CEO Ex-Husband, Don't Bother Me-Chapter 122 - 120: Come Back with Me 3

’All those inexplicable fits of temper were actually jealousy, and that harsh, domineering attitude was just because he cared. He was simply too proud, which led to him expressing himself the wrong way.’

’If he had just told her he loved her sooner, would they have been spared these three years of separation? Would they not be going through this torment and pain now?’

’No, the fault was all his. He was the one who didn’t know how to cherish what he had.’

He sighed, walked over, and gently wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. He couldn’t help but say,

"In my heart, you’ll always be as young and beautiful as you were at eighteen!"

’That’s right. He had never forgotten the moment she, at eighteen and dressed in pale yellow, had crashed right into his arms. His adoration for her looks had been frozen in that instant ever since.’

Such sweet nothings might not have meant much coming from anyone else, but from him—a man who had gone half his life without uttering a single soft word—they were enough to make her blush.

She stared blankly at him in the mirror. The man in the reflection had a gentle expression on his handsome face, his eyes brimming with tenderness and affection. It felt so unreal. She had once hoped for a man to love and cherish her so tenderly, but his later actions had killed her heart, leaving her with no expectations.

In the end, feeling a little awkward, she pushed him away.

"I need to get ready..."

Julian Donovan’s gaze lifted, his jet-black eyes meeting hers in the mirror. A tremor went through Naomi Shaw’s heart, and she quickly averted her gaze. Julian Donovan said nothing more, let her go, and turned to leave.

’Sean Donovan was right. Rome wasn’t built in a day. He had hurt her for six years; would it take another six years of pursuit to win her back?’

After Julian Donovan left, Naomi Shaw stared at her own flushed face in the mirror. She turned on the faucet, scooped up a handful of cold water, and splashed it on her cheeks, letting the chill extinguish the flame in her heart.

’Julian Donovan, don’t wait until I’m gone to tell me how much you love me.’

After getting ready, she went downstairs to find Dylan and Joy already seated at the dining table. Julian Donovan had finished getting ready in another bathroom as well. The four of them sat down for breakfast, the atmosphere as harmonious as a loving family.

Dylan glanced at her expression, which was neither too good nor too bad, but said nothing and simply focused on his food. Joy, however, hadn’t seen her all night and clung to her, wanting to be held. She then stared at Naomi with wide, blinking eyes, as if trying to ascertain whether she had been bullied. Naomi Shaw couldn’t help but chuckle. ’This little girl may not say much on a normal day, but she’s sharper than anyone.’

After breakfast, the driver took the four of them to her apartment first. She needed to pack her and Joy’s luggage. Julian Donovan didn’t go inside. He didn’t want to set foot in the place where she had lived with Sean Donovan.

’After they get back from Thailos, I have to find a way to get her to move in with me,’ he thought. ’Even if nothing happens between us, at least I can stop anything from happening between her and Sean Donovan.’

As Julian Donovan’s car sped toward the airport with the four of them inside, Sean Donovan sat in his own vehicle, parked in a hidden corner near the apartment. His eyes were dark and stormy. ’Julian Donovan, even if her heart belongs to you, I won’t let go just because you want to take her back. Besides, I love her just as much.’

He had grown up lonely and miserable, the shadow of his parents’ tragic deaths constantly looming over him. Then, that year, in a secluded corner of a hospital, a girl’s warm smile and kind gesture had illuminated the darkness in his heart. He was like a plant starved of sunlight for years; having finally seen a sliver of light, he grew toward it with all his might, with a desperate, stubborn persistence.

His disposition was such that he was destined to need a warm-hearted girl like her to feel whole. If it hadn’t been her, perhaps it would have been someone else. But it *was* her. She was the first to warm his lonely, helpless heart. Of course, he’d never been short of female company, but none of them had possessed such a pure heart, such a beautiful soul.

He just never imagined she would turn out to be Julian Donovan’s woman—the woman who belonged to a man he was utterly incompatible with. When he first learned the truth, he was filled with resentment. But ultimately, his better nature won out over his darker impulses. He saved her, took her in, and then, foolishly, fell deeper and deeper in love, ensuring his own suffering. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Julian Donovan, Naomi Shaw, and the children arrived at the airport. After getting out of the car, Julian carried Joy in one arm and pushed their luggage with the other, heading toward the departure lounge. Naomi’s hands were free, holding only Dylan’s. Feeling a little guilty, she walked ahead of Julian, intending to take Joy from him.

"Let me hold Joy?"

The fact that he was so protective and doting toward Joy, without even knowing her true identity, made Naomi feel a little strange.

"No need!"

He refused without even glancing at her, so she had no choice but to drop it and continue walking, holding Dylan’s hand. After a few more steps, she spoke again.

"Julian Donovan, when are you going to give my ring back?"

’Whether I wear it or not is one thing, but he shouldn’t just keep it from me,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, how am I supposed to explain this to Sean Donovan when he asks?’

He shot her a fierce glare as he walked, tilting his head.

"I left it at home. We’ll deal with it when we get back!"

Since he’d said that, there was nothing more she could say, so she just kept walking with him.

While waiting for their flight, Naomi Shaw went to the restroom. Meanwhile, Julian Donovan, still carrying Joy and with Dylan in tow, headed to a nearby jewelry store. The brand was world-renowned for its exquisite craftsmanship, high-quality materials, and unparalleled creativity. The combination of a handsome, mature man, a cute little boy, and an adorable little girl instantly made the sales associate’s eyes light up as she approached them with a beaming smile.

Julian Donovan paid the woman no mind. Squinting, he browsed the display cases with one arm, still holding Joy, his gaze extremely picky as he sifted through the dazzling jewelry. ’It’s just a ring,’ he thought. ’I’ll just buy her a better one!’

He had given her plenty of jewelry when they were together before, but never a ring. Because he understood the true meaning of a ring, he didn’t give one lightly. A ring was the ultimate symbol of an eternal vow; to give one meant you were willing to stay with a woman through life and death. Back then, he hadn’t dared to make such a heavy promise, so he’d never had the courage to give her one.

Now... he was willing. He wished he could use this small ring to bind her to him for life, but she no longer seemed to care for such things.

Dylan shot him a disdainful look.

"Julian Donovan, you’re not actually going to buy my mom a ring, are you?"

’I heard he hid the ring that other man gave Mom,’ Dylan thought. ’How childish! Even a six-year-old like me wouldn’t stoop to something so immature.’

Called out by the little brat’s look of disgust, Julian Donovan glared at him, annoyed and embarrassed, and snapped,

"So what if I am?"

Dylan bluntly threw a single word back at him.

"Tacky!"

Julian Donovan snorted in frustration, turning his head away to continue browsing on his own. ’So what if it’s tacky? I’m buying it anyway.’

Dylan’s eyes curved into a grin as he smiled at the sales associate, who was staring at his handsome father with a look of pure infatuation.

"My dad’s so sappy," he said. "He and my mom already have us two kids, and they’ve been together like an old married couple for years, but he’s still buying her rings!"

The beautiful sales associate’s look of infatuation immediately morphed into one of disappointment and gloom. Not only did this charming, handsome man already have two children, but his relationship with his wife was still so good that he was thoughtfully buying her gifts? ’Shouldn’t exceptional men like him be neglecting their wives and looking for younger women like us on the side?’ she thought.

Dylan glanced at the sales associate’s expression with satisfaction. Then, in a much better mood, he followed behind Julian Donovan to help him choose. ’Although I think giving a ring is tacky,’ he mused, ’sometimes the tackiest things are the most elegant. As long as it makes Mom happy, that’s what matters.’ Joy also seemed excited, craning her little head from Julian’s arms to get a look. Julian simply picked out a few designs he liked and let Dylan and Joy help him decide.

In the end, he went with Joy’s choice: a design that looked understated but held a hidden detail. It was a seemingly plain band, but engraved on the inside were the letters "FOREVER," a testament to his desire to be with Naomi for eternity. Julian Donovan made the decision on the spot, paid with his card, and walked away with the ring, leaving the sales associate with nothing but the view of his cool, handsome back.

The restrooms were quite a distance away, so it took Naomi Shaw a while to get back. When she returned, the three of them were nowhere to be seen. She anxiously pulled out her phone, about to call him, when she saw him walking out of the nearby jewelry store, holding Joy with Dylan trailing behind. Her brow twitched. ’He didn’t actually go and buy a new ring for me, did he?’