My CEO Ex: Let Me Go.-Chapter 118
As per tradition, we would have lunch at Ashford Manor and then head to the cemetery in the suburbs.
The lunch was lavish, and the atmosphere at the table was lively.
Especially Eleanor’s childlike chatter, which had everyone laughing from time to time.
Looking at Eleanor’s adorable face, I couldn’t help but smile.
I wondered what my own child would be like. I hoped it would be as cute as Eleanor—carefree and innocent.
Across from me, Alexander was staring at my serene smile, his gaze distant.
Our eyes met unintentionally, and I froze for a moment. With a slight awkwardness, I lowered my chopsticks and quietly excused myself, heading to the bathroom.
After drying my hands, I stepped out of the bathroom and saw someone standing by the doorway.
Dressed in a dark gray coat, shirt, trousers, and leather shoes, his posture was as straight as a pine tree from behind.
I paused in my tracks.
If it weren’t for the half-smoked cigarette in his hand, I might have mistaken him for Alexander.
Alexander doesn’t smoke.
Hearing footsteps behind me, Sebastian turned his head to glance at me.
"Sebastian," I smiled and greeted him, "sneaking off to smoke?"
Sebastian gave a helpless smile as he snuffed out the cigarette. "Lydia doesn’t let me smoke."
"Lydia’s just concerned about you."
"Yeah, I only smoke occasionally. Don’t tell her."
"Alright, I won’t say a word." I wouldn’t interfere too much in the sweet bond between Sebastian and Lydia. "Well, I’d better head back now."
"Wait a minute!" Sebastian called out to stop me.
I halted and turned back. "What’s up?"
"I’ve seen the news online recently."
At those words, I lowered my gaze, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Evelyn and Lydia didn’t ask, and I had pretended to stay calm to maintain my dignity, but Sebastian had just exposed the truth.
"I know it’s not your fault, it’s Alexander’s. Has he said anything about how to handle it? Does he still have contact with Isabella?"
I fell silent, unsure of how to respond.
I prefer to keep my troubles to myself. Even when I wasn’t getting along with Alexander, I never complained to my grandparents. I never pointed fingers at him. Instead, I only shared good news, always maintaining their image of our relationship.
"You don’t have to hold anything back, just tell me the truth. Otherwise, I’ll find out myself!" Sebastian’s voice grew firm.
I furrowed my brows slightly, replying quietly, "He visited Isabella a few days ago."
"I knew it!" Sebastian sighed. "Don’t be fooled by Alexander’s cold demeanor. He keeps a lot inside, and he’s the type who feels guilty and softens easily!"
A cold laugh stirred in my chest.
It wasn’t that he was easily guilty or soft; it was just that the person in question was Isabella.
Alexander had never shown me any softness.
Sebastian noticed my indifferent expression and the unease in my eyes. He paused for a moment before speaking again.
"You should know, Alexander and I share the same father, but different mothers."
I was taken aback, then nodded lightly.
"When he was brought into our family, he was only a year old, and I was five. Even back then, I could sense the change in the adults’ attitudes toward him. I didn’t like him at all. Because of him, my parents fought constantly, and our once peaceful home was never the same..."
I had heard bits of this story before. Later, Matthew Hawthorne and his wife died in a car accident. Surveillance footage showed that they had been arguing fiercely when the accident happened, with the man trying to seize the wheel.
There were witnesses at a nearby rest area who reported to the police that they had seen the couple fighting. They claimed the man had a mistress and had even fathered a child with her...
I suddenly understood something.
In society, illegitimate children are often looked down upon.
Some children, who are more aware and understand the role of a third party, become even more self-conscious, feeling that they shouldn’t even exist.
Even though Alexander came from a powerful family and had the protection of his grandfather, he still had to socialize, attend school, and be around all kinds of people. There would always be someone who would mention his background and mock his origins.
And despite his education and composure, I wondered: did he ever secretly think that he shouldn’t exist?
As for the car accident caused by Matthew and his wife’s argument over him—did Alexander blame himself completely, feeling that he had indirectly caused their deaths? Did he feel responsible for Sebastian losing both his parents overnight?
Sebastian’s next words confirmed my thoughts.
“At that time, I couldn’t accept the death of my parents, and I blamed everything on Alexander. I would often bully him behind our family’s back and threaten him not to tell Pop-Pop. At first, I was terrified—afraid Pop-Pop would find out—but later I realized he would always cover for me. Eventually, Pop-Pop figured out something was wrong...”
“In other families, the older brother would let the younger one have his way, but Alexander always gave in to me. I knew he felt guilty about our parents and wanted to make up for it in any way he could. Over time, it became an obsession in his heart—just like with Isabella.”
“Is that so?” I murmured softly.
“Did Alexander ever tell you about what happened between them?”
I instinctively understood Sebastian was referring to the events with Isabella.
I had heard Maximus mention it once, but I didn’t know the details.
Before I could respond, Sebastian, staring out the window, began recalling the events.
“Back then, Alexander had just joined the company, balancing his studies and work, and he neglected Isabella. They had an argument, and in her frustration, Isabella ran off crying. Alexander didn’t go after her until her friend called to tell him she was missing.”
“Soon after, he received a ransom demand from the kidnappers. The kidnappers had targeted Alexander from the start. Maybe if he had just paid the ransom, Isabella would have been unharmed. But you know Alexander—he doesn’t like being threatened. He called the police, and somehow the kidnappers found out...”
That’s when they resorted to violence against Isabella.
So this was the truth of the matter.
I was moved, just slightly.
The person he loved was kidnapped because of him, and because he mishandled the situation, she suffered. It was only natural for him to feel guilty and heartbroken.
Sebastian, coming from the Hawthorne Dynasty, had grown up in wealth, never lacking anything except the love of his parents. This was something Alexander could never make up for!
But Isabella’s situation was different.
As long as Alexander was by her side, he could heal the wound caused by that incident.
So he promised Isabella he would take responsibility for her...
If I were Alexander, maybe I would have handled things the same way.
But understanding doesn’t mean my heart could go back to how it was before.
It only represents acceptance, a recognition that we were meant to part ways, and that... we should let go and move on.
If there is any blame, it’s for fate’s cruel twists.
That night, by sheer coincidence, I— a girl who could only admire Alexander from afar— was given a chance to get close to him, even marry him.
At the time, Alexander had been single for over a year, and I didn’t know what had happened between him and Isabella.
I thought whatever they had was in the past.
So I seized the opportunity, stepping into the light with hope.
I thought it was a gift from fate.
But now, I understand— it was nothing more than a cruel joke from destiny!
The thought of divorce had never been so clear to me as it was now!
Enough is enough.
Let him fulfill his promises, and I’ll go on living a peaceful life.
A marriage doesn’t always end with dramatic storms or tearful goodbyes. Sometimes, it ends quietly, in the middle of a calm afternoon, at just the right moment when the pages of the story unexpectedly turn to the final Chapter.
The end of a story always has signs—from the beginning, through the development and climax, to the conclusion...
Only the reader sees them.
“Vivienne, if you don’t feel happy, just divorce him.”
