All Chapters of It All Started with a Divorce: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Standing on the balcony, I waited for my call to go through. One ring. Two rings. “Hello?” His voice came through, slightly groggy, followed by the sound of him clearing his throat. “Elodie?” I smiled to myself, leaning on the railing as my eyes roamed the glowing city below. “Hey, Silas. How are you doing?” “Uh…” He cleared his throat again, and I heard a faint shuffle on his end. “I’m fine. Still at the coast, enjoying the sea and some much-needed ‘me time.’ You?” Biting my lip, I thought about how to phrase things without sounding like an ass. “I’m… good,” I said, glancing over my shoulder at the reason I wasn’t on the coast. Valerian sprawled across the bed, lying on his stomach like he didn’t have a care in the world. “Hey, I wanted to say I’m sorry. I know I promised to come to the coast to talk, but… things got complicated.” He chuckled softly. “You don’t have to apologize. It’s not like I’m your responsibility. I get it—you have your own life. Besides, Theo’s been

First Rachel Took, and now this? How does someone just waltz in after eight freaking years to drop a bomb like, “Oh, by the way, you have a kid”?Athena Winters knew exactly what she was doing. She couldn’t not know about Valerian and me. What was she trying to pull?Whatever beauty she owned on her skin brought nothing but headache in me."Massaging the sides of my head, I let out a soft sigh as I listened to the faint sound coming from the radio, breaking the silence that had settled in the air.""Ellie," Valerian said softly, his hands gripping the steering wheel, eyes darting toward me. He was trying to gauge my mood, but his voice betrayed him—he was nervous.I get it, his past was a mess. But can I really blame those women when it’s Valerian Blackwood who was willing to bring them heaven?If I were one of those women who had him, I'm pretty sure I'd do whatever it takes to keep him in my pocket. But the point is, I was the

It's past noon, and Liam told me to meet him tonight. I 'could' just tell Valerian about it, but what’s really bugging me is—what the hell does Liam have to spill?Shaking my head, I tried to clear my thoughts. I could practically feel my brain splitting in two. This is all Athena’s fault. If she hadn’t shown up with that huge ass missile, I wouldn’t be stuck overthinking everything."I’ve been seeing you around a lot lately," someone said behind me, making me inhale sharply mid-pour as coffee overflowed from my mug.I spun around to find Valerian’s decent yet laid-back older brother, Theodore, leaning casually against the counter.He was dressed in a dark gray suit and black tie, his whole vibe screaming calmness and effortless charm—unlike Valerian's color scheme on a daily basis. Theo looked like the type who could host a TED Talk on "Chill Vibes Only" while rocking the same monotone wardrobe every day.The meeting must’ve been dismissed. Now he’s probably looking for someone to bl

After visiting Liam at the hospital, I asked Valerian if he could drive to Dad's since, no matter what bad news comes, it’s apparently not a valid excuse to skip work. But he just said we could go there tomorrow—together.Fine by me. I still have a ton of stuff to sort out, especially now that Dad just sent me a message roping Valerian and me into some charity exhibit this weekend.I’ve got a million thoughts racing through my head, and just as many words I want to say. But instead, here I am, watching Valerian being way too tenacious with his phone while expertly taking off his watch and loosening his tie.He’s definitely hiding something. I’ve got this gut feeling—he’s the one who got Rachel fired.And let’s be real, Valerian’s not just powerful; he’s the kind of guy who could order a thunderstorm out of existence if it annoyed him. Still, maybe this is partly my fault. I mean, I did complain endlessly about Rachel’s articles. Maybe my whining pushed him to… "snap his fingers" and m

"Liam... thinks you two are still together."Suddenly, from behind Silas, Valerian's loving eyes turned into laser beams. He must have picked up on what Silas said last."What's going on?" he asked. His voice wasn't just curious or demanding an answer—it thundered through the hallway, but there was worry in it too.Silas glanced at me as if he's asking for my consent, shifting on his feet like a kid caught red-handed stealing peaches from the pantry. Eventually, he faced Valerian with his professional face.I took a slow, deep breath as I peeked from behind Silas and found Valerian's demanding eyes, frankly, glaring at his innocent cousin."Don't you think it would be best for you to sit down? Your knees might not take it," he slightly mocked, gesturing at the floor.Arching his eyebrows, Valerian exhaled sharply and took the space beside me as if I needed guarding. "I don't do weak shit. Spill it."Silas delivered the l