CEO Ex-Husband, Don't Bother Me-Chapter 137 - 127: I Hate You (Part 2)

’Wasn’t she supposed to have a showdown with Sean Donovan, then come running happily into my arms?’

She pulled her hand from his, averting her gaze to look out the window. "Let’s talk when we get home..."

Julian Donovan desperately wanted to turn her face and make her look at him, but the light turned green and the cars behind them started honking, forcing him to accelerate away. She had been avoiding his gaze since the moment she got in the car. It would have been strange if he *hadn’t* noticed something was wrong.

Julian Donovan’s once-eager heart sank at her behavior. Of course, if he was in a bad mood, Naomi Shaw’s was hardly any better. The two of them rode in silence all the way back to Julian Donovan’s house.

The moment they got out of the car, Julian Donovan grabbed her hand and strode toward the house. He desperately needed to know what was wrong!

It was the study again.

Julian Donovan irritably walked over and poured himself a drink, then turned to her with a cold expression. "Speak! What happened?"

Naomi Shaw stood in the middle of the spacious study. The carpet was soft beneath her feet, but her heart was ice-cold. She took several deep breaths to steady herself, then raised her eyes to him. "Julian Donovan, can you tell me what your relationship with Sean Donovan is?"

Julian’s heart sank. His fingers tightened around the glass. "What did he tell you?"

Her bright eyes stared at him, but her body wouldn’t stop trembling. "How did you know he’d say anything to me? Why are you so nervous? Is it because you’re guilty?"

"What do you mean?"

His eyes darkened completely, filled with a frightening, bone-deep chill.

She stared at him, and as she did, tears began to stream from her eyes. She sobbed, "So all your sweet talk... it was all just for revenge. Julian Donovan, I hate you!"

Even in the years when he had hurt her most deeply, she had never said that word to him. But now, she was telling him she hated him. He had hurt her before by not loving her, but at least he had been honest. From the very beginning, he had told her he would never fall in love with her. But now, he claimed to love her, all while deceiving her.

She could accept him not loving her, but she could not tolerate his deception.

Julian Donovan stood there, his expression terrifying as he glared at her. ’I knew it. I knew revealing my history with Sean Donovan would cause this exact misunderstanding. That’s why I never told her. I can’t believe Sean would stoop so low. Is this what he calls loving her? Forcing her away from me like this? Is he satisfied now, seeing her in so much pain?’

He remained silent, and Naomi Shaw held his gaze. With a sharp CRACK, the wine glass in his hand shattered. The force of his grip spoke to the rage boiling inside him. Sharp shards of glass dug into his palm, and blood dripped between his fingers. Naomi gasped in horror, covering her mouth, but he seemed to feel nothing. He advanced on her, step by step, like a demon from hell, looking as if he might tear her apart at any moment.

He stopped in front of her, his anger mingled with deep hurt. "Naomi Shaw, can you really not spare me even a shred of trust?"

If he hadn’t confronted her like that, she might have taken pity on his bleeding hand and bandaged it. But his accusation made her lose control. She pulled out her phone, found the photos she’d gotten from Sean Donovan, and waved them in his face. "What is there to trust?" she demanded shrilly. "Am I supposed to trust the fact that you were holding Juliet Jennings, getting all cozy with her?"

Her phone had a large screen, so the picture of him holding Juliet Jennings was reflected with perfect clarity in Julian Donovan’s eyes. He snatched the phone from her and scrolled through the images. His expression grew colder with each one. Finally, clutching the phone, he looked at her and said gravely, "I need to explain."

"I don’t need one!"

She turned her back on him, but Julian stepped forward and stubbornly forced her to face him with his uninjured hand. "That day I took the call and flew home... it was because one of my university mentors had died of a sudden heart attack. I rushed back for his funeral!"

’I didn’t tell her the details because I didn’t want her to misunderstand and think I was still involved with Juliet. Her trust in me is already so fragile. I never thought someone would take pictures and send them to her. Now I see it’s my own fault. If I had just been upfront and told her I was going to the funeral with Juliet, maybe this misunderstanding wouldn’t be so deep.’

"Juliet Jennings was there too. When we were together, that mentor was very good to both of us. We were both very fond of him. She was heartbroken and crying, so I just comforted her for a moment!"

Julian was vexed as he explained. He had been feeling very down after the funeral. That professor had been exceptionally good to him; he was the one who fought to get Julian the scholarship to study abroad, and he had looked out for him throughout his entire time at university.

He hadn’t expected Juliet Jennings to suddenly throw herself into his arms, sobbing about how good their mentor had been to them. Feeling dejected himself, he had simply offered a few words of comfort.

When he finished, he stared intently at her face, hoping for her forgiveness. Naomi hadn’t expected an explanation like that. ’But even if I choose to believe him about this,’ she thought, ’what about Sean Donovan?’

And so, she asked the question aloud, her voice bleak and full of pain. "Maybe that explains this. But what about Sean Donovan?"

Julian fell silent. His right hand, cut by the glass, was still dripping blood. Naomi looked away, choosing to ignore it. ’I won’t feel sorry for him. I won’t.’

"All I can say is that I truly don’t have the kind of vengeful motives you’re thinking of. I want you back simply because I love you, and I want to be with you again!"

After a moment of silence, that was the explanation he gave. She curled her lips into a cold smile. "Then why didn’t you love me three years ago? Why, after three years of complete silence, did you suddenly fall in love with me?"

’Doesn’t he realize how feeble that explanation sounds?’

Julian’s expression was a mask of pain and conflict. His lips parted. "I did love you three years ago. I just... I didn’t realize it back then."

The smile on Naomi’s face widened. To anyone else, his words might have sounded like a heartfelt confession, but to her, they were nothing but a shameless excuse. "Julian Donovan, just stop. You don’t need to explain anything else. This is all just... too ridiculous."

’It’s ridiculous, isn’t it? A man divorces her, then three years later shows up, suddenly head over heels in love. Only an idiot like me would have almost believed him. He might as well have just admitted it was all for revenge.’