You're Just My Ex-Husband,My Lord-Chapter 218- an apology

In the hospital room, Laurent and Dave sat in silence for a while.

After being encouraged by his mother in the afternoon, Dave had started to come to terms with things, but deep down, he still felt awkward.

When a person’s body is fragile, their heart often feels the same. Even someone as proud and strong as Dave couldn’t escape that reality.

At this moment, Dave really, really wanted to hear Laurent say something like "I love you," even if it was only because he had saved her and she had come around. He just wanted to hear it.

Or at least, if she said something comforting, something to soothe him—anything would do.

His shoulder, where the wound was, had begun to itch and hurt again, and he felt miserable.

However, after a long silence, Laurent finally spoke up, saying,

"I never got the chance to thank you... thank you for saving me, thank you for taking the blow for me."

Dave, already frustrated, became even more irritated. He gritted his teeth and retorted bitterly,

"Then how are you going to repay me? How about offering yourself to me?"

Laurent bit her lip, glaring at him. Did he even know how to have a conversation? How was she supposed to respond to that?

If she said no, rejected him, he’d probably be furious.

If she said yes, "I’ll offer myself to you," he’d be happy, but it would feel too hasty.

Today, he had protected her with his body, and she had clearly understood his feelings for her, but she hesitated.

The reason they had maintained a five-year marriage before was because of her almost self-destructive initiative and passion, while he remained on his pedestal, living arrogantly and distantly, detached from everything.

Now, asking him to step down from that pedestal—could he adapt to the mundane, ordinary life of daily chores and simple living? Could he have the patience to maintain that kind of life, and sustain it for the long haul?

Dave, seeing that Laurent remained silent for so long, felt his wound on his back itch unbearably. His mood grew more and more irritable. He raised his hand weakly, trying to scratch the itch.

Seeing this, Laurent quickly stepped forward and stopped him. She gently grabbed his hand, urgently advising him,

"Don’t! Please, don’t scratch! The more you scratch, the worse the itch will get, and it will leave ugly scars."

Dave’s hand was held by hers, and her cool palm immediately brought some relief from the heat of his body.

He raised his eyes, and her delicate face was now just inches away. He didn’t pull his hand away, letting her hold it.

"How do you know all of this?" he asked, his voice low.

Laurent, still holding his hand tightly to prevent him from scratching, explained,

"When I gave birth to Emma, I had a C-section. The wound healed like this, and the doctor told me the same thing."

Laurent spoke without meaning to bring up the subject of childbirth, knowing it was a sensitive topic between them. It was something that carried emotional weight, something that could hurt them both if mentioned.

As a result, the atmosphere between them grew heavy, and they fell into silence. After a long pause, Laurent felt his hand curl around hers, and she looked up to see him struggling to speak.

"They all say childbirth is painful..." he began.

Laurent didn’t want to dwell on this subject, so she turned her gaze away.

Dave, leaning slightly against the bed, and Laurent, sitting beside him, still held hands. He wouldn’t allow her to avoid the conversation, nor would he allow himself to. With some effort, he raised his hand and turned her face back toward him, forcing her to face him directly.

For so many years, he had owed her an apology.

"I’m sorry... I wasn’t there with you when you gave birth to Emma."

Finally, the words left his lips, and although a sense of relief washed over him, it was overshadowed by deep guilt and regret, along with a strong resolve to make up for these feelings with the rest of his life.

Laurent met his gaze and softly replied,

"You don’t need to apologize. At that time, I was willing."

Indeed, back then, she had been willing, which is why she hadn’t resented him for being absent or ignored her. Instead, she had felt only a quiet sadness, a dull ache in her heart.

Dave persisted, not willing to give up.

"Then what about now? Are you still willing to love me, heart and soul?"

Laurent bit her lip in silence, instinctively trying to pull her hand away from his grasp.

A flicker of disappointment passed through Dave’s eyes, and he sighed before speaking again.

"Once my injury heals, let’s go on a trip, okay?" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Laurent looked at him, confused, and Dave tightened his grip on her hand, explaining.

"someone once said, if you love someone, take her on a trip. If, after the trip, you’re still in love, then get married."

Dave spoke each word deliberately, as if weighing them carefully.

"If, after we come back, you feel that I’m still good for you, let’s start over."

In truth, Dave knew that Laurent still held feelings for him.

But he also understood there were certain things—emotions and unresolved issues—that he wasn’t aware of, things that seemed to be holding her back from fully accepting him again.

He hoped that this trip could open her heart to him, to give her the space to feel what she needed to feel and perhaps let go of the past.

Laurent felt a sense of panic at his suggestion, especially the part about getting back together. She quickly pulled her hand from his and stood up, moving to the side

"I just joined this company. I don’t want to take time off anytime soon. We can talk about the trip later," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

The thought of them being together again, of rekindling their relationship, felt overwhelming to her. She couldn’t picture it clearly, and that unease was enough to make her pull back.

Her words, in essence, were a polite but indirect refusal of Dave’s invitation to travel.

On the surface, Dave remained composed, showing no immediate reaction. But inside, he felt a heavy knot of frustration. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of defiance. Once his injury healed, things would be different. She would have no choice. He’d make sure of it.

When the time came, he’d go straight to Matthew. He didn’t believe for a second that Matthew would deny him this favor.