Julian didn't stay. Right after Kathryn slammed the paternity test on his chest, his phone rang again. It was Chloe, crying that little Leo had a high fever. Without a second of hesitation, Julian turned and walked out the door, leaving Kathryn alone in the massive, suffocating mansion.
Ten minutes later, Kathryn's phone buzzed. It was a video from Chloe.
In the video, Julian was sitting on a hospital bed. The cold, ruthless CEO of Carlisle Investments was currently holding a little boy with a wet towel on his forehead, his voice softer than Kathryn had ever heard it. "Don't cry, Leo. Daddy's right here."
Then came Chloe's message: [Leo was just a little sick, and Julian rushed over in a panic. He really is the best father. Have you signed the divorce papers yet, Kathryn?]
A second later, the message was recalled.
Kathryn's eyes were completely dry. She didn't feel like crying anymore; she only felt utterly, thoroughly disgusted. She calmly opened her screen recordings, saving the video as concrete evidence for the divorce, and forwarded it to her brother, Alistair.
She then printed out the divorce agreement she had drafted earlier. She signed her name at the bottom—Kathryn Price—agreeing to walk away with absolutely nothing. She didn't want a single penny of Julian's dirty money.
Leaving the papers on the dining table, she blocked Julian's number on everything, grabbed the suitcase she had packed, and walked out of the Carlisle estate without looking back.
She went straight to her best friend Olivia's downtown apartment.
When Olivia heard what happened, she was so furious she almost smashed a vase. "That ungrateful bastard! I'm taking you out, Katie. We are going to the most expensive restaurant in this city, and we are celebrating your freedom!"
An hour later, they arrived at Le Bernardin, an exclusive Michelin-starred restaurant.
But fate, it seemed, had a sick sense of humor. Just as the hostess was leading them to their table, Kathryn froze.
Walking out of the VIP room was Julian. In his arms was the little boy, Leo. Clinging intimately to his arm was Chloe, wearing a dazzling diamond necklace that Julian had likely bought her for her birthday.
They looked like a picture-perfect, billionaire family.
Chloe spotted Kathryn instantly. A flash of malicious triumph crossed her eyes before she put on a mask of innocent surprise.
"Kathryn? What a coincidence!" Chloe practically dragged Julian over, raising her voice just enough to draw the attention of the surrounding elite guests. "Julian was just saying Leo felt better, so he brought us out to celebrate. Are you here alone? It's so sad to eat by yourself."
Olivia was about to lunge forward and slap the fake smile off Chloe's face, but Kathryn grabbed her wrist, holding her back.
Julian's deep, ice-blue eyes locked onto Kathryn. He saw her suitcase in the lobby. His perfectly sculpted brows furrowed in intense displeasure. In his mind, Kathryn was just throwing another dramatic tantrum to get his attention.
"Kathryn, enough is enough," Julian said, his voice dripping with condescending authority. "Stop playing these childish games. Go home. We will talk when I get back."
Go home?
Kathryn looked at the man she had served like a slave for three years, and a chilling, breathtaking smile bloomed on her face.
"I don't have a home with you anymore, Julian," Kathryn said, her voice crystal clear and ringing through the quiet restaurant. She didn't scream; she didn't cry. Her absolute calmness was terrifying.
She looked directly at Chloe, then back to Julian. "The divorce agreement is on the dining table. I'm leaving with nothing, so it should be a very quick process. Sign it, so you can finally give your mistress and your bastard son a proper title."
The entire restaurant went dead silent. Gasps echoed from the nearby tables.
Julian's handsome face instantly turned ashen, a storm of disbelief and fury igniting in his eyes. He had never, in three years, seen Kathryn speak to him with such icy disdain.
"You—"
"Have a wonderful dinner, Mr. Carlisle," Kathryn cut him off smoothly.
Without giving him a chance to respond, she turned her back on the "perfect family," linked arms with Olivia, and walked out of the restaurant with her head held high, leaving Julian standing there, frozen and burning with a sudden, inexplicable panic.
