เข้าสู่ระบบแชร์
CHAPTER 7
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2025-02-28 21:16:06
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RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 8
The moment Jeff left, something unexpected stirred inside me.Curiosity.I hated it. Hated that even after everything, I still cared enough to wonder. But Jeff had mentioned his father, and despite everything that had happened, Adam Ortega had never been the enemy. If anything, he had been the only light in my past with the Ortegas.I turned to Sabrina. "Find out which room Adam Ortega is in. Now."Sabrina hesitated for only a moment before nodding and stepping away. Within minutes, she returned with the information. "He's in room 312. He was rushed in earlier—almost had a mild stroke."My stomach twisted. A stroke? Adam had always been a strong, stubborn man, but he wasn’t invincible. I couldn’t ignore this. Not when he had once treated me like his own daughter.Without another word, I made my way to his room.The beeping machines and sterile hospital air greeted me as I entered. Adam looked weaker than I had ever seen him, lying against the pillows with an IV in his arm. But his eye
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-02-28RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 9
I knew that if I truly wanted to move forward, I had to cut all ties with the Ortegas once and for all. Adam’s words had shaken me, but Brent was right—holding onto the past, even the good parts, would only keep me stuck in a life I no longer wanted.The decision didn’t come easily. For a long time, I had convinced myself that leaving their house, their name, and their influence was enough. But staying in the same city, breathing the same air as them, still tied me to them in ways I hadn’t even realized. Everywhere I went, there was a reminder—an old restaurant Jeff and I used to dine at, a familiar road I had driven down countless times, even a passing glance at someone wearing the same cologne he used to wear. I was shackled to memories, and I was done with them controlling my life.So I made the call.“I’m leaving,” I told Brent and Sabrina later that evening, standing in the dimly lit office of my apartment. My voice was firm, even as a part of me ached at the finality of it.Bren
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-02-28RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 10
The moment I stepped into the mansion, I knew there was no turning back. The air was crisp, different from the suffocating familiarity of my past life. Arizona was my clean slate. No Ortegas. No painful memories lurking in every corner. Just the vast, open desert and the promise of something new.Brent and Sabrina had already settled in, but for me, everything still felt surreal. The house was too big, too quiet—almost like it was waiting for me to decide whether I truly belonged here.I walked through the hallway, my footsteps echoing against the marble floor. Sunlight poured through the high windows, casting long golden streaks along the walls. The place felt more like a sanctuary than a home, but maybe that was what I needed."This room's yours," Brent called out from behind me.I turned to see him leaning against the doorway, arms crossed. Sabrina stood beside him, a soft smile on her lips."Thanks," I murmured, stepping inside.The bedroom was spacious, decorated in neutral tones
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-02-28RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 11
The dry Arizona heat was something I was slowly getting used to, but the weight of my decision to leave everything behind still clung to me. Every morning, I woke up expecting something—an old memory clawing its way into my mind, a call from someone I no longer wanted to hear from—but nothing came. And that silence, that absolute quiet from my past, was both terrifying and liberating.Brent had made it clear from the moment we arrived that this wasn’t going to be a vacation. If I wanted a fresh start, I needed to build something for myself, not just run away from what I left behind. I thought I had done enough rebuilding after escaping the Ortegas, but Brent had other ideas.“This is your chance, Demi,” Brent said one evening over dinner at the mansion. “To build a life where you don’t have to look over your shoulder. Where you call the shots. No Jeff. No Adam. Just you.”I poked at my food, knowing exactly where this was going. “And you think throwing me into a corporate empire is th
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-02-28RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 12
The Arizona heat had started to settle into my bones, making it feel less like an enemy and more like an old acquaintance I was learning to tolerate. But after last night’s encounter with Nolan Sanchez, my mind was restless.I wasn’t entirely sure why I let the incident occupy space in my thoughts. Maybe it was the way he looked at me—drunk, sure, but there was something else in his eyes that I couldn’t quite place. A sadness? A frustration? Either way, I had moved on. I had more important things to focus on, and I refused to let one foolish night of some stranger causing a scene throw me off balance.Or at least, that’s what I told myself.Until I saw him again.I had just finished a meeting with Angela, discussing some expansion plans for the Hermosa Group’s luxury suites, when I decided to step outside the hotel for a much-needed breather. The sun was still relentless, but I welcomed the warmth against my skin.And then, there he was.Nolan Sanchez.This time, he wasn’t stumbling a
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-02-28RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 13
The morning after the chaotic incident at the hotel, I was determined to move on. I buried myself in work, sitting in my office at the Hermosa Group’s headquarters, reviewing reports, and making decisions that solidified my place in the company. Last night’s events weren’t something I wanted to dwell on. But as I walked out of the building later that day, I found myself face-to-face with the last person I expected to see again—Nolan Sanchez.He was leaning casually against a black sports car parked near the entrance, his expression unreadable. Dressed sharply in a fitted button-down and dark slacks, he looked entirely different from the drunk, unruly man who had caused a scene at the hotel the night before.I debated turning around and pretending I hadn’t seen him, but he noticed me before I could make an escape.“Demi,” he called out, pushing off the car and walking toward me.I sighed, adjusting my purse strap over my shoulder. “you again? Mr. Sanchez, whatever it is you're up to, I
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-03-02RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 14
The moment Brent stepped into my office, I knew he was up to something.He didn’t waste time with pleasantries, he just folded his arms and stared at me like I had personally offended him. “So,” he started, voice deceptively calm, “you had coffee with Nolan Sanchez.”I didn’t even bother looking up from my laptop. “It was just coffee, Brent.”“Nothing with that man is just coffee.”I sighed, closing my laptop before finally giving him my full attention. “Look, I know who Nolan is. I know his reputation. But he was apologizing for what happened at the hotel, and I saw no harm in hearing him out.”Brent scoffed. “Of course he was apologizing. Because that’s what guys like him do. They mess up, smooth-talk their way out of it, and then before you know it, you’re in over your head.”I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms. “You do realize I’m not some naive idiot, right?”“I also realize that you’re drawn to trouble even when you claim you aren’t.”I rolled my eyes. “Brent, I spent ye
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-03-04RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 15
The following days were a whirlwind of board meetings, contract reviews, and site visits. If Chelsea was supposed to be an asset, she certainly wasn’t making it easy. She challenged my every decision, countered my every argument, and tested my patience at every opportunity. But I refused to back down. If she wanted a battle of wits, I’d give her one.It was during one of our site inspections that Nolan Sanchez reappeared.I was reviewing architectural models when I felt someone watching me. I turned, expecting to see Chelsea’s scrutinizing gaze, but instead, I was met with Nolan’s dark, amused eyes.“Fancy seeing you here,” he said, hands in his pockets, his stance relaxed but unreadable.I sighed, already exhausted. “What do you want, Nolan?”Chelsea, who had been speaking with one of the architects, glanced between us with mild curiosity but didn’t interfere.Nolan smirked. “I heard about your little project. Thought I’d drop by and see what all the fuss was about.”I folded my arms
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-03-06
บทล่าสุด
RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 101
Around noon, I found a note taped to my computer monitor. Simple, clean handwriting. I didn’t need to ask who it was from."Dinner. Your place. 7PM. You don’t have to say anything. Just let me try. –J"I stared at it for a long time.It wasn’t a plea. It wasn’t a demand.It was... a hope.A quiet one. One I hadn’t earned yet. One I wasn’t sure I could accept.But when seven o’clock rolled around, I was home. I had lit candles. Put on soft music. Worn something that wasn’t just lounge clothes.And I waited.At 7:02, there was a knock.I opened the door, and there he was—holding a bag of takeout from my favorite Thai place, rain in his hair, uncertainty in his eyes.“Hi,” he said softly.“Hi,” I replied.He stepped inside, and we moved through the motions like a dance we hadn’t forgotten. Plates. Chopsticks. Steam curling from cartons. But the real heat in the room wasn’t from the food.It was the tension.I finally broke it.“Who was that message from?” I asked, voice even but my heart
RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 100
I didn’t go far. Just to the small park down the block from Jeff’s condo unit—the one with the crooked benches and a fountain that hadn’t worked since spring. I sat there, my coat tight around me, watching the early evening swallow the sky whole.I didn’t cry. Not really.I was too tired for tears. Too wrung out from constantly stitching together the pieces of us, only to watch them come loose again.I pulled my phone out, stared at the blank screen. No texts. No calls. And maybe that was the point. Jeff had said he wouldn’t stop trying, but he hadn’t come after me. Not this time.Maybe he was learning to give me space. Or maybe he was just as exhausted as I was.A gust of wind tore through the branches above, scattering brittle leaves across my boots.Why does love feel like this sometimes?Not soft and soothing, but raw. Like walking barefoot on broken glass, hoping every step doesn’t cut too deep. Hoping the bleeding stops before the next fight.But despite everything, I didn’t wan
RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 99
Around noon, I found a note taped to my computer monitor. Simple, clean handwriting. I didn’t need to ask who it was from."Dinner. Your place. 7PM. You don’t have to say anything. Just let me try. –J"I stared at it for a long time.It wasn’t a plea. It wasn’t a demand.It was... a hope.A quiet one. One I hadn’t earned yet. One I wasn’t sure I could accept.But when seven o’clock rolled around, I was home. I had lit candles. Put on soft music. Worn something that wasn’t just lounge clothes.And I waited.At 7:02, there was a knock.I opened the door, and there he was—holding a bag of takeout from my favorite Thai place, rain in his hair, uncertainty in his eyes.“Hi,” he said softly.“Hi,” I replied.He stepped inside, and we moved through the motions like a dance we hadn’t forgotten. Plates. Chopsticks. Steam curling from cartons. But the real heat in the room wasn’t from the food.It was the tension.I finally broke it.“Who was that message from?” I asked, voice even but my heart
RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 98
By Monday, we were back in the city.Jeff dropped me off at my place, and though we kissed goodbye with a promise to see each other soon, something lingered between us—something unspoken and tense, like a storm hovering just beyond the horizon.I tried to shake it off as I stepped into my apartment. I unpacked slowly, letting the quiet settle around me. But my thoughts refused to sit still.Why now? Why was Stella suddenly trying to reappear? And why did Jeff hesitate before telling me?It wasn’t fair—he’d done so much to regain my trust. He’d been showing up, loving me in all the right ways. But one whisper from the past, and the walls I’d slowly let fall started climbing back up.I turned on some music, something soft, just to quiet the noise inside my head. And that’s when my phone buzzed.It was a message. From an unknown number.Unknown: "You can believe him if you want. But you should know he came back to me once before. Right after the first time you left."I stared at the scre
RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 97
There’s something strangely intimate about folding laundry with someone you love. Not the kind of love that’s still wrapped in red ribbons and candlelit dinners, but the kind that shows up in the quiet domesticity of Sunday afternoons—barefoot, soft music in the background, mismatched socks everywhere.Jeff held up one of my oversized sweaters, the sleeves drooping like tired arms. “This still smells like that coconut shampoo you use.”I glanced up from the pile of towels. “I haven’t used that shampoo in months.”“Must be haunted,” he smirked, then tossed it gently to my side of the bed.I laughed, but it came with a soft ache. This was good. Easy. Comfortable. Almost too comfortable.Maybe that’s why it blindsided me when the tension returned—sharp and unexpected like stepping on glass in a room you thought was safe.It happened that evening.We were cleaning out the hallway closet when Jeff’s phone buzzed on the console table. Once. Twice. Three times.He didn’t reach for it.I woul
RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 96
Demi's POVI stared at the message long after Jeff disappeared down the stairs, heading toward the beach. The wind outside had picked up, brushing against the glass like a warning. I hated that this had happened—now, of all times. Things were just starting to feel steady again.I didn’t even know how he’d gotten my number. I’d deleted it all—his texts, his name, his presence from my life the moment I realized he was a distraction from what I really wanted.From Jeff.And now he comes crawling back, like the past didn’t already do enough damage.I grabbed my phone and typed a response, my fingers moving fast and sharp.“Do not contact me again. This is inappropriate and unwanted. I’m with someone I love—don’t ruin what little decency you have left.”Send.Block.Delete.My chest heaved as I placed the phone face down on the railing of the porch. The waves crashed in the distance, but I couldn’t hear them over the thud of my heart. This wasn’t fair—not to Jeff, not to me, not to what we
RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 95
Chelsea popped her head into my office later that day.“You look like someone ran over your optimism.”“Not now, Chels.”She walked in anyway, plopping down on the chair across from me. “Okay. Spill.”I told her.Everything.From the breakfast to the journal to the half-confession that landed like a gut-punch instead of a step forward.Chelsea didn’t say anything right away. Then: “Do you regret telling him?”“No. But I hate that it hurt him.”“Demi, listen.” She leaned forward. “You did what most people wouldn’t have the guts to do. You gave him the full picture. He asked for proof you were in this for real, and you gave it. He needs to sit with it, sure—but that doesn’t mean he’s leaving.”“I know,” I said quietly. “But I can’t help feeling like I poked a hole in something just as it was starting to feel whole again.”“Maybe,” she said. “Or maybe that hole is where the light gets in.”I groaned. “Did you just quote Leonard Cohen at me?”She grinned. “Absolutely.”I managed a smile,
RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 94
Demi's POVIt wasn’t the phone call that broke me.Not really.It was the pause. That flicker of hesitation in Jeff’s eyes. The microsecond where I saw him debate whether to tell me the truth. It was the weight of everything we were trying to rebuild pressing on one fragile moment.And I hated that it felt familiar.That split-second uncertainty—the one that made me question whether I was still the girl who could be forgotten. Set aside. Replaced.But I didn’t spiral. Not this time.Because I’d promised myself something too: that I wouldn’t run anymore. That I would stay. That I would speak instead of shut down.Even if it hurt.The morning after he blocked Stella, we went through the motions like nothing had happened.Coffee. Shower. Quiet music playing from my phone as I tied my hair up.But my stomach still twisted when I caught him staring at me—like he was trying to read between the lines of my silence.“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked, gently.I thought about lying. I re
RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK CHAPTER 93
Trying is one thing.But staying?That’s the real test.And for the next week, Jeff and I tried.Not in grand, sweeping gestures. Not in dramatic confessions under the rain or fairy tale moments. But in the quiet decisions—the daily check-ins, the shared silences, the soft compromises that slowly stitched us back together.I started trusting him again. Not all at once, but in fragments. Like handing him pieces of a puzzle that used to be whole, asking him to rebuild without the picture on the box.And Jeff?He never once complained.He didn’t push when I asked for space. He didn’t flinch when I brought up Ethan, or Stella, or the silence that had almost swallowed us whole. He listened. He showed up. And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel like I was walking alone.Until Thursday.We were supposed to meet at the gallery.My newest commission piece had just been installed, and Jeff offered to help me with the lighting setup before the weekend preview. It was a simple ask—sh
