The Ex-Wife He Can’t Have novel Chapter 3

"Silly boy, don't listen to Natalie's nonsense!"

After reassuring him, Sienna scolded Natalie, "What kind of rubbish are you spouting? You act out of line all day long, teaching the child bad things."-

Natalie grinned mischievously. "Alright, I won't stick around to chat. I'm leaving."

Passing by the doorway, she walked right past Jillian as if she were invisible, humming a tune as she went.

Jillian stepped inside. "Sienna."

Sienna gave a curt nod.

"Eleanor has gone upstairs to rest. I'm the one who asked you both to come."

Out of the corner of her eye, Jillian caught sight of Killian sitting in a single armchair. He sat with his legs apart, leaning forward, flipping through a magazine as if none of this concerned him.

His strikingly handsome, chiseled features were flawless from every angle, yet an aura of cold detachment radiated from him, instinctively keeping people at bay.

The old Jillian always courted disaster; every time she saw him, she couldn't suppress the urge to get closer.

Even when he treated her with disgust, she happily accepted it.

"You all know Natalie's personality. What happened today was just her making a joke. Nobody is to take it to heart, and nobody is to mention it again, understood?"

Killian stood up and strode toward the door. He had never liked listening to Sienna's nagging.

"Dad..." Connor chased after him, grabbing his hand.

Only the two women were left in the living room.

Sienna let out a heavy sigh, leaning back as she gave Jillian a blatant, scrutinizing once-over.

"Killian is a businessman. Mingling and putting on a show at social events is entirely normal."

"We don't expect you to help Killian with his career, but the very least you can do is fulfill your duties as a wife. Dress yourself elegantly and keep the house spotless."

"Being Mrs. Quincy was never meant to be easy. If you think a marriage certificate means you can just sit back and relax, you are sorely mistaken."

"Consider this a lesson. From now on, learn how to be a proper wife to Killian."

Jillian stood before her with her head bowed, her legs growing numb from standing so long.

Connor frowned. "Nothing."

Jillian paused, then pressed, "Then where did Dad take you this afternoon?"

Keeping his eyes fixed on the water, Connor whined, "Ugh, Mom, stop asking. You're scaring all my fish away."

Jillian stopped talking, the dappled light reflecting off the water making her face look ghastly pale.

She bit her lip, swallowing the dense, overwhelming bitterness welling up inside her.

Connor had been born with a weak constitution, so she had stayed home to take care of him.

Despite his frailty, the boy had inherited Killian's temperament. He was much more mature than kids his age and shared the same icy detachment.

He used to be very clingy with her, but for some unknown reason over the past two years, he had slowly begun to distance himself.

Killian walked into the living room.

Sienna's tone was full of helpless regret. "I really like Sylvia too. I often think how wonderful it would have been if you had married her. But your marriage to Jillian is already a fact. If only for Con's sake, you need to keep a lower profile."