Unmasked My CEO Ex-Husband’s Regret novel Chapter 35

Vivian swiftly ripped the sticky note off the jar, crumbling it into a tight ball and tossing it directly into the trash can.

Seeing her lingering by the fridge, Julian walked over with a curious look. "Haven't picked one yet?"

Plastering on a sweet smile, Vivian pointed to the jar on the counter. "I was just noticing that Mrs. Gable even got you honey. You really hired a thoughtful housekeeper."

Julian didn't say a word. He simply picked up the jar and stored it in the overhead cabinet.

Closing the door, he took Vivian's hand. "Let's eat."

He secretly knew Elara must have instructed the housekeeper to buy it.

But Vivian despised hearing about his wife, and bringing up Elara's name would only ruin the mood.

They had ordered quite a feast, so Julian brought out a couple sets of plates and silverware to share the spread.

After they finished, Julian rolled up his sleeves and washed the dishes by hand while Vivian kept him company, leaning against the counter.

It was just two plates and two forks; it seemed pointless to run the dishwasher when a quick rinse was so easy.

The living room camera didn't cover the kitchen, leaving Elara to listen to the mundane domestic audio.

Accompanied by the rhythmic sound of running water, a painful realization suddenly struck Elara: How long had it been since Julian washed a single dish in their actual home?

Before they installed the dishwasher at the loft, they used to take turns doing the dishes. Once they got married and moved into their massive house, the domestic staff handled all the heavy lifting.

Still, there used to be plenty of late-night snack runs, or moments when Julian would casually wash out Melody's baby bottles without a second thought.

When exactly had Julian completely abandoned those shared responsibilities?

Elara couldn't even remember.

All she knew was that over the past six months, as his nights away grew more frequent, the burden of managing their entire household had fallen squarely onto her shoulders.

This was the man she had loved fiercely for ten—no, eleven years.

Her mother had worked as a maid in the Beckett household for over a decade, earning a great salary, but her bank accounts were always empty, drained dry by Elara's alcoholic, gambling father.

Her mother had once tried refusing him money, only to be met with relentless beatings, violence that often spilled over onto Elara herself.

That brutal upbringing had forged Elara's resilient nature; from a young age, she knew her father was a lost cause, and that failing to escape his grip would inevitably destroy both her and her mother.

The moment she realized she was falling for Julian, Elara had also become painfully aware of the insurmountable class divide between them, forcing her to keep her intense crush a closely guarded secret.

It wasn't until a year later that Julian took the initiative to confess, proving through unwavering action that they were equals and vowing to obliterate every obstacle in their path.

And now, Julian was employing that exact same ruthless determination.

Only this time, the obstacle standing in the way of his epic romance... was her.