All Chapters of CUTTING THE CORD: my ex-husband regret : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

The air in my office felt thicker than usual as I held the old, yellowed envelope in my hands. It had arrived with no return address, no note, only a single sheet of paper tucked inside. The handwriting was unfamiliar, but it was the content that struck me to my core.The letter detailed a hidden chapter of Daniel’s life—one I had never suspected. It spoke of a secret child, born out of a brief affair Daniel had over a decade ago. The revelation was unsettling, but the letter also included photographs and a name: Lily Blackwood. Lily. The name echoed in my mind as I read through the letter again. I couldn’t fathom how Daniel had kept this from everyone, how he had managed to shield his life from scrutiny while manipulating mine. The letter indicated that Lily's mother had recently resurfaced and had made demands. I had to know more. I needed to confront the implications of this new piece of the puzzle. My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on my office door. I looked up to see Cla

The night was unusually quiet as Oliver drove us to his safe house, a small but secure apartment on the outskirts of town. The tension in the car was palpable, each of us lost in our thoughts. Oliver had managed to shake off the men who had followed us, but I knew that danger still lurked.Once inside the apartment, Oliver took a deep breath and turned to me. “I need to explain everything now. My past actions and the threats against us.”“Go on,” I urged, my anxiety barely contained.Oliver hesitated before speaking. “I was involved with a group that had a lot of influence in the corporate world. When I was assigned to investigate you, I didn’t realize how deep the connections went. I’ve been involved in some activities that now seem to have made me a target.”Before Oliver could elaborate, my phone buzzed with a notification. It was a text message from an unknown number. I opened it to find a single, chilling line: *"Rachel has something on you. Meet her if you want to protect yourse

The sound of the wind howling outside my apartment was the only thing keeping me grounded. I hadn’t slept at all since the confrontation with Daniel. His cryptic words about a secret child, the promise of more revelations at the warehouse tonight—everything was eating away at me. But it was the weight of the growing scandals surrounding his empire that made my heart race with an overwhelming sense of dread.For the past few days, Daniel’s business had been falling apart at the seams. Every news outlet in the city had something new to report—fraud accusations, insider trading allegations, shady deals that had come to light. The vultures were circling, and it seemed like every part of Daniel’s empire was collapsing faster than anyone could have predicted.I poured myself a cup of coffee, my hands shaking slightly. The bitter scent filled the air, but it did little to calm the storm raging inside me. I hadn’t heard from Daniel since our tense conversation in his office, but I knew tonigh

The wind was cold against my face as I drove through the dark streets, heading toward the old courthouse. Oliver’s message had been vague, but the urgency in his voice lingered with me. Something big was happening, and it was all moving faster than I could keep up with.I tried to focus on the road, but my thoughts kept returning to Mikey—my nephew, Abby’s son, and now, the unexpected heir to both my mother’s estate and possibly Daniel’s empire. How could everything be connected? My mother, Daniel, Mikey… all tangled up in a web of secrets, and I had no idea how deep it went.My hands gripped the steering wheel tighter as I pulled into the deserted parking lot near the courthouse. The building loomed ahead, dark and abandoned, its once-imposing structure now just a hollow reminder of a forgotten time. But tonight, it was more than just a ruin. Tonight, it felt like the setting for the final act of a play I wasn’t sure I was ready for.Oliver hadn’t arrived yet, so I stayed in the car,

I stood in the silence of my apartment, staring at the phone, my heart racing with the weight of the decision I had to make. Daniel’s words echoed in my mind—his plea for help, the desperation that was so unlike him. And Oliver’s warning, his voice still lingering in my ears, urging me to think of my own future. I glanced at the window, the city lights glittering below as the night stretched on. Time was running out, and I knew I couldn’t hesitate any longer. I had to choose: help Daniel, the man who had manipulated me and caused so much pain, or let him fall and risk Rachel destroying everything I’d built.Oliver’s eyes met mine from across the room, still filled with concern. “Emily, whatever you decide, I’ll support you. But you can’t trust him. You know that, right?”I nodded slowly, but the pit in my stomach refused to settle. “I know… but if Rachel is as dangerous as Daniel says, then this isn’t just about him. She’s already targeted me, Oliver. She won’t stop until she gets ev