The Ex-Wife He Can’t Have novel Chapter 2

"Where have you been, coming back this late?" she demanded sternly.

Exhausted, Jillian bypassed her and headed upstairs.

"You didn't cook, you didn't do the laundry. Don't you know Connor has school tomorrow?"

Mrs. Zeller's sharp voice trailed after her.

Jillian's footsteps faltered on the stairs for a moment before she continued ascending.

Mrs. Zeller wasn't just an ordinary housekeeper. She had raised Killian from childhood, and he treated her like a second mother.

Flaunting her elevated status, she found fault with Jillian at every turn.

She claimed to be helping with the child, but in reality, she handled every single aspect of Connor's life.

Even when he was a baby, she insisted on washing every single cloth diaper by hand.

She also personally managed Killian's meals, wardrobe, and daily routines.

"Sleep, sleep, sleep. All you do is lie in bed all day. Aren't you afraid of turning into a fat cow? If you hadn't trapped him, our boss would never have married a woman like you."

Downstairs, the sound of Mrs. Zeller slamming things around echoed loudly, clearly intended for her to hear.

Slam!

Jillian's response was shutting her bedroom door, leaving Mrs. Zeller to roll her eyes at the second floor.

Utterly drained, Jillian sat down at her vanity table and stared at the woman in the mirror.

A slightly heavier figure, a blurred jawline, dark circles, and faint yellow spots at the corners of her eyes—compared to her graduation days, she looked as though she had aged three decades.

And this was after she had intentionally put on makeup for the afternoon event.

She was actually only twenty-seven, but how had she gotten so old?

Wasn't marrying the man you loved supposed to bring happiness?

Jillian raised a hand to touch the faint lines around her eyes, wanting to ask herself if she had been happy these past few years. Before the answer could even form, tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

After crying it out, she felt a little better.

Jillian pulled out her phone and made a call.

"Hello," Daniel answered, still driving.

"Daniel, you mentioned before that you wanted me to work at your company. Is that offer still valid?"

Daniel paused in surprise. "Of course."

"However, new hires need to undergo training abroad for two to three years, after which you'll be assigned a specific role based on the company's needs. Would that..."

"I can do it," Jillian stated firmly.

This time, Daniel fell silent.

He knew just how much Jillian loved Killian. Back then, to earn the Quincy family's approval, she had poured all her energy into that household, never working a single day outside.

Such a suffocating environment wasn't something one could simply walk away from overnight.

The handsome man and beautiful woman looked like a perfect match even just from their silhouettes.

Natalie texted: "Killian, is this your girlfriend? When are you going to introduce us?"

The family group chat was dead silent.

Jillian stared at the screen, and a second later, the photo was retracted.

A pale, powerless smile surfaced on her lips.

Everyone in the Quincy family knew she was in this chat.

It was just that absolutely no one cared about her feelings.

In their eyes, she was worse than a mere puppet.

Her phone rang again.

It was Sienna.

"Come to the estate for dinner tonight."

Without waiting for a reply, she hung up immediately.

By the time Jillian rushed to the estate, she spotted Killian's car parked outside.

Sienna summoning the whole family over had to be about that photo.

As Jillian stepped into the living room, she heard Connor's innocent, childish voice ring out: "Then are my mom and dad going to get a divorce?"