Who's Crying Now, Ex-Husband?

Chapter 462 Just outside the cemetery.

Two cars were parked along the tree-lined road. The orange one had its door swung wide open. Mila sat inside, her face pale, clutching a travel mug as she took slow sips of warm water. Only after a long moment did she finally glare at Leonard, who stood outside by the door. "Seriously? You had to sneak out here in the middle of the night just to scare me?" Honestly-did he not know how dangerous it was to startle people like that? Was he out of his mind? Leonard's expression was unreadable, though there was a faint note of resignation in his voice. "Ma'am, you left halone in the middle of the night, and cto this place. I was worried something might happen, so I followed you.

I never intended to frighten you-" "Don't callma'am!" Mila snapped.

He paused. "... Chairman Sutherland." "Were you spying on me? Following me?" Mila's voice went cold as realization dawned.

"I need to keep you safe at all times," Leonard replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "And since you left Mr. Montgomery's estate, I was always going to know." Safe. There it was again.

Always about her safety.

It was always the sexcuse. Mila was sick of hearing it. After everything that had happened lately, her patience was wearing thin. She finally lost it. "That still doesn't give you the right to stalk me! Stop following me. I'll hire my own bodyguards!" Leonard's tone remained steady. "Chairman Sutherland, these are dangerous times. No one outside the Montgomery family can really be trusted right now." "Oh, I trust your precious Montgomery family, all right." Mila's voice was icy. "But you're not the only one in it capable of protecting me." "I'm the most reliable." "Well, I don't want you." The night wind rustled through the trees on either side of the road, making the leaves whisper in the darkness. Neither of them spoke. Mila sat inside the car, Leonard stood outside, and they just stared at each other, silent, both tense and unyielding. Finally, with her nerves shot from too many shocks over these past days, Mila erupted.

Leonard didn't argue back.

He knew Mila hated him. He'd known it ever since that chaotic night eight years ago, when he'd locked her in a room on Lysander's orders and ignored her desperate screams for help. He'd always known she would hate him for it.

He'd held out for a year. Now, her patience had run out.

But that didn't change anything.

"Chairman Sutherland, no matter how much you despise me, no matter how you treat me, I just ask that you not be reckless about this," Leonard said quietly. "Your safety is more important than anything. I can't betray the trust Mr. Montgomery left me." "He's dead! Dead!" Mila shouted, her voice cracking. "And I. Don't. Need. You!" A muscle in Leonard's jaw twitched. For a long moment he stared off into the darkness, his voice empty of emotion when he finally spoke. "Protecting you is my duty." It was also his penance.

Even if she didn't want it.

Mila seethed, glaring at the man in front of her. For sreason, an absurd thought popped into her head- Lysander's loyal hound. Even after his master was gone, he was still this faithful.

She froze, startled by her own thought, then felt a wave of exhaustion and defeat. A hound? Since when did she start thinking like this? She used to hate how Lysander treated people like disposable tools-like loyal dogs to be thrown away when no longer useful. And now, here she was, catching herself thinking the sway. The realization made her want to scream. She clutched hepmug tightly, speechless with frustration. Was she being influenced by them, or was she just too angry to think straight? Leonard noticed her silence, and after a moment's hesitation-seeing she'd gone out in a rush and wasn't dressed for the chill-he slipped off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "Chairman Sutherland, it's cold tonight. Let's head back." Cóntent The warmth of the jacket startled Mila back to herself. She shoved it off, retreating further into the car.

She sat in silence for a while, regaining her composure. When she finally spoke, her voice was cool, no longer combative. "Once the Cosbusiness is finished, are you finally going to leavealone?" "...Yes." "How long will that take?" "He's got the upper hand overseas, but if he sets foot here, we'll have the advantage," Leonard explained. "So far, he's shown no intention of coming back." "So how much longer do I have to wait?" "Not long," Leonard replied with certainty. "He'll come. Sooner rather than later."

With the last real threat to Cosgone, he'd eventually drop his guard and cross the border, eager for the hunt Leonard/doubted the man En would have the patience to wait much longer. Once Coswas on their turf, the hunter and the hunted might just switch roles. "It won't take another year, will it?" Mila sneered.

"No." Fine. She could tough it out a little longer. She'd survived this long, after all.

She had no desire to argue with Leonard any further, or even look at m then him. She got out, heading for the other car intent on driving herself for out home-only to find Leonard still blocking her path. She nearly walked right into him, her scowl deepening. "Move." "I'll drive you back," Leonard said calmly. "And one more thing-if you're truly sick of me, if you want to take your anger out on me, do whatever you want. I'll take it. I deserve it."

Pose his Mila stared at him. For a second, she wanted to scream, but what was the point? It wasn't like Ke Dever temper. No matter what she said, it never got to him. In the end, all she could do was spit, "You're insane." Done with the whole exchange, she slammed the car door shut and tossed his still-warm jacket onto the front seat in disgust.