any formal relationship with her. Why do I need to keep her company?"

Then he paused.

He realized that technically, I was just his ex-wife right now too.

He sounded guilty.

"Dissolving the alliance... I'm sorry."

"I was just afraid that if we stayed married, people would gossip about Serafina..."

I nodded, even though he couldn't see me.

Serafina's reputation had to be protected.

So I deserved to be the laughingstock of the underworld.

"I'm hanging up," I said, my voice freezing over.

"Wait!"

Julian sounded anxious.

"The 12th is our wedding anniversary. The Rolling Stones are playing a concert. I know you want to go."

"I'll go with you. Just the two of us. Okay?"

For a split second, I wanted to tell him the truth.

But before I could speak, Serafina's voice came from the background.

"Julian? I forgot my bathrobe. Can you bring it to me?"

Julian didn't answer her immediately.

He just stared at the phone, caught in the middle.

"Go ahead," I said flatly.

He stood up slowly but didn't hang up.

"Ava, wait for me. I'll be right back."

He walked toward the bathroom.

I heard the sound of kissing.

I heard Julian groan.

Then, the bathroom door slammed shut.

I stared at the phone with a mocking smile and ended the call.

Just then, Chloe shouted that we were going to the hottest club in the city.

I put down the phone without hesitation.

There were so many things in this world that could make me happy.

Why should I waste another second on a man who belonged to the past?