Secret Marriage: The CEO's Pampered Wife

He was relieved to see Georgia Thorne washing clothes with another woman.

"Your man is out!"

"Huh?" Georgia turned her head. Seeing Elliot Sheridan leaning against the doorframe, she dropped the clothes in her hands and rushed over. "What are you doing out here?"

She stood on her tiptoes, pressing her cool hand to his forehead. Once she was sure he didn’t have a fever, she pushed him back into the room. "Hurry, get inside! The wind is strong out here!"

Elliot Sheridan was pushed into the room and sat on the bed. "Are you hungry? I’ll go get you some porridge!"

Having rested for a night, Elliot Sheridan had recovered most of his strength. He grabbed Georgia Thorne as she was about to leave, pulling her down to sit beside him. "Georgia, don’t you ever mention divorce again!"

"..." Georgia Thorne froze, not expecting him to still be thinking about that.

"You’re going back on your word again?" Seeing her hesitation, Elliot Sheridan’s tone turned sharp. "Georgia Thorne, say it! Say you won’t mention divorce to me ever again!"

"From now on, you’re going to stay by my side. No matter what happens, you can’t leave me!"

He gripped Georgia Thorne’s wrist angrily. "Say it!"

’The situation yesterday had been unique. He’d threatened to kill himself, and I couldn’t just watch him die, so I had no choice but to agree.’

But now, Georgia Thorne couldn’t get the words out.

"Elliot, don’t be like this. You must be hungry. I’ll go get you something to eat." Georgia Thorne lowered her gaze and tried to pry his hand off.

Elliot Sheridan abruptly released her. "Get out!"

Hearing this, Georgia Thorne actually did hurry out.

In the kitchen, Georgia Thorne chopped vegetables, her mind a tangled mess. Hailey’s mother had to remind her, "It’s time to put those in the wok!"

Georgia Thorne made the porridge and carried the bowl into the room.

"The porridge is ready. You should have some," Georgia Thorne said in a low voice, placing the bowl on the desk and glancing at him.

’Elliot Sheridan was seething. He’d never met such an ungrateful woman. He treated her so well, yet she was still dead set on divorcing him.’

He clenched his fists and shot to his feet. Before Georgia Thorne could leave, he moved to block her, trapping her in his arms.

"Elliot Sheridan... Mmph..."

He pulled her straight out of the room.

Hailey’s mother saw them leaving. "Hey, where are you two going?"

Georgia Thorne had no idea where he was taking her. She struggled, but his strength had returned now that he’d recovered, and he was much stronger.

The two of them walked all the way outside, down to the edge of the beach.

’He isn’t planning to force my hand again, is he?’ The thought terrified Georgia Thorne. The sight of him with a high fever yesterday afternoon had truly frightened her.

"We can talk about this! Can you just let me go first?"

Georgia Thorne couldn’t break free and was shoved forcefully into a car.

Elliot Sheridan’s lips thinned as he watched her push against the door. "You just try getting out of this car!" he said fiercely.

After driving for some distance, the car ran out of gas. They simply abandoned it and continued on foot.

Georgia Thorne had no idea where he was taking her, his hand gripping hers tightly.

They walked for about ten minutes, arriving at a seaside residential community.

The moment the security guard saw Georgia Thorne, he immediately stepped out of his booth. "Mr. Sheridan, you’ve arrived!" he said respectfully.

’This was a high-end seaside villa community. Did he bring me here to look at houses?’

Georgia Thorne was completely baffled. By now, they were standing in front of a villa with its own private courtyard.

The guard opened the gate. "Mr. Sheridan, please, go in."

He respectfully presented a set of keys with both hands. Elliot Sheridan took them, not forgetting to pull Georgia Thorne inside with him.

’Elliot Sheridan had clearly bought this villa, but as for when, she had no idea.’

He opened the door. The inside had clearly been meticulously renovated. Even the interior furnishings were all arranged according to her favorite design style.

Wordlessly, Elliot Sheridan pulled her on a tour of the villa, finally stopping in the art studio he had painstakingly designed for her. On the wall hung a watercolor painting.

Georgia Thorne’s eyes widened in astonishment, her voice catching as she asked, "How do you have this painting?"

Georgia Thorne had once entered a competition in Akashima and won first prize.

Afterward, her painting was supposedly bought by some dignitary from Akashima. Seraphina Goldsmith had told her that this person liked to collect such things, and she had even received a considerable sum of money for it at the time.

She never expected to see it again here.

The painting was mounted in a frame, now hanging right in the center of the wall.

"When... when did you prepare all this?" Georgia Thorne stared blankly at the contents of the room. It was more like a complete, fully equipped studio.

"Two months ago," Elliot Sheridan said sullenly. He had originally planned to bring her here yesterday to show her the villa.

’Back then, they hadn’t had this conflict and estrangement between them. His plan had been perfect.’

’He had started setting up their home, planning to have Georgia Thorne move in after she became pregnant.’

Two months ago. Georgia Thorne was suddenly reminded of Zane Lennox’s death.

’He had come home smelling strongly of the sea, completely exhausted. During that period, he was always leaving early and returning late. Was it all to set up this villa?’

And Zane Lennox’s death... Georgia Thorne’s mind was suddenly in turmoil, and she took a step back.

Some things had been buried in her heart for too long, and Zane Lennox’s death was buried far too deep.

Georgia Thorne looked at him, summoned her courage, and asked, "The day before Zane Lennox died, he called me. Do you know what he said to me?"

"What?" Elliot Sheridan’s expression was solemn as he looked at her. He seemed like he didn’t know Zane Lennox had called her, but a closer look suggested otherwise.

She took a deep breath. "Zane Lennox said my mother’s death was related to you. He told me to divorce you, that you were more than I could handle."

"And you believed his attempt to sow discord?" Elliot Sheridan sneered, dismissing Zane Lennox’s words as mere provocation.

"He was being hunted when he called. I heard someone on the other end of the line call out your name. Then, Zane Lennox was dead, found in the sea. And when you came back that night, you smelled of the ocean. Remember how I asked where you’d been? What did you tell me? You said you hadn’t gone anywhere. Did you really not do anything to Zane Lennox?"

"What’s that supposed to mean? What do you think I could have done to him? You think I killed Zane Lennox?"

"I didn’t say that!"

"You didn’t say it, but that’s what you’re implying, isn’t it?" Elliot Sheridan mocked her. "Do you really think I’m all-powerful? Murder lands you in prison!"

"Then how do you explain the voice on the phone? I heard it crystal clear. That person was calling your name!"

"Georgia Thorne, do you trust me or not!" Elliot Sheridan was so furious his stomach churned.

’How could he have fallen for such an ungrateful woman!’

Georgia Thorne bit her lower lip. "I don’t know if I can believe you right now, I really don’t."

She couldn’t even properly mourn Zane Lennox’s death.

"I’m telling you, I never touched Zane Lennox. We had no history, no grievances. Why would I want him dead?"

Elliot Sheridan had always been a proud man, yet here he was, explaining himself to Georgia Thorne.

Anyone in the world could misunderstand him, but not Georgia Thorne. She couldn’t.

At Elliot Sheridan’s reminder, it dawned on Georgia Thorne that he was right. He really didn’t have a motive to kill.

"But that voice... I couldn’t have misheard it. Then..."

"You still dare bring that up!" Elliot Sheridan was so incensed he couldn’t catch his breath and broke into a coughing fit.

"...Could someone have been trying to frame you?" Georgia Thorne’s mind raced, and another thought suddenly occurred to her.

This time, Elliot Sheridan wasn’t so exasperated. He just gave a cold snort. "Good. As long as you realize that."

Elliot Sheridan’s expression grew solemn. ’It seems someone wants me dead!’

"But..."

Georgia Thorne started to speak again, but Elliot Sheridan cut her off angrily. "Are you still doubting me? I was coming back and forth from here almost every day! All the construction workers who were here can testify to that! Georgia Thorne, if you don’t believe me, I’ll drag every single one of them over here!"

Georgia Thorne lowered her gaze. ’Was he planning a surprise for me while he was setting up this house? And all that time, I was suspecting him.’

A wave of guilt washed over her. "I’m sorry," she said apologetically. "I shouldn’t have suspected you."

"When I heard Zane Lennox had died, I was so panicked. I had no idea what was going on, so I ended up suspecting you." Zane Lennox’s words had been like a terrible curse, constantly swirling in her mind, a nightmare that would never let her go.

After this candid conversation, Elliot Sheridan more or less understood the reason for Georgia Thorne’s strange behavior back then.

’Was she really that terrified of sleeping next to a murderer?’

At the same time, Elliot Sheridan’s anger flared up again. "Georgia Thorne, we’ve known each other for years. Am I so untrustworthy in your eyes?"

"Then what about Aidan Sheridan?" Might as well get everything out in the open today. "William said the only reason you married me was so I would donate a kidney to him. Aidan is Quentin Chase’s brother. You can’t forget Quentin Chase, so you have to save Aidan no matter the cost, isn’t that right?"

"That’s bullshit!" The normally elegant Elliot Sheridan couldn’t stop himself from swearing. "When I married you, Aidan Sheridan hadn’t woken up yet! We all thought he would be in a coma for the rest of his life! How could I possibly ask you to donate a kidney to him?"

’It was true, Aidan was incredibly important to him, but he wasn’t so far gone as to do something like that.’

"Of course, you’d say that now!"

"Georgia Thorne, I know my priorities. The one who’s going to be with me for the rest of my life is you, not him!"

Zane Lennox’s death had just been the fuse that strained their relationship; William’s words were the real reason Georgia Thorne wanted a divorce.

Elliot Sheridan hadn’t expected William to stick his nose into this at such a critical moment.

As the two of them were locked in a staring contest, Georgia Thorne’s phone rang.

After getting Georgia Thorne’s call that morning, Owen Sawyer had immediately rushed from the city to the coast. He’d found the village she mentioned, but when he arrived, he was told she had already left.

So now, he had no choice but to call Georgia Thorne again.

Georgia Thorne answered the call. She didn’t know where they were, so Elliot Sheridan snatched the phone from her hand, barked at Owen Sawyer, and spat out the address.

Poor Owen Sawyer was just an innocent bystander who happened to call at the wrong time, right in the line of fire.

He got in his car and rushed over.