A sliver of unexpected emotion began to bloom within her.
After a moment, she realized exactly what that fleeting thought in her heart meant.
She touched her cheek.
Then she looked back at Ian's rest area.
-
Tonight was meant to be an all-night celebration.
Everyone boarding the ship had been assigned a room, and Sebastian was no exception.
However.
His room was located diagonally across from Ian's.
As he passed that door.
Sebastian's dark eyes stared at it, his face devoid of expression.
He could naturally tell that the Gallagher family was pushing hard, even insisting on giving Raelynn and Ian a formal title in front of their social circle to lock them together.
They wanted to officially chain Raelynn and Ian to one another.
And today.
Raelynn had walked straight into Ian's room...
He stopped at the door for a long time.
He never raised his hand to knock.
Instead, he turned and went into his own room.
He looked down at his cast-bound leg and his recently injured arm. His eyes were entirely devoid of warmth as he rolled up his sleeve and pressed his fingers against the bandage.
In no time at all.
The sterile dressing began to seep with blood.
The wound underneath had split open again.
Yet, he seemed completely impervious to the pain. Without changing his expression, he stared at the bloody bandage for a long time, then pulled out his phone and made a call.
It rang several times.
Before someone slowly picked up.
"Who is this?"
She gave him no leeway whatsoever.
Sebastian wasn't surprised; that was simply Raelynn's nature—she drew clear lines between love and hate.
He looked out at the dark night, speaking with feigned indifference. "They might not have your level of experience."
Raelynn chuckled. "Sebastian, you are not my responsibility. You took that whip for me because it served your interests. What do you expect in return now? We aren't married anymore. Any random woman you find tonight would treat you with a hundred times more care than I would."
Her words.
Were sharp and absolute.
Spelling out the brutal truth.
Sebastian glanced at his bleeding arm, his expression so detached it was as if the injury belonged to someone else.
In the midst of that tense, deadlocked silence.
Something seemed to happen on Raelynn's end.
He heard her hesitantly call out, "Ian?"
A second later.
Ian seemed to have moved closer to her. His voice, thick with overwhelming desire, filtered through the receiver. "Raelynn, I want you..."

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Boss, Your Wife Signed the Divorce Agreement Before the Wedding
I think for as slow as the beginning was, their turning point is just so fast... really hope we actually get to read about R and S and their rekindle.... we did not read 950 pages for their story to be sidelined. Im for this sideline story, but it if it's to separate from the main characters and their story, please make it separate book....
Author please update more chapters...
I really like Zella, she is becoming a good friend to Raelynn. Ian needs to go. The relationship with Chloe is confusing. Some chapters they are cousins, sometimes they're sibling. A little confusing....
Julians role as big brother- I feel comes from a genuine place, but in a relationship thats is just as stained as Raelynns and Sebastians. It hard for me to connect to his big brother role as he too was such a problem before. And while they talked a little bit, the conversation did not give me the believe there was resolution between Raelynn and Julian. For a brute, he should make his feelings clear about the situation to Raelynn and then step back, until there is more foundation for him to stand on....
Knife in my heart. I hurt for Raelynn. She has made it this far, but how much does she have in her, everyone has a breaking point. Some back of me hopes the author is joking to lighten the mood after so many intense chapters, but thats not this kind of story or couple....
My heart cannot take this. This, cannot be how it ends with these too. They need resolution with each other. Raelynn needs to be more humanize with Sebastian. We know she is hurt, but this is the branch. She needs all these answers, if not for them to be together, then for Lily to have both her parents. Stop with the mind games Raelynn!...
Its like the story is just repeating itself...
Timeline is getting lost for me. So many treasured little memories Raelynn has but yet, he was gone for years ? Anyways... still rooting for them! These two need a heart to heart. Lily "forgetting" someone, not possible in this day and age and I hope thats not their storyline....
Sebastian, the man of few words.... needs to find all the words! Needs to fight for her! On note, seven years seems like a long time for this master plan (which I am sure goes back much farther). Rereading this novel, and it seems like everything has played out in a 5-8 month time span. And I feel like all Sebastian's doings/ plan have not been revealed. I hope we get to see the whole picture and have the resolutions we hope. But seven years of mistreatment, I just don't see Raelynn fully coming back. If these was 2-3 years, maybe, and I know it changes some characters around, but it would still work. Rooting for them!...
Literally on edge!...