There had been a time when she had saved Anna Fulford's life by signing her death certificate.
Not that she'd literally stopped Anna's heart, but the woman had undoubtedly stopped hers with the revelation that she'd saved Anna so that Anna could give her husband a child.
Thus, she returned to her now-empty home only to find the absence of - anything - all the more striking. Throwing her reticule down on the hall table, she wondered if this house, this life, would ever be hers again.
Anna had borne William's son - something Julia would never do. While Julia believed William when he swore the child was conceived while they weren't together, his son's presence was certainly a problem now. Children deserved to live with both of their parents, and she knew William would agree with this. For the millionth time, she reran their conversation in her head.
"He's my son, Julia. I have to find him."
"And his mother?"
"If she's alive, yes."
"And if she is, will you come back?"
"Of course."
"Even if it means leaving your son behind?"
He hadn't answered, just sadly smiled and boarded the train. Julia knew he'd never leave his son behind, and while she knew William loved her, and she loved him, duty took precedence for William, and she understood that. If the choice was between her and his son, she believed he would choose his son. Julia understood that, respected it even... but it didn't mean she liked it. She thought of the situation and decided that it would never be safe for William to return to Toronto with Harry. Forcing William to choose duty over his heart pained Julia tremendously, but there was nothing to be done about the matter. Julia's only course of action was to decide whether or not she'd make it a difficult decision for William. She could remove that burden from him and make the decision for him, and act thusly.
Tomorrow she would ask her solicitor to draw up paperwork for an annulment on the grounds of her infertility and ease William's path to have the family he always wanted. She'd also leave him the house as a token of her love for him, and what he did with it would be up to him.
She contemplated writing him a letter, but her heart wasn't in it, and besides, what needed to be said wasn't anything he already didn't know. Instead, she scribbled a quick note that simply said: "Know that I will always love you," and slipped her rings off and laid them atop the note on his desk as she walked to their bedroom to pack. She'd decide where to go later, but she only knew that it wasn't their life anymore, it was his, and she was no longer a part of it. It was time for her to leave.