The High-Libido CEO’s Cold Wife Chapter 02
An hour later, Julian carried me from the bathroom and gently laid me on the bed.
Every muscle felt weightless with exhaustion, and the mattress beneath me might as well have been a cloud.
“Good night,” I murmured.
He paused and bent to stroke my cheek. “You’re tired already?”
I nodded solemnly. “I drove back from the preserve today, and I’m exhausted.
You should get some sleep too.”
Julian studied my face for several seconds, clearly waiting for me to notice everything he had not said aloud.
In the end, he answered with tender disappointment. “All right.
You sleep first.”
I closed my eyes rather than look at the desire still burning in his.
By my standards, I had taken an enormous step toward him that night. I sincerely believed it should have been enough.
[Is she blind? Can’t she see that he is still frustrated?]
[She changed, but only a tiny bit. It wasn’t nearly enough.]
[She has seriously underestimated the hero’s stamina.]
[That hour was only Julian’s warm-up.]
[He was preparing for a marathon, and she stopped at the starting line.]
[She served him an appetizer and soup, then skipped the main course. Of course he isn’t satisfied.]
[If he had married the Sirenthorn heroine, tonight would have been a feast.]
[What a waste. A man that passionate married such a cold supporting character.]
[Chloe often disappears into the preserve for two weeks at a time.]
[Julian has to drive there whenever he wants to see her.]
[Even when he visits, work always comes first for Chloe.]
[She locks herself in the lab and leaves him alone at the cottage.]
[Then she rejects him because she’s tired.]
[When she gets busy, she makes him wait three months.]
[Most people get paid monthly. She hands out quarterly bonuses.]
[No ordinary man could take that, much less someone with Julian’s needs.]
[If I were him, I’d want a divorce too.]
[Don’t fall asleep, Chloe. He has enough energy to keep going until sunrise.]
Physical desire had never occupied much space in my life, and I had always assumed that was simply part of my nature.
That hour in the bathroom had truly been enough for me, and I had no energy left to entertain Julian until dawn.
I decided I could make it up to him after I slept.
Promising myself that delayed affection was still affection softened the guilt enough for me to relax.
My head touched the pillow, and I fell asleep immediately.
Half-conscious, I felt two large hands pull the blanket over me.
I rolled onto my side and kept sleeping.
Julian remained beside the bed, watching me for so long that clouds eventually covered the moon. By then, the last trace of hope had disappeared from his eyes.
Then I heard him say, “Chloe, I want a divorce.”
I opened my eyes and looked at him.
His expression held none of the frustration of an impulsive threat. He looked like a man who had considered the decision repeatedly and finally accepted it.
Because the comments had warned me, I did not appear especially surprised.
I rubbed my eyes. “Could we talk about it tomorrow?”
His disappointment deepened.
“Fine.” He rose and headed toward the study.
[I give up. That woman doesn’t have a heart.]
[Julian asked for a divorce, and she told him to wait until tomorrow.]
[She sounds as if she can’t wait to get rid of him.]
[She might as well write I DON’T CARE across her face.]
[He must be completely crushed now.]
[Julian married her only to repay the previous generation. He never loved her.]
[Once the divorce is final, the hero and the Sirenthorn heroine can finally enjoy themselves.]
[The sooner he leaves, the sooner he’ll be free.]
The invisible audience had mistaken exhaustion for indifference. I cared far more than my reaction allowed Julian to see.
I had worked in the laboratory until six that morning and slept only four hours before my colleague Ryan called me awake.
We had been studying an unusual vine.
Anyone pricked by its thorns bled pale blue and developed an intense feverish arousal similar to the effects of an aphrodisiac toxin.
The response could also become addictive. Victims felt compelled to prick themselves again.
Repeated exposure eventually caused a dependence on the plant toxin.
Our laboratory code name for the vine was Sirenthorn.
We had no idea how many people had already encountered it.
Our current priority was isolating the toxin and developing an inhibitor capable of interrupting the dependency response.
Ryan’s early call had not been casual. He believed he had found a lead capable of changing the direction of the entire project.
I rushed to the lab and buried myself in experiments until six that evening.
After dinner, I continued reviewing data and research papers in the study.
It was a miracle I had stayed awake in the bathroom at all.
By the time I reached our bedroom, exhaustion had become so complete that no crisis could have kept me conscious.
[Fine, we understand. You’re brilliant and emotionally detached.]
[Your career comes first, and the hero can wait.]
[Chloe’s ambition isn’t a bad thing.]
[But Julian needs a partner who can provide emotional support.]
[They simply aren’t compatible.]
[Their marriage forced two mismatched people together and exhausted them both.]
[Julian is tired of being ignored and shut out.]
[He’s already drafting the divorce papers in the study.]
[Chloe can spend the rest of her life with her laboratory.]
Even my dreams were filled with experiments.
Just as I was about to discover an antidote, the laboratory door opened.
Julian’s personal security detail sealed the entrance.
One of the guards addressed me politely. “Mrs. Caldwell, Mr. Caldwell is reclaiming the preserve and closing the laboratory.
You have three days to move out.”
The dream changed.
I clung desperately to Julian’s leg. “Please, Julian.
Don’t divorce me, and don’t take the lab away.”
He threw the divorce papers at me and answered coldly, “No.”
