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Chapter 11
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2024-12-19 10:09:21
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After Divorce: Ex-wife Never Turns Back Chapter 12
Emily’s POVLouis sat stiffly behind his desk, his expression carefully composed, though the tightness in his jaw betrayed the tension simmering beneath the surface. His usual aura of control seemed slightly frayed as his eyes flicked from me to Maya and back again."Emily," he began, his voice low. "Let's not do this here.""Why is she still here, Louis?" I demanded, pointing an accusatory finger at Maya. "You told me she was transferred. What is she doing here?"Before Louis could respond, Maya gracefully interjected, holding her belly like it was a delicate treasure. Her calm demeanor only fanned the flames of my rage."Louis," she said, her voice soft, "Maybe I should explain things to Emily." She turned to me, her expression almost pitying, but her words were knives concealed in velvet. "Emily, once my baby is born, I’ll leave. You don’t have to worry about anything. I’m not trying to interfere."She was pure malice rolled in sugar, easier to swallow for those around her - it was
Last Updated : 2024-12-19After Divorce: Ex-wife Never Turns Back Chapter 13
Emily’s POVMaya's sobs echoed off the walls of Louis's office, a pitiful soundtrack to her manipulations. I watched her through narrowed eyes, my stomach churning with disgust."I just want to do what's right," she wailed, cradling her belly dramatically. "Emily, please, stop blaming me for everything. I'm not the enemy here!"I had heard enough. “Oh, spare me the theatrics,” I snapped, my voice cold. “You’ve been the enemy since the moment you wormed your way into my life pretending to be my friend.”Louis glanced between us, clearly uncomfortable, but when he moved to speak, Maya beat him to it.“I was just trying to help,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I never wanted this to happen.”Her lies grated against my already frayed nerves. I had to get out before I said—or did—something I couldn’t take back. Spinning on my heel, I marched toward the door.“Emily, wait!” Louis’s voice followed me, but I didn’t stop.Behind me, I heard the faint rustling of fabric and Maya’s voice,
Last Updated : 2024-12-19After Divorce: Ex-wife Never Turns Back Chapter 14
Emily's POVLouis’s face paled as he rushed past me, his eyes fixed on Maya’s shuddering form at the bottom of the stairs. He knelt beside her, his hands trembling as he cradled her carefully. Maya let out a piercing wail, clutching her stomach.“My baby… my baby!” she sobbed, tears streaming down her face.I froze at the top of the stairs, my heart pounding in my chest. The hallway was deathly quiet, save for Maya’s cries. The accusing stares of their coworkers burned into me like fire.One of them, a man with a stern face, turned to me. “What happened?”“She—she fell,” I stammered, gesturing wildly. “I didn’t touch her! She moved back on her own!”But their expressions didn’t soften. If anything, their gazes grew colder, filled with disbelief.“You expect us to believe that?” a woman muttered, her voice laced with disdain. “After that altercation… the whole office could hear…”“I’m telling the truth!” I snapped, panic creeping into my voice. “It wasn’t me!”Louis looked up sharply,
Last Updated : 2024-12-19After Divorce: Ex-wife Never Turns Back Chapter 15
Emily's POVI wandered aimlessly through the hospital’s stark, sterile hallways, the bright fluorescent lights above doing nothing to warm the chill that seemed to settle in my bones. My footsteps echoed softly against the linoleum floor, but my mind was louder—filled with painful memories and questions that wouldn’t stop haunting me.How had it come to this? Maya had turned my life into a nightmare. I felt like a marionette, my strings tangled by her manipulative fingers. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. I stopped near a window, clutching my phone tightly. Desperation clawed at me, and I thumbed through my contacts, searching for comfort. But the screen mocked me with its emptiness.Maya. That woman had meticulously isolated me from everyone I once called a friend. Each subtle word, each whispered doubt, had slowly chipped away at my relationships until there was nothing left but her false friendship. How had I not realized it until now?My finger hovered over my mother’s number.
Last Updated : 2024-12-19After Divorce: Ex-wife Never Turns Back Chapter 16
Damian’s POVI had always wondered if the memories were real. The children’s home where we’d promised to meet once a year, the bond that had kept us steady when everything else seemed to fall apart—were they as vivid for her as they were for me?When I first saw Emily weeks ago, standing amidst chaos at the scene of an accident, I knew it was her. Her features had matured, but her gaze held the same quiet intensity. Yet I said nothing. Fear of her not remembering, or worse, not wanting to, kept me silent. Seeing her again in the hospital stairway, vulnerable and unraveling, had only strengthened my resolve to help her.But now, sitting across from me in my office, she didn’t seem to recognize me at all. Emily had walked in hesitantly, her eyes darting around the room like she was trying to find a reason to leave. She sat in the chair I gestured to, clasping her hands tightly in her lap. To me this felt like a relief but the conflict of knowing my patient personally, of withholding tha
Last Updated : 2024-12-19After Divorce: Ex-wife Never Turns Back Chapter 17
Maya's POVI leaned back on the plush couch in my apartment, staring at the ceiling. My fingers twirled idly through my hair as memories of the past unfurled, mingling with my current schemes. Emily. She was the anchor of every thought, every plan, every bit of envy that burned quietly within me.It had always been Emily. Back in high school, she was the golden girl—beautiful, driven, and effortlessly adored. Beside her, I was just the shadow, the girl people noticed only when Emily wasn’t around. Even the teachers who praised me for my hard work always added, “You and Emily make such a great team.”A laugh escaped me, bitter and hollow. Emily’s glow made my achievements look like scraps. I’d smiled at her wedding, clapping politely, but the jealousy had gnawed at my stomach as I watched her glide down the aisle. She didn’t just get a husband—she secured Louis Whitman, a man who seemed to have everything: charm, intelligence, and a future paved in gold.When Emily reappeared in my lif
Last Updated : 2024-12-19After Divorce: Ex-wife Never Turns Back Chapter 18
Emily's POVThe drive to my parents’ house felt longer than usual. My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as I sped away from Louis and our marriage. When I arrived, the usual warmth of home greeted me—the gardenias my mother planted still blooming by the porch, the faint aroma of fresh bread wafting from the kitchen. But none of it settled the unease in my chest.“You’re here so soon!” my mother exclaimed, pulling me into a hug.I forced a smile. “I thought I’d surprise you.”She frowned. “What’s wrong?”“I’ve been worried about dad’s health,” I said quickly, brushing past her and into the house. “I wanted to spend time with you both today and get my mind off of everything.”Her brow furrowed with concern, but she let it drop. My father appeared from the living room, frail and pale but smiling as he walked over to hug me. The sight of him weakened something in me, but I pushed the emotions down.“How’s my girl?” he asked as I helped him to his recliner. His heart condition had l
Last Updated : 2024-12-19After Divorce: Ex-wife Never Turns Back Chapter 19
Emily's POVThe pounding on the bedroom door was relentless—each thud louder, angrier than the last. “Emily!” Louis’s voice boomed, full of irritation. “Open the door!”“Emily, open up! This is ridiculous—you’re just being petty!” Maya screeched, her shrill voice grating against my nerves like nails on a chalkboard.I didn’t move, arms crossed. From inside, their overlapping voices grew louder—his furious commands clashing with her whiny pleas. “Louis, calm down,” Maya purred. “She’s doing this to make us look bad!”I turned as the clatter of hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway. Lucy swept into view, sporting her polished curls and her garishly flamboyant suit.“What in God’s name is going on here?” She demanded.Without a word, I flung the key at the door with a sharp clink. “There,” I nodded at it with my chin, “Your golden boy and his mistress are locked inside together. Go on, let’s see what Mommy Dearest makes of that.”Lucy glared at me as she stalked forward, snatched
Last Updated : 2024-12-19
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After Divorce: Ex-wife Never Turns Back Chapter 115
Barrett’s POVThe next morning, I sat in my leather recliner, nursing a secund cup of black coffee, and staring out over the manicured estate. Thoughts of the approaching date churned in my mind, and I found myself… restless. Seventy. The big seven-zero. The number itself tasted both bitter and regal on my tongue. I had not planned to celebrate, not publicly anyway. But as the morning wore on, I began to feel something stir in my chest. A small fire. A whisper of sentimentality. Perhaps, I thought, a modest gathering with those closest to me would not be entirely foolish.I reached for the landline beside me, its polished brass and ivory buttons still more satisfying than any of these cursed smartphones. I dialed Charles’ office number and waited.“Father,” Charles answered, his voice clipped, professional. Always the executive, even for me.“I hope I’m not interrupting your hostile takeover of a rival firm,” I said, smirking to myself.“You’re lucky I find your sarcasm charming, Fath
After Divorce: Ex-wife Never Turns Back Chapter 114
Barrett’s POVThe morning sun filtered through the heavy drapes of my suite, casting golden beams over the thick Persian rugs and polished mahogany furniture. I had just finished a satisfying breakfast of poached eggs, grilled asparagus, and a piece of toast slathered with just enough marmalade to remind me of Madelin’s old habit of sneaking sugar into everything. I was reclined in my massage chair, the mechanical hum of the rollers easing into my lower back as I sipped a small glass of tomato juice. My slippers were warm, my robe wrapped perfectly around me, and for a brief, fleeting moment, I allowed myself the luxury of peace.Then came the knock.It was not sharp or aggressive, but steady, insistent. I assumed it was Becky, my nurse, coming to check my vitals and shuffle me off to the pool where I would wade like a disoriented walrus through lukewarm water in the name of cardio. I did not mind. At my age, movement was a celebration, not a punishment.“Come in,” I called, not turni
After Divorce: Ex-wife Never Turns Back Chapter 113
Emily’s POVThe house was silent, that comforting kind of quiet that settles just before twilight. I had dimmed the lights in the kitchen and lit the candles I kept tucked away for special occasions, letting them cast soft, flickering shadows across the table. The scent of roasted garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh basil danced through the air, blending with the heady sweetness of the vanilla candle near the door. Damian had texted me an hour ago to say he was finally headed home after a brutal day at the hospital. I could almost hear the exhaustion in his message.He had been working late all week, dealing with a string of emergency surgeries and difficult patients. I had seen it in the shadows under his eyes and the way his voice sometimes trailed off mid-thought. I hated seeing him that way. So tonight, I decided, was just for him.The table was set with our mismatched plates and the fancy cloth napkins we never used. A bottle of Chianti stood like a soldier at attention beside
After Divorce: Ex-wife Never Turns Back Chapter 112
Emily’s POVThe smell of garlic, rosemary, and lemon zest lingered in the air as I stirred the sauce gently in the pan, the soft clink of the wooden spoon against metal filling the silence between bursts of laughter. Damian sat on a stool near the island, slicing up bright heirloom tomatoes for the salad, his sleeves rolled up, forearms dusted with a trace of sea salt. There was something sweetly ridiculous about how domestic we’d become. Just last week I was navigating legal documents and emotionally charged confrontations, and now, I was arguing with this man—this impossibly handsome, frustrating, tender man—about how thick tomato slices should be.“Thicker, Damian. They fall apart when they’re paper-thin. What is this, a salad or carpaccio?” I teased, shaking my head.He looked up at me with mock offense, eyes sparkling with humor. “Excuse you, this is art. Not everything needs to be manhandled into submission.”I flicked a little water at him from the edge of my fingers and he gas
After Divorce: Ex-wife Never Turns Back Chapter 111
Barrett’s POVThe afternoon light filtered in through the tall windows of Emily’s restaurant, casting a soft golden hue across the crisp white tablecloth and delicately arranged tea set before me. I leaned back slightly in my chair, cigar long extinguished, the aroma of fresh herbs and warm fruit filling the air. Emily moved with the grace of a dancer, placing platters of vibrant foods before Tom and me, her smile glowing with sincerity and quiet confidence. It was a different kind of strength than I was used to — not forged in boardrooms or battles, but grown in the soft, persistent soil of daily intention and care. A strength you could eat, I thought, marveling at the spread before us.“I wanted to do something special,” she said as she settled into the chair across from me. “This is part of something I’ve been dreaming up — a lifestyle brand built around nutrition, mindfulness, and family. Something real. I’ve spent so long building something for myself, and now… I want to build so
After Divorce: Ex-wife Never Turns Back Chapter 110
Barrett’s POVTom turned the wheel smoothly, his gloved hands steady on the leather steering wheel as the car pulled up in front of Emily’s restaurant. The warm amber glow of the morning sun bathed the little bistro’s façade, catching the edge of its elegant signage and making the gold lettering sparkle. It was half-past ten, a peaceful hour before the doors opened to the bustle of brunch service. I reached for my phone, preparing to dial Emily and let her know we had arrived, when the front door of the restaurant swung open.There she was. Bright-eyed and graceful, waving as she stepped into the sun with a smile that could make a bitter man sweet. I rolled down the window and gave her a gentleman’s wave, the kind I had perfected over the decades. There was charm in that wave, intention too. I always made a show of things. She crossed the sidewalk quickly, her steps light and full of purpose, and Tom, ever the reliable footman, was already out of the car and opening the door before sh
After Divorce: Ex-wife Never Turns Back Chapter 109
Barrett’s POVI opened my mouth to decline, but my stomach betrayed me with a traitorous growl. Tom chuckled and patted his own gut."I haven’t eaten breakfast," he admitted sheepishly. "Wouldn’t say no to something light.""Then it’s settled," Emily said with a delighted nod. "Come inside. I’ll whip something up quickly before the restaurant opens."Inside, the space was warm and inviting. Clean wood, exposed brick, and the scent of cinnamon and espresso hung in the air. She led us to a corner booth and told us to make ourselves comfortable before disappearing behind the kitchen doors.I leaned back against the leather banquette and glanced around, noting the framed photos, handwritten menus, and stacks of mismatched ceramic cups. It had charm. Real charm. Not that fabricated kind the decorators installed into million-dollar spaces with rustic beams from fake barns in Vermont.A few minutes later, Emily returned carrying two plates and two steaming mugs of coffee."Spinach, egg, and
After Divorce: Ex-wife Never Turns Back Chapter 108
Barrett’s POVOnce they were gone, I called Tom, who had wisely waited downstairs in the car, no doubt reading the paper or texting his wife about what groceries to pick up on the way home.“Tom,” I said, “it’s time. We’re going to Emily’s restaurant to pick her up.”He chuckled on the other end. “That was quick, sir. Thought you’d be stuck there all afternoon.”“It does not take long to make people uneasy,” I said with a laugh, lighting one final cigar before snuffing it out prematurely. “Sometimes all you have to do is show up.”I stepped out from my office and walked through the executive corridor with purpose, nodding politely at those who dared look me in the eye. I was not a ghost of the past. I was still the storm that shook the windows. I took the elevator back down, passing floor after floor of carefully polished egos and glass walls, watching my reflection in the silver doors. There he was—Barrett Augustus, still in control, still calling the shots.The lobby greeted me with
After Divorce: Ex-wife Never Turns Back Chapter 107
Barrett’s POVThe phone call had gone better than expected. Emily had answered after three rings, her voice a delicate mix of confusion and caution, but the moment she realized it was me—Barrett Augustus—her tone shifted to something more respectful. I could hear the hesitation behind her words, the hesitation of a woman who had been burned too many times, who had learned the hard way that even well-dressed men with deep pockets carried knives behind their backs. But I was not calling to hurt her. No, I had far more interesting things in mind.I told her I wanted to take her somewhere important, somewhere that mattered to me, and she agreed without pressing too much. That pleased me. A young woman with enough intuition to know when not to push an old lion too hard. She insisted, however, that once our little errand was over, I would join her at her restaurant for tea and pastries. Tea and pastries. The very idea of it made me laugh, but there was something endearing about her. She did
