Refusing To Divorce (Julia and Harry)
Refusing 58

Chapter 58

Julia had no desire to hear another word from Harry. She closed her eyes, refusing to even glance his way. Whenever Harry spoke, Julia covered her cars. If he came any closer, she would keep backing away, widening the gap between them. Soon, the sound of police sirens came from outside the door. And Harry finally understood that Julia wasn't joking around.

Valerie went over to let the officers in, pointing to Hadley on the floor for them to take him away. Julia, being the victim, was also escorted out by the police. Before she left, she gave Harry a meaningful look.

She hadn't intended to make enemies, but they insisted on troubling her at every turn. She wasn't one to be bullied; they struck first, so it was only fair she hit back. She swore that this time she'd make Arya pay the price. Worried about Julia, Harry followed them to the police station.

When Julia finished giving her statement and exited the police station, the sky was just starting to brighten. Worn out after a whole night of turmoil, she rubbed her eyes and looked exhausted.

Hadley was detained by the police. Seeing Harry waiting outside the station, Julia didn't spare him a glance and walked right past him to where Valerie was parked. She planned to hitch a ride back with Valerie.

Just as she was about to get into the car, Harry quickly approached and grabbed Julia's hand, dragging her away.

Julia struggled with all her might, but lacking strength, she lost her balance and fell, scraping her knee. Valerie wanted to move to help Julia but retreated at Harry's stern look.

Julia let out a cold laugh and snapped, "Let go. I can walk on my own."

Harry had actually let go of Julia the moment she fell, and he wanted to check her injury, but her cold and defensive look made it impossible for him to swallow his pride.

Turning to a concerned Valerie, Julia said softly, "Valerie, thanks for your help today. You should head back. I'll go with him."

Valerie desperately wanted to pull Julia away, but she didn't dare cross Harry. Her future and even her boyfriend's could be ruined by just one word from him. Lacking Julia's courage, all she could do was watch helplessly. Julia understood Valerie's concerns and didn't blame her. "It's okay. You go on. I won't be in any trouble. I'm still his wife now. Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."

Sighing, Valerie asked, "Do you need me to call in sick for you to Ms. Powell?"

"Thank you, but no need. I'll be going to work as usual." Julia flashed a smile at Valerie and climbed into Harry's car.

Worry was evident in Valerie's eyes as she feared Harry might rough up Julia. She bravely shot Harry a warning look and said, "Harry, if you dare lay a hand on Julia, I swear I'll call the cops on you." Harry remained silent, got into his car, and closed the door behind him.

Julia buckled up in the passenger seat and waved goodbye to Valerie through the window. As the car pulled away, Valerie's figure slowly disappeared from Julia's sight.

The moon still hung in the faintly lit sky, its hazy light blending seamlessly with the dawn.

As Harry drove, he looked over at Julia and said gravely, "You called the cops. What do you think the endgame is going to be?"

Julia dodged the question.

Unfazed, Harry continued, "It's probably just going to end with Hadley getting nailed for assault and attempted rape."

At this, Julia finally spoke up, her voice tinged with sarcasm. "I know. You'd definitely pull some strings to protect Arya. Or let Hadley is so scared of you that he wouldn't dare confess Arya's name." nother way.

"Julia, why are you so sure Arya put Hadley up to this? If you're going to pin this on Arya, you need to show some real evidence. You can't just decide someone's guilty because you say so," Harry retorted. Frustrated, Julia yelled, "Evidence? The evidence has probably been destroyed by you. Where am I supposed to replace any? And even if I did, you'd replace a way to deal with me and Hadley." Seeing Julia's agitation, Harry really wanted to talk it through gently, but she was just too upset for a calm conversation.

"Harry, you might as well shut up now. I don't want to hear your annoying voice anymore. Everything you say is to protect Arya. You have no idea what I went through that night," Julia said.

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C

Chapter 58

Ever since that night, Julia had been haunted by nightmares. She'd wake up scared out of her mind, then toss and turn for hours trying to get back to sleep.

"I know all you care about is Arya, and you want to protect her. That's fine. But why should I be the one taking

the hit? If Arya were the one drugged that night, would you handle it the same way? You would've made sure everyone involved got what they deserved," Julia growled.

Harry's heart only belonged to Arya. Julia could never measure up, never prompt Harry to the strides he would take for Arya. Regardless of the bad stuff Arya did, Harry was always there to cover for her, even if it meant others got hurt. Slowly, Julia closed her eyes as tears traced down her cheeks.

Harry escorted Julia to her room. Julia went inside and shut the door, leaving Harry feeling helpless in the hallway.

That night, he had seen Hadley bullying Julia. When he realized she had been drugged, he immediately got a doctor to help her. After she recovered, he interrogated Hadley.

From Hadley's confession and the bar's security footage, Harry knew a woman had put Hadley up to it, and he saw on the tape that Arya was the one who talked to Hadley. Harry really wanted to explain that he wasn't

trying to protect Arya. But for some reason, he just couldn't say it to Julia. In his head, he couldn't shake off the image of Julia being constantly jolted awake by nightmares that night. He couldn't forget how hurt and helpless Julia looked at that time.

Harry tried to open up to Julia. He reached out, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to knock on the door.

By the time Julia got herself together and came out again, Harry was already gone. What had happened last night seemed like it was just a dream. It was as if Harry was never really there; there wasn't even the slightest hint of his scent left in the room. Julia was quite upset. She knew that without evidence, it was going to be tough to make Arya admit she put Hadley up to drugging her. She understood that Harry's words made sense; only Hadley would end up punished.

Julia spent the whole morning buried in her work to avoid drowning in these thoughts. Valerie watched sympathetically, unsure of what to say.

To protect his first love, Harry chose to let the guy who hurt his wife off the hook. It was a tough pill for anyone to swallow.

Valerie once saw Harry as a playboy, but now, she thought he was downright despicable.