You're Just My Ex-Husband,My Lord-Chapter 25- if you don’t love me

Is he out of his mind?

Not to mention they were in the middle of a divorce—back when they weren’t, he wasn’t the type to show his emotions openly. Doing something as bold as kissing her in public was completely out of character for him!

"Lord Washington—"

Just as Dave was about to move to sit with Laurent and their daughter, someone else in the lounge stood up and greeted him.

Out of courtesy, Dave had no choice but to get up and engage in small talk.

The man, an acquaintance of Dave’s from the business world, was a few years older. After shaking hands, his gaze shifted to Laurent and their daughter sitting nearby. With a teasing smile, he remarked, "Lord Washington, how nice of you to accompany your wife and child on a trip!"

Laurent, still seated, heard the exchange loud and clear. The way the man addressed her as Dave’s wife made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

I’m about to have nothing to do with him anymore, alright?

And to make things worse, she was certain the earlier kiss hadn’t gone unnoticed by the others in the lounge, which only made her feel even more uneasy.

Just then, her daughter, who was engrossed in a cartoon, suddenly said she needed to use the restroom. Seizing the opportunity, Laurent got up and hurried out with her, glad to escape the awkward atmosphere.

After her daughter finished in the restroom, Laurent deliberately lingered, wandering aimlessly around the terminal. She wasn’t eager to return and face Dave again.

It wasn’t until Dave called, his tone impatient as he asked where they were and reminded her that it was almost time to board, that she reluctantly returned with her daughter. Upon rejoining him, she ignored him entirely, deciding she’d just chalk the earlier kiss up to being nibbled on by a pig.

The three of them boarded the plane without issue. Thanks to their daughter, who was thrilled by her first long-distance trip, Laurent found some peace. The little girl was brimming with curiosity, peppering Dave with questions about everything. Laurent, meanwhile, put on her headphones, leaned back in her seat, and enjoyed the blissful feeling of being in her own little world.

She felt so at ease that she didn’t even realize when she had fallen asleep—and dreamed.

In her dream, she was back on the day she gave birth to her daughter. She had hoped for a natural delivery, but after enduring excruciating pain and still being unable to deliver, she was wheeled into the operating room for a C-section.

But Dave was nowhere to be found throughout the entire process. He was reportedly tied up in an important negotiation and couldn’t leave.

Her father, who had rushed over from their hometown with her mother out of concern for her, was furious when he heard this and stormed off in anger.

She remembered every word her father said that day, clear as crystal.

"A man who can’t be there for his woman when she’s giving birth—what kind of man is that? We’re talking about two lives here, one big and one small!"

Back then, she had still defended Dave, saying he was busy with work and that she had given birth two days earlier than expected, leaving him no time to rearrange his schedule.

But her father had rebuked her. "It’s because he doesn’t truly care about you. It’s because he doesn’t love you. If he truly had you in his heart, he would have planned his work around your due date weeks in advance."

Looking back now, every word her father said felt like a piercing truth.

If Dave had truly cared for her, he would have overcome any obstacle to be by her side, just as he had stayed by Clark’s side that night.

When someone truly cares, even a minor illness becomes significant. When they don’t, even a life-changing event like childbirth is something they’ll overlook.

Waking from her nap, having relived such a painful memory, she felt an icy chill settle over her heart.

It was then she realized that Dave was sitting across from her, his deep gaze fixed on her.

At some point, someone had draped a thin blanket over her, removed her headphones, and turned off the Japanese listening exercise on her phone. Her daughter, Emma Washington, was now soundly asleep in the seat beside her.

Noticing her awake, Dave pulled his gaze away and broke the silence with a teasing remark.

"Were you listening to Japanese to study or to fall asleep?"

Laurent could tell he was trying to lighten the atmosphere between them. But her heart was frozen, her emotions dulled by the memories that had resurfaced. There was nothing he could say to thaw the icy void inside her.

Laurent thought to herself, even if he were to tell her he loved her now, she would feel nothing.

Adjusting her posture, she looked at him and said in a calm, detached tone,

"Dave, if you don’t love me but refuse to divorce me, do you hate me that much? Do you feel the need to torment me like this?"

As expected, Dave’s expression darkened immediately. He had just been trying to lighten the mood and improve the strained atmosphere between them, and now she had to bring up divorce again, ruining the moment.

His face grew cold as he bit out a warning through clenched teeth,

"We’re here to make our child happy, not to upset her. So for the next few days, I don’t want to hear the word ’divorce’ again!"

Laurent met his glare head-on, unfazed by his anger. Her voice remained steady and emotionless as she replied,

"Then let’s finalize the divorce as soon as we get back."

"Shut up!"

Dave practically roared, his voice echoing in the confined space of the plane.

"Do you believe I won’t throw you off this plane right now?"

Laurent tilted her head slightly and gazed out the small window beside her, her eyes drifting to the expanse of sky outside.

The clouds outside were thick and white, like soft cotton, a view so serene it could calm anyone’s heart. Laurent suddenly curved her lips into a faint smile and said softly,

"Sure. Living like this is exhausting anyway. Falling and ending it all would be a relief."

She didn’t look back after saying this, keeping her gaze fixed on the beautiful scenery outside. It wasn’t until a moment later, when she noticed the silence on his end, that she realized he hadn’t snapped back at her as usual.

Curious, she turned to look at him and was taken aback by his expression. His face was unusually stern, cold, and alarmingly intense.

Dave glared at her, his voice brimming with anger and frustration.

"You have a child, parents who love you—don’t you think it’s incredibly irresponsible to have such thoughts?"

Laurent blinked, confused. What thoughts?

Then it clicked. Did he think I meant I wanted to die?

She had only said it offhandedly, playing along with his earlier words. She had no such intentions. As he’d pointed out, she had parents and a daughter—people she cared about deeply. There was no way she’d ever leave them.

But, just to needle him, she replied, "What’s so irresponsible about it? When the pain builds up enough, you stop caring about anything else. All you want is to find relief."

She finished speaking and was rewarded with the sight of his face paling slightly. The satisfaction that filled her made her mood instantly brighter.

For reasons she couldn’t quite explain, she now felt a certain joy every time she saw him so furious that he could barely contain himself. It was cathartic.

Before the trip, Laurent had already anticipated that traveling with Dave wouldn’t be pleasant. What she hadn’t expected was that their disagreements would start as soon as they checked into the hotel.

At the front desk, Laurent was surprised to find that only one room had been reserved. Dave had booked just a single room for the three of them. She had no intention of sharing a room with him—especially not while they were in the middle of a divorce.

Standing her ground, she looked at him and firmly said to the receptionist,

"It’s not appropriate for us to share a room. Could you please arrange for an additional one?"

Dave, irritated by her cold and deliberate attempts to distance herself from him, shot back,

"We’re legally married. Why would we need two rooms?"

Laurent, unwilling to back down, insisted on staying separately.

"Yes, we’re legally married, but we’re also in the process of getting divorced."

Dave let out a cold snort.

"You’re the one who wants the divorce. As far as I’m concerned, divorce or no divorce, it doesn’t exist."

With that, he took their daughter Emma’s hand and started walking away, refusing to book a second room.

Laurent was left speechless by his stubbornness, but she wasn’t about to concede to staying in the same room with him. Gritting her teeth, she pulled out her own bank card. After returning all his cards to him, she was left with just the 30,000 her mother had transferred to her. She had hesitated to spend it earlier because she didn’t want to waste that money.

It was her parents’ hard-earned savings. How could she justify using it for a stay in such an extravagant hotel? The places Dave booked were always luxurious and opulent—her small sum would barely cover one or two nights.

Besides, he was the one who proposed this trip to Disneyland. Shouldn’t he take responsibility for this additional expense?

Still, since he refused to get another room, she decided to bite the bullet. Worst-case scenario, she could borrow some money from Adeline later and repay it bit by bit.

Just as she was about to hand her card to the receptionist, a large hand suddenly reached over and snatched it away.

Dave had returned, his face dark with anger. His low, frustrated growl accompanied the action.

"Why are you so stubborn?"