Missing Mrs. Lowry: The Billionaire’s Wakeup Call

Chapter 117

They never spoke about it, but each knew that Megan’s first touches since her return were reluctant.

Even when, on occasion, she felt a fleeting rush of pleasure.

Tonight was clearly different.

Amid the soft glow of the bedside lamp, Sullivan’s tenderness was palpable. His every move seemed measured and thoughtful as if each caress carried the weight of his concern not to hurt her or to cause any distaste. He whispered into her ear to ask if she was

comfortable.

Megan wrapped her arms around his neck, her lips sealed with silence. Yet her body could not lie. That night, after three years of marriage, they found a depth of satisfaction that was profoundly mutual.

Afterwards, Megan soaked in a bubble bath.

Sullivan, in his trousers and a crisp shirt, settled on the patio to feel the breeze and smoke a cigarette.

The night wind teased his neatly trimmed hair and softened his usually stern features. From the bathroom, he heard the stir of Megan finishing her bath, knowing her ritual of blow–drying her hair and applying her skincare would yet consume a good part of the evening.

Leaning back in his chair, Sullivan flicked through his phone casually.

new message

a prohibited substance. Despite immediate intervention, it has caused irreversible damage to her organs. After consulting with specialists, we believe Ms. Baldwin may not have more than two years

listed

the name, his long fingers clenching the phone until his knuckles

mood plummeted, the elation

a long pause, he

Cressida? Don’t you think your hands are stained with too much already in trying to preserve the Lowry family’s honor? I’ve told you before, there’s no

Cressida.*

before replying with equal reserve,

Sullivan hung up. He took out another cigarette, his hands trembling slightly as he lit it. Memories flooded him like a tide–the man leaving with his suitcase, a dignified while hysterical woman chasing after

don’t bother coming back once you leave this door! Go be with her! What is

the man

woman sat on the floor, muttering,

children with another woman?”

husband; how can you be

those words, but unaware that

cast a shadow over the next twenty years of his life, teaching him… not