The High-Libido CEO’s Cold Wife Chapter 05
Light entered Julian’s eyes.
He closed the distance in two quick steps and held me with the force of someone afraid I might
disappear.
Kissing my forehead, he said in a trembling voice, “Chloe, I’ve waited so long to hear that.”
I breathed out in relief.
For all his wealth, power, and carefully controlled pride, Julian had needed only one honest sentence from me before every defensive wall fell away.
Did that mean the divorce was over?
[Don’t believe her, hero. She’s lying to you.]
[She doesn’t love you. She only wants the wealth and freedom you give her.]
[Your true heroine is waiting right outside.]
[Stop letting this woman fool you.]
After holding me for a moment, Julian called Quinn.
“You can go home, Quinn. My wife and I…”
Before Julian could finish canceling the meeting, the sharp vibration of an incoming message
pulled my attention away from him.
I slipped out of Julian’s arms and opened it.
Ryan: [Chloe, the plant compound from the flower I recovered near the cliff may suppress the
effects of Sirenthorn.]
Ryan: [Unfortunately, the flower is dying. I need your help.]
Ryan: [Photo attached.]
The photograph showed exactly the kind of breakthrough we had been seeking, and scientific
excitement immediately overwhelmed every other thought.
“Julian, I have to go to the preserve. I won’t be home tonight.
We’ll talk later.”
He was still speaking to Quinn and had to swallow the rest of his sentence.
He caught my hand. “Could you stay today?”
If I delayed even one evening, the only viable flower might die before we learned whether its compound could stop Sirenthorn.
Ryan had risked a dangerous climb to recover it from a cliff, and it was the only specimen we had
found.
Flowers had limited blooming seasons. If this one died, we had no idea when we might locate
another.
Restoring failing plants had always been my specialty.
No one on the team had more experience reviving a failing specimen, so my presence at the
laboratory was not optional.
“It’s important.” I drew my hand away.
“You said you would support my career.”
His eyes darkened with possessiveness. “Is it more important than I am?”
I tried to coax him. “I’m sorry, but I truly can’t delay this.”
As usual, I treated Julian’s needs as something that could be postponed. I promised myself I would compensate him after the crisis and not stop until he was satisfied.
Instead of letting me leave, Julian picked up one set of divorce papers and held it out.
“If you insist on going, sign these first,” he said, unable to conceal his hurt.
In my experience, Julian had always been gentle and accommodating. He had never forced a
confrontation with me.
This time, however, the fixation in his eyes only deepened.
[The hero finally found his backbone.]
(It’s a simple choice: her career or her husband.]
Sadness replaced my earlier hope because his ultimatum exposed a conflict that affection alone had
never resolved.
I was emotionally independent and needed a partner who did not cling to me.
Julian needed constant affection and a partner willing to make him a priority.
Neither of us had intended to hurt the other, and neither set of needs was inherently wrong.
We simply were not compatible.
If the comments were right about the story, perhaps letting Julian go would allow him to find the partner who naturally matched him.
I picked up the pen, signed the divorce papers, and handed them back. “If this is what you want, we’ll divorce.”
Julian did not move as I placed the signed pages in his hand. His grip tightened until the paper bent,
and his knuckles lost their color.
I opened the office door and walked away quickly.
Behind me, his expression turned increasingly grim.
The comments filled the elevator.
[She finally signed the divorce papers!]
[Once they file the petition and complete the mandatory waiting period, the court can issue the final
divorce decree.]
[Julian must be devastated.]
[He’ll be fine. Lydia is there.]
[She can comfort him.]
[She’s bringing coffee into the office right now. This is her chance.]
[Our heroine never intended to seduce Julian.]
[But Sirenthorn changed her body, and the attacks are painful. She needs someone close when they
happen.]
So Lydia had developed a condition caused by Sirenthorn toxin.
I suddenly thought of something and decided to ask her for her contact information.
Just before the elevator doors closed, I stepped back out and returned toward the suite.
To reach it, I had to pass the assistants’ work area.
Before I arrived, Lydia’s soft, seductive voice drifted from the adjoining office.
“Could I come to your place tonight?”
I listened for Julian’s reply but heard Lydia make a muffled sound instead.
It sounded as though someone had pulled her into a forceful kiss.
My feet stopped before I consciously decided whether I wanted to witness what was happening beyond the partition.
[Julian kissed Lydia! This story just shifted into high gear.]
[Now this is worth watching.]
[Why isn’t Chloe going any closer?]
[Is she afraid of seeing the one thing she can’t bear?]
[She abandoned Julian first.]
[Now Lydia has taken him, and Chloe has no one to blame but herself.]
The sound was difficult to reconcile with the man I knew, because Julian had always treated consent
as something that could never be assumed.
Even when he desperately wanted to kiss me, he began gently and asked, “May I?”
Only after I agreed would he deepen the kiss.
With Lydia, he finally had no need to restrain himself.
I wanted to take one more step and see the truth.
Before I could move, a slow, unfamiliar jealousy tightened beneath my ribs and made the next step
feel impossible.
Seeing it with my own eyes would only hurt more, and strong emotions would interfere with my
experiments.
I chose the certainty of my research over the possibility of seeing him kiss someone else, then
entered the private elevator and left.
