CEO Ex-Husband, Don't Bother Me

Chapter 243 - 186: Julian Donovan, I Love You

"Naomi..."

His voice trailed after her, sounding innocent and wronged. Her heart softened for a moment, but then she remembered the pile of things he was carrying and felt she couldn’t forgive him.

In the bustling mall, onlookers saw a pretty girl in a coat striding ahead, pouting as if she were angry. Trailing behind her was a handsome man laden with shopping bags, a helpless look on his face. They seemed like a match made in heaven, leaving people to wonder what they could possibly be bickering about.

"Wife..."

The soft call sounded from behind her again. Naomi Shaw’s hurried steps came to an abrupt halt. A pang of pain shot through her heart. "Husband" and "wife"—such intimate yet common terms of endearment, yet they had never used them with each other.

For all those years, he had been unwilling and she had been afraid, so their relationship had remained polite and distant.

Only now did she truly understand the real meaning of those two words.

Love is truly a two-way street. A one-sided, desperate love couldn’t be considered real love.

But how many love stories in this world begin with both people in love from the start? Someone always has to fall first, to give first. Only then can the other person see their love, be moved by it, and fall in love in return, building a happy marriage together.

But the one who falls in love first is bound to suffer a great deal. Even if they persevere, they might not win the heart of their beloved. So, Naomi Shaw had to be one of the lucky ones. She should be grateful that the man she loved had finally turned around and seen her worth.

’Wife.’ The word sounded a little awkward, but she liked it.

She’d been feeling so fragile these past few days. The smallest things would make her cry, like hearing him call her that.

She turned, tears streaming down her face, and ran into his arms. The little tiff from moments ago was completely forgotten.

To an outsider, the scene might have looked a bit dramatic, but only the two of them knew the depth of emotion behind it.

Julian Donovan freed one hand to wrap around her. "Crying one minute, laughing the next. What am I going to do with you?"

Though his words were a gentle scolding, his heart was melting.

She paid him no mind, snuggling deeper into his embrace and wiping her tears all over his brand-new, expensive suit.

He sighed helplessly. "If you’re still angry, I was going to start calling you ’Babe’!"

"You’re awful!"

She laughed through her tears and playfully punched his chest a few times. Just like that, they had made up.

On the way to Jean Coleman’s, she tried to reason with him. "Julian, can you tell Dean Coleman that we just want a simple wedding? We can just invite a few close friends and family for a meal. I really don’t want to do anything else. Our happiness is for us to know. There’s no need to make a huge public display of it."

He was displeased. "But I want the whole world to know you’re my woman!"

"And they don’t know already? *Sutton* even reported on the proposal that night. What more do you want?"

She called him out. He just laughed. "You knew about that?"

"How could I not? Why would a reporter from *Sutton* show up for a simple proposal? You obviously arranged it ahead of time!"

She shot him a look. Julian Donovan thought for a moment. "Alright, then we’ll have a small, exquisite wedding. We’ll only invite close friends and family. Hmm... In that case, we’ll charter a plane to Maldivia. The scenery there is breathtaking. A wedding there would be so romantic."

"Huh? Maldivia?"

She was completely floored. "Did you misunderstand me? I meant we could just host a simple banquet here in Wincastle. Isn’t chartering a plane to Maldivia just as much of a hassle?"

He leaned back comfortably in his seat, a relaxed expression on his face. "This isn’t up to you, you know. I’m the one marrying you, so I get to say where I marry you!"

"Hey, can you not be so domineering? I’m part of this wedding too, you know. You have to at least listen to my opinion, right?" she protested in frustration. He feigned innocence. "I did listen to your opinion! I changed it to a small wedding!"

"You..."

Since she was driving, she couldn’t get distracted by arguing with him, so she just fell silent and focused on the road.

She truly felt they didn’t need all the pomp and circumstance; she wasn’t the type to care about such things. But for Julian Donovan, if he was going to do it, he was going to give her an unforgettable experience.

After they got out of the car, Julian Donovan pulled her to a stop. He wrapped his arm around her as they leaned against the car and coaxed her in a soft, gentle voice, "Naomi, let’s not fight about the wedding anymore, okay?"

"I just want to give you an unforgettable wedding. I want to make up for what I owed you in the past. I know you don’t care about it, but I don’t want to have any regrets..."

They say it’s impossible to resist a gentle man. Right then, Naomi Shaw found herself unable to parry Julian Donovan’s tenderness, especially with his eyes filled with such a pleading look it made her heart ache. In truth, her original desire for a simple wedding was out of concern for him, as he hadn’t fully recovered yet. Since he was so insistent, she might as well go along with it.

So, she nodded and agreed. "Alright, we’ll do it your way!"

A satisfied smile spread across his lips. Seeing him happy, she couldn’t help but smile too.

’When your worries fade, I can finally smile. When you’re happy, I’m happy.’

After meeting with Jean Coleman, Julian Donovan told her his plan. Jean also thought it was feasible, so they finalized it. Naomi would invite Lara Nash, Mrs. Sommers, Mr. and Mrs. Tyson, and Arnold; they would fly directly from Thailos to Maldivia. On his side, it would be Caleb Rhodes and a few other friends plus their families; they would take a chartered flight from here to Maldivia.

When she called Lara Nash to tell her, Lara was quite put out. "I was going to invite you back for my wedding, and now you’re getting married first! So not cool!"

"There’s nothing I can do! Julian’s the one insisting on it..." she said sheepishly. Lara hemmed and hawed. "Um, Naomi... I don’t think I’ll come to your wedding. I already attended one before, anyway. Besides, I have to prepare for my own stuff here."

"Hey, Lara, what are you so afraid of?" she teased with a mischievous smile. Lara quickly retorted, "What are you talking about? I’m not afraid of anything!"

Naomi said nonchalantly, "Oh? Isn’t it because the World Physics Conference is being held in Wincastle around that time that you don’t dare to come?"

"Pfft!"

Lara defended herself. "I’m really not going. My dad hasn’t been well lately, so I’m busy planning the wedding to cheer him up!"