CEO Ex-Husband, Don't Bother Me-Chapter 46: Leaving (Part 1)

"Julian, aren’t we not supposed to... do this right now?"

Julian Donovan released her lips, his voice raspy in the darkness as he corrected her,

"It’s best that we don’t, but it’s not completely out of the question!"

"Young Master Donovan, you’re a man who’s about to be married. Do you really think going out to find another woman right now is a good idea?"

Naomi Shaw pushed against his chest,

"But... I’m scared..."

"Tell me if you start to feel uncomfortable..."

"Good girl."

The sounds of him getting dressed, opening the door, and going downstairs followed. Then, a car engine started outside. She lay there, stiff as a board, her hands clutching the blanket tightly, staring wide-eyed into the darkness and forcing her tears not to fall.

After driving away, Julian Donovan pulled over to the side of the road. He took out a cigarette and lit it, his handsome profile looking agitated in the flickering glow. ’He’s been acting so strangely lately,’ he thought. When dealing with all sorts of matters, he’d inevitably consider Naomi Shaw’s feelings—like that night with Juliet Jennings, for example.

Flicking the ash from his cigarette, he took another harsh drag. ’Perhaps,’ he mused, ’these strange feelings for her are just a habit, formed simply because she’s been a constant presence for the last two years.’

Fortunately, he was leaving for Meridia soon. Perhaps once they were apart, these feelings would vanish. Comforting himself with this thought, he extinguished his cigarette, started the car, and drove away.

「The next day, in Julian Donovan’s office.」

He was leaning back in his chair, his eyes lowered as he focused on the documents Ken had handed him. Dressed in an exquisite black silk shirt and a silver-gray tie, his perfect face was placid and expressionless.

Ken stood with his hands clasped in front of him. After a moment’s hesitation, he finally spoke, testing the waters.

"Young Master Donovan, would it be possible to reschedule your trip to Meridia?"

Julian Donovan picked up a pen to make annotations, replying without even looking up,

"Impossible!"

Ken, who had followed him for two years, was not a talkative man, but this time, he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

"But this isn’t fair to Miss Shaw!"

Julian Donovan’s hand, in the middle of signing, paused. A flash of impatience crossed his brow.

"What’s fair or unfair got to do with it?"

Ken was completely unintimidated by the cold fury in his master’s expression, his tone remaining blunt.

"The groom is jetting off to Meridia on his wedding night, leaving his new bride all alone. How is that fair to her?"

Julian Donovan signed his name with a flourish and tossed the document in front of Ken. He looked up, his eyes glacial.

"I told her long ago. This is what she gets for being so stubbornly obsessed!"

If this were ancient times, with Julian Donovan as the king, Ken would surely be the loyal minister risking death to offer blunt counsel. What followed was a prime example of such a minister provoking his king:

"But didn’t she want to go to the hospital, have an abortion, and settle things with you once and for all? Why did you stop her?"

"The blood of the Donovan Family is not something she can dispose of as she pleases!" came the irritated voice.

"Then you could have just had her give birth to the child and brought it back to be raised here. Why was it necessary to marry her?"

"It’s because Ian Shaw pressured me, using the favor I owe him!" he roared, glaring darkly at the unfazed "loyal minister."

"Even if you are indebted to him, you could have politely declined! You could have compensated them with a fortune equal to half of The Shaw Dominion. Why was it necessary to marry her?"

"Get out!" The roar echoed throughout the office.

"Yes, sir." The "loyal minister" calmly took the signed document and turned to leave. ’Sigh,’ he thought. ’I risked my neck saying all that, just to force him to face the truth.’

That afternoon, Naomi Shaw was preparing to go to a bookstore to buy some books on caregiving. With nothing else to do, she figured she might as well settle down and study something she’d always had an interest in. Perhaps it was only natural for a kind-hearted person like her to want to learn a skill that would allow her to help and care for others, to bring them a sense of warmth.

She had just stepped out the door when she received a call from Ken. As he beat around the bush, never quite getting to the purpose of his call, she interrupted him with a faint smile.

"Ken, is this about his trip to Meridia? What day is he leaving? I’ll pack his luggage for him."

Ken sighed, his heart aching for how perceptive she was.

"The night of... your wedding!"

Naomi Shaw froze for a moment. Then, her lips curved into a faint smile as she spoke softly,

"Okay, I understand."

She hung up. ’Could anything be more ironic, more cruel than this?’

Her enthusiasm for the bookstore completely gone, she turned back, went home, and pulled out his suitcases to start packing. He hadn’t returned since that night. She folded his clothes neatly, one piece at a time, and placed them in the luggage, along with all his personal effects from the house. In the end, she had packed two large suitcases. She knew he probably didn’t need any of these things, but she thought, ’It’s better if he takes it all. If I don’t have to see it, it won’t weigh on my mind.’

Julian Donovan and Naomi Shaw’s wedding took place at the seaside. The uniquely tropical azure sea and sky, red-tiled roofs among lush green trees, soft white sand, flowing gauze canopies, a brilliant red carpet... a gentle breeze, fine wine, exquisite food, a perfect moment with a gorgeous view, a handsome groom and a beautiful bride—everything was so perfect it felt like a dream.

Perhaps it was the beautiful atmosphere or the enchanting scenery, but all the unpleasantness seemed to fade away. Julian Donovan’s mood wasn’t as gloomy as he’d anticipated, and Naomi Shaw even forgot about the fact that he was leaving tonight.

Julian Donovan stood at one end of the red carpet, watching her approach calmly on Ian Shaw’s arm. Her gown and hair fluttered in the wind. As the breeze lifted her white veil, it revealed her delicate features, accentuated by exquisite makeup. For an instant, his heart skipped a beat.

While he was still lost in his thoughts, she and Ian Shaw arrived before him. He instinctively reached out his hand, and Ian Shaw gently placed her soft, warm hand in his palm. The gentle touch seemed to soften his heart. Many years later, on a day he found himself at another’s wedding, the memory of this moment would feel like his heart being ground to dust by something sharp, an excruciating pain.

After all the daytime festivities had died down, the two returned to their new home in utter silence. Naomi Shaw, still dressed in her crimson wedding gown, stood silently in the living room, watching as Julian Donovan picked up his luggage and walked toward the door without a backward glance.

Just as he reached the door, Julian Donovan stopped. After a long moment, he turned to face her, a flicker of anguish in his eyes.

"Naomi Shaw, this is the consequence of ignoring all advice and insisting on loving me. Let the two of us be trapped in this marriage. You can’t get out, and I can’t get in!"

With that, he picked up his luggage and left. Naomi Shaw stood frozen on the spot, staggering slightly.

’So, it was all my fault. My mistake was falling in love with him, loving him with such blind devotion.’ A bitter ache surged in her chest and stung her eyes, wave after wave, but they remained painfully dry, refusing to shed a single tear.

’Perhaps this was heaven’s punishment for being so willful and stubborn?’

She turned and slowly made her way upstairs. ’I can’t love him anymore. I won’t love him. I really must stop,’ she told herself. This punishment was cruel enough; it was enough to turn her heart to cinders. She would just have to hold on until Ian Shaw passed away, allowing him to depart without any regrets. After that, she would be the one to file for divorce.

’But... is it truly a mistake to love someone who doesn’t love you back?’

When Lara Nash heard what Julian Donovan had done, she was so furious she almost shattered her teeth. Clenching her fists, she seethed, forcing the words out one by one.

"Ju... lian... Do... no... van... You absolute scumbag!"

Naomi Shaw couldn’t help but be amused by her friend’s fury. It was a classic case of the onlookers being more anxious than the person involved. She, the one at the center of it all, wasn’t nearly as enraged. Or perhaps, she had already reached that state where the greatest sorrow is a dead heart. Once one’s heart is cold, anger becomes irrelevant.

Seeing Naomi not only fail to be angry but actually laugh, Lara Nash grew even more exasperated.

"Naomi, how can you laugh when he’s treated you so horribly? Hmph! He’d better pray that one day he doesn’t regret hurting you this badly. And when that day comes, Naomi, you can’t forgive him, even if he gets on his knees and begs!"