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CHAPTER 37
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2025-04-15 23:43:53
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My Billionaire Ex-husband Won't Call It Quit CHAPTER 38
Alex's Penthouse – 11:18 PM The Connecticut safe house had been a diversion. After confirming we weren't followed, James had driven Griffin and me back to Manhattan, to my penthouse in a building with security that rivaled most government installations. Six hours of emergency meetings had followed—with my legal team, with Sally and the executive committee, with my brother Elliott via secure video link from Singapore.The hot shower pounded against my shoulders, washing away some of the day's tension as steam clouded the marble bathroom. I leaned my forehead against the cool tile, allowing myself exactly sixty seconds of weakness—of fear, of rage, of the bone-deep exhaustion that came from knowing this battle with Michael would never truly end.Sixty seconds. Then I straightened, shut off the water, and wrapped myself in a robe. Griffin had fallen asleep hours ago, exhausted from what he believed had been an exciting adventure, not understanding the genuine danger that had precipitat
Last Updated : 2025-04-16My Billionaire Ex-husband Won't Call It Quit CHAPTER 39
St. Regis Hotel – Grand Ballroom – 9:02 PM Next Evening The St. Regis ballroom glittered with old money and new power, crystal chandeliers casting prismatic light over New York's elite gathered to celebrate the union of Vanessa Coleman and Harrison Montrose IV. Three hundred guests in black tie and couture gowns, air heavy with perfume and privilege. Security was tight—guest list checked twice, IDs verified, metal detectors discreetly disguised as art installations.None of which had prevented me from securing an invitation under the name Alexandra Coleman—my legal name, as Michael had recently been so eager to remind everyone. The invitation that had arrived three weeks ago, addressed to me at my old penthouse (long since sold), forwarded through a series of old addresses until it reached me yesterday. A power move from Vanessa herself, Michael's beloved niece who had never forgiven me for leaving her uncle, for tarnishing the Coleman name with my "betrayal."The chandeliers trembl
Last Updated : 2025-04-17My Billionaire Ex-husband Won't Call It Quit CHAPTER 40
Coleman Penthouse – 3:17 AM Maria's silk robe whispered against her legs as she crept into Michael's private study, the sound barely audible over the hum of the climate control system that kept the penthouse at a perfect 68 degrees year-round. The door had closed behind her with a soft click that nevertheless seemed to echo through the sleeping apartment like a gunshot. She paused, listening for movement, for Michael's footsteps, for any sign that her midnight reconnaissance had been detected.Nothing. Just the distant drone of late-night Manhattan traffic forty stories below and the steady tick of the antique grandfather clock in the foyer—a wedding gift from Michael's parents, who had looked at her throughout the ceremony with thinly veiled disapproval. Old money meeting new. Tradition meeting calculation.The study smelled of Michael—his sandalwood cologne, the leather of his custom chairs, the faint metallic tang of ambition that seemed to seep from his pores. His desk was immac
Last Updated : 2025-04-18My Billionaire Ex-husband Won't Call It Quit CHAPTER 41
The Windsor Hotel – 5:33 AM Maria's reflection in the elevator doors showed a woman she barely recognized—no jewelry, hair scraped back into a severe ponytail, wearing the kind of nondescript sweater she used to mock on other women as "giving up." Dark circles shadowed her eyes despite the hasty application of concealer in the hotel lobby bathroom. She looked hunted, diminished somehow without the armor of designer clothes and perfect makeup that had become her uniform in the years since she'd become Mrs. Michael Coleman.The elevator chimed softly as it reached the fourteenth floor. Maria hesitated before stepping out, her hand clutching the strap of her bag where the ledger seemed to pulse with dangerous energy. She'd spent the hours between leaving the penthouse and arriving here in a twenty-four-hour diner in Queens, poring over its contents, each page revealing a new layer of Michael's methodical cruelty.Not just toward Alexandra and her brother. Toward competitors. Toward emp
Last Updated : 2025-04-18My Billionaire Ex-husband Won't Call It Quit CHAPTER 42
Coleman Children's Hospital – 10:08 AM Michael's Italian loafers clicked too loud against the pediatric ward's cheerful murals—cartoon animals holding balloons, rainbows arcing across blue skies, an artificial brightness that contrasted sharply with the clinical efficiency of the nurses and the antiseptic smell that no amount of air freshener could disguise. The Coleman Children's Hospital—funded by his "charitable" foundation, which Maria now understood was just another tax shelter according to the ledger—was Michael's pride and joy, a monument to public benevolence that masked private calculation.He walked half a step ahead of her as always, his bespoke suit setting him apart from the worried parents in the waiting area. The Coleman wing was reserved for neurological disorders—conditions that fascinated Michael with their complexity and their potential for manipulation. Maria followed in his wake, her hand resting protectively on Oliver's shoulder as their son shuffled alongside,
Last Updated : 2025-04-18My Billionaire Ex-husband Won't Call It Quit CHAPTER 43
Manhattan Presbyterian – 11:42 AM The elevator doors slid open with a soft pneumatic hiss that couldn't mask the collective gasp from the small crowd gathered in the hallway. Michael Coleman stood in handcuffs, the polished steel catching the fluorescent light and transforming his wrists into something both fragile and dangerous. Two uniformed officers flanked him, their faces professionally blank, hands resting near their weapons—a precaution that would have seemed absurd twenty-four hours ago when Michael was still Manhattan's golden business titan rather than its newest disgrace.My breath caught—not at his arrest, which I'd anticipated for weeks as the SEC investigation gathered momentum—but at the woman beside him.Maria.One eye swollen shut, a garish purple-blue that no amount of hastily applied concealer could hide. Her lip was split at the corner, a small constellation of butterfly stitches holding the wound together. Yet she stood straight as a queen, chin tilted at the pr
Last Updated : 2025-04-19My Billionaire Ex-husband Won't Call It Quit CHAPTER 44
Lane International Office – 6:15 PM Sally slammed the tabloid on my desk with enough force to send my coffee sloshing over the rim of the mug, dark liquid seeping into quarterly projections that suddenly seemed insignificant. The headline screamed in lurid yellow against a black background:"RECONCILED? Disgraced Billionaire Coleman Shares Tender Moment With Ex-Wife & Secret Love Child"The photo beneath showed it all in high-definition clarity—Griffin's curious face peering around my leg, my protective stance with one arm extended backward to shield him, Michael's expression perfectly calibrated to suggest remorse and longing rather than the calculation I'd witnessed. A family tableau for strangers to consume with their morning coffee, a narrative crafted from a three-second encounter in a hospital hallway.The perfect lie."He tipped off the paparazzi," Sally growled, pacing the length of my office with the restless energy that had driven our company through its darkest days. "Tha
Last Updated : 2025-04-19My Billionaire Ex-husband Won't Call It Quit CHAPTER 45
Alex's Penthouse – 2:36 AM The alarm didn't go off.This realization penetrated my consciousness a millisecond before Griffin's choked scream echoed down the hall, the sound cutting through the thick silence of night with the precision of a scalpel. My body was moving before my mind fully processed what was happening, muscle memory from years of heightened security protocols launching me out of bed and toward the panic button concealed beneath my pillow.My fingers had already pressed the silent alarm—dispatching an alert to building security and James's team—by the time my feet hit the plush carpet. The thermostat read 68 degrees, yet ice seemed to flow through my veins as I sprinted down the darkened hallway, bare feet silent against the floor, senses straining for information in the shadows.Griffin's door stood ajar—his Avengers nightlight cast elongated hero silhouettes across the walls and illuminated the intruder looming over his bed, a dark silhouette against the muted glow.
Last Updated : 2025-04-19
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My Billionaire Ex-husband Won't Call It Quit CHAPTER 59
Private Jet En Route to Dubai – 3:22 AM Michael Coleman pressed a bloodied handkerchief to his split lip as the jet climbed through turbulent clouds. The G650 shuddered around him, the luxury cabin's warm lighting contrasting with the darkness that enveloped both the sky outside and his prospects. The handcrafted Italian leather seat that had once felt like a throne now seemed to mock him with its opulence. The metallic taste of failure coated his tongue—worse than the blood.He glanced at his reflection in the darkened window—disheveled hair, the purple bloom of a bruise forming along his jawline, the crisp white collar of his bespoke shirt stained crimson. He barely recognized himself. Just twelve hours ago, he had stood at the podium at Coleman Corp headquarters, assuring shareholders that the SEC investigation was "a minor administrative review." Six hours ago, he had been in his corner office, watching as federal agents seized servers and hard drives. Three hours ago, he had s
My Billionaire Ex-husband Won't Call It Quit CHAPTER 57
Reykjavik Server Farm – Midnight The Arctic wind howled through the open door like a living thing, carrying stinging particles of ice that bit at exposed skin and infiltrated the seams of even the most technical cold-weather gear. Negative fifteen degrees Celsius according to the readout on my watch, though the windchill made it feel much colder. My breath crystallized instantly, hanging in the air before being whipped away by the relentless gale that swept across the barren Icelandic landscape surrounding the facility.James disabled the last security panel with gloved fingers, the specialized equipment he'd brought bypassing the biometric scanner that would have required Maria's fingerprint or retinal pattern. The facility looked innocuous from the outside—a low-slung concrete structure nestled against the side of a dormant volcano, its exterior designed to weather the brutal conditions of an Icelandic winter. Only the satellite dishes and transmission arrays on the roof hinted at
My Billionaire Ex-husband Won't Call It Quit CHAPTER 56
Lane International Safe House – 4:47 PM The brownstone in Brooklyn Heights stood unremarkable among its neighbors, its weathered red brick and black shutters offering no hint of the state-of-the-art security system embedded in its walls or the bulletproof glass behind its vintage-looking windows. The deed was held by a shell corporation owned by another shell corporation, traced through seven layers of legal separation before connecting, tenuously, to a holding company that occasionally did business with Lane International.In security parlance, it was a ghost house. In my world, it was the only place I trusted to keep Griffin safe while the storm raged.Maria's knock came in our childhood rhythm—three quick, two slow. The code we'd used at boarding school in Switzerland when one of us needed saving from a cruel headmistress or a midnight interrogation about broken curfews. A pattern I hadn't heard in fifteen years, not since the night she'd shown up at my Manhattan apartment with a
My Billionaire Ex-husband Won't Call It Quit CHAPTER 55
St. Luke's Hospital – 2:14 AM The heart monitor beeped a steady rhythm as Griffin slept, his small hand bandaged where the IV Michael had tried to force into his vein had torn the skin. The bruising had already begun to bloom in purples and yellows, like a watercolor painting of violence on my son's fragile wrist. His dark curls—so like mine—were matted with sweat against the sterile white pillow, and the overhead fluorescents cast his face in a pallor that made my heart constrict.Outside the room, through the observation window, two NYPD officers in rumpled uniforms took James' statement for what seemed like the hundredth time. Their faces betrayed nothing as they scribbled notes, occasionally glancing at Griffin's sleeping form with the detached sympathy of men who had seen too many children caught in adult crossfire."Third time's the charm," James muttered when he finally joined me, rolling his shoulder where the bullet had grazed him. The bandage was already seeping through wi
My Billionaire Ex-husband Won't Call It Quit CHAPTER 54
Abandoned Airfield – 6:59 PM Twilight had transformed into full darkness by the time we reached the outskirts of the city, the storm intensifying into sheets of water that reduced visibility to mere yards. The windshield wipers of James' SUV worked frantically, barely keeping pace with the deluge. The headlights caught droplets mid-fall, creating an illusion of moving through a tunnel of liquid silver."The signal's coming from inside that hangar," Sally said from the backseat, her face illuminated by the blue glow of her tablet. "The aircraft filed a flight plan for Toronto twenty minutes ago."In the passenger seat, I gripped the door handle so tightly my fingers ached, eyes straining to penetrate the darkness ahead. "Are we sure Griffin's on board? What if Michael separated him from the watch?"James' jaw tightened, his hands steady on the steering wheel despite the torrential conditions. "The biometric monitor shows elevated heart rate and movement. He's there, and he's consciou
My Billionaire Ex-husband Won't Call It Quit CHAPTER 53
Lane International – 3:33 PM Rain lashed against the windows of Lane International's headquarters, transforming the Manhattan skyline into a smeared watercolor of grays and silvers. I'd been in back-to-back meetings since leaving the courtroom, fielding calls from investors concerned about the media coverage of this morning's revelation. Despite the personal victory, stock prices had dipped three percent on news that Lane International's CEO had been involved in a melodramatic custody battle with the CEO of Coleman Corp.The markets hated drama. They hated unpredictability even more.I'd changed from my courtroom attire to a crisp white shirt and black slacks, my armor for the trenches of damage control. My phone hadn't stopped buzzing with messages from Elliott—who was handling press inquiries from Hong Kong—and James, who had taken Griffin for ice cream and then to his therapist to process the morning's revelations.Sally walked beside me as we headed toward the emergency board me
My Billionaire Ex-husband Won't Call It Quit CHAPTER 52
Family Court – 9:17 AM The mahogany doors of Courtroom 302 had always seemed imposing, but today they felt like the entrance to a gladiatorial arena. The morning sunlight streamed through the high windows, casting long rectangles across the polished floor as spectators and attorneys settled into their places with the quiet murmur of those about to witness something momentous.Five years of legal battles, accusations, and counter-accusations had led to this moment. Five years since I'd fled with nothing but the clothes on my back and a secret that had kept me awake every night since.Michael sat at the respondent's table, impeccable in a tailored charcoal suit that probably cost more than most people's monthly rent. His silver hair caught the light, giving him the distinguished appearance that had graced the cover of Fortune just last month. "Businessman of the Year" – a title that made me want to throw my coffee at the newsstand when I saw it.He didn't look at me when I entered, hi
My Billionaire Ex-husband Won't Call It Quit CHAPTER 51
Family Court – 9:03 AMThe Family Court of New York State occupied the sixth floor of a nondescript government building on Lafayette Street, its bland institutional interior at odds with the life-altering decisions rendered daily within its walls. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting everyone in the unflattering pallor that seemed reserved for places where human suffering was processed with bureaucratic efficiency.I sat with perfect posture on the hard wooden bench outside Courtroom C, Sally on one side, my attorney Evelyn Morris on the other. Three hours earlier, I'd received the court summons—hand-delivered to my apartment by a process server who had the decency to look embarrassed about the 6 AM wake-up call. Two hours earlier, Griffin had been escorted to Elliott's private plane by James and Clara, destination undisclosed even to me. One hour earlier, Maria Coleman had called with the warning I'd been dreading: Michael had the DNA results.Now we waited, the hallway thick
My Billionaire Ex-husband Won't Call It Quit CHAPTER 50
Coleman Corp Labs – 11:47 PMMichael Coleman's footsteps echoed through the sterile corridors of Coleman Corp's research division, the sound ricocheting off white walls and polished floors like gunshots. Security cameras tracked his progress, their red lights blinking in acknowledgment of the CEO's presence, but no security guards intercepted him. Not at this hour. Not when he was radiating the particular brand of controlled fury that had sent three executive assistants into early retirement this year alone.The biotech department—a recent acquisition that had raised eyebrows among board members more comfortable with traditional construction and real estate ventures—was deserted save for the lone technician Michael had summoned personally. Lights flickered to life automatically as he strode through the laboratory, casting harsh shadows across equipment worth millions: centrifuges, sequencers, incubators filled with cellular secrets that represented Coleman Corp's tentative foray into
