Goodbye My Arrogant Ex (Marguerite and Leonard) novel Chapter 111

"You're welcome! If you ever need help with anything—work or life—just let me know."

Luke and Marguerite exchanged numbers before he finally left, making things easier for any future projects they might do together.

Meanwhile—

Marguerite returned home and immediately noticed something out of the ordinary—Leonard’s car was actually parked in the driveway. That almost never happened.

He’s home this early? That’s a first.

She couldn’t quite believe it; he rarely came home at all, and on the rare occasions he did, it was usually late at night. Picking up her pace, she pushed open the front door.

Leonard was sitting on the sofa, looking as if he’d been waiting for her.

"You’re home early today," Marguerite remarked, her voice tinged with surprise.

"My schedule was lighter than usual, so I got to leave work a little earlier," he replied calmly.

As he spoke, Leonard rubbed his brow, his usually composed face showing a trace of exhaustion.

"Mr. Murphy, here's your lemon water," Wilma announced, emerging from the kitchen with a glass in hand.

Marguerite approached him and, as she got close, caught a distinct whiff of alcohol.

He’s been drinking.

Her brow furrowed. It wasn’t unusual for him to have a drink or two at business events, but tonight he seemed to have gone overboard. Did something happen?

A pang of worry struck her, her concern showing clearly on her face.

Marguerite looked down at their hands, startled by the sudden intimacy. His palm was feverishly warm—comforting in a way that caught her off guard.

After he spoke, Leonard seemed to drift off, falling asleep right there on the sofa.

But with the amount he’d had to drink, leaving him there would only make things worse come morning. He needed to be in bed, where he could rest properly.

"Leonard, you can’t sleep here," Marguerite said, trying to rouse him. "Come on, let’s get you to bed, okay?"

She struggled to lift him, but Leonard was tall and, deadweight, impossibly heavy. Wilma hurried over to help, and together they managed—with considerable effort—to half-carry, half-drag him to the bedroom.

They gently pulled off his shoes and tucked him under the covers.

Marguerite wasn’t used to taking care of people like this. Seeing Leonard—always so composed, so unshakeable—reduced to exhaustion by his job stirred a strange ache in her chest. For reasons she couldn’t quite name, she found herself feeling a deep, unexpected tenderness for him.