Her Marriage: The Night is Still Young-Chapter 209: It’s the Unattainable That Lingers

Chapter 209: Chapter 209: It’s the Unattainable That Lingers

Julian Grant listened, and his eyes instantly brightened up, the urgency and tension from before dissipating by more than half: "Don’t worry, I’ve already asked my assistant to book a suite at The Peninsula Hotel."

"If you don’t want to stay there, we can change to another one, whatever you prefer."

Josephine Thompson looked at his cautious demeanor, and felt a slight sting in her heart, "No need to change. Anywhere is fine."

"Alright, then it’s The Peninsula Hotel."

The two didn’t speak again, walking side by side towards the parking area.

Julian Grant was pulling her suitcase, deliberately slowing his pace to match hers.

The autumn wind swirled the sycamore leaves down at their feet.

Although the atmosphere was silent, it inexplicably felt harmonious.

...

Over ten minutes later.

They arrived at the guard post at the foot of the hill.

The driver was already waiting there and quickly opened the rear car door respectfully upon seeing them.

"Get in." Julian Grant first helped Josephine Thompson into the car, then put the luggage into the trunk.

And then, he walked to the other side to get in.

The car smoothly started, heading toward the city center.

Half an hour later.

The driver took the two to The Peninsula Hotel.

They got out of the car.

Julian Grant dragged the suitcase, leading her to the room.

"Same room as last time."

"Okay."

Inside the room.

The crystal chandelier in the suite cast a warm light, but it couldn’t dispel the sudden solidified silence in the air.

"You take a rest, I’m staying next door..."

"Don’t go." Josephine calmly called out to him.

"What’s wrong?"

"Tonight, stay here!"

Julian Grant was bewildered, a bit unable to react, "...uh~, are you saying I should stay in this room? You’re staying next door?"

"No, we are staying in the same room."

"..." Julian Grant looked at Josephine’s calm but resolute eyes, his throat moving slightly: "Josephine, do you know what you’re saying?"

Josephine didn’t answer, stood up, and walked toward him step by step.

Her steps were light, but it felt like she was stepping on Julian Grant’s heart, making it beat faster with each step.

When she was in front of him.

She raised her hand, her fingertips lightly touching his shirt button, her voice very soft: "Julian Grant, haven’t you always liked me? Tonight, I’m yours."

Boom!

Julian Grant’s mind exploded, looking at her in shock and disbelief.

Josephine took the initiative to unbutton one of his shirt buttons, then went to undo the second.

After all, men!

What else could they think?

It’s nothing more than that matter between men and women.

Nathaniel Gallagher was like that, Julian Grant was no exception.

Could it be... is there really pure love in this world without any expectations?

Probably not.

Even if there was, she probably wouldn’t have the luck to encounter it.

Anyway...

Just treat it as repaying his kindness for helping her time and again.

Julian Grant snapped back to reality, suddenly clasping her wrist tightly, his eyes full of shock and panic, "... What kind of person do you take me for? I like you, not to do this kind of thing with you!"

Josephine paused, looked up at him, "Isn’t it? Don’t you have that thought about me?"

Julian Grant’s adam’s apple subtly moved, his eyes flickered, "Josephine, I... I do have that thought. But, I hope you are willing to..."

Josephine earnestly yet numbly looked at him, "I am willing now."

"You like me, and I have nothing to repay you with."

"I don’t want you to love but never fully receive, and I don’t want you to have regrets..."

Julian Grant saw the numbness in her eyes, feeling a pain like needles piercing his heart.

She wasn’t truly willing; she just treated this as a "gratitude repayment," as a transaction to settle her debt of gratitude.

He suddenly released her wrist, took half a step backward, his gaze filled with helplessness and urgency: "Josephine, this isn’t repayment! I help you because I want to, not to have you repay me in this way!"

"What I hope for is that one day you genuinely fall in love with me, willing to be with me..."

Josephine chuckled ruefully, then removed her outer clothes, then unbuttoned her front-fastening bra.

"Is there a difference?"

As the bra clasp came undone.

Her flawless jade-like perfect figure was abruptly exposed to his view.

Boom!

Julian Grant’s mind became a whirlwind, staring at her unblinkingly.

Josephine took the initiative to move closer, raising her head to kiss him.

Sometimes, the more unattainable something is, the more one becomes obsessed with it.

Only after truly experiencing it.

Will one realize that it’s just that.

Her giving herself wasn’t to keep him, but to completely push him away.

If he never gets a taste, he might always be thinking about it.

She might as well let him have his wish.

Let him know that she is no different from other women and has nothing special.

He can completely find a better and more perfect woman.

"Josephine, don’t do this... if you keep this up, I really won’t be able to control myself..."

He reached out, intending to touch her face, but fearing to touch her tense nerves, he could only hover mid-air before retracting: "What I want is for you to truly want to be with me, to believe that I can protect you, not like this... treating yourself as a bargaining chip."

Josephine: "I’m being genuine now, with no pretense whatsoever."

"What? Don’t you like me anymore?"

Julian Grant’s breath wavered, almost losing control.

But he still firmly suppressed his impulse, his trembling hands closing her clothes, "Don’t...don’t do this..."

"I know you’re not being genuine now, I don’t want to force you, nor let you think I’m taking advantage of you."

"Josephine, believe me, there will certainly be a beautiful ending between us. I hope the reason we are together is love, untainted by any impurities. I love you, without any reason."

"..." After listening, tears welled up uncontrollably in Josephine’s eyes.

Julian Grant gently embraced her, "I know you’re very hurt now, under tremendous pressure."

"You need to calm down, and have a good rest. I won’t lower the standard of love just because you’ve been married."

"Believe me, I won’t let you lose."

Julian Grant’s embrace was warm, carrying a reassuring scent.

The nerves that Josephine had been keeping taut finally collapsed.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, dampening his shirtfront.

She always thought that a man’s affection was either for novelty or possession.

But Julian Grant told her time and again.

What he wanted was sincerity, an untainted love.

"Why..." She buried her head in his embrace, her voice choked with emotion, "Why are you so good to me? I’m not worthy, I have a child, unresolved past, and I’ll bring you trouble..."

"There’s no such thing as worthy or unworthy."

Julian Grant gently patted her back, softly saying: "I didn’t have the chance to be a part of your past, but I want to accompany you in the future. All the troubles, we will solve together. Josephine, these are not obstacles, as long as you are willing to believe in me."

He released her.

Used his fingertips to gently wipe away the traces of tears on her face, his eyes full of determination: "Tonight I’ll sleep on the sofa, you should rest well. Tomorrow we’ll go to the archaeology team, and after you’ve settled things there, we’ll talk about the future slowly."

Josephine looked at the seriousness in his eyes, and the wall she used to isolate herself from the outside world completely cracked.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but no words came out.

How could there not be love between her and Julian Grant?

It was only because they were too young at that time.

Not understanding tolerance, let alone compromise.

They painfully missed each other.

"Don’t overthink it, let’s eat first. I asked my assistant to order your favorite seafood porridge, it should be here soon."

"..." Josephine, with tears in her eyes, gave him a weary smile.

"Wash your face, try to cheer up."

"Mmm, okay."

Soon.

The assistant brought dinner.

Julian Grant served the congee, handed it to her, and peeled some shrimp into her bowl.

He never brought up what happened earlier.

He just subtly cared for her, slowly smoothing the creases in her heart.

At night.

After dinner.

Josephine took a shower and changed into pajamas.

As expected, Julian Grant lay on the sofa, even pulling a blanket over himself carefully, afraid his movements would disturb Josephine in the bedroom.

Josephine lay in bed, listening to the soft breathing from the living room, turning over and over, unable to sleep.

She thought deeply about many things.

Maybe?

Try dating him?

But she thought about it repeatedly and still lacked the courage to face and accept it.

Even if Julian Grant truly loved her.

She couldn’t overcome the obstacle of his parents.

An emotion that isn’t accepted and blessed by the elders is destined to have no good ending.

So, time to cut the losses!

Don’t fall deeper, causing pain for both of them!

...

As the night deepened.

The breathing in the living room gradually became steady.

Yet Josephine still stared at the ceiling with eyes wide open.

She took out her phone, her finger repeatedly sliding over "Julian Grant" in the contacts. In the end, she opened the memo, typed a few lines, then deleted them word by word.

She wanted to say "let’s call it off," but she didn’t even have the courage to press send.

Not sure until what time.

When faint light appeared outside the window, Josephine quietly got up.

Upon reaching the living room.

Julian Grant was still asleep on the sofa, he hadn’t slept well these past few days.

So, he slept especially deeply tonight.

Josephine stood there for a few seconds, her heart aching as if something were squeezing it.

In the end, she had to leave, lacking the courage to accept him.

She quietly packed her luggage, then left a note on the coffee table with only three sentences:

"The archaeology team has an urgent matter, I have to go first. Thank you for your care, don’t come looking for me."

No signature.

No further explanation, fearing that if she wrote one more word, she might not be able to resist turning back.

When she reached the door with her suitcase.

Josephine couldn’t help but glance back at the person on the sofa.

Julian Grant furrowed his brow slightly but didn’t wake up.

She bit her lip, opened the door, and gently closed it.

The door made a soft "click," completely cutting off the warmth in the room.

Josephine stood in the hallway with her suitcase, her fingertips still cold from the doorknob.

She looked up, took a deep breath, and forced herself to turn toward the elevator. She must not look back; looking back would make it unbearable, and if it was unbearable, she would repeat the same mistakes.

During the few seconds the elevator descended.

Her mind replayed Julian Grant’s words from last night, his tenderness when wiping away her tears, and her heart felt like it was pricked by countless tiny needles, a dense pain.

But she knew, long pain is better than endless pain.

An emotion destined for no result does not need to take root and sprout.

...

More than nine in the morning.

Julian Grant woke up from a deep sleep and stretched lazily.

Sunshine flooded the living room.

The note on the coffee table was especially glaring.

"Hmm~, what’s this?"

He picked up the note, the paper crumpled between his fingers.

He read it three times before suddenly jumping up and rushing out of the room, not even changing his shoes: "Josephine! Josephine Thompson!"

He glanced around the hotel lobby and rushed to the door to ask the doorman.

Finding out Josephine had left the hotel just after six in the morning.

"Josephine, how could you do this?"

Julian Grant immediately took out his phone, dialed Josephine’s number, but all he got was the cold "The number you have dialed is currently unreachable."

"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath, turned, and swiftly walked towards the parking lot.

Sitting in the car.

He immediately instructed the assistant to track Josephine’s phone signal and contacted the archaeology team to confirm the site location, speaking urgently: "By any means necessary, find out which site area she headed to, I’m going there now!"

The car sped out, heading towards the airport.

He wanted to reach Aethelburg as fast as possible.

...

In the blink of an eye.

A week had passed.

Julian Grant had searched everywhere he could think of, to no avail.

Josephine never returned to the archaeology team and vanished once again.

...

Caldwen.

Evelyn Thorne similarly hadn’t been able to contact Nathaniel Gallagher these few days.

"Beep beep beep..."

"Hello, the number you have dialed is currently unreachable..."

Evelyn Thorne tossed her phone onto the sofa, the fine lines forming in her meticulously done makeup out of frustration.

She stared at Nathaniel Gallagher’s photo on the coffee table, her fingertips digging into her palm.

After being slapped by Julian Grant at The Grant Family last time, she hadn’t been able to reach Nathaniel Gallagher.

Even his special assistant avoided her, making her growing anxiety unbearable.

"Could it be he really doesn’t care about me anymore?" she murmured, then fiercely shook her head in denial.

"How could this happen? Why is he ignoring me again?"

"Buzz buzz buzz..."

The phone suddenly vibrated; it was a text from an unknown number: "Miss Thornton, President Gallagher is on a private yacht at the Audenburg Docks, but he’s with a lady who seems very close to him."

The attached photo showed.

Nathaniel turning sideways to shield a woman in a white dress from the sea breeze, his gaze filled with a tenderness Evelyn had never seen before.

Her eyes reddened instantly, jealousy coiling around her heart like vines. She grabbed her bag and rushed out, shouting urgently as her driver pulled up the car: "To the Caldwen Docks! Quick!"

The car raced along the road.

Sitting in the back seat, Evelyn Thorne repeatedly brushed her fingers over the photo on her phone screen, with only one thought in mind: she couldn’t lose Nathaniel Gallagher, and she couldn’t let that woman take him away! Josephine had already ruined her chances with Julian Grant; she absolutely couldn’t lose Nathaniel Gallagher as well.

"If he thinks he can cut ties after crossing the bridge, no chance."

"I must see which seductress has latched onto Mr. Gallagher this time!"

Evelyn Thorne’s fury reached its peak.

Just as things with Nathaniel Gallagher were heating up, he suddenly started ignoring her.

She couldn’t stand it, nor did she know what had happened.

Two hours later.

Evelyn Thorne reached the Audenburg Docks at the fastest pace possible.

Unfortunately.

There was no trace of Nathaniel Gallagher to be found.

The docks no longer had any signs of a yacht.

"Hmph, I’ll just wait here..."