My CEO HUSBAND sign the divorce novel Chapter 171

Chapter 171: Trapped with Guilt.

My cheeks burned even more, forcing me to lower my head again.....

As per tradition, we all had lunch together before heading to the cemetery.

The atmosphere at the table was lively. Grace kept joking around while Uncle Steve occasionally joined in, making even Nana laugh a few times.

But throughout the meal, I could still feel Alexander’s gaze on me from time to time.

Every time I looked up, our eyes would meet briefly before I looked away first.

After lunch, we got into our cars and headed toward the cemetery.

The Blackwood family’s private cemetery was located on a mountain in the suburbs.

Alexander’s parents were buried there.

Every year on this day, the family would come to pay their respects.

Nana’s health had been poor recently, so she stayed behind at the mansion.

The moment we arrived, the atmosphere grew noticeably quieter.

The wind on the mountain carried a slight chill.

We placed flowers before the gravestones one after another.

"Uncle, Aunt... I came to see you again," Grace said softly while kneeling in front of the graves. "Even though I never really got to know you both properly, I still want you to know that I love you."

Uncle Steve and Aunt Rose also paid their respects quietly.

So did I.

As for Alexander—

he simply crouched beside the gravestone in silence, carefully wiping away the dust gathered around the edges.

He didn’t say anything.

Not even a single word.

Watching him like this stirred something complicated inside me.

From the moment we left for the cemetery, he had become unusually quiet.

It had always been like this every year.

I used to think it was strange.

Alexander had lost his parents young, yet he rarely spoke about them. Even during memorial visits, he remained calm—almost too calm.

Perhaps too much time had already passed.

Or perhaps some emotions simply became buried too deeply to speak about anymore.

The mountain breeze swept past quietly.

Alexander lowered his eyes and continued wiping the gravestone carefully beneath the fading afternoon light.

For some reason—

seeing him like this felt strangely lonely.

After paying our respects, we quietly got into our car to return.

"Home or the mansion?" Alexander asked while keeping one hand on the steering wheel.

"The mansion," I answered immediately. "They’ll be leaving soon. And I want to spend more time with Nana and everyone while I still can."

Alexander glanced at me briefly before nodding.

"Alright. I still have a few things to handle. I’ll drop you off first and come pick you up afterward."

"Okay."

After arriving at the mansion, Alexander drove away again.

I followed everyone else inside. After we all had dinner, I decided to step outside for some fresh air.

The evening breeze in the garden was cool and quiet.

That was when I noticed Uncle Steve standing nearby with a phone pressed to his ear.

When he saw me, he gestured for me to come over.

I walked toward him just as he ended the call.

He studied me silently for a moment before speaking.

"Let’s take a walk."

I nodded.

We walked side by side along the garden path.

After a long silence, Uncle Steve finally spoke.

"I’ve seen the news online recently."

At those words, my gaze lowered instinctively.

Nana hadn’t asked about it directly, and I had deliberately acted calm in front of everyone.

But Uncle Steve had immediately brought it up.

"I know this isn’t your fault," he continued. "It’s Alexander’s."

I stayed quiet.

"Has he told you how he plans to handle it?" Uncle Steve asked seriously. "Is he still in contact with Lilian?"

It was simply because the person involved was Lilian. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

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