His Betrayal: Choosing Her Over Me

"Tonight's the last time—if you're not up for this, I won't push."

In the dim glow of their bedroom, Julian’s deep, gravelly voice held a sharp edge of seriousness. Leia froze mid-undress, her hands hovering over her shirt buttons, then lifted a bright smile to the lamplight. "What's that supposed to mean, darling?"

Before he could answer, she’d already undone the last button and leaned into his chest, her fingertips dragging slow, lazy circles across the warm skin over his heart. She smiled, her lips curling soft and sweet.

With a soft click, the bedside lamp flooded light over Julian’s sharp, perfect features—over that strong, smooth jawline that still made her heart skip a beat. When her hand lifted to brush his chin, he finally spoke, voice rough and gruff: "She's back."

"Who?"

"Piper’s recovery came a year earlier than anyone expected. All because of your bone marrow. She never would've bounced back this fast without it."

The second Piper’s name left his mouth, it hit Leia like a fist to the gut. A dull, unspoken ache settled deep in her bones, heavy and cold.

"So..."

Leia laughed a bitter, hollow laugh. Her face drained of color, but she forced a smile anyway. The light turned her skin almost translucent, and the hand that’d been drawing circles on his chest slowly fell away to her lap.

She sat up slow. Piper was back. That meant it was her turn to leave. Stifling the sharp ache clawing at her chest, she kept her tone light: "No need to thank me. It was all part of our mutual agreement."

The words "mutual agreement" made Julian’s handsome jaw twitch. A flicker of irritation cut through his cool composure. She was acting like this didn’t even matter. Like none of it mattered.

"Yeah," he replied flatly, swinging his legs out of bed and tugging on his pajama pants.

Leia stared at him blankly, a hurricane of emotion churning inside her. Five years of loving him. Two years of marriage. And she still couldn’t make him hers.

Julian walked to the dresser by the door, pulled out a folded sheet of paper, hesitated for a long beat, then walked back to the bed.

Leia studied his face, catching a flash of something that looked like reluctance, and quickly buttoned her pajama top back up. Her gorgeous blue eyes locked on his, a tiny flicker of hope clinging to her gaze. Would he miss her? Could he?

"Sign it."

He held the paper out. Leia instinctively bowed her head. When her eyes landed on the bold words at the top—*Divorce Agreement*—her heart dropped straight to her stomach, twisting so sharp it made her breath catch.

Her throat tightened, closing up around any words she might have said. She just stared down at the paper, eyes burning, tears pricking the backs of her lashes. After what felt like forever, she swiped at the wetness with the back of her hand and pulled a faint smile. "Alright. I'll