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Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 94
Tiffany Have you ever wondered what it was like to be dipped in a vat of boiling acid and then wrung out to dry, specifically being squeezed of every ounce of life, allowing the acid to, in some ways, do more damage to your skin than ever before? That was me. That was me, I thought to myself again. She had done this. My sister. Except—kidding? We weren’t even related by blood. The only ties we held together were water, and just like it was said, blood was thicker than water. So why did it matter so much? It all started with the announcement of the gala, and then it was the fire. Dave had so stupidly brought her out himself, leaving me alone, and then finally it was the guts she had to use to look me in the eye and call me nothing but an intruder. Me. I was an intruder? Me? I asked out loud again, laughing to myself, finding it nearly comical. This was coming from someone who would look me in the eye and say certain things, yet suddenly she was bold? Suddenly, I was to b
Last Updated : 2025-01-19Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 95
Orchard’s PovThe drive to my father’s house was quiet, the kind of silence that wasn’t uncomfortable but made me unnerved. The city lights flickered past as I kept one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting in Iris’s grasp. She squeezed my hand gently, a small act of reassurance that somehow made my nerves calmer.Her touch grounded me, but it also reminded me of what was waiting for me at the end of this drive, my father and whatever drama he’d stirred up this time.“Are you okay?” Iris’s voice broke through my thoughts, concern laced in her tone.I glanced at her briefly before turning my eyes back to the road. “I will be. It’s just… him.”She gave me a small smile. “Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it.”I nodded, gripping the wheel tighter as the towering iron gates of my father’s estate came into view. The guards recognized the car immediately and opened the gates without hesitation. They didn’t need to ask questions; they knew me too well.The driveway was perfectly maint
Last Updated : 2025-01-19Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 96
Iris The evening had started so beautifully, but the phone call from Orchard’s father changed everything. I was still processing the shift in the atmosphere as Orchard ended the call and ran a hand through his hair, his jaw tightening. He looked calm on the outside, but I knew him well enough to recognize the storm brewing beneath the surface.“Is everything okay?” I asked cautiously, sitting up straighter in my seat.He hesitated for a moment, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the table. “My father wants me to come over.”I nodded, though his words unsettled me. Orchard rarely talked about his father. I knew their relationship was rocky at best, filled with unresolved tension and bitterness.“Do you want me to come with you?” I offered gently.He gave me a small, grateful smile. “Of course. I’d rather not go there alone.”That was all I needed to hear. Whatever was going on, I wanted to be there for him, even if I didn’t fully understand the weight of their history.The drive
Last Updated : 2025-01-19Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 97
OrchardEarlier That DayIt didn't seem like I could find a time to be alone with her long enough for me to make anything count. Iris herself simply looked overly attractive, dressed up every day and going out the door for work. We both had to be up early, so there were no late-night shenanigans for either of us. "Did I have to force it?" I asked myself as I turned around from the walk-in closet, searching for Iris. "Hey," I said, calling out just as she was about to put a hand on the door handle. "I want to see you," I said. "I'll pop by your office later. Don’t go anywhere." I pointed a finger at her face. She gave me a small smile. "Okay," she said. In many ways, that smile did too much. It brightened up the flight of my morning, and I felt a special way after the fire ruined Mom's event. Speaking of Mom, I thought to myself as I stepped back into the walk-in closet and got ready for the day. I needed to see her. Whether it was because of the smoke or her allergies, she h
Last Updated : 2025-01-20Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 98
DaveEight Hours PriorI had no reason to go, save to simply see things myself. But Tiffany's complaints were enough. Just confront her a little bit, I thought, especially after Tiffany had been giving me the cold shoulder over the past few days. It irked me, I thought. And after one evening at the bar, sipping on whiskey, I had come to a simple conclusion after a little talk with Tom. "Do something," he had said. "The best way to get your woman's attention off you momentarily is to make it about her. Give her something, shower her with as many goodies as possible. Heck, confront her bully, get her something pretty," he had said. "This shit ain't so hard. The reason why she's pissed is because she thinks you only care about yourself. But don’t you know that the best way to keep your woman’s eyes off you is to make yourself a selfless, responsible, ‘we’re trying, please, hardly possible,’ and you know it’s always ‘every man for himself’ lately. But I’m guessing you get what I mean,
Last Updated : 2025-01-20Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 99
IrisI was giddy like a child on Christmas. It was like presents had been laid out in front of me, or at least it was like Mom had told me to go downstairs and I would meet the Christmas tree with gifts stuffed underneath. Except that instead of that, I was going to have another honey. We’d had one before, but it was awkward. Just as awkward as an arranged marriage couple not exactly knowing what to do with each other the first time they met—level awkward. I was so giddy to the point my feet started dancing on their own. "You’re cute, you know that, right?" I turned away from my vanity and found Orchard walking toward me with a towel around his waist. His packs were dripping water, dropping down from his neck all the way down over his muscular chest, his abs, and then going to play around with the towel. All excited like that, he raised a hand and wiggled his fingers. "It’s cute." He plopped down beside me, forcing me to scoot over to the edge of the stool in front of the vani
Last Updated : 2025-01-20Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 100
IrisWhat is this about? I slowly marched into my office, feeling as though it was a foreign space and I, an alien. "Your father wishes to have a conversation about his will," Father's lawyer spoke in a curt tone. Michael, I believe his name was. If I remembered correctly, I used to have a crush on him when I was a kid, but now it had faded, and all that was left was simply disgust—especially when I caught him kissing my mom. And by mom, I mean stepmother. Yes, Karen was cheating on Dad, but I wouldn’t be the one to let him find out. "I’m sure my dad can talk for himself," I said, slowly walking around the desk toward my seat and lowering myself into it. "Well?" I met my father’s eyes. "Is there something you need, Father? Something you’d rather come to talk to me about? Or at least you could have sent a letter," I said, rolling my eyes. "If you didn’t want to write one, you could have simply sent an email. You can do that now, online. You don’t even have to come." Father cleare
Last Updated : 2025-01-21Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 101
TiffanyI woke up feeling cozy and warm, as though I was wrapped in the softest blanket in the world. My senses were overwhelmed by the faint scent of something musky and masculine, wrapping around me like an invisible cocoon. It was soothing, comforting even, and for a moment, I stayed still, savoring the feeling. I wanted to stay here forever, shielded from the cold, the chaos, and everything outside this perfect little bubble.But as the moments passed, I realized something was…off. The warmth wasn’t coming from a blanket at all. It was firmer than that, solid and unyielding. My heart skipped as I shifted slightly, and the realization hit me like a bolt of lightning. I wasn’t curled up in a blanket. I was curled up against a male chest.My breath caught as my eyes fluttered open. Though my vision was still hazy from sleep, I could make out a strong, muscular arm draped over me. Even without seeing his face, I knew who it was. My body betrayed me immediately, responding with a hea
Last Updated : 2025-01-21
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Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 168
OrchardIris made the most adorable pregnant woman ever. Maybe it was just my sentiment—I would always believe that. Maybe it was still my sentiment to want her to have another baby just because she made the most adorable pregnant woman ever. And perhaps those sentiments couldn’t be shared with her. But when it always came down to the delivery room, I found myself pacing. "It’s a normal reaction," the nurses said. "It’s normal," they said eventually. "Why don’t you come hold her hand?" the half-face-covered nurse stretched out a hand. "Are you okay?" I whispered in her ear. "Oh yeah, I’m amazing," she mumbled. "But sure, if we want to make this mountain out of a molehill, we can. Besides, I already requested an epidural," she rolled her eyes at me. "Maybe you’re just being dramatic," she waved me off. Maybe I was. Maybe I was just shy. After all, it wasn’t every day a man got to witness this perfect being born. "Okay, I feel something," she gripped my hand. The secon
Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 167
Orchard Nothing, except the mild silence of the humidifier beside my bed, the steady beeping of the heart monitor, and, of course, the gentle hum of the air conditioner, filled the room. Aside from having to convince my wife—well, I wasn’t sure what we were now, but we surely were something—convincing her to go home, take a shower, get dressed, and look prettier the day after was more than enough. The same could apply to Mom. Partly, it was because of the text message I had received from Dad. “Is it all right if I come see you?” he had texted earlier. “Me telling you no isn’t going to change your mind, so why bother?” I texted back. And, as they say, speak of the devil, and he shall appear. An hour later, Dad walked into my hospital room as though he owned the place—which was mildly accurate. He was one of those with the largest holdings in the hospital. Or, well, he had some of the largest holdings in the hospital. While he didn’t own it specifically, neither did I, but he d
Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 166
IrisHarold couldn’t be fast enough. Or maybe it was the fact that the speed limit was simply too slow, and Harold was dancing just at the edge. Either way, I kept pounding my heel against the floor of the car while biting my lips, and it seemed the buildings were moving apart too slowly. “I’m going as fast as I can, Mrs. Hector,” Harold said, and turned towards the rearview mirror, his eyes darting towards me. “I’m driving as fast as I can,” he said again, his eyes meeting mine this time. “We’ll be there soon.” His eyes crinkled at the edges, smiling at me. He offered little comfort, I thought to myself, as my face strangely cracked into a small smile. “Thank you,” I said, letting out a huff of air and pulling my fingers together, trying to calm them from the shaking earlier. Who’d have thought talking to the stepmother who effectively bullied you your whole life would cause some form of shakiness? Eventually, we reached the hospital in one piece—mostly. I bolted straight u
Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 165
IrisPerhaps it was not just me but the entire court, but everyone seemed to let out a breath of relief. I caught sight of Karen sitting somewhere at the back of the room.Simply, I got sight of her because I was jittery, my eyes darting all over the place.Perhaps I was so eager to keep my eyes off Dave that I simply couldn’t look at the person—the wicked person—he had become. He was so unrecognizable.He was not the man I had known all my life; he was not the man I had fallen in love with. No. Buried far from those things were the sweet smiles he had given me when I was younger and the messages of conviction. *"You’re the only woman I could ever marry,"* he had said. Well, perhaps that part was true. I was the only one he married—but probably not the only one he could love. No. His love went to other places; his love had a knack for doing that, going to various places. But none of that mattered for the children. At least that chapter was closed. I raised my eyes to the prose
Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 164
Iris’ Pov I got the call from the police station. They told me Dave wanted to see me. I didn’t want to go. After everything he’d done, why would I? But then, Orchard’s mum, Halle, said she’d come with me. I needed her support, so I agreed.When we got to the station, my hands were shaking. Halle held my arm gently, and we walked in together. They led us to the room where Dave was sitting. “Iris,” he said, “you came.”I didn’t sit down. I just looked at him, feeling all the anger rise inside me. “You better pray Orchard wakes up,” I said, “if she doesn’t, you’ll regret ever knowing me.”Dave smirked. “I don’t care what happens to me. If Orchard dies, I’m justified.”I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Justified? For what? Before I could say anything else, Halle held me.“There’s no use talking to a man like him,” he’s lost his mind. Let’s go, Iris.”Just as we turned to leave, a cop walked into the room. He had a file in his hand and a serious look on his face.“We found new evide
Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 163
Iris’ PovI sat in the cold, hard chair outside the operating room, my breaths were shallow and uneven. It felt like I had been holding my breath the entire time.Orchard was in there, fighting for his life. The doctors had rushed him in as soon as we arrived at the hospital, I wanted to believe he would make it, but the blood, there had been so much blood. I couldn’t stop seeing it.My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. I joined them together, pressing them tightly against my lap, trying to steady them, but it didn’t work. My clothes still smelled like blood and sweat, and I hated it.“Iris,” a soft voice said beside me.I looked up to see Orchard’s mother. I had called her as soon as I arrived. She placed a hand on my shoulder.“He’s strong,” she said, though her voice cracked. “He’s going to make it.”I nodded, but I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t find any words.The hallway was too quiet, the kind of silence that only made things worse. Every time the doors to the operating room swung open,
Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 163
Dave’s PovThe sound of the gunshot still rang in my ears as I stumbled back, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps. The scene before me felt surreal, like something out of a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from. Orchard was on the floor, blood spreading around him like a dark, growing shadow. Iris knelt beside him, screaming his name, her hands pressed desperately against his chest as if she could stop the life from slipping out of him.“Orchard! Stay with me! Please!” she sobbed, tears streaming down her face. Her voice was filled with panic, raw and heart-wrenching.And I just stood there, frozen. My hand was still gripping the gun, my knuckles white. I couldn’t move, couldn’t think. All I could do was stare at the chaos I had caused.What have I done?The question repeated over and over in my mind, but I couldn’t find an answer. I hadn’t planned for this to happen, not like this. I just wanted to scare them, to make them pay attention, to make her listen to me. But now… now it was
Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 161
Iris’ Pov The gun pressed against my head was a constant reminder of how close I was to disaster. I could see the anger in Dave’s eyes, the wild, unpredictable rage that told me he wasn’t bluffing. He was mad enough to do anything. The memory of the day he shot my stepsister, suddenly hit me. The look on his face then was the same as now. No hesitation, no regret. Just pure fury.I knew better than to argue with him. If I made one wrong move, one wrong word, this could end horribly. I forced myself to take a shaky breath, trying to calm the panic that threatened to overwhelm me.“Dave,”please, let’s not do this. Name your price. Whatever you want, we’ll do it. Just… just let us go.”For a moment, he didn’t say anything. He just stared at me, his grip on the gun tightening and loosening, like he was considering his options.Then he laughed, a bitter, hollow sound that made my stomach twist. “Name my price?” he said mockingly. “It’s too late for that, Iris. Don’t you get it? There’s n
Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 160
Iris’ Pov My body stirred, waking me from a restless dream. At first, I didn’t understand why I woke up, but then I felt a familiar discomfort in my stomach.I sighed quietly and got out of bed, careful not to wake Orchard. The room was dark, lit only by the faint light of the moon that filtered through the curtains. I paused for a moment, listening to his steady breathing, and then padded softly toward the bathroom.The bathroom tiles were cold under my bare feet, and I shivered slightly as I finished and washed my hands. I thought I would just crawl back into bed and try to sleep again, but as I stepped out of the bathroom, I realized how dry my throat felt. My mouth felt like sandpaper, and my lips were cracked.“I need some water,” I murmured to myself, my voice barely above a whisper.The thought of going downstairs in the middle of the night wasn’t appealing, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I didn’t quench my thirst. So, I turned toward the stairs, walking as quietly
