The discharge paperwork was completed in no ti. Before leaving, Naomi Shaw went to check on Arnold. He still hadn’t woken up, but the doctor said his condition had improved significantly and he should be fine before long.
Julian Donovan had hired the best private nurse to care for him. If Naomi’s wrist wasn’t injured, she would have insisted on looking after Arnold herself. Gazing at Arnold’s much thinner fra from outside the room, she sighed, a wave of sadness washing over her.
"Arnold, you have to pull through. Dylan and I will co see you again tomorrow!"
Julian Donovan’s newly purchased house looked like an ordinary two-story residence. It was situated on an unremarkable corner, secluded and safe. He had bought nearly all the surrounding houses and filled them with bodyguards. At present, no one knew about this place besides Julian.
’He had always known his status was sensitive, but he’d never truly considered her personal safety before. Although the highly skilled Arnold was by her side, he had never taken security asures this strict.’
’Yes,’ he thought, ’the reason I’m doing all this is definitely because of Dylan. Dylan is my son, the flesh and blood of the Donovan Family. Of course I have to ensure his safety. If sothing happened to her, Dylan would surely be devastated.’
Julian Donovan carried Dylan up to the second-floor bedroom, and Naomi Shaw followed them in, her heart filled with apprehension. The chaotic scene she had witnessed at the hospital left her feeling nothing but guilt. Julian put Dylan down and turned to leave. He had spent the entire morning in a mad rush looking for her, and he still had an important eting to attend.
Seeing that he was about to leave, Naomi Shaw quickly stepped in front of him.
"Julian, please don’t be angry anymore, okay? I really know I was wrong..."
Tears welled in her eyes as she spoke. Julian Donovan shot her a fierce glare.
"I have things to do. I’ll be back tonight to settle this with you!"
Dejected, Naomi Shaw let go of his sleeve and turned to sit on the edge of the bed. Dylan, feeling sorry for her, sidled up and whispered,
"Mama, why is Papa in such a stinky mood? You already apologized, but he’s still mad at you!"
Julian Donovan, who had just turned to leave, overheard this. He spun back around, staring at the little boy with a mixture of anger and amusent. The little one pouted.
"Hmph! I’m never going to be like you when I grow up!"
And so, the little boy grew up to be a man completely different from Julian Donovan—refined, elegant, polite, and humble. To put it simply, he beca a cunning little fox.
The little boy sidled up to Naomi Shaw and declared with great solemnity,
"Mama, don’t be sad. When I get really, really strong, I’ll protect you!"
"Dylan Donovan, you worry about too much. Wait until you’re grown up first!"
The little boy’s grown-up-like words made Julian Donovan, the husband, feel completely undermined. Annoyed, he threw that last remark at his son and turned to leave.
After Julian Donovan left, Naomi Shaw sighed sullenly. ’What will it take for him to stop being so cold and angry? Then again, maybe I should just let him be mad. Our relationship was always this lukewarm anyway. But whenever I rember the fuss he made looking for today, I can’t help but feel guilty.’
Dylan furrowed his little brow in thought, then looked up at her and said,
"Mama, how about when Papa cos back tonight, you give him a kiss!"
Naomi Shaw was mortified. Dylan leaned in and gave her a little kiss on the cheek.
"If you kiss him, he won’t be mad at you anymore, right? That’s how I always cheer you up, hehe..."
Naomi Shaw was both exasperated and amused. ’How does such a little person know about these things?’ She gently pinched his soft little cheek.
"Oh, Dylan, I think your papa is right. You really do worry too much. Co on, Mama will take you downstairs to play!"
"Okay..."
The little boy replied glumly. Even at his young age, he could tell that the relationship between his parents was unusual.
That evening, Mrs. Somrs was preparing ingredients for dinner when she said to Naomi Shaw,
"Naomi, dear, give Julian a call. Ask him if he’s coming ho for dinner tonight!"
Naomi Shaw hesitated.
"There’s no need to ask, is there? He probably won’t be back for dinner, and he probably won’t stay here either."
It had been so, so long since they had spent ti together, so she felt awkward about interacting with him. Plus, after making him so angry during the day, the thought of calling him gave her a headache.
Mrs. Somrs was displeased with her inaction.
"What do you an, ’probably won’t be back’? What if he does co back? We’re not at The Shaw Residence anymore; it’s just preparing everything. If he cos ho and we’re not ready, we’ll be running around in a panic. You silly girl, what’s the big deal about making a phone call?"
Resigned, Naomi Shaw took her phone and, after dawdling for a long ti, finally dialed his number.
"Julian, um... are you coming ho for dinner tonight?"
His voice sounded displeased.
"If I don’t co ho to eat, where else would I go?"
His retort left her speechless. She simply said she understood and hung up, then told Mrs. Somrs that he was coming ho for dinner.
However, even though he’d said he was coming back, when dinnerti arrived, he called again. He said sothing had co up at the last minute and that they shouldn’t wait for him. So she, Mrs. Somrs, and Dylan ate first. Later, long after Dylan had fallen asleep, he still hadn’t returned. She had intended to go to sleep too, but for so reason, she found herself leaving a light on and waiting for him.
After all these years, being good to him had seeped into her very bones, becoming an instinct she had to consciously fight if she wanted to be cold or distant toward him.
She had thought they would spend the rest of their lives as strangers, one in ridia, the other in Thailos, cold and distant. She never expected this series of events to happen, and she certainly never expected that he would choose to stay and be with her and their son.
’I really want to know,’ she thought, ’is he doing this out of love for Dylan, out of a sense of responsibility for this family, or... because he cares about , even just a little?’
The sound of an engine broke the silence outside. She threw on a coat and went downstairs, just in ti to see him walk in looking exhausted. It seed he’d been drinking again, and her heart ached for him.
"Why didn’t you have Ken call ahead? I could have made you so sobering soup!"
He stopped in front of her, his gaze lowered to her face. His jet-black eyes locked onto hers, filled with an expression Naomi Shaw had never seen before—so complex and intense that she could barely withstand it. Just as she was about to look away, he suddenly spoke.
"Naomi Shaw, actually... you’re a good person."
Just that one sentence was enough to make Naomi Shaw’s eyes fill with tears.
After so many years of silent devotion, all to earn that one word of praise from him. Even if that word wasn’t the "love" she’d hoped for, for now, she felt it was enough. She knew he wasn’t the type of man to use sweet words; getting a word like "good" from him was already a rare treasure.
Mrs. Somrs heard the noise and was about to co out and ask Julian Donovan if he wanted sothing to eat. But when she heard his words, she stopped in her tracks. Hiding in her room, she wiped away tears of joy for Naomi. ’As long as Julian is willing to fix his attitude and really try to be with Naomi, he’ll definitely fall in love with this kind and beautiful girl.’
Julian Donovan said only that one sentence before turning and heading upstairs. This recent series of sudden events had made him see clearly that no matter how much he had once rejected this woman, she had indeed beco an indispensable part of his life. She was his wife, the mother of his child. ’Maybe I shouldn’t get entangled with Juliet Jennings anymore. Maybe I should try to have a real relationship with her. Perhaps one day, I might even fall in love with her.’
Naomi Shaw followed him upstairs, her head spinning slightly. The joy in her heart swirled, refusing to dissipate. ’Does what he said an he doesn’t reject like he used to?’
She was so lost in her thoughts that as soon as she entered the bedroom, she walked right into him. He had stopped and turned around, and he took the opportunity to catch her in his arms, pinning her against the door. He let out a cold snort.
"Don’t think I’ve forgotten about what happened today!"
She looked up at him and asked uneasily,
"Then what will it take for you to not be mad at anymore?"
"Is this enough?"
Panting softly, she let him go, thinking she was finally free.
"What if I say it’s still not enough?"
"But... but... my hand is injured..."
"When have you ever needed to use your hand? Oh, that’s right. You have. You used your hand to take care of once when it was inconvenient for you. But tonight, I imagine it’s quite convenient, isn’t it?"
Her only thought before falling asleep was, ’He’ll probably have cooled off by tomorrow, right?’
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