hapter 164 Hearts on Different Paths
Chapter 164 Hearts on Different Paths
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“James, I really think you have great taste. You’re a genuinely good person–always thinking of me. Thank you for introducing me to someone as amazing as Simon. Seriously, he’s got everything, looks, brains, charm… even his body is incredible.”
She spoke so highly of Simon–anyone listening would think she’d fallen for him already.
By all logic, James should have felt relieved, even pleased.
Yet there was a faint tightness in his chest.
It wasn’t strong, but it lingered just enough to make him uncomfortable.
He was about to congratulate her on finding the perfect match when she added, “But everyone has different preferences. Simon’s great, but… I’m just not into him.”
Worried he might think she was trying to back out of the divorce, Lily quickly added, “Don’t worry, though. I’ll start dating someone soon. Actually, I… I recently reconnected with an old classmate.”
She didn’t dare mention the truth—that she’d met someone online and was planning to meet him in real life. Most people didn’t take online relationships seriously. Feeling guilty, she lowered her voice. “We’ve been talking a lot lately. I think… I might date him. And even if it doesn’t work out, I’ll hire a handsome college guy to pretend to be my boyfriend. I swear I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure your grandparents support our divorce. I won’t stand in the way of your happiness.”
Oddly, as soon as she said she wasn’t into Simon, that tightness in James‘ chest… vanished.
But the second she brought up dating her old classmate, something unpleasant churned in his gut.
He pressed a hand to his chest, expression hardening, forcing himself to ignore the unease.
If I’m bothered by Lily dating someone, that’s a betrayal of Leila.
I won’t let myself become that kind of man–one who strays, who falters, who’s unfaithful.
“Fine. Go ahead and try things out with your classmate. If that doesn’t work, I’ll pay for you to hire a few college boys.”
He checked the time on his watch, eager to stop wasting words. “Get some rest.”
Lily, however, didn’t feel remotely tired. After all that had happened, her mind was still buzzing. But she didn’t want to be a nuisance, so she quickly lay facedown on the bed and even covered her head with the blanket.
James glanced over, frowning.
She looked like a cocoon–curled up so tightly she might suffocate herself.
But it wasn’t his problem.
Expression cold, he looked away from the blanket mound, grabbed his clothes, and headed for the bathroom.
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Chapter 164 Hearts on Different Paths
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That red dress was still in the tub.
James never used the tub–he preferred showers–but that dress floated on the surface, vivid and sultry, refusing to be ignored.
Just seeing it brought the image of Lily lying limp in the water back to his mind–soft, striking, seductive.
And when he’d pulled her out, his hands had inevitably touched…
When he wrapped her in the towel, her sweetly scented body had tilted forward, brushing against his face.
James jerked his head away, forcing his eyes from the tub.
He didn’t want to remember. He didn’t want to feel any of it.
But turning his head wasn’t enough.
Closing his eyes didn’t help.
Reciting Buddhist scriptures in his head didn’t work either.
It was like a siren had wrapped herself around him, dragging him under, her touch burning through his reason, scattering his self–control like ash.
Leila…
He began to chant her name in his mind.
Leila, Leila, Leila…
A desperate reminder that letting himself spiral because of Lily was a betrayal to the girl he truly loved.
He wasn’t the kind of man who wandered.
Wasn’t supposed to be.
One lifetime. One person.
Once he chose someone, it was for life.
So how could he desire Lily when his heart already belonged to Leila?
He loathed himself.
“Leila, I’m sorry.”
He knew she hated when he said that. But the self–disgust was too overwhelming.
And so, despite everything, he sent her a message.
Meanwhile, back in the bedroom, Lily had already scrambled out of the covers and changed into modest pajamas.
Her phone, tossed aside earlier near the recording studio restroom, had been picked up by James when he
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Chapter 164 Hearts on Different Paths
went to find her.
