CEO Ex-Husband, Don't Bother Me

Chapter 219 - 172: A Glimmer of a Clue

Sean Donovan completely understood her shock. After all, he had been just as stunned when Julian Donovan agreed. He’d never realized Julian’s love for her ran so deep—deep enough to willingly renounce all his status and wealth. But the deeper Julian’s love, the more determined Sean was to keep them apart.

So he walked up to her, took her hand, and smiled tenderly. "But even though he agreed, I turned him down. In my heart, you’re a priceless treasure!"

To Naomi Shaw, however, those tender words were unspeakably cruel. Sean Donovan was truly a monster who devoured people, bones and all.

Sean Donovan held her hand, pulling her closer. His eyes were brimming with affection, but the sight only filled Naomi Shaw with terror. She remembered the time he had forced a kiss on her. ’If... if Sean tries to kiss me now, what do I do? What do I do?’

’If I push him away, Sean will definitely get suspicious, and everything I’ve worked for these past few days will be wasted. But if I don’t... the thought is sickening. I feel so repulsed. What do I do? What in the world am I supposed to do?’ As Sean Donovan’s face drew nearer and nearer, the despair in her heart grew overwhelming.

Just as Sean Donovan’s lips were about to press against hers, a sudden cramp seized her stomach. She cried out, clutching her abdomen as she doubled over. The glass she was holding clattered to the floor. Startled, Sean Donovan immediately crouched down to support her. "Anna, what’s wrong?"

Her face was pale as she groaned, "My stomach... there was a sudden, sharp pain..."

She had never been so grateful for pain. This sudden stomach ache had saved her from Sean Donovan’s kiss.

She was clearly in agony, and Sean Donovan could see she wasn’t faking it. He quickly pulled out his phone. "I’ll call an ambulance and have you sent to the hospital right away!"

She put a hand on his arm to stop him. "Don’t. I know a thing or two about illnesses. It’s just a stomach ache, no need for a hospital. Just find some stomach medicine for me, that’ll be enough!"

’This stomach pain is probably because I’ve barely eaten lately,’ she guessed. ’And what Sean just said was such a shock... This must be the result of all that suppressed anger.’

"All right. Let me help you back to your room first."

Sean Donovan looked genuinely worried. Her sudden collapse had clearly given him a scare; after all, he wanted her healthy and by his side. He brought a whole pile of stomach medications up from the medicine cabinet, and she chose one she recognized and took it. Still, Sean Donovan wasn’t reassured. "If you’re not better by tomorrow, you have to tell me. I’ll take you to the hospital."

"Okay. It’s getting late. You should get some sleep. I just need to rest."

She had used her stomach pain to make Sean Donovan leave. Looking at her pale face, he didn’t say anything more and left the room. She buried her face in the covers and began to sob quietly.

She couldn’t bear to imagine what would have happened if her stomach hadn’t acted up and Sean Donovan had kissed her. Even more, she couldn’t bear to think about what Sean had told her—about Julian being willing to trade his entire fortune for her.

’I must have committed terrible sins in a past life,’ she thought, ’to deserve this inhuman torment now.’

The next evening, Sean Donovan said, "Get ready. We’re going out for dinner tonight!"

"Why go out? Can’t we just eat here? The food out there isn’t very clean..."

She was now loath to appear in public with Sean Donovan. She was afraid of being photographed, afraid that Julian would see it and be hurt all over again.

Even though she’d taken stomach medicine the night before, her stomach was still bothering her the next day. She didn’t even leave her room for breakfast, so Sean Donovan brought a bowl of plain porridge in for her.

"I can’t eat..."

She truly had no appetite. Sean Donovan’s face was filled with concern. "You can’t skip meals when your stomach is already bothering you."

Before she could say anything, Sean Donovan’s phone rang. He set the bowl down and stepped out of the room to take the call. She picked up the bowl and forced down a few mouthfuls of the porridge.

A moment later, Sean Donovan came back in. He sat on the edge of the bed again and looked at her. "I have to go out for a while. You stay here and rest. Call me if you need anything."

"Mm-hmm..."

She agreed quietly. In the days she’d been at the mansion, Sean Donovan had hardly stepped foot outside. She wished he would go out every day so she wouldn’t have to be around him.

Besides, with Sean Donovan gone, she could finally search the mansion and see if she could find any evidence for the police.

And so, the moment she heard a car engine start outside, she got out of bed. From the balcony, she watched Sean Donovan’s car drive away and let out a long sigh of relief.

First, she sent a text to the detective, letting him know Sean Donovan was out for the day. Then, she left her room and went downstairs. Enduring the pain in her stomach, she went to the front door to check outside. After making sure no one was around, she came back in, intending to search Sean Donovan’s bedroom first.

But just in case Sean Donovan came back unexpectedly, she waited in the living room for half an hour, pretending to watch TV. Her reasoning was twofold. First, it took twenty to thirty minutes just to drive from the main house to the estate’s front gate; by now, he was surely long gone. Second, her stomach was starting to feel worse again. It seemed yesterday’s medicine had worn off.

Just as she started to get up to go to Sean Donovan’s room, her stomach twisted with a pain so violent it felt like the world was turning upside down. She couldn’t even move. ’This is bad,’ she thought grimly. Her mood had been abysmal lately, and she’d had no appetite. Especially since arriving at Sean’s, she’d barely eaten a single proper meal. ’Could this be acute gastritis? Or an ulcer?’

She tried to push herself up to find some medicine, but as soon as she was on her feet, a piercing pain shot through her, and she collapsed onto the floor. Left with no other choice, she grabbed her phone and called Sean Donovan. There wasn’t another soul in the mansion, and she didn’t want to die here.

She had to call Sean Donovan’s number several times before he finally picked up. The pain was so bad she was on the verge of tears. "Sean, my stomach... it’s hurting again. Can you... can you please send a driver to take me to the hospital...?"

The pain was truly unbearable. Her stomach was twisting and churning, and she felt like she was about to start writhing on the floor. Sean Donovan could hear the agony in her voice and said urgently, "I’m on my way back now!"

Then he hung up. A small, strange part of her was grateful for Sean Donovan’s concern. If he had ignored her, she might have actually died from the pain right here.

After hanging up, she really did begin to writhe on the floor, clutching her stomach in agony. That was the scene that greeted Sean Donovan when he burst through the door. Horrified, he rushed over and helped her up. "Anna, just hold on! I’m taking you to the hospital right now!"