Boss, Your Ex-Wife is Unreachable Now! novel Chapter 268

Willow paused mid-motion, the ointment cooling on her fingertips as Juliette’s uncertain question echoed in her mind. Instantly, her thoughts pulled her back to a night long ago—a night that had marked her, her nineteenth birthday.

Beasley hadn’t been ignorant of who he was holding. That night, there was no gentleness or restraint; instead, he’d taken her with a rough intensity, as if determined to leave his mark on every inch of her body—everywhere except her lips.

Because, as he’d said, she didn’t deserve that.

It was that single, cutting sentence that had prompted Willow to tell him afterward not to worry, that she didn’t expect anything from him. At least he hadn’t taken her first kiss; otherwise, she might have felt even more used, even more disgusted.

Snapping back to the present, Willow finally answered Juliette’s question. “He probably knew, don’t you think?”

As the words left her lips, something else occurred to her. She glanced at Juliette, concern flickering in her eyes. “Wait—Mr. Scott didn’t mistake you for someone else, did he?”

If Lionel had embraced Juliette thinking she was another woman, that would be unbearably cruel. After all, everyone’s reaction to that kind of drug could be different; Beasley’s clarity didn’t guarantee that Lionel had known who was in his arms.

A flush crept up Juliette’s neck. “He called me by my nickname. So, I don’t think he mistook me for someone else.”

“He actually called you Letty?” Willow’s face lit up with surprise.

She’d always suspected Lionel’s feelings for Juliette were different—this was proof, wasn’t it?

Juliette nodded, shy and uncertain, her gaze dropping. “Yeah, but… that doesn’t mean much. It just means he knew it was me, not necessarily that I’m the one he wanted to be with.”

Willow shook her head. “Not so fast. When does Mr. Scott get discharged tomorrow? I’ll go with you to pick him up.”

“What?” Juliette’s eyes went wide in alarm. “You want to go pick him up? Isn’t that going to be… awkward?”

“Whatever it is, we’ll just ask him tomorrow when we pick him up from the hospital,” Willow said, dipping a cotton pad into the ointment and resuming her gentle work on Juliette’s bruises. “Besides, in your current state, you’re not going to the office any time soon. You might as well use this chance to clear the air.”

Juliette had no comeback for that. The marks on her neck would take days to fade, and no amount of concealer could fully hide the bruises on her wrists. She couldn’t exactly wear gloves to work—she’d be announcing to the world that she had something to hide.

“Fine,” she sighed, half-laughing in resignation. “Might as well get it over with. At least the pain won’t drag on.”

“That’s the spirit.” Willow grinned. “This time, you can’t back out.”

Juliette blushed furiously. “I won’t, I promise.”

That night, Willow stayed over at Juliette’s apartment. Tomorrow, they’d go to the hospital together to see Lionel.