Divorced, But Queen - Chapter 389: Chapter 389

But she was not really surprised. She found herself accepting the truth almost instantly.
Perhaps, without even realizing it, she had already grown used to Owen's constant care.
Before moving to Mayen Garden, they had almost no contact apart from work on cases.
After she moved to Mayen Garden, Emma developed a facial allergy and paid Aria to treat her. Owen proactively offered to assist Aria in testing the beauty cream.
Later, she recognized him, and he recognized her too.
Owen kept his promise to "treat her to meals for life"—he was always finding excuses for her to try his cooking, and before she knew it, sharing meals with him every day just became routine.
Aria couldn't help but wonder, 'When did Owen start developing feelings for me?'
She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice Owen's expression changed the moment she fell silent. His hand involuntarily clenched into a fist before quickly relaxing, as he struggled to suppress his inner turmoil.
They both blurted out, "You..." at the same time, then stopped just as abruptly.
"You go first," Owen said.
"You go first," Owen said.
The bodyguards were stunned.
Locked in a silent gaze, the two fell into a brief hush, broken only by the footsteps of passersby and the distant hum of conversations.
The air was thick with awkward tension and restraint, yet beneath it all lingered a tantalizing, unspoken undercurrent.
Now aware of this, Aria found herself unable to treat Owen as she used to.
It wasn't that she had only just realized. Last time, Owen denied it so quickly that she simply stopped dwelling on it.
'Why did he deny it last time?' Aria wondered to herself.
Aria recalled what happened last time and silently asked herself, 'If Owen had admitted it, what would I have done? Would I have tried to distance myself from him?'
'Maybe I would have,' Aria thought. 'But now? Should I push him away?'
No more being friends, no more mooching his meals like it's nothing, no more contact at all.
Gazing at Owen's refined and gentle features, Aria had to admit to herself that she couldn't bear to let him go.
He always gave quietly and carefully, afraid of startling her.
Just like the look in his eyes right now, filled with concern, yet tinged with cautious probing.
A lump formed in Aria's throat, and she felt a heaviness in her chest.
The words "marriage and children" had once felt so close to her, both a burden and a cage.
Honestly, a marriage built on love too far more effort than just staying together for appearances.
A relationship between two people needed to be maintained, and so did family ties.
When Liam suggested moving abroad, she agreed without a second thought.
What she wanted was complete, unrestrained freedom.
Yet Owen had quietly slipped into her life without her even noticing.
She didn't mind him, but she couldn't stand all the complications that came with marriage.
She no longer wanted to be labeled as someone's wife, didn't want to maintain relationships with others, and even more so didn't want the Shaw and Saxon families to have any further ties because of her.
'Is hurting Owen really my only option?' she thought.
It was so frustrating that she felt like screaming.
Owen picked up on Aria's restlessness. He stepped closer, standing right in front of her. "What's wrong?"
To anyone not listening carefully, the slight tremor in Owen's voice would have gone unnoticed.
But Aria heard it.
She Aria sighed and decided to steer the conversation away. "It's about what happened on set."
Owen exhaled slightly in relief, but at the mention of the trending topic, his eyes instantly turned icy. "Was it Russell's doing?"
Aria nodded. "He's trying to drive a wedge between me and Olivia."
Owen remained silent, his eyes dark with suppressed fury.
Aria glanced at Owen and thought, 'Why did I ever think he was gentle? His expression says it all.'
She suddenly felt a pang of regret that she never noticed all those genuine expressions on his face before.
"Let's head back to the hotel first," Aria said.
Since Owen hadn't confessed, she decided to stop overthinking it and let it go.
Her mind was a bit of a mess. She needed time to sort things out.
Arriving at the hotel, Owen headed straight to the front desk to book a room.
The receptionist politely asked, "Just for one night, Sir?"
Owen hesitated for a moment. Aria pretended not to notice and deliberately looked away.
After a brief pause, Owen murmured, "Two days for now."
The receptionist handed over the key card with a polite smile. "All set, Sir. You're on the 13th floor. Enjoy your stay."