CHAPTER 156: CHAPTER 156: EARNED THE TITLE OF EX-HUSBAND EARLY

Blake Sinclair stood a few steps away.

He wore a simple casual shirt, his posture upright, yet inexplicably carrying an indescribable tension and loneliness.

His gaze was fixed directly on Holly Crowe.

The air seemed to solidify at that moment.

The osmanthus fragrance was still rich, but the silent stare between them gave the scent a faint sour taste.

Holly finally understood the noises from next door these past two days and the two unexpected falling flowerpots and vases just now.

It turned out that the careless neighbor was actually Blake Sinclair.

"Holly...."

Blake called out to her.

Holly acted as if she hadn’t heard his voice or seen him at all.

She turned her head to Aiden Jenson, responding to his earlier invitation, "Sure, I shouldn’t have anything going on tomorrow."

The moment Holly turned her head, the warmth in Blake’s eyes vanished instantly.

Just now, on the second floor, he clearly saw the way Aiden looked at Holly and his secret little movements.

That sneaky little mind game was simply despicable!

The first flowerpot fell by accident when closing the window, but the second vase, he deliberately threw down in a fit of jealousy when he saw Aiden raise his hand.

He had long noticed Aiden’s intentions toward Holly, and he couldn’t believe this man dared to take advantage of the situation right under his nose, joking and laughing with Holly, trying to steal her away.

Such behavior was utterly shameful!

The jealousy and anger had been suppressed in his heart for a long time, and at this moment, he no longer needed to restrain himself; his gaze at Aiden was solely filled with warning and hostility.

But Aiden seemed immune to Blake’s gaze, his eyes calm.

He nodded gently at Holly, "Alright, I’ll text you on WeChat tomorrow."

"Okay."

Having received her response, Aiden then looked at Blake Sinclair, nodded slightly as a gesture of courtesy, and turned to leave.

Holly watched Aiden leave.

As his figure disappeared at the end of the alley, only the two of them were left at the door.

She felt the air around her get heavier due to someone’s presence, even making the osmanthus fragrance in the wind cloying.

After watching Aiden leave, Blake’s gaze once again fell on Holly.

It had only been a few days since they last met, but she seemed to have lost some weight.

The breeze blew, making her dress flutter.

His heart clenched; the person he had painstakingly nurtured back to health was once again emaciated from this illness.

"Holly."

Holly acted as if she didn’t hear, opening the door to walk into the yard.

Blake stepped forward, reaching out to stop her, but hesitated, his hand pausing when it touched her arm, pleading, "Holly, won’t you talk to me?"

He was asking cautiously.

"Are you feeling okay physically? Is there anywhere else you’re uncomfortable?" he asked persistently, eventually couldn’t resist gently grasping her wrist.

Her wrist was so delicate that Blake didn’t dare to exert force, but he didn’t want to let go either, "Can you just say something to me? Just one word, these days... I..."

He choked up, and although he didn’t finish his sentence, the pain on his face said it all.

Holly’s back stiffened for a moment.

But she didn’t turn back, her voice cold and mocking, "You live next door, don’t you see everything I do? Why are you pretending to ask?"

She twisted her wrist forcefully, trying to break free of him.

"Let go!"

She finally turned around, glaring at him.

Those eyes, once full of tender affection, wholeheartedly devoted to him, were now filled only with alienation and coldness.

Blake was stung by that gaze, instinctively releasing his hand, but his body stubbornly blocked the doorway.

"I’m sorry, it’s my fault, my mistake, making you feel bad, making you sick...."

He looked at her greedily, longing for her to look at him once more, even if with hatred.

"I didn’t intend to hide moving to Port Kallow from you. I called you, but nobody answered, and you blocked me on WeChat." He explained his reason for moving here.

"Holly, did you see the clarification on Weibo? I didn’t lie to you; I never dated Shannon Yarrow. The video of the fireworks was a matter of angle; I backed away when she hugged me, but the video only captured the earlier frame."

"Holly, won’t you believe me just this once? I really have nothing to do with her."

Blake watched her face carefully, his voice humble yet hopeful.

Seeing his anxious attempt to clear things up, Holly suddenly wanted to laugh, but her lips felt stiff, unable to move.

She turned her gaze to the osmanthus tree in the yard.

Nothing to do with her?

Nothing to do with her, yet you treasure the ceramic yarrow she made, hiding it as a prized possession in the safe?

Nothing to do with her, but a single phone call makes you rush out in the middle of the night to meet her?

Nothing to do with her, yet you two are pulling and cuddling as you walk down the hotel corridor?

Nothing to do with her, yet you set her birthday as the safe’s password?

Nothing to do with her, and she is wearing the Mutton Fat Jade Pendant passed down by The Sinclair Family?

Wow, what a pure, innocent relationship indeed.

Every rhetorical question cut like a knife, slicing through Holly’s heart.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, so much so that her chest hurt, feeling again like the breathing difficulty during the fever.

"Blake Sinclair, telling lies over and over leaves nobody believing them. Being tricked by you and leading me around like a fool is my stupidity, but now using the same old excuses to fool me, isn’t that boring!"

"I never saw you as a substitute!"

Blake frowned, denying it.

Doubt surfaced in his heart, if Holly really saw the things in the safe and recognized them, why would she react like this?

He stepped forward, wanting to hold her hand but halted, urgently asking, "Holly, you saw the things in the safe, didn’t you?"

Holly looked incredulously at him.

What does that mean?

Is this a challenge?

Challenging her awareness of everything yet unable to do anything?

The fire raged inside.

Blake switched his questioning approach, guiding her to recall, "That ceramic yarrow, that little sketchbook, and that letter...."

Holly interrupted immediately, "I saw them, so what?"

"Don’t you have something to say to me about it?" Blake’s eyes brightened with anticipation, "I thought you understood?"

Holly was so angry her temples throbbed, her head pounding, thinking she might start burning up again.

He’s really taunting her!

She took a deep breath, "Understand! Of course, I understand! I understand this is what you call ’nothing to do with her’. Wish you both..."

Holly paused, swallowing the words of eternal togetherness, spitting out, "Wish you both to be locked together, wish you happiness."

"It’s not like that!" Blake immediately realized something wasn’t right, grabbing her hand, "Holly, there must be some misunderstanding between us; listen to me..."

"What misunderstanding? What misunderstanding is there?" She harshly shook off his hand.

"Are the things in your safe fake? Did I imagine you going to meet her at night? Did the yarrow on your tie fly up there with a needle and thread by itself? Wow, that would truly be the ninth wonder of the world!"

Holly sarcastically clapped her hands twice.

Without emotion, filled with mockery.

"How do you know I went to see her? No, I didn’t go see her! It’s not true; I can explain it all. Would you give me just one more chance to explain? Believe me once more." he pleaded.

Holly was tired, unwilling to continue tangling with him.

She laughed perfunctorily, "Alright, alright, I believe you. You say the sun is square, and I’ll believe it, is that okay?"

"Anyway, whoever you end up with in the future, it won’t concern me, just like whoever I end up with in the future, won’t concern you, my ex-husband."

Ex-husband?