CEO Ex-Husband, Don't Bother Me-Chapter 114 - 112: Do I Have to Die to Prove It to You? Part 4

Chapter 114: Chapter 112: Do I Have to Die to Prove It to You? Part 4

Dylan tugged on her sleeve, his big eyes pleading.

"Mom, why don’t you call Dad and ask? I’m really worried about him!"

The thought of his bleeding hand made Naomi Shaw’s heart ache, but she simply handed her phone to Dylan.

"Here’s my phone. You can call him yourself. I have to go be with Auntie Lara. Go to sleep after you’re done."

She turned and walked out after she finished speaking. Dylan’s first attempt to help had ended in failure. He had already called Julian Donovan anyway, so he just set the phone aside, lay down, and snuggled up with the already-asleep Joy, obediently drifting off to sleep himself.

Lara Nash was leaving the next morning, and Naomi Shaw couldn’t bear to see her go. Lara, too, held her hand, reluctant to part.

"I have a connecting flight, and I need to check on our hotel in Port Sterling. Let’s get together again when you’re back in Thailos!"

Lara was now in charge of her family’s hotel business—a typical career woman.

Julian Donovan happened to arrive to pick up Dylan. When he heard Lara was leaving, he offered to drive her to the airport. Naomi Shaw didn’t object. Glancing at his wrist, still wrapped in a handkerchief, she lowered her eyes and said softly,

"Let me bandage your hand first."

Lara quickly said,

"Then I’ll take my luggage out first. Come on, Dylan, help Auntie!"

"Okay!"

Dylan knew he should give his parents some space alone, so he grabbed Lara’s bag and followed her out. Lara, of course, carried Joy out with her as well.

Naomi Shaw shot the three of them a look before turning to get the first-aid kit. Julian Donovan sat on the sofa, his lips pressed together, letting her bandage his hand. Her movements were professional and gentle. They were both silent. Naomi’s hands paused when she saw the string of Sandalwood Praying Beads on his uninjured wrist. After she finished applying the medicine and wrapping the bandage, she was the one who finally broke the silence.

"You know not to get the wound wet, right? So be careful when you wash your face or shower."

Julian Donovan didn’t speak, just stared at her intently. His gaze made Naomi feel completely uneasy. She packed up the first-aid kit and was about to stand up when he shot out a hand and yanked her back. Caught completely off guard, she was pulled into his embrace, and his lips came down on hers, domineering and swift.

He didn’t release her lips until he was satisfied, though he kept his arms around her. He raised a hand and placed it gently over her heart. She could hear her own heart thumping wildly. Staring at her flushed face, he said in a low voice,

"Naomi, listen. Your heart is beating so fast. Does it feel like this when Sean Donovan kisses you?"

The name Sean Donovan snapped her back to her senses. She shoved him away and stood up.

"Julian Donovan, do you have any sense of right and wrong? I’m Sean Donovan’s fiancée now! I have nothing to do with you. What gives you the right to kiss me again and again!"

He stood up with her, his tall frame towering over her petite one. "I don’t care whose fiancée you are. I’m pursuing you as my woman, and that’s that."

His arrogance made her lose her temper for the first time, and she raised her voice, shouting, "Could you stop being so damn conceited!"

Instead of getting angry, he stepped closer, a smile playing on his lips. "When Sean Donovan gets back from his business trip, break up with him."

His words made Naomi Shaw’s face pale with anger. She grabbed her things and stormed out. ’Break up with Sean Donovan? How could he even say something like that!’

Lara was waiting outside, playing with Dylan and Joy. Seeing Naomi storm out in a huff, she asked, puzzled,

"You two... didn’t get into another fight, did you?"

In all their years together, the two of them had rarely ever argued. It wasn’t that Julian Donovan had such a good temper, but that Naomi Shaw never fought with him. Why was it that now they argued every time they met?

Naomi Shaw just shook her head and said nothing. Julian Donovan came out a moment later, and they all got in the car to take Lara to the airport. When it was time for Lara to board, she and Naomi hugged and cried like they’d never see each other again. They finally managed to separate. Julian stood a short distance away, holding Joy and holding Dylan’s hand, watching them. Joy was a child who never cried or fussed; most of the time, her quietness made you forget she was even there.

After dropping Lara off, Julian drove her, Dylan, and Joy back toward the city. Naomi Shaw assumed he would take her straight home, but to her surprise, he started driving toward the beach. She asked him anxiously,

"This isn’t the way to my house. Where are you going?"

He tilted his head to look at her, his jet-black eyes glinting with obvious amusement.

"Why are you so nervous? It’s not like I’m going to sell you and your daughter. It’s still early. What’s wrong with taking the two kids to the beach for a while?"

"Who said I’d go to the beach with you? I have things to do at home!"

she protested, displeased. Dylan whispered from the side,

"Mom, I want to go to the beach..."

She fell silent at that. Dylan then asked Joy, who was in her arms,

"Joy, do you want to go to the beach? We can play on the sand together! There’s soft sand and blue water, and it’s really pretty!"

Joy blinked her long eyelashes, thought for a moment, and then, in a rare, child-like voice, uttered a single word,

"Okay..."

With even Joy agreeing, Naomi Shaw could only choose to compromise, letting him drive the three of them to the beach.

The autumn wind at the beach was a bit strong, but it did nothing to dampen the weekend crowd’s enthusiasm. The beach was filled with people, mostly parents with their children—families of three or four. The four of them walked together: Julian Donovan holding the doll-like Joy, and Naomi Shaw holding the hand of the handsome and adorable Dylan. He was tall and dashing, she was sweet and pretty—a family of four that was truly the object of envy.

A large group of children was playing games together, and Dylan happily joined in. Naomi Shaw took Joy from Julian Donovan’s arms and softly encouraged her to go play with the others, but Joy just shook her head and burrowed deeper into her mother’s embrace. Naomi felt a little discouraged. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Julian Donovan sat down on the sand beside her and comforted her,

"Joy’s personality is naturally averse to crowds. There’s no need to force her to blend in."

She was so worried about Joy that she found herself unconsciously opening up to him.

"But she’s so withdrawn. When she grows up, how will she make friends? How will she survive in the world?"

"Everyone has their own destiny. You don’t have to expect a girl to have grand ambitions. A quiet temperament like this is perfectly fine. Maybe one day, a man will come along who will treasure her. She won’t need to survive in the world or be skilled at smoothly navigating social situations. She’ll only need to stay at home and be a good wife and mother."

Julian Donovan said to her. She looked down at the quiet Joy in her arms.

"I hope so."

’May Joy’s fate be one of smooth sailing, not a painful ordeal like her mother’s.’

They spent the whole afternoon at the beach, and Dylan was completely exhausted. He fell asleep in the back seat almost as soon as he got in the car. Joy also fell asleep in her arms. Julian Donovan drove very slowly. As they were nearing her home, her phone rang. It was Sean Donovan. She glanced at Julian, who was driving beside her, and answered the call. Sean said from the other end,

"Anna, I’m coming back tonight. Save some dinner for me!"

"You’re back so soon? Didn’t you say you’d be gone for half a month?"

she asked in surprise, not noticing the cold smile that touched the corner of Julian Donovan’s lips.

’So Sean Donovan couldn’t hold out any longer. His men must have been reporting my time with her to him these past few days. The car following us right now... it must be his people.’

Sean Donovan chuckled lightly.

"Things went smoothly, so I came back early!"

"Okay, so what do you want for dinner—"

Naomi Shaw’s words were cut off as the car beneath her suddenly accelerated, jolting her violently. Startled, she quickly looked back at Dylan sleeping in the back seat. Then, ignoring the fact that she was still on the phone with Sean Donovan, she angrily confronted Julian Donovan,

"Julian Donovan, why are you driving so fast? The two kids are sleeping in the car!"

Joy was fine in her arms, but what if Dylan was thrown from the back seat and got hurt?

"Anna, who are you with? Your ex-husband?"

Sean Donovan’s voice came through the phone. Naomi cursed herself inwardly, then shot a fierce glare at Julian Donovan, who had slowed down but was now wearing an obvious look of schadenfreude. She replied apologetically,