Divorce With Benefits: A Second Chance At Love-Chapter 129: Harold’s Disappointment

When Harold arrived at the office, he was met with an unusual request—Lila had asked him to meet her in the women’s restroom. His brows furrowed in confusion, a knot of worry tightening in his chest.

Why the restroom? Was she hurt? Injured? Or worse? Harold didn’t hesitate, his mind racing with possibilities as he made his way there.

The moment he stepped inside, his eyes swept over her, searching for any sign of distress. But Lila was fine. She stood by the counter, her composed demeanor instantly soothing the panic that had gripped him.

Harold exhaled a deep sigh of relief, his shoulders dropping slightly. "You scared me," he muttered, stepping closer. "When you asked me to come here, I thought something had happened..."

He didn’t even notice when Lila quietly turned the lock on the door, her movements deliberate but subtle. He was too caught up in his own whirlwind of emotions, needing to let them out. Harold approached her, his arms wrapping around her in a tight embrace. He clung to her, craving the solace only human connection could provide. The weight of the day—of everything—pressed down on him like a physical burden, and for a moment, he allowed himself to lean on her.

"I was having a really bad day," he admitted softly against her shoulder. "When you called me, I thought—" His words faltered as he struggled to articulate the storm brewing within him.

Lila’s hand slipped into his trousers, her intentions clear and unapologetic. Harold stiffened, caught off guard by the shift in tone. Usually, he appreciated Lila’s preference for action over words, her ability to cut through his overthinking with raw, physical connection. But today felt different.

Today, he needed more than the physical—he needed someone to hear him, to understand the chaos inside his head.

"Lila..." he began, his voice hesitant as he pulled back slightly to look at her. "Won’t you ask me about my day?"

Her eyes met his, and she smiled, a playful curve of her lips that didn’t quite reach the emotional depth he was searching for. "We can do much more fun things than talking about our day, Harold," she replied, her voice silky and teasing.

"But—" he tried to protest, his words caught in a tangle of frustration and longing.

Lila pressed a finger to his lips, her touch firm yet gentle. "Shh," she whispered, her tone dropping into something sultry and commanding. Her gaze never wavered as she slowly sank to her knees, the air between them thick with unspoken tension. "I didn’t summon you here to talk, silly," she said, her words dripping with seduction. "Let me make your day better..."

Before he could utter another word, she used her teeth to unzip him, her actions deliberate and tantalizingly slow. Harold’s breath hitched, his conflicting emotions swirling like a tempest inside him.

Part of him yearned to lose himself in her touch, to let her distraction sweep away the weight of his worries. Yet, another part of him craved something deeper, a connection that could soothe not just his body but his troubled mind.

For now, though, he let her take control, surrendering to the moment even as the unresolved turmoil simmered quietly beneath the surface.

As the minutes stretched on, Harold felt himself teetering on the edge of losing control. Lila’s movements were calculated and intimate, her touch a seductive distraction from the storm raging inside him.

Yet, even as his body responded to her, a small but insistent voice in his head refused to be silenced. It wasn’t enough. Not this time.

"Lila, stop," he said abruptly, his voice firm and laced with an unexpected vulnerability.

She paused, looking up at him in surprise. Her hands stilled, and for a moment, the air between them grew tense. "What’s wrong?" she asked, her tone half-curious, half-irritated.

Harold stepped back, adjusting his clothes with trembling hands. "This... This isn’t what I need right now," he said, his gaze meeting hers. "I thought—" He cut himself off, trying to collect his thoughts. "Lila, I thought we were building something real. Something more than just... this."

Lila rose to her feet, smoothing down her skirt as her expression shifted to something unreadable. "Harold," she began carefully, her voice softer than he’d expected, "I never promised you anything more. I thought you understood that."

His stomach sank. "What are you saying?"

"I’m saying that I’m not ready for a relationship," she said, her tone matter-of-fact but not unkind. "I like what we have—the physical connection, the fun—but I’m not looking for anything deeper right now. I thought you were okay with that."

Harold stared at her, the weight of her words crashing over him like a tidal wave. For a moment, he couldn’t speak, couldn’t even think. The vulnerability he’d shown her, the moments he’d shared, felt exposed and raw, met not with understanding but a cold, indifferent truth.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Lila pressed, her voice sharp and defensive. "As if you expected more. You have a fiancée, for fuck’s sake, Harold. Did you really think I was waiting for you to break your engagement and come running to me?"

Her words sliced through him, sharper than he’d thought possible. She didn’t understand. How could she not see it? He was going to break his engagement—for her. He was going to fight his family, his responsibilities, everything, to be with her. Heart, body, and soul, he had planned to make her his.

"Lila," he said, his voice finally breaking through the thick haze of emotion, but she cut him off.

"I cannot give you anything more than this, Harold," she said, her tone softening, but it did nothing to lessen the blow. "I thought we understood each other."

Harold’s chest tightened. The air felt heavier, harder to breathe. He looked at her, searching for something—an opening, a crack in her resolve, anything to indicate that she didn’t mean what she was saying. But there was nothing. Just her composed, determined expression that told him she had already made up her mind.

"I see," he finally said, his voice tight and controlled, masking the turmoil inside. He turned toward the door, his movements stiff and deliberate, his fingers fumbling slightly as he unlocked it.

Before stepping out, he glanced back at her one last time. His expression was a mix of disappointment, sadness, and a flicker of resolve. "I need time to think about this, Lila. To figure out what I want... and what I’m willing to settle for."

Without waiting for her response, Harold stepped out of the restroom, the door clicking shut behind him. The cool air of the hallway hit him like a slap, a jarring contrast to the heated emotions swirling within him. He leaned against the wall, running a hand through his hair as he struggled to steady his breathing.

His phone chimed with a text, and he checked it.

[Catherine is going to the Hilton Hotel. Guess who just signed in there? Philip Glover.]

Harold’s heart skipped a beat upon seeing that.

Was Catherine there to meet with Philip Glover?