The Ex-Wife He Can’t Have novel Chapter 100

"I bet she literally followed Killian out the door. This is exactly the kind of pathetic stunt she pulls. She comes from nothing. Trash will always be trash."

"Alright. That's enough."

Just as the peanut gallery was hitting its stride, Gibson abruptly cut through the noise.

He was naturally aloof and hated gossiping behind people's backs, so he had never participated when the group trashed Jillian in the past. But over time, their constant venom had undeniably colored his perception of her.

The rest of the table fell silent, assuming he was just annoyed by the topic. Killian, however, paused mid-cut, his eyes darting toward Gibson in mild surprise.

Sylvia's face darkened. Looking thoroughly irritated, she stabbed her knife into the beef in front of her.

For whatever reason, the premium steak was slightly overcooked today. No matter how hard she sawed at it, it wouldn't yield. Frustrated, she slammed her knife onto the plate.

"Don't be so harsh," Sylvia finally purred. "I saw Daniel Langley taking her out to eat not too long ago. Maybe he invited her here tonight, too."

A perfectly sliced piece of steak was placed gently onto her plate. Killian smiled lazily, his tone teasing. "You couldn't just ask me for help?"

Sylvia beamed, leaning toward him affectionately. "I didn't want to bother you with something so trivial."

Jillian walked away from the room and headed in the opposite direction. It was her first time here, and after circling the floor, she realized the sprawling restaurant was split into two separate wings. Daniel had booked a room on the other side.

Finding the correct room, she stepped inside and immediately handed over a small gift bag. "Leon, since today is your first day back, I didn't have time to prepare much. It's just a small token of my appreciation."

Leon graciously accepted it. "Thank you so much. Out of all these guys, you're the only one who actually thought to get me a gift."

"Oh, come on, that's just rude! Am I not showing enough appreciation by paying for this massive dinner?" Daniel protested with a laugh.

The waiters brought out the food, and the room dissolved into cheerful chatter and laughter, occasionally drifting into industry shop talk.

Though Jillian wasn't naturally outgoing, she chimed in effortlessly no matter what technical topic was raised.

"You know our arrangement. I don't involve myself in her affairs."

Gibson frowned, casting a hard look at Killian.

No wonder Jillian was severely depressed. Married for five years to a man who treated her like thin air, and trapped in a household that openly despised her—no woman could survive in that environment with her sanity intact.

The fact that she recognized her own illness, actively sought medical help, and was fighting tooth and nail to save herself was nothing short of miraculous.

Speaking purely as a psychiatrist, Gibson realized Jillian was far from the cowardly weakling everyone claimed she was. On the contrary, she had an incredibly resilient mental core.

"Gibson," Killian suddenly chuckled. "I used to wonder if you just weren't interested in women."

Gibson instantly understood the implication. "Don't get the wrong idea. She was my patient. It's perfectly normal for a doctor to care about their patient, to analyze their social environment and the root cause of their illness."

"I didn't say it wasn't normal."