From His Wife to His Uncle's Wife novel Chapter 185

Jared froze when he saw his mother like that. He gripped her hand tightly. “Mom, what’s going on? Are you okay?”

Who was that man? Why did his mother look so scared?

Juliana shook her head, her lips almost colorless as she tried her best to look calm. She rushed into the kitchen and grabbed a broom. “Jared, it’s nothing, really. If you ever run into that man again, just stay away from him. Don’t let him get close, alright?”

She swept the shards of glass into the dustpan and dumped them into the trash, her eyes lingering on the bin.

“That man is like garbage, covered in germs. You need to stay far away from people like him. If you let him get too close, he’ll stick to you and you’ll never be able to get rid of him.”

Jared didn’t really get it, but an uneasy feeling settled deep in his chest.

At dinner, Juliana’s mind was somewhere else. She barely touched her food. She never thought the man she divorced more than twenty years ago would show up again. She really thought she’d finally gotten free of Patrick’s shadow.

When she was young, Patrick was the most handsome guy in their whole neighborhood, the kind of guy every girl noticed. Juliana fell for him hard. They got together fast, and even though her family was totally against it, she moved in with him. That was a huge deal back then. Her neighbors gossiped nonstop, and when she went home, her father, Judson, beat her so badly she could hardly stand. He told her she was no longer his daughter.

Even after all that, Juliana still married Patrick without looking back.

But the man she thought was so charming and perfect changed right after they got married. He started smoking, got lazy, and picked up a gambling habit. There was never much money at home. Juliana was just a low-level worker at a factory, and Patrick was a mechanic. He borrowed money from coworkers and once beat someone up so badly they ended up in the hospital. After that, he got fired.

Juliana had to sell the only watch she’d ever saved up for, the one she bought for their wedding, just to cover his debts. Not long after, the factory ran into trouble and she lost her job too. She started doing odd jobs at the hospital, even dressing and putting makeup on the dead, just to pay the bills.

Then Patrick got arrested for gambling again, and Juliana had to borrow from her best friend to get him out. He wasn’t grateful at all. Instead, he cheated on her with another woman. That was the last straw. Juliana filed for divorce. Back then, it wasn’t a big hassle. They split up quickly. She left with nothing, only to find out she was pregnant.

Luckily, Benjamin, a kind, honest guy from the factory, took her in. Juliana kept the pregnancy a secret and let him believe the baby was his. When their daughter was born, Benjamin was overjoyed.

Ten years later, she had Jared.

As for Patrick, she only heard rumors that he’d hit it big and moved to Westfield. Even so, she never once regretted divorcing him.

“They’ll let you use your phone for half an hour every day to call home. If you miss me, just call.”

Juliana didn’t waste time. She packed up Jared’s clothes and brought him to school to sign him up as a boarder. Boarding students only got to come home once a week. No matter what, she had to keep Jared safe.

When she got back from the school, Patrick was waiting for her, his eyes cold and unsettling.

“Well, Juliana, looks like we meet again.”

***

They found a quiet corner in a nearby café. Juliana’s hands shook as she gripped her purse, trying not to show how nervous she was. She’d chosen a busy place on purpose, just in case Patrick tried anything.

Patrick lounged back on the sofa, acting like he owned the place. “So, you seem to be doing pretty well for yourself. I heard you had our daughter after all?”