You're Just My Ex-Husband,My Lord-Chapter 32-I beg you
Just as Dave was about to explode with frustration, the little girl spoke again.
"Daddy, if you’re nicer to Mommy, she’ll be nice to you too. My teacher says love is mutual—if you’re kind to others, they’ll be kind to you."
That seemingly innocent remark hit Dave hard.
He understood the concept of mutual love, of course.
But in a marriage that had started with endless resentment and anger, he couldn’t give her the love she needed. The only thing he could do was use every possible means to torment her, to watch her suffer and struggle. That was the only way he could feel some relief.
Yet now, their daughter was telling him to be nicer to her mother, even as their marriage teetered on the brink of collapse.
It was laughable, but also deeply ironic.
Dave would never forget that summer, a few years ago, when his father told him about the love affair between Clark and a bastard child, forcing him to choose between Clark and the Burg Eltz company.
His parents’ marriage had been one of political and business convenience. Although his mother didn’t directly interfere with the company’s affairs, his grandfather, who had been in politics, had strongly supported Burg Eltz when he was in power. The company had almost as much of his mother’s blood, sweat, and tears as it had his father’s. How could he possibly let that company fall into the hands of that bastard and his mother?
And furthermore, how could his mother, the legitimate wife, bear the humiliation of her bastard son taking over the Washington family?
So, at that time, he had no choice but to abandon the woman he loved and choose his career.
Dave would never forget that period, either, when his father used the excuse of tutoring Lilian in Japanese during her senior year of high school to allow Laurent, that woman, to frequently enter their home. Over time, her presence at Burg Eltz grew so dominant that she nearly equaled Lilian in status.
It was precisely because of this that one drunken night, he acted recklessly, leading to her pregnancy and their current marriage.
Wasn’t all of this a plot orchestrated by his father and Laurent?
That was why he resented them, hated them, and blamed them for every failure in his life. Over the years, he had rarely treated them with kindness.
When he was in a good mood, he could be polite and accommodating. But when his mood soured, he was sarcastic and mocking.
So, how could there be talk of love being mutual, like their daughter had said?
Laurent kept her lips pressed tight and didn’t say anything further. She hugged her daughter and left the room.
In the hotel restaurant, Laurent ordered only a bowl of udon. Because of her period, she just wanted something warm to comfort her, and most of the dishes in the restaurant were cold, so she didn’t have any interest in ordering anything else.
On the other hand, Emma Washington, holding Dave’s hand, was mesmerized by the food in front of her, ordering dish after dish. Dave just indulged her, not stopping her.
Laurent, seeing this, couldn’t hold back and spoke up to remind her daughter.
"Emma, what does Mommy always tell you? The farmers work hard to grow food, and we shouldn’t waste it. You’ve ordered so much. If you can’t finish it, isn’t that wasting food?"
The little girl blinked her big, dark eyes, realizing she shouldn’t have ordered so much.
"Mom, I’m sorry. Daddy, let’s not order anymore. I’ll be fine with just these."
However, Laurent’s way of educating Emma only upset Dave, who shot her a displeased look.
"Don’t make it seem like I can’t afford to feed you both!"
He then motioned for Emma to keep ordering.
Laurent was furious. Didn’t he know how to educate a child? Didn’t he realize that indulging her like this was only hurting the child?
She immediately pulled Emma closer, her face stern as she reprimanded Dave.
"Can you stop interrupting me when I’m trying to teach our daughter?"
Laurent wasn’t even sure why she was so angry. Perhaps it was her own emotional state, but she couldn’t help but find fault with everything Dave did. Every action seemed wrong to her, and every word he spoke sounded like a mistake.
Looking down at her daughter, she softened her tone just a little and spoke seriously.
"Let’s just stick with these for now. If you’re still hungry, we can order more later, okay?"
Emma nodded, and Laurent took her hand, leading her back to their seat.
Dave, still stung by her criticism and the command not to speak, stood there with a dark expression. He was actually relieved they were in a foreign country, away from people who might know him. If anyone saw him being scolded like this, he’d lose face completely.
In fact, Dave didn’t indulge Emma when he let her order so much. He simply thought that a single bowl of udon wouldn’t be enough to fill her up. He hadn’t expected that, despite his good intentions, he would end up being criticized.
Because of Dave’s earlier indulgence, their dinner ended up with a table full of food, though Laurent still stuck to her single bowl of udon. Her stubbornness only made Dave think she was being unreasonable.
That night, Laurent and Emma slept peacefully, each minding their own business. Laurent was somewhat relieved that she had her period at this time, otherwise, she wasn’t sure how she would handle being near Dave for the next few nights.
His comment about fulfilling marital duties was her weak point, and no matter how hard she resisted, she couldn’t outmatch him. The result was inevitable: it would end up like last night, with him getting what he wanted.
The next day, Laurent’s stomach was much better, so she took Emma and continued their adventure at Disneyland. She didn’t want her daughter to feel disappointed, especially since it was such a rare opportunity for them to spend time together.
Emma had a blast, and by the end of the day, Laurent was exhausted—her back and feet ached, and she felt like she could barely walk. Meanwhile, Dave didn’t seem tired at all. Most of the time, he was carrying Emma. Laurent couldn’t help but marvel at the difference between men and women. Wasn’t he tired? Or was his physical stamina just so strong that he wasn’t even bothered by two days of non-stop activity?
On the way back, Emma fell asleep again. After settling her in the room, Laurent was too tired to go down for dinner. Dave glanced at her, lying on the sofa exhausted, and ordered room service to have dinner brought to their room.
Laurent was frustrated. She didn’t want to have dinner with him, but he had already ordered and had it sent to her room. It would be awkward not to let him eat there.
After placing the order, Dave went to his room next door to shower and change. Laurent didn’t feel like moving. She just stayed on the couch, closing her eyes to rest.
Her phone suddenly rang—it was an unknown number. When she picked it up, she heard a woman crying on the other end. It was Clark.
"Laurent, give Dave back to me—please... I beg you, give him back. You’ve had him for five years. It’s time to return him to me..."
Normally, Laurent would have been angry upon hearing such words, but instead, she found them laughable. She couldn’t help but laugh as she responded.
"Miss Clark, I think you’ve got it wrong. I’ve already filed for divorce. The problem is, he won’t agree to divorce me quickly. If you want to be with him, maybe you should whisper in his ear more often so we can divorce sooner. I’d be really grateful for that."
