CEO Ex-Husband, Don't Bother Me

Chapter 194 - 158: Innocence (Part 2)

Utterly exhausted, he finally tossed his phone aside, closed his eyes, and leaned back in his chair. His mind was flooded with thoughts of her—her delicate face, her soft lips, her small nose, her rounded earlobes... Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, a look of joyous surprise flashing within them. He hastily grabbed his phone, played the video again, paused it at a certain point, and zoomed in. After carefully examining the image, he finally let out a long, deep sigh of relief.

He calmed himself and reviewed the detail one more time before grabbing his jacket, phone, and car keys and rushing out.

"Boss, once she’s eliminated, can I finally be with you openly?"

"Mm."

The man was silent for a moment before giving his reply and heading into the bathroom. That might have been what he said, but what he thought was, ’You can never replace her!’

That’s right. No one could ever replace her. Even though he had spent a fortune to surgically alter this woman’s face into an identical copy, she could never truly take her place. He was only doing this to ease the pain of not being able to have her.

Satisfied, the woman wrapped herself in the blankets and drifted off to sleep. She had no idea that she was the one who would ultimately be eliminated. Her only purpose was to die in the other woman’s place.

A substitute could only ever be a substitute. It could never replace the genuine article.

The first thing Julian Donovan did after rushing out of his office was call his lawyer. "I’ve found evidence that proves her innocence!"

The lawyer, his voice thick with sleep, replied, "Mr. Donovan, it’s the middle of the night. Even if you’ve found evidence, you’ll have to wait until morning to take it to the police."

He glanced at the deep darkness outside and only then remembered it was the middle of the night. Dejectedly, he slumped into his car and said to the lawyer with a hint of apology, "Sorry to bother you. Go back to sleep."

After hanging up, Julian Donovan just sat in his car. Even though it was the middle of the night, he didn’t feel the least bit sleepy. His girl was still suffering—how could he possibly sleep? He just wished time would pass faster, much faster, so he could hurry and rescue her.

With no desire to sleep, he drove directly to the police station and simply parked outside to wait for dawn. He chain-smoked to fight off his encroaching exhaustion, not stopping until the car’s ashtray was overflowing with cigarette butts. Then he just leaned back, watching as the eastern sky slowly began to brighten.

’This ordeal,’ he thought, ’must be heaven’s way of punishing me for all those years I failed to cherish her. These hardships are the tonic that will deepen our bond. I’ll love her more, treasure her more. And I believe she’ll trust me and rely on me even more in turn.’

In the pre-dawn hours, he finally succumbed to his exhaustion, slumping over the steering wheel to nap for a while. He had left a window open for air, and the piercing winter wind howled into the car, but he was so tired he didn’t even notice.

A call from his lawyer woke him in the morning. The lawyer said he’d arrived at the police station and asked where Julian was. He raised a hand to rub his foggy head and told the lawyer his location.

A few moments later, the lawyer was walking toward his car. Julian rolled down the window. Seeing his exhausted face, the lawyer asked in surprise, "You’ve been here all night?"

"Yeah..."

He replied weakly, "Give me a minute."

He then took a razor from the car to clean himself up. By the time he got out, he looked refreshed, with no trace of his earlier weariness. He and the lawyer then strode toward the police station.

The lawyer had notified Sean Donovan first thing in the morning, so Sean also arrived shortly after they did. Naomi Shaw was brought out, and Julian Donovan’s heart ached as he stepped forward to pull her into his arms. He raised a hand to caress her still-pale face. "Are you okay?"

His question made Naomi Shaw’s eyes well up. But seeing the worry and pain in his eyes, she forced a small smile to reassure him. "I’m fine. I knew you would get me out of here."

She had been inside for a day and a night, but no one had given her a hard time. She even had her own room. She knew he must have made arrangements beforehand. Last night, she had gone to sleep early, choosing not to dwell on the situation and simply to trust him.

Seeing that she truly didn’t seem to have been mistreated, Julian Donovan let her go and walked over to the officer in charge of the case. With a grave expression, he said, "I have evidence proving the woman in the video is not her."

To the side, a cold glint flashed in Sean Donovan’s eyes. He knew, of course, that Julian Donovan wouldn’t make such a claim without concrete evidence. Still, he refused to believe that his plan had a flaw for Julian to find. So he watched coldly as Julian instructed the officer, "Please play the video again."

The officer did as Julian Donovan requested and replayed the video. When it reached the part where the nurse stood in Charles Donovan’s room with her back to the camera, Julian called out, "Stop." He then had the officer zoom in until the area behind the nurse’s ear filled the screen.

Julian Donovan walked over to Naomi Shaw and brushed the hair from behind her ear. His expression was icy as he told the officer, "She has a small mole behind her ear. The woman in the video does not."

Julian Donovan had once despised this recording for nearly destroying her. But in this moment, he was profoundly grateful for it, because it was also what would save her.

They had made love for so many years; he knew every inch of her body. Her earlobes were especially sensitive, and he loved to arouse her by nibbling on them whenever they were intimate. And every time, he would see that tiny mole, strikingly clear against her fair skin.

All eyes immediately turned to the large screen. Sure enough, the skin behind the nurse’s ear in the video was smooth and bare. Since nurses tie their hair up under a cap, nothing obstructed the view, making it perfectly clear. After confirming the absence of a mole, the officer stepped forward to inspect Naomi Shaw’s ear. Just as Julian had said, a small mole was there.