CEO Ex-Husband, Don't Bother Me-Chapter 135 - 126: Sean, How Could This Be?

’I just worked up the courage to try and trust him. How could he do this to me?’

Sean Donovan raised his hand and gently wiped the tears from her face. "I didn’t want to tell you about the complicated history between him and me. I thought as long as we got married and lived a quiet life together, everything would be fine. But I saw you wavering, Anna. I really don’t want to see you get hurt by him again!"

She wept silently, not saying a word. Sean Donovan said softly, "I know you don’t love me, but Anna, I’ll be good to you. And I would never... betray you!"

As he spoke, Sean Donovan took out his phone and pulled up a few photos to show her. As she stared at them, she finally broke down, covering her mouth and sobbing.

The photos were all of him and Juliet Jennings in a close embrace. Juliet was buried in his arms, and he held her gently, the expression on his face incredibly soft. In several of the pictures, his hand was stroking Juliet Jennings’s long hair as he seemed to look down, comforting her about something in a low voice.

’That day, he took a call and said he had some business to attend to back home. So he went back to meet Juliet Jennings. No wonder he didn’t say a single word.’

If she’d held even a shred of doubt about Sean Donovan’s words before, these photos completely shattered the little trust she had left for Julian. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Waves of despair washed over her, just like that shipwreck all those years ago, threatening to finally swallow her whole. ’Julian Donovan, I’ll never love you again. Never.’

They say the greater the joy from love, the deeper the scar it leaves.

The wounds Julian Donovan had inflicted on her before had never fully healed, and now he had carved another bloody gash into her heart. From this day forward, her heart was dead. Not even a doctor as skilled as him could ever hope to mend it.

"I’m sorry, Anna..."

Sean Donovan apologized, his expression full of guilt. "It’s all my fault. I’m the one who dragged you into this. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have been hurt by him again..."

Before Sean Donovan could finish, she cut him off through her tears. "Sean, I just want to be alone right now..."

’My mind is a complete mess. I just want to be alone.’

Seeing the state she was in, Sean Donovan got up to leave. "Okay, I’ll leave you to it. Call me if you need anything. Just know that whenever you need me, I’ll be there."

He spoke those words gently before getting up and leaving. Naomi Shaw closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face.

Joy came out from inside and, seeing her mother’s state, clambered anxiously into her lap. "Mommy, don’t cry, don’t cry..."

Naomi Shaw’s tears only fell faster. She picked Joy up and kissed her. ’Thank God I never told Julian Donovan that Joy is his daughter. If he took her from me, I’d truly have nothing left.’

Tears still streaming down her face, she said to Joy, "Be a good girl, Joy. Go play by yourself for a little while. Mommy’s just going to lie down in the bedroom for a bit..."

Joy nodded obediently. Naomi placed her on the sofa and went into the bedroom. Her heart had grown numb with pain, her mind a complete blank. She buried herself in the covers and let herself go, sobbing uncontrollably.

Sean Donovan had certainly told her a story. A very persuasive one.

She didn’t know how long she cried. Her phone finally rang, jolting her. She glanced at the screen—it was Julian Donovan. ’How could I possibly answer his call now?’ So she rejected it immediately. As her hand moved, her eyes fell on the ring he had given her. She remembered how he had so possessively slid it onto her finger on the plane, and the memory felt like a bitter mockery. She pulled the ring off, placed it back in its box, and put it away.

He called again, relentlessly. She took a deep breath and answered. His voice, filled with concern, came through the line. "Have you made it back?"

"Yeah..."

’It sounded so fake.’ She only gave a short reply to brush him off. ’I thought I’d start screaming and demanding answers the second I picked up. I never expected to be this calm.’

Her voice was hoarse and thick with congestion from crying so much, and he noticed. "Why does your voice sound so stuffy? Is your cold still not better?"

She didn’t answer him, changing the subject instead. "When are you coming back?"

’I hope he comes back soon. The sooner I can tell him my decision, the sooner I can free myself from this whole mess.’

"Sometime tomorrow."

That was his reply. She said flatly, "Then I’ll come to your place tomorrow night."

"Really?"

He couldn’t hide the joy in his voice. She didn’t want to talk to him anymore. "I’m exhausted. I need to get some rest."

Then, she hung up without waiting for him to respond. ’I don’t want to hear another word he has to say. It’s all so phony.’

After hanging up, she pulled herself together, gave Joy a bath, and made a call to Dylan. Only then did she curl up with Joy and go to sleep.

She went to work the next day, maintaining a calm facade. She was swamped with work that had piled up from her time off, keeping her running around all day. In any spare moment, she found work to do for her colleagues. She didn’t dare let herself have a free moment. As soon as she did, she’d remember what Sean Donovan had said last night, and the pain would be so sharp she’d want to cry.

Ever since her relationship with Sean Donovan had become public knowledge, everyone knew. So, Sean Donovan didn’t hesitate to visit her in her department. The younger nurses there would quickly scurry out to give them some space. To outsiders, she, gentle and kind, and he, warm and cheerful, seemed like a perfect match, so they had most people’s blessings—aside from a few young, beautiful, and talented female doctors and nurses, of course.

Sean Donovan looked at her with deep concern. "Anna, are you alright?"

She forced a smile. "Just fine..."

’And why wouldn’t I be? It’s better to find out the truth now, isn’t it? Much better than going back to him only to be cast aside again.’

"Let me take you to dinner tonight. I feel awful for dragging you into this!"

Sean Donovan’s heart ached seeing the smile she’d deliberately plastered on her face. He didn’t want to see her this upset, but he wanted to lose her even less. Even if there were no bad blood between him and Julian Donovan, he knew he could never give her up.

"I have plans tonight..."

Naomi Shaw shook her head. Sean Donovan asked cautiously, "Are you meeting him?"

She looked down and remained silent. Sean Donovan fell silent, too.

After a moment, he spoke. "I’ll be waiting for your decision."

With that, he turned and left. Naomi Shaw thought of the ring in her purse—the one she planned to return to Julian Donovan tonight. She closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath.