August 21, 2024. Chapter 1-2.
“Are you ready, Honey?” Riley asked Adrian in excitement. “Not really the kind of bonding I was hoping for, Honey,” Adrian hissed as he sat beside his wife. Riley ignored her husband’s lack of interest. Instead, she turned to her father with a gleeful smile and said, “This is going to be so relaxing, Dad, and didn’t you say you’d like to relax?”“I -” Charles’ brows met. While in his seat, he turned to Riley with a complicated expression and answered, “I - I trust you, my daughter.”Riley and Adrian had been with Charles in Dowel City for two days. On the first day, they focused on gathering feedback from Charles’ doctor to understand how best to support him. The following day, they visited Raelyn’s grave. In the evening, they enjoyed a delightful dinner at the city’s top restaurant.Charles’ psychiatrist advised that spending quality time was the best way to support a family member dealing with depression. For Riley, the most effective way to do this was to enjoy a foot spa together
"So, you never got to see Mom's body, right?" Riley asked Charles. "No, she was already buried in Sever Port's cemetery when I found her. The police confirmed it was her through her belongings, and they said that -" Charles frowned, trying to recall the day that he discovered Raelyn's death. "The police said someone identified Raelyn - a neighbor.""There was—" Charles paused yet again. His hand covered his mouth as he explained, "There was no DNA I could compare Raelyn's body to, so I couldn't do that confirmatory test.""But the police," Charles resumed. "They reassured me it was her. I checked the documented identifications. They had Raelyn's driver's license and social security ID."The moment Charles said that, dead air fell upon the room. Almost everyone looked at each other and came to the same conclusion. "The police were in on it," Adrian suggested. Instead of going to Dowel City, the couple returned to Adrian's villa, regrouping after Ramona requested freedom. Renee and Ab
"Leni was here earlier," Charles revealed on the phone. "She came to pick up the rest of her things.""How did you feel about seeing her again?" Riley inquired as she exited her car. She had just arrived home from checking the Adley store when her father called."I was okay. I feel sorry for Leni, but she really needs to stand on her own two feet now," Charles described. "She begged me to help her get another endorsement.""Oh, " Riley said, making a face. "You are right, then. She does need to learn to stand on her own."Quickly shifting the discussion, she reminded, "Adrian and I will be in Dowel tomorrow. You said the results for the DNA test would be out by then, right?"Yes, they had, in fact, exhumed Raelyn's body. It had already been ten days since Ramona had dropped the big bomb on them, and it had been seven days since they had dug up Raelyn's remains. Despite waiting for the test, they had already begun searching for other properties that belonged to Calvin, Ramona, or any o
Riley observed her father as he scanned the results, his face draining of color before a storm of anger erupted. His voice trembled with fury as he exclaimed, “Calvin, how could you?!”Charles’ hand trembled as he turned to Riley. He revealed, “Riley, the person in your mother’s tomb did not match your DNA, nor did it have any match to Renee!”“That means Ramona could be telling the truth,” Riley muttered. “And my mother could still be alive?”“Oh, my goodness, my sister is alive,” Renee remarked. She almost fainted at the news that Anthony supported her weight. “Are you okay?” Anthony asked, and Renee balanced herself again with her walking crane. “Dad,” Riley cried out, rushing into her father’s arms and holding him close. “I know this is devastating, but on the bright side, Mom might still be alive!”Charles nodded as tears stung his eyes. He pulled away and said, “We need to find your mother as soon as possible.”“We will double our search and use all our resources,” Adrian offe
No one opened the gates. The police were forced to enter the premises by force. Charles, Adrian, and Riley were instructed to wait outside after the authorities had cleared the house. Ben also stayed behind, and Ramona was kept inside the car with a police officer guarding her. "This is nerve-wracking," Riley said while waiting by the car. Adrian put his arm around her and said, "Any minute now."When Riley turned to her father, she saw him equally anxious. Charles was taking deep breaths, his hand resting on his chest. After an hour, one police officer exited the gate and announced, "No one is here. The place is a mess. It looks like they were in a hurry to leave."Riley sighed with a heavy heart. She felt devastated that it had resulted in a dead end. Tears immediately stung her eyes as Riley felt her chest congesting. She almost lost her balance if Adrian had not held her. "No," Charles said. He panted as he walked towards the house. "This cannot be."Ben, Riley, and Adrian qui
"I swear I did not trick you," Ramona said. She was also upset when she discovered Raelyn was not in the villa. "Have you tried to contact Jasper?" Charles asked. "I did as you instructed," Ramona replied. "He doesn't answer to unknown numbers. Besides, he probably already knew that I was arrested, okay!""How come you don't know anything about this Jasper?" This time, it was Adrian who asked. "He is a secretive guy and works for money," Ramona said. "I don't know how he remains loyal to Calvin, but he does. He is probably protecting Raelyn, so if you find him, you can find her too!""Please," Ramona begged. "I swear I did not know Jasper would move Raelyn."They were still at Pelican Island, interrogating Ramona in one of the villa's rooms. The police, including Adrian and Charles, had grilled her for almost two hours, trying to get more information about where Raelyn could be. Riley chose not to participate in the questioning. So far, the only information Ramona shared was what t
6:00 AM, Pelican Island. "Yes, Aunt, we are counting on you," Riley said on the phone. "I'll give the phone to Dad."Riley's party awaited the helicopter to bring them back to Hinesville. They called Renee before leaving. Her aunt was already in Dowel and was the best person to reach Leni. If Raelyn were looking for her daughter and if she still assumed it was Leni, then they were banking on a mother's primary instinct: Raelyn would go straight to Leni. "Renee, Ben has ordered the rest of my bodyguards to accompany you around Dowel. Based on my last surveillance on Leni, she was eyeing the Sterling Homes, Maplewood, or the Blue Horizon," Charles said on the phone. "My men know where to go first. Don't hesitate to use my name.""Thank you," Charles said just before the helicopter was in their view. They still brought Ramona with them, hoping she would be of help later on. As they hurriedly got on the helicopter, Adrian shared, "I was just on the phone with Kyle. So, Jasper is under
11:00 AM Dowel City. "Okay, we are clear to leave. We are entering the airport now," Jasper reported. "I coordinated with the private plane company to adjust our departure time."Leni let out a heavy sigh. She said, "What a relief."Earlier, she had been very nervous about how Anthony had discovered her with Raelyn. She did the math and knew that Adrian and Charles would already know by then.There was no escaping the situation. Leni would just have to stand by her decision. She had decided that Raelyn was her chance of an easy life. So, of course, she grabbed the golden opportunity. Thinking of Charles, she said in her head, 'This is your fault, Dad. You did this to me.'Charles could not grasp that she had been accustomed to a life of luxury, and by taking it all away, he left her no choice but to use any means necessary to survive. She simply could not handle being thrust into poverty!"Don't worry, Leni. Everything will be fine soon. When we leave here, we will forget about Charl
Dear Readers, Thank you for your unwavering support and for being part of this incredible journey. I won't say it's the end because we will still hear from Riley and Adrain. However, Chapter 262 concludes Book 1 of Divorced My Cheating Husband, Married A Billionaire. Book 2 will cover Riley and Adrian's lives years later and focus on their children. Yes, this includes their daughter, Freya. In the coming days, I will write a preview and some bonus chapters using the author's notes. Please watch out for it. Now, the question is when will Book 2 start?I have things I need to take care of—for my kids, my baby, and myself. I have been putting off my follow-up check-up and need to get it done. (Somebody will get scolded by the doctor, and that's me. :))We will also be moving back to our old house, which will take a lot of time.I don't want to underdeliver, so I will wait to give an estimated time. I just want to get the abovementioned tasks out of the way first before coming back with
“Happy Birthday, Grandpa. I love you and miss you,” Freya said while putting a flower on Abner’s grave. Charlie followed, putting her teddy bear down. She said, “Grandpa, you can have Mr. Bear. So you won’t miss us too much.”Jasper followed, leaving a card that he had drawn for Abner. He asked, “Hey, Grandpa. Is it always a buffet in heaven?”The adults behind the kids laughed. Jasper turned to his parents, objecting, “Grandpa told me there’s a buffet in heaven!”“Dad did say that a lot,” Anthony remarked, chuckling. More than a year had gone by since Abner’s passing, and they all visited him in his mausoleum, the same one that housed his departed wife, Marilyn King. Charles and Realyn were also present, bringing along their son. Carson had made a Lego mansion for Abner. He placed it above his tomb and said, “Grandpa, I made a house for you. Hope you like it.”Kian moved forward next. He pouted as he said, “Great-grandpa Abner, since you left, the house has been a bit boring. Daddy
“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, Dear Freya. Happy birthday to you!” On Freya’s 6th birthday, everyone gathered again. The celebration was held at the very first Diamond Hotel in Halliport. Freya stood on the stage with her parents and siblings. She wore a crown over her head and a ballroom gown fit for a princess. She had a bright smile before she blew the candles on her cake. The audience erupted into applause, after which the party host asked, “What was your wish, Princess Freya?”“That I will grow strong and healthy so I can be a businesswoman someday!” Freya declared, adding to everyone’s amusement. Praises echoed in the ballroom. Carrying both his sons, Adrian struggled to clap his hands, but Jasper and Kian did it for him. “Yay! My turn to blow!” Charlie said. She was beaming while being held by Riley. “No, me!” Jasper screamed. “No, me!” Kian said. The guests laughed out loud at how Riley and Adrian’s children wanted to blow out the candles
Over a year passed. “Five minutes more, and we are done,” Adrian said as he continued to run on the treadmill. “Honey, I can’t believe I’m back to running for two straight hours again,” Riley said while catching her breath. Her body was sweating profusely, her athletic wear soaked altogether.” It was the same for her husband. Adrian’s skin was glowing in his sweat, and with him running half-naked, he looked mighty fine. “Rrr. Somebody looks hot,” Riley remarked while checking out her husband. “We should have sex after shower.”“We should,” Adrian said while chuckling. “The last time we tried to make love, Freya walked in on us.”“We should learn to lock the door,” Riley said, but locking the doors was easier said than done when Freya always demanded their time and attention whenever they were home. Since delivering the Triplets, Riley had always asked Adrian to be her exercise buddy. Although her postpartum belly has still not fully recovered, she is getting there. The best part i
“What? Why can’t we see Riley before the delivery?” Renee asked, furious. “Why is she delivering early?”“It’s a delicate pregnancy, Aunt, and she is going into operation right now. Don’t worry. I will take care of Riley,” Zia said. Zia knew that Riley had hidden the truth about her pregnancy. During her second trimester, Riley had attempted to wear baggy clothes to conceal her growing belly. Zia also knew Riley purposely evaded seeing her parents and aunt personally in the recent months.Only Zia, Clint, Abner, Adrian, and Riley knew the truth. Zia even colluded with Riley, giving her a fake ultrasound report.Now, Riley was already 34 weeks pregnant. It was too early for her to give birth, but it had to be done. Going further into the pregnancy was too dangerous. “What’s her condition? Is it polyhydramnios?” Renee asked. This was one of Renee’s suspicions, but Zia always found a way to avoid the topic. “It’s one of those rare pregnancies, Aunt - Oh! I hear Riley crying. I better g
Time passed again, and it was finally time for Zia to give birth to her twins. Zia had no complications during her pregnancy. Thus, she decided to give birth vaginally. She was prepared for the worst. Zia had delivered countless babies and witnessed different kinds of mothers, including those who screamed, cried, prayed, counted numbers, and more. So, Zia was quiet despite the labor pains. However, it was not the same for her husband, Clint.Zia wanted to avoid an epidural if possible, saving it as a last resort. During labor, she hummed and took deep breaths. They were in their birthing suite, with Clint holding Zia’s hand. Between the two of them, it looked like Clint was about to give birth. He was sweating and already jittery. He said, “Zia, you are so strong. I love you so much.”Soon, it was time for Zia to push. She gave it her all. Clint and her doctor helped her through it. However, after several attempts, the first baby was still not coming out! Zia’s doctor decided to perf
“Honey? What are you doing here?” Adrian asked, surprised to see Riley stepping onto the private jet. He was scheduled for a trip to check on the project’s progress in Hawaii, so her unexpected arrival caught him off guard.“I’m coming with you!” Riley declared. “It’s been a while since I accompanied you on business trips. Why not mix business with pleasure? And don’t worry, Freya is staying with Aunt, and so is Grandpa. I figured it was about time we had more alone time together.”She beamed and settled on the seat next to Adrian. She pressed her lips into his ear and pointed out, “You do realize that I am about to ovulate. This is the perfect time to have lots of sex!”“Honey,” Adrian said. “I know about that. I was coming back tomorrow morning.”“Yes, but why not have lots of sex in paradise?” Riley pointed out. “Maybe we need a little adventure.”She scanned the private jet, and after finding Adrian’s new male assistant, she whispered, “We can have, you know, sex on the beach, on t
“Riley, Aunt Renee needs us,” Adrian revealed in the middle of the night. Riley was fast asleep when Adrian awoke her. She got up immediately, and a worried expression appeared on her face. She asked, “What happened to Aunt?”“Her blood pressure went up, so the doctor decided to deliver the baby prematurely,” Adrian said while getting off the bed. “Dad just called. He is in a panic.”Riley frowned. Because Zia was very pregnant and her stomach was growing bigger, she had to hold off from delivering babies, but she was still on top of her aunt’s condition. She had also appointed the second-best doctor to attend to Renee. “I’ll call Zia,” Riley said while leaving the bed. Time had passed again. Her aunt’s pregnancy was already thirty-four weeks, not yet full term. Naturally, Riley was worried. She had heard Gaby’s story about their struggle with Kenneth and the triplet’s birth, so she was afraid her aunt would go through the same situation. “Zia? Thank you for picking up,” Riley said
~ “Tonight I just want to take you higher Throw your hands up in the sky Let’s set this party off right” ~ Previously hidden amongst his groomsmen, Clint emerged from his flock of male friends and cousins to sing and dance to the tune of 24k Magic by Bruno Mars. This was Clint and Zia’s wedding celebration. They did not wait long and wed while Zia was still ten weeks pregnant. Clint and Zia wanted to make things formal before Zia’s belly grew too big. Clint glided down the center aisle of the ballroom with casual, effortless confidence. His steps were smooth and rhythmic, exuding a cool, controlled vibe as he moved to the beat. He and his crew of groomsmen dancers execute sharp, synchronized moves that give the choreography a sense of unity and camaraderie.With every slick move, their smiles were evident. They occasionally winked at the crowd, giving off that suave look. The wedding was held at the Marriot Hotel, and over five hundred guests were invited. Most guests were Clint