Who's Crying Now, Ex-Husband?

Chapter 474 Though anger still simmered in his chest, Eugene hadn't forgotten why he'd come. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, he sat down, ignoring the wine on the table and picking up the tablet instead.

The screen displayed the information he'd requested earlier.

Every detail was there who Mila had met with yesterday, her entire conversation with Forrest, even her heated argument with Sophia. It was all spelled out in painstaking clarity.

He barely had tto mock Forrest's hopeless infatuation or feel outrage at Sophia's extremes; the first thing that struck Eugene was a creeping sense of unease. Slowly, he lifted his gaze, eyes sharpened as he fixed them on Johnnie. "You've been spying on her, haven't you?" All he had wanted was to know who his sister had seen the day before yesterday, hoping to deduce who might have harmed her. But this information was far too exhaustive-it even included direct quotes from their conversations.

This went well beyond the bounds of any ordinary investigation.

"Spying?" Johnnie chuckled, shaking his head. "We don't do that kind of thing." "So you have someone planted near her?" Eugene pressed, not believing a word, his expression dark as he waved the tablet in his hand. "Then how else do you know exactly what she said?" "That's just what we do," Johnnie replied with a placid smile. "But as for bugging or planting someone, that's just not possible-not with the Montgomery family watching her like a hawk. You more than anyone should know that. They've got her locked down tight; nobody can get close." Of course Eugene knew.

A year ago, he could still occasionally sneak a peek into his sister's affairs. But after Lysander's accident abroad, no matter what he tried, every thread about his sister vanished into a black hole-sealed off and encrypted, completely out of reach.

Which was precisely why he'd turned to Johnnie for help.

But the results had been almost too perfect-more thorough than he could have imagined. He couldn't begin to fathom how Johnnie had managed to get such detailed intel under these circumstances... and Johnnie didn't even bother to hide it from him.

The more he thought about it, the heavier his heart grew.

"So, do you believe us now?" Johnnie asked with a faint smile.

"What do you want with her?" Eugene shot back.

"Nothing," Johnnie said easily. "She's never been our target. And anyway, wasn't it you who asked for this information in the first place?" "But you met with her," Eugene insisted, not letting it go.

"Oh, that." Johnnie's tone was breezy and casual, utterly unruffled. "I needed an excuse to chere, but couldn't get too far from the Montgomerys. Turns out there was a matchmaking event going on-so I just used that as a pretext, nothing more." "Matchmaking?" Eugene frowned, clearly displeased.

"It doesn't matter," Johnnie smiled. "Don't worry. It was just a pretext. I have no interest in her no intention of hurting her, either." Eugene fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Then what do you want? What's your goal?" "You really don't know?" Johnnie looked genuinely surprised. "Of course, it's to bring you and your mother home. The professor's been longing for you both, but the Montgomerys have always stood in the way..." But Eugene barely heard the rest. The moment Johnnie mentioned his mother, a low, electric hum filled his head, drowning everything else out. His fingers trembled slightly where they rested on the tablet.

Mother? It was a long tbefore Eugene cback to himself.

He drew several shaky breaths, fighting to keep his voice steady, though it barely cout smooth. "He wants... he wants to take my mother away?" "And you, too." Johnnie's smile didn't waver.

Eugene let out a bitter laugh.

"Really? That old man's been missing for over a decade, and now suddenly he wantsand my.

mother back? Where was he are these years? You think I'll just believe that?" "Eugene." Suddenly, Johnnie's expression turned serious.

"The professor didn't clooking for you because the Montgomerys hid every trace of you. He never knew his only child was out there, lost. It was the Montgomerys who tore him and your mother apart with underhanded tricks, who separated you from your family. That's why you've all been apart for so many years." "Twenty years, Eugene. Don't you want to be with your parents again? To go home-to your real family, where you'll never be alone?" "That's your home!"

"No!" Eugene suddenly shouted, slamming the tablet onto the table.

let onto His chest heaved, breath coming fast and ragged.

After a long struggle to compose himself, he managed to speak, his voice raw. "This is my home.

Pgrew up here! He trailed off, confusion flickering in his eyes. Was it really his home? Johnnie only smiled.

"Home? You mean the place that sent you away as a child, that barely let you set foot inside all these years? The family that's always et kept you at arm's length, always watching, always restricting you? That so-called hdoesn't care about you."

"The blood in your veins, the eyes you see with-how long are you going to keep wearing that mask, pretending to be someone you're not? Eugene, do you even remember who you are?" "Shut up!" Eugene, who had been silent for so long, exploded. He hurled the tablet with all his strength, but Johnnie caught his arm, and the device crashed to the ground, the screen shattering.

Eugene's eyes burned red as he glared at Johnnie, his voice catching on a sob. "Just shut up!" He wanted to scream that he did have a home.

But not a single word would come.

Home? He tried to picture it in his mind, to argue back-but all he found was a blank emptiness. There was nothing there at all.