My CEO Husband Says I'm Irreplaceable

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: He cannot abandon me

Ivy Joyce, dressed in a blue-and-white striped hospital gown, lay weakly on the hospital bed, her face so pale it was almost translucent.

Harold Warner led a caregiver into the hospital room, his tone formal and distant.

"Miss Joyce, this is the caregiver President Lockwood arranged for you. She will be taking care of you during your postpartum recovery."

"Where is he?" Ivy Joyce looked at him, her eyes full of expectation.

"President Lockwood has been very busy recently. He couldn’t find the time to see you."

"Ha! Is he busy, or has he grown tired of me?"

Harold Warner remained expressionless, placing a bank card gently on the nightstand.

"President Lockwood asked me to tell you that starting today, you don’t need to come to the company anymore. The house at Peninsula Bay, and this card, are to be considered his compensation to you."

With that, he turned to leave.

Ivy Joyce abruptly grabbed the pillow and hurled it at him, her emotions instantly shattering.

"Go tell Luke Lockwood I won’t accept this! He can’t just abandon me like this!"

’A house and a card, and he thinks he can just get rid of me?’

’Dream on!’

Harold Warner slowly turned back, his eyes filled with unconcealed contempt. "Miss Joyce, you’re just a little plaything President Lockwood kept on the side. He’d amuse himself with you when he was in the mood. Did you really think he’d fallen for you?"

"Don’t forget how you schemed to seduce President Lockwood and single-handedly ruined his engagement to Miss Grayson."

"Knowingly being the other woman never leads to a good end."

Ivy Joyce trembled with anger, pointing at Harold Warner. "This is between him and me! Who the hell do you think you are, to lecture and mock me?"

’He’s just an assistant who used to bow and scrape before me, and now he dares to walk all over me.’

"I am merely stating the facts." Harold Warner said, then walked straight out.

The only thing left in the hospital room was Ivy Joyce’s hysterical sobbing and cursing.

With trembling hands, she dialed Luke Lockwood’s number, complaining through choked sobs.

On the other end of the line, Luke Lockwood listened in silence before speaking coldly.

"What he said... wasn’t it the truth?"

"W-what?"

"Since it was a mistake from the beginning, it’s time to get back on the right track. What I’ve given you is more than you could ever earn in a lifetime on your own. You should learn to be content and quit while you’re ahead. Making a scene will only make you more detestable."

"Luke, you said you would never leave me!"

"You believed words spoken just for show?" Luke Lockwood’s voice was icy. "You also said you wouldn’t fight or demand anything. Did you stick to that?"

Ivy Joyce was at a loss for words.

"Luke, you want to win her back, don’t you?"

"That’s my business."

"You think she’ll come back? I’m the only one who truly loves you!"

Luke Lockwood suddenly retorted, "If I had nothing, would you still love me?"

Ivy Joyce was struck speechless.

Luke Lockwood scoffed and immediately hung up.

He casually tossed his phone onto his desk, sank deep into the sofa, lit a cigarette, and took a harsh drag.

"Luke, smoking is bad for you. Try to smoke less."

A soft, gentle female voice seemed to echo in his ears.

He whipped his head around. Seeing the empty office, a layer of unshakable gloom settled over his handsome features.

In truth, they both knew.

’If I were still that poor boy from back then, with nothing to my name, Ivy Joyce never would have been with me.’

’Except for Vesper.’

’When I was at my lowest, she quietly stayed by my side, secretly giving her all to support me.’

’It was I who got arrogant after achieving success, lost my way, and personally shattered the one person I never should have hurt.’

A soft knock sounded, and the secretary’s voice came from behind the door.

"President Lockwood, a Ms. Reina Sherman is here to see you. She says she’s Miss Grayson’s psychotherapist."

Luke Lockwood shot upright, his dark eyes suddenly as deep as an abyss.

’When did Vesper ever see a psychologist?’

"Show her in."

A moment later, a slender, poised figure pushed the door open and entered.

The woman had a neat, short haircut and was dressed in a beige professional skirt suit, with black stiletto heels. From head to toe, she exuded an air of clean, sharp independence.

"Mr. Lockwood, I just got back from a business trip and couldn’t get in touch with Miss Grayson, so I took the liberty of coming to find you."

"Please, sit."

After the secretary brought in two cups of coffee, she exited the office.

Reina Sherman sat with perfect posture, her tone calm and professional. "First, let me introduce myself. I’m Reina Sherman. Miss Vesper Grayson began receiving psychotherapy from me two years ago. A while ago, she told me her condition had improved a great deal and she was close to a full recovery. I’m here this time for a routine follow-up."

Luke Lockwood’s fingertips curled sharply.

’She started therapy two years ago, and I was completely in the dark the entire time.’

Noticing the shock and bewilderment in his eyes, Reina Sherman spoke quietly.

"Miss Grayson kept this a secret from everyone. She had originally planned to give you a surprise on your wedding night, after she was fully healed."

She paused, her voice as soft as a fine needle, gently piercing Luke Lockwood’s heart.

"To overcome her mental barriers, she came for hypnosis therapy twice a month. Each session required her to rip open those painful memories, struggle to break free from the fear, and then, bit by bit, learn to face it all with composure."

"At first, Miss Grayson was actually very resistant. But with my gradual guidance, her condition finally showed significant improvement."

"She said that you were the one who saved her when you were passing by, is that right?"

Luke Lockwood nodded, his gaze heavy.

’I had gotten there in time. Vesper had only been harassed; the assailant hadn’t succeeded. But the panic, the fear, the humiliation and helplessness of being touched so freely—it was all carved deep into her bones.’

’From then on, she would instinctively tense up, tremble, and feel suffocated by the proximity of men, any physical contact, or even the scent of a stranger.’

’She was afraid of the dark, of enclosed spaces, of a hand suddenly reaching for her. She would often bolt awake at night, drenched in a cold sweat.’

’I had once so carefully soothed her, cherished her, and patiently accommodated her. Her condition slowly improved, and she gradually stopped rejecting my approach, my touch, my hugs, my kisses.’

’But when it came to the final step, she still couldn’t overcome the fear in her heart. She could never cross that last threshold.’

’We had tried many times, but every attempt ended with her instinctive rejection.’

’After a while, I stopped insisting.’

’I loved her. As long as she could stay by my side, I didn’t care about anything else.’

"She loves you very much!" Reina Sherman said clearly, looking at Luke Lockwood. "She couldn’t bear to see the guarded disappointment in your eyes, and she especially didn’t want to push you away or hurt you on your wedding night because of the shadows of her past."

"To heal herself, she hid it from everyone and came to see me twice a month, rain or shine."

"Hypnosis therapy is the most grueling. She had to fall back into that terrifying scene again and again, re-experiencing the suffocation, nausea, and helplessness, then force herself to calm down, detach, confront it, and let it go."

"After every session, she would be deathly pale and cold all over. She would have to sit stiffly in the lounge for a long time before she could barely recover."

"She obediently took her medication, consistently did her relaxation exercises, and practiced accepting your touch bit by bit. Even if she was trembling all over, she never once gave up halfway."

"Finally, she conquered herself. She succeeded!"

Reina Sherman picked up her coffee, took a small sip, and smiled. "I also came here this time to confirm that she is truly being loved and cherished after her marriage. It seems she didn’t choose the wrong person."

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