MasukShare
CHAPTER 78
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-04-13 23:08:55
Bab terkait
RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 79
It had been a week since that conversation in the café, and every day since felt like a slow unraveling of everything I’d tried so hard to tuck away.Jeff didn’t push after that day. No late-night calls. No over-the-top gestures. Just quiet, consistent presence. He texted good morning. He sent me silly memes. He asked about my day. And strangely, it wasn’t suffocating.It was comforting.And that scared me.Because I remembered too well what came after comfort the last time. I remembered how it felt to have the rug pulled out from under my life just when I’d thought we were finally solid. Jeff didn’t just break my heart—he shattered my sense of certainty. So even if he was different now, even if he was trying… how could I believe it wouldn’t happen again?“Earth to Demi,” Chelsea snapped her fingers in front of my face.I blinked. We were at a small rooftop wine bar downtown, watching the sun dip behind the buildings, painting the sky in shades of lavender and gold.“What?” I asked, s
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-13RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 80
The days that followed felt like the start of something uncertain—but not in the terrifying way I’d once dreaded. It was a quiet sort of uncertainty. The kind that came with the possibility of growth, of redemption, of second chances not yet taken, but not entirely out of reach either.Jeff kept his word—he showed up.He didn’t push or pry. He didn’t smother me with grand gestures. Instead, he kept doing the small things. Things that felt intentional, thoughtful, familiar. A note slipped onto my desk with a reminder to eat lunch. A playlist link sent in the middle of the day with a message that simply read: Thought you’d like this one. A text every morning, every night—sometimes funny, sometimes tender, sometimes just one word: Here.And I felt it.The shift.Like we were inching back toward something we’d lost, only this time with more care. More clarity.Chelsea, ever the spy she was, didn’t let a moment pass without commentary. “You’re glowing again,” she said one morning as we sto
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-14RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 81
The following week unfolded like a delicate dance, each step measured, each movement tentative. Jeff and I continued our cautious re-engagement, sharing brief lunches, exchanging playlists, and occasionally walking together after work. It was comfortable, familiar, yet tinged with the uncertainty of uncharted territory.One evening, as we strolled through the park near our office, Jeff turned to me with a thoughtful expression.“Demi,” he began, “there's something I've been meaning to tell you.”I glanced at him, curiosity piqued. “What is it?”He hesitated, then continued, “Stella reached out to me last week. She wanted to talk about some unresolved matters.”A chill ran down my spine. The name alone was enough to stir a whirlwind of emotions.“What did she want?” I asked, striving for composure.“She apologized for everything,” Jeff said. “She admitted to her mistakes and wanted closure.”I nodded slowly, processing his words. “And how did you feel about that?”Jeff sighed. “It was
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-14RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 82
I didn’t realize how much tension I’d been holding in my body until Jeff wrapped his arms around me that evening.It was late. The office had long emptied, and the moon had risen, casting silver shadows over my apartment. I’d just stepped out of the shower when he texted:“Can I come over? Just to talk.”I almost said no.But something inside me—a quieter part, the part that still remembered how his voice sounded when he whispered goodnight—nudged me toward yes.So I said okay.And now, here he was. Standing barefoot in my living room, hands tucked into his pockets, looking like the same man who used to hum while making pancakes on Sunday mornings… and yet entirely different. Changed. Softer, maybe. Or just more real.“I’m sorry about yesterday,” he said, breaking the quiet. “About everything, really.”I stood near the kitchen counter, arms crossed—not out of anger, but instinct. A shield.“I know,” I replied. “And I shouldn’t have brought up Stella the way I did. That was unfair.”He
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-15RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 83
The next few days passed in a blur.Not the chaotic kind that leaves you dizzy, but the kind that feels like you're holding your breath underwater—waiting for the surface to come back into view, but not sure how long your lungs will last.I kept busy. Overly busy. Back-to-back meetings, inbox zero by noon, editing pitch decks like my life depended on it. Chelsea noticed, of course.“You’re doing that thing again,” she said one afternoon, arms crossed as she leaned against my office door.“What thing?”She gave me a look. “The ‘I’m fine because I’m drowning in productivity’ thing.”I sighed and rubbed my temples. “What else am I supposed to do, Chels? Sit at home and overanalyze every word Jeff’s ever said?”“Maybe not every word. Just the recent ones.” She paused, then added softly, “Did he try to explain more?”I nodded. “He texted. Called once. I didn’t answer.”“Demi…”“I know.” I cut her off before the lecture could begin. “I’m just... trying to figure out if this is something I w
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-15RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 84
When Demi fell asleep on the couch, her hand still wrapped in mine, I sat there for a long time just watching her breathe. The tension that had weighed on my chest for days—hell, maybe weeks—finally cracked. Not disappeared, but cracked. Enough for me to feel like maybe, just maybe, we were moving in the right direction again. But I knew better than to believe the battle was over. Because peace, especially with Demi, wasn’t something you stumbled into. It was something you built—brick by brick, truth by truth. The next morning, I cooked her breakfast. Nothing fancy, just scrambled eggs, avocado toast, and the coffee she liked. She looked surprised when she came into the kitchen wearing my shirt, rubbing sleep from her eyes. “You made coffee?” she mumbled, hair a soft mess of curls. “You deserve more than just coffee,” I said with a smile. “But yeah. It’s a start.” She blinked at me like she didn’t expect gentleness. And that? That broke something in me. “You okay?” I asked
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-16RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 85
I wasn’t expecting to find the photo.It was wedged between the pages of a book on Jeff’s shelf—one I had given him for his birthday three years ago. I hadn’t been snooping. I was just looking for something to read while he took a call in the other room. My fingers slipped, the spine cracked open, and there it was.A picture of Jeff and Stella.Not just any picture.They were in Paris.Smiling. Kissing. Happy.The background was the Eiffel Tower, but it wasn’t a tourist snapshot. It looked… intimate. Like someone had captured them mid-moment, mid-laughter, mid-love.I froze, the book dangling in my hands.When Jeff walked back into the room, phone still pressed to his ear, his smile faltered the second he saw my face.“What’s wrong?”I held up the photo without a word.He stopped in his tracks. “Where did you…?”“In your book. My book.”He ran a hand through his hair. “Shit. Demi, I didn’t even know that was there.”“It was in a book I gave you,” I said, my voice low and tight. “Was t
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-16RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 1
(Demi’s POV)The divorce papers were glaring back at me from the mahogany table like some sort of a nasty reminder of my shortcomings as housewife. My trembling fingers brushed over the ink where my husband, Jeff Ortega’s, signature glared at me, bold and resolute. His decision was final, and it was unyielding just as the man himself.However, Jeff was standing in front of the window even as I turn and witnessed how the soft afternoon light shining on his erect figure. His eyes were as cold and far away as before, and his sharp facial features were etched with resolve. The distance between us was heightened by his coldness, even with his back facing my direction. “I’ve already signed the papers. You should hurry and sign them too,” he said, his tone devoid of emotion. “I want everything finalized before Stella returns.”Stella. The name cut through me like a blade. My throat tightened as I fought back tears.Jeff didn’t even glance in my direction. “We’ve agreed on the partition of
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-10
Bab terbaru
RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 85
I wasn’t expecting to find the photo.It was wedged between the pages of a book on Jeff’s shelf—one I had given him for his birthday three years ago. I hadn’t been snooping. I was just looking for something to read while he took a call in the other room. My fingers slipped, the spine cracked open, and there it was.A picture of Jeff and Stella.Not just any picture.They were in Paris.Smiling. Kissing. Happy.The background was the Eiffel Tower, but it wasn’t a tourist snapshot. It looked… intimate. Like someone had captured them mid-moment, mid-laughter, mid-love.I froze, the book dangling in my hands.When Jeff walked back into the room, phone still pressed to his ear, his smile faltered the second he saw my face.“What’s wrong?”I held up the photo without a word.He stopped in his tracks. “Where did you…?”“In your book. My book.”He ran a hand through his hair. “Shit. Demi, I didn’t even know that was there.”“It was in a book I gave you,” I said, my voice low and tight. “Was t
RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 84
When Demi fell asleep on the couch, her hand still wrapped in mine, I sat there for a long time just watching her breathe. The tension that had weighed on my chest for days—hell, maybe weeks—finally cracked. Not disappeared, but cracked. Enough for me to feel like maybe, just maybe, we were moving in the right direction again. But I knew better than to believe the battle was over. Because peace, especially with Demi, wasn’t something you stumbled into. It was something you built—brick by brick, truth by truth. The next morning, I cooked her breakfast. Nothing fancy, just scrambled eggs, avocado toast, and the coffee she liked. She looked surprised when she came into the kitchen wearing my shirt, rubbing sleep from her eyes. “You made coffee?” she mumbled, hair a soft mess of curls. “You deserve more than just coffee,” I said with a smile. “But yeah. It’s a start.” She blinked at me like she didn’t expect gentleness. And that? That broke something in me. “You okay?” I asked
RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 83
The next few days passed in a blur.Not the chaotic kind that leaves you dizzy, but the kind that feels like you're holding your breath underwater—waiting for the surface to come back into view, but not sure how long your lungs will last.I kept busy. Overly busy. Back-to-back meetings, inbox zero by noon, editing pitch decks like my life depended on it. Chelsea noticed, of course.“You’re doing that thing again,” she said one afternoon, arms crossed as she leaned against my office door.“What thing?”She gave me a look. “The ‘I’m fine because I’m drowning in productivity’ thing.”I sighed and rubbed my temples. “What else am I supposed to do, Chels? Sit at home and overanalyze every word Jeff’s ever said?”“Maybe not every word. Just the recent ones.” She paused, then added softly, “Did he try to explain more?”I nodded. “He texted. Called once. I didn’t answer.”“Demi…”“I know.” I cut her off before the lecture could begin. “I’m just... trying to figure out if this is something I w
RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 82
I didn’t realize how much tension I’d been holding in my body until Jeff wrapped his arms around me that evening.It was late. The office had long emptied, and the moon had risen, casting silver shadows over my apartment. I’d just stepped out of the shower when he texted:“Can I come over? Just to talk.”I almost said no.But something inside me—a quieter part, the part that still remembered how his voice sounded when he whispered goodnight—nudged me toward yes.So I said okay.And now, here he was. Standing barefoot in my living room, hands tucked into his pockets, looking like the same man who used to hum while making pancakes on Sunday mornings… and yet entirely different. Changed. Softer, maybe. Or just more real.“I’m sorry about yesterday,” he said, breaking the quiet. “About everything, really.”I stood near the kitchen counter, arms crossed—not out of anger, but instinct. A shield.“I know,” I replied. “And I shouldn’t have brought up Stella the way I did. That was unfair.”He
RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 81
The following week unfolded like a delicate dance, each step measured, each movement tentative. Jeff and I continued our cautious re-engagement, sharing brief lunches, exchanging playlists, and occasionally walking together after work. It was comfortable, familiar, yet tinged with the uncertainty of uncharted territory.One evening, as we strolled through the park near our office, Jeff turned to me with a thoughtful expression.“Demi,” he began, “there's something I've been meaning to tell you.”I glanced at him, curiosity piqued. “What is it?”He hesitated, then continued, “Stella reached out to me last week. She wanted to talk about some unresolved matters.”A chill ran down my spine. The name alone was enough to stir a whirlwind of emotions.“What did she want?” I asked, striving for composure.“She apologized for everything,” Jeff said. “She admitted to her mistakes and wanted closure.”I nodded slowly, processing his words. “And how did you feel about that?”Jeff sighed. “It was
RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 80
The days that followed felt like the start of something uncertain—but not in the terrifying way I’d once dreaded. It was a quiet sort of uncertainty. The kind that came with the possibility of growth, of redemption, of second chances not yet taken, but not entirely out of reach either.Jeff kept his word—he showed up.He didn’t push or pry. He didn’t smother me with grand gestures. Instead, he kept doing the small things. Things that felt intentional, thoughtful, familiar. A note slipped onto my desk with a reminder to eat lunch. A playlist link sent in the middle of the day with a message that simply read: Thought you’d like this one. A text every morning, every night—sometimes funny, sometimes tender, sometimes just one word: Here.And I felt it.The shift.Like we were inching back toward something we’d lost, only this time with more care. More clarity.Chelsea, ever the spy she was, didn’t let a moment pass without commentary. “You’re glowing again,” she said one morning as we sto
RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 79
It had been a week since that conversation in the café, and every day since felt like a slow unraveling of everything I’d tried so hard to tuck away.Jeff didn’t push after that day. No late-night calls. No over-the-top gestures. Just quiet, consistent presence. He texted good morning. He sent me silly memes. He asked about my day. And strangely, it wasn’t suffocating.It was comforting.And that scared me.Because I remembered too well what came after comfort the last time. I remembered how it felt to have the rug pulled out from under my life just when I’d thought we were finally solid. Jeff didn’t just break my heart—he shattered my sense of certainty. So even if he was different now, even if he was trying… how could I believe it wouldn’t happen again?“Earth to Demi,” Chelsea snapped her fingers in front of my face.I blinked. We were at a small rooftop wine bar downtown, watching the sun dip behind the buildings, painting the sky in shades of lavender and gold.“What?” I asked, s
RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 78
The weekend crept in slowly, with a silence that settled deeper than usual. I spent most of Saturday in my apartment, curled up on the couch with a book I wasn’t really reading and a cup of tea that had gone cold hours ago. My thoughts kept drifting—uninvited and relentless—back to Jeff.He had laid it all bare. No pretenses. No excuses.He wanted me back.It was still hard to wrap my head around. This was the same man who, just a year ago, looked me in the eyes and said he didn’t love me the same way anymore. The same man who signed the divorce papers without hesitation, who packed his bags and left me with only silence and echoes of everything we used to be.He chose Stella.He didn’t just leave—he left for her.And now? Now he says she couldn’t fill the space I left behind?I had questions. So many questions. And no matter how many pretty bracelets or thoughtful texts he sent, they didn’t erase the one truth I kept choking on:He left.And no matter how much he regrets it now, I st
RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 77
The morning after Jeff’s confession felt like walking through fog—thick, disorienting, and impossible to escape. I kept replaying his words, the sincerity in his eyes, the way he said he’d wait for me. No pressure, no expectations. Just hope.Chelsea, ever the orchestrator, had taken it upon herself to “test” Jeff’s intentions. And while I initially resisted, part of me was grateful. I needed to see if his actions matched his words.At the office, Chelsea was unusually quiet, her eyes darting between me and the door. I raised an eyebrow. “What did you do?”She feigned innocence. “Me? Nothing. Just… maybe scheduled a meeting.”Before I could press further, the door opened, and in walked Jeff, carrying a box of pastries from my favorite bakery. He looked nervous, which was rare for him.“Morning,” he said, placing the box on my desk. “Thought you might need a pick-me-up.”I glanced at Chelsea, who was suddenly very interested in her computer screen. Turning back to Jeff, I nodded. “Than
