Seeing her look away and turn to enter the hospital room, Julian Donovan grabbed her arm and roared furiously,
"Naomi Shaw, what’s with the attitude?"
’She’d been talking to him in that snide, passive-aggressive tone ever since she called, and now she was doubling down.’
Naomi Shaw’s arm ached from his tight grip, but she didn’t make a sound. She just bit her lip, glaring at him defiantly as tears began to well in her eyes.
’If he’s still so hung up on his first love, if he’s going to trap in this loveless marriage, then he should stop pretending to care! Stop giving hope! I’d rather we end up hating each other. At least then the separation won’t be so painful. I can’t keep clinging to these scraps of kindness only to be destroyed by the pain of it all later.’
Julian Donovan’s eyes blazed as he gripped her slender arm, wanting nothing more than to break her. But then his gaze fell on the tears shimring in her eyes and the slight swell of her stomach. With a cold snort, he finally flung her arm away, though his harsh glare never left her.
Naomi Shaw leaned her back against the wall, her eyes downcast as she panted softly, trying to calm herself. She knew she had just lost control. ’I thought after so many days apart, I’d be as calm as still water when I saw him,’ she thought. ’But I’m more flustered than ever. A single phone call with Juliet Jennings and I just couldn’t hold it together.’
Mrs. Somrs walked over, carrying a container of food. The mont she saw the furious Julian Donovan and Naomi with her head bowed in silence, she quickly stepped forward with a smile to break the tension.
"What’s going on here? Why are you both standing out here instead of going inside?"
Neither of them spoke. In the end, Naomi Shaw was the one to yield.
"I’m going in to see Dad."
She mumbled wretchedly and turned to enter the hospital room. The mont the door closed behind her, hot tears finally stread down her face. She looked at Ian Shaw, sleeping on the bed with his eyes closed, and murmured in anguish,
"Dad, what am I going to do? I promised myself I would stop loving him, so why does my heart still get so flustered by him, completely out of my control?"
Outside the door, Mrs. Somrs glanced at Julian Donovan’s face, which was still clouded with anger.
"Julian, I just brought this food from ho. Why don’t you co in and have so?"
’What’s gotten into these two kids?’ In her mory, the two of them had never had such a serious fight. They’d hardly ever exchanged a cross word. Naomi was always so gentle; she would never do anything to upset him.
"I’ve already eaten!"
After saying that, Julian Donovan shot another venomous glare toward the hospital room before turning on his heel and striding away. ’I was just trying to be nice, take her out for a bite to eat, and get her so rest. Who knew she’d lash out at like so little beast with new-grown fangs? No good deed goes unpunished.’
Ian Shaw passed away three days after Julian Donovan’s return. In the days following their unhappy parting, Julian and Naomi had almost no contact. They only saw each other a few tis when Julian ca to the hospital to pay his respects. During those visits, she remained distant, her expression revealing nothing of her feelings. Still angry about how she had treated him, Julian was in no mood to show her any concern.
In his final monts, Ian Shaw grasped both of their hands. He struggled to open his mouth, but he no longer had the strength to speak a single word. Of course, Naomi Shaw knew what he wanted to say. Heartbroken, she collapsed beside him, weeping uncontrollably.
’She had only called him back to put on a show for her father’s sake. But after their fight, she couldn’t bring herself to reach out to him again. Now, seeing the worried look on her father’s face, her heart twisted in agony.’
Perhaps it was the heart-wrenching sight of her tears, or perhaps it was the heartbreaking hope in Ian Shaw’s eyes. Julian Donovan put an arm around Naomi, who was sobbing as if her heart would break, and pulled her close. He leaned down and spoke to Ian Shaw.
"You can rest easy. I will take good care of her."
After hearing his words, Ian Shaw finally loosened his grip, closed his eyes, and passed away peacefully. Naomi couldn’t hold back a devastating wail. Mrs. Somrs, Tyson, and the others standing vigil all felt their eyes redden as tears began to fall.
’If it weren’t for the baby in her womb, she didn’t think she could ever overco the loss of her father. The pain was too much, a soul-crushing agony. The person who had been both father and mother to her, who had worked so hard to raise her and had showered her with endless love, was simply gone. The thought alone made her heart spasm with pain.’
’After experiencing a loss like this, she felt there was no other pain in the world she couldn’t endure. The ache of unrequited love was, at best, a re fraction of the agony of being parted by death.’
Julian Donovan and Tyson handled all of Ian Shaw’s funeral arrangents. By the ti everything was settled, two weeks had passed. Naomi Shaw’s emotions had stabilized considerably. She had been staying with Mrs. Somrs at the Shaw Residence, and Lara Nash often ca by to comfort her and keep her company.
For those couple of weeks, she lived at the Shaw Residence while he lived elsewhere. They were, for all intents and purposes, separated. She drifted through her days in a fog, with no energy to even think about Julian Donovan. She vaguely recalled him visiting the Shaw Residence every day, but the mories were hazy and indistinct.
One day, she got a call from Ken. He sounded hesitant.
"Naomi, Young Master Donovan’s flight back to ridia is today. Do you want to..."
What Ken ant to ask was if she wanted to see him off. The couple hadn’t had a single peaceful mont together since Julian Donovan returned. It seed a sha to Ken for Julian to co all this way only to leave like this, so he couldn’t resist ddling and telling her about the flight.
Naomi Shaw was zoning out in the sun on the balcony. Hearing Ken’s words, she shot up from her chair.
"What ti is his flight?"
Ken heard the urgency in her voice and assud she was rushing to see Julian one last ti because she couldn’t bear to let him go. Having been so worried about their relationship, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"Ten a.m.!"
"I understand. Thank you."
After hanging up with Ken, Naomi Shaw checked the ti. She could still make it. She grabbed her purse and headed for the door, calling out to Mrs. Somrs as she left.
"Mrs. Somrs, I’m going out for a bit!"
She had the driver pull the car around. Once inside, she took a deep breath and dialed Julian Donovan’s number. She carefully chose her words before speaking.
"Can you wait for for ten minutes? I need to talk to you."
Julian Donovan had just finished packing and was about to head out the door when her call ca. He answered, raising a handso eyebrow. ’He’d thought she’d gotten so used to ignoring him that she wouldn’t even bother to call when he left.’
’He felt a small flicker of smug satisfaction, but it was instantly extinguished by her tone. His anger flared. When had she stopped even using his na? Just those blunt, cold words. Not a hint of warmth. The anger made his stomach clench.’
Hearing his silence on the other end, Naomi Shaw thought he was annoyed that she was wasting his ti, so she quickly added,
"I won’t keep you long. Ten minutes is all I need!"
’Once he leaves this ti, there’s no telling when he’ll be back. It’s better to settle certain things before he goes.’
Julian Donovan’s hand tightened, venting all his pent-up frustration on the phone. Finally, he bit out a single, dark word.
Then he abruptly hung up. ’He didn’t understand why he’d agreed to wait when he was so furious with her. What was he secretly hoping for? That she’d throw herself into his arms and beg him to stay? If that was the case, he might just consider staying a few more days.’
Hearing the anger in his voice, followed by the dial tone of the disconnected call, Naomi Shaw lowered her eyes and let out a silent sigh. His attitude only strengthened the decision she had made long ago.
When she arrived at the apartnt they used to share, she pushed the door open and stepped inside. The place was much tidier. ’He must have hired a cleaning service,’ she thought. He was lounging on the sofa, long legs crossed, lazily smoking a cigarette. It was the first ti since their separation that she had taken a proper look at him. His features were as handso as ever, his presence as imposing as ever, and as always, he made her heart skip a beat.
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