CEO Ex-Husband, Don't Bother Me-Chapter 107 - 105: Is There Really No Place for Me in Your Heart? (Part 1)

Chapter 107: Chapter 105: Is There Really No Place for Me in Your Heart? (Part 1)

"Naomi Shaw? You’re not dead!"

She turned to see a beautiful, exquisitely made-up face. Juliet Jennings had been wearing sunglasses, but she’d taken them off in her shock, now staring at Naomi Shaw in disbelief.

Naomi Shaw watched Juliet Jennings in silence. She would never forget the phone call Juliet had made to her during that torrential downpour, nor the sight of Julian Donovan climbing out of his car with Juliet in his arms.

Every sweet, tender moment they had shared was a constant reminder. A reminder that she, Naomi Shaw, had been a complete fool.

But that was all in the past.

So, she spoke calmly,

"You have the wrong person."

Then, holding Joy, she turned to leave.

"Impossible! How could two people in the world look so alike!"

Juliet Jennings persistently followed, blocking her path. She glanced at Joy in Naomi’s arms and asked urgently,

"Who is this little girl? Don’t tell me she’s Julian Donovan’s child."

Naomi Shaw turned Joy’s face into her chest, frowning with displeasure as she glared at Juliet Jennings.

"Excuse me, please let me pass."

"You tell me right now, whose child is she? Is she Julian Donovan’s, or some other man’s?"

Juliet Jennings was losing control. She couldn’t believe this woman had had another child with Julian Donovan—a daughter.

When she first heard that Naomi had not only divorced Julian Donovan but had also died at sea, Juliet thought she could finally be with him again. But to her surprise, Julian had pushed her away even more decisively.

For the past three years, she had tried everything to win Julian Donovan back, but he remained unmoved. This time, for instance, he’d told her he wasn’t in Thailos, so she knew he had returned to Wincastle. She knew Wincastle was his hometown, and that he had barely set foot in Meridia for the last three years.

The cruelest thing in the world isn’t never meeting someone who loves you; it’s when someone who once loved you doesn’t love you anymore.

At her wits’ end with Juliet Jennings’s harassment, Naomi Shaw looked up and snapped,

"Do you think every woman is like you, willing to jump into bed with any man?"

Juliet Jennings was furious.

"What do you mean by that?"

Naomi Shaw scoffed.

"Six years ago, at a hotel in Wincastle. I saw a man go into your room, and it wasn’t Julian Donovan or Wendy Lowe."

She had kept this secret buried for years, but she wouldn’t let Juliet Jennings bully her relentlessly like this.

"You—"

Juliet Jennings’s face went deathly pale. Back then, Wendy Lowe had gotten her to a certain level of success before growing tired of her. To climb even higher, Juliet had been willing to do anything.

’I can’t believe she saw me. Did she tell Julian Donovan, too? Is that why he’s refused to touch me all this time?’ The thought made her world go dark.

Seeing the terrified and uneasy look on Juliet’s face, Naomi Shaw’s lips curved into a mocking smile.

"Relax, I didn’t tell him. And if you stay out of my life from now on, I’ll keep your secret for you."

Without waiting for a reaction, Naomi Shaw held Joy and walked away.

She hadn’t told Julian Donovan back then because he had been completely infatuated with Juliet; even if she had said something, he probably wouldn’t have believed her. She still hadn’t told him now because there was no longer any need. His life had nothing to do with her anymore. It was better to use this secret to keep Juliet from harassing her.

Juliet Jennings watched Naomi Shaw’s retreating figure, child in arms, and reeled with a mixture of shock, anger, and fear. The fact that Naomi wasn’t dead was already enough to make her despair, but now she also knew that Naomi had seen her with another man.

Juliet Jennings stood frozen, and it took a long time for her to compose herself.

Naomi Shaw carried Joy to the parking lot and sank wearily into the back seat of Sean Donovan’s car. ’Julian found me, and now Juliet has come to Wincastle,’ she thought. ’I’ve gotten used to this quiet, peaceful life. Can’t they just spare me? Can’t they stop turning my world upside down?’

The car drove smoothly along the expressway from the airport back into the city. A song came on the radio—Fish’s "It Will Pass." She listened quietly to the gentle, melancholic voice telling a soft story of letting go:

...

I was once happy for you, and for you, I despaired

I once held you so tight

Depended on you, loved you with all my might

Leaving was so hard, I thought I would break

But in that moment of deepest ache, my mind was sharp and awake

Everything will pass

Let the past live in the past, and just live

...

The final line, in particular—*Let the past live in the past, and just live*—nearly brought her to tears.

As if sensing her helplessness, Joy, who had been nestled obediently in her arms, clambered up to stand on her lap, her bright eyes fixed on her mother as she called out,

"Mama..."

She looked up at Joy, who began to hum softly. There were no words, but Naomi could hear a coherent, lovely melody. Joy had always been musically gifted, but Naomi never expected her to use her talent to comfort her like this.

Naomi was both surprised and delighted.

"Joy, are you singing a song for Mommy?"

Joy didn’t say a word, only curving her lips into a soft smile. In that instant, Naomi felt all the pain in her heart vanish without a trace. ’I don’t need love, I don’t need a man,’ she thought. ’My sensible Dylan and my sweet Joy are all I need.’

She held Joy for the rest of the ride, patiently teaching her to speak. When Naomi coached her, Joy’s pronunciation was quite good, but left to her own devices, she said nothing at all. ’Maybe it’s just her personality,’ Naomi mused. ’Some people are just born quiet and don’t like to talk much.’

Back in the city, she dropped Joy off at daycare and rushed to the hospital for her shift. A nurse’s work was busy and exhausting, but she loved it and found fulfillment in it.

When her shift was supposed to end that evening, she still wasn’t finished with her work, so she called Joy’s daycare teacher and asked her to watch Joy for another half hour. By the time she was finally done, more than half an hour had passed. She was just about to call the teacher again when her phone rang. Seeing it was Julian Donovan, she immediately declined the call. He called several more times, and she rejected every one.

She really wanted nothing more to do with him.

A moment later, a call came from Joy’s daycare. She answered it quickly, only to hear Julian Donovan’s furious voice on the other end.

"Naomi Shaw, would it kill you to stop being so unreasonable and just answer your phone? What if something happened to Dylan and I needed to reach you?"

"Why are you at Joy’s daycare?"

She was stunned by his yelling, but she had to admit he had a point. She had been so focused on avoiding him that she’d forgotten Dylan might genuinely need her.

His anger subsided slightly, but his tone was still harsh.

"Why aren’t you here to pick her up yet? If you don’t get here soon, I’m taking her myself!"

Julian Donovan had originally gone to pick up Dylan. Ever since Naomi left three years ago, he had taken personal responsibility for everything concerning his son—school runs, meals, all of it. As long as he wasn’t away on business, he handled it all himself.

After picking up Dylan today, the boy had suddenly said,

"Julian Donovan, I miss Joy. Let’s go see her!"

Julian Donovan was about to be driven mad by the boy. Yesterday, he had swallowed his pride and asked, only for the little rascal to insist he didn’t miss his mother. Today, unprompted, he declared that he did. Despite the mental exhaustion, Julian had gritted his teeth and driven Dylan here for the chance to see a certain woman, only to find she hadn’t even shown up to get her daughter.

He’d asked the teacher and learned that Naomi would be half an hour late. Since he had no proof of his connection to Joy—or even to Dylan, for that matter—he couldn’t sign her out. He had no choice but to wait.

However, while they couldn’t take her with them, they were allowed to go inside and keep her company. All the other children had already gone home. The little girl sat there all alone, not crying or making a fuss, just quietly flipping through a picture book.

When she saw him and Dylan, the little girl only glanced up at them for a moment before looking back down at her book. She wore a white princess dress with a cute little clip in her hair, looking as delicate as a porcelain doll. Julian Donovan thought her quiet, well-behaved demeanor was just like Naomi Shaw’s. Looking at her like this stirred a deep feeling of tenderness in his heart.

Dylan, who absolutely adored Joy, ran over and sat down beside her.