Unmasked My CEO Ex-Husband’s Regret novel Chapter 107

Julian was startled and quickly pulled her into his arms. "Let me look."

He wanted to examine her knee, but the cramped office chair made it impossible to check on her properly while holding her.

"Bear with it for a second," Julian coaxed, his voice laced with heartbreak as he scooped her up into his arms, carried her over to the sofa, and gently set her down.

Vivian was wearing a tailored business suit today.

Julian had to carefully roll up her trousers to inspect the damage, but no matter how excruciatingly gentle he was, the rough fabric still scraped against her injured knee.

"Ugh..."

Vivian sucked in a sharp breath. Terrified of upsetting Julian, she immediately clamped a hand over her mouth, aggressively stifling her own cry of pain.

The second her body went rigid from the agony, Julian noticed.

Sensing that Vivian desperately wanted to hide her vulnerability from him, he pretended to be completely oblivious, keeping his head bowed and refusing to meet her eyes.

Julian's hands froze. He didn't dare move another inch, his chest tightening in absolute panic.

He mentally ran through the supplies in the office first-aid kit, deeply unsure if any of the ointments were strong enough to handle the secondary trauma to her fracture.

Julian immediately abandoned the idea of playing doctor. He gripped Vivian's hand tightly and said softly, "Let's go to the hospital."

Vivian was practically delirious with pain, but she reflexively nodded her head.

A second later, reality came crashing back. She kept her hand clamped over her mouth and shook her head frantically, tears welling in her eyes.

Julian was completely bewildered. "What's wrong?"

Vivian was in absolute agony, biting down on her lip so hard it nearly bled just to cling to a shred of sanity. Her voice was raw and choked with sobs. "You need to go back."

Julian froze, suddenly remembering that today was Melody's birthday.

The entire family was currently hosting a massive party at the house, and every single one of them was waiting for him to show up.

But...

Julian rested on one knee beside the sofa, tilting his head up to look at her, his face twisted in agonizing conflict.

He knew he had to go back, but the thought of leaving Vivian like this was tearing him apart.

She was injured, and as her lover, it was his duty to stay by her side and care for her.

Vivian could barely string a sentence together, her tear-choked voice breaking with every syllable. "Melody... is waiting for you... at home."

"...There's no rush."

Julian grabbed a tissue, carefully dabbing at her eyes to preserve her makeup. "You are my priority right now. Shh. Stop talking and save your energy."

Vivian nodded obediently, fighting valiantly to hold back her tears.

Julian called his secretary, ordering her to bring Vivian's coat and designer bag into the office. As he helped Vivian into her coat, he rattled off a few quick directives regarding pending files before scooping her up into his arms and walking out.

Their illicit relationship was an open secret in the executive office and across the entire company, but seeing him carry Vivian out so brazenly still left his usually unflappable secretary stunned.

She only froze for a split second before her professional instincts kicked in. She sprinted to the heavy double doors, throwing them open so Julian wouldn't have to break his stride and risk hurting Vivian further.

The winter air was biting cold, so to ensure the children's comfort, the birthday party was being hosted entirely indoors.

The event planners had started setting up days in advance, but it wasn't until this morning that the true magic was complete—a breathtaking 'Frozen' winter wonderland built entirely out of elaborate floral arrangements and thousands of custom balloons.

Melody had personally 'helped' with the setup, but the moment she stepped through the front door and saw the life-sized balloon sculptures of Princess Elsa flanking the entryway to welcome the guests, she still couldn't stop herself from screaming in pure delight.