All Chapters of Billionaire, I'm No Longer Yours: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

(Lila)I sat at the long dining table in the Baldwin mansion, watching James teach Ethan the “proper” way to arrange peas on his plate.“See, Dad? If you make a circle, none of them can escape!”“Very strategic, sport.” Ethan helped him corral a runaway pea. “Where’d you learn that?”“Nick showed me.” James beamed. “He says food tastes better when it’s organized.”Nick’s hand found mine under the table, squeezing gently. The gesture should have comforted me, but something in his grip felt too tight.Ethan’s mother clinked her wine glass. “I just got off the phone with Grace’s facility. She’s…” She glanced at James. “Settling in well.”After her outburst in court, Grace had been taken to a mental health and drug rehab facility.“When can I get my toys from her house?” James asked suddenly.The table went quiet. Ethan set down his fork. “Baby, we talked about this. Mom needs time to…”“But I want my dinosaur book.” James pushed his peas around. “The one Grandma gave me before she died.”

(Lila)The monitors finally stopped screaming. My heart rate settled into a steady rhythm as doctors stepped back, nodding with satisfaction.“Both mother and baby are stable,” Dr. Pitt announced, checking the ultrasound screen. “Though—” She paused, squinting at the image.“What?” Nick moved closer, his body tense. “What’s wrong?”“Nothing’s wrong.” Dr. Pitt smiled. “Your daughter is just being particularly photogenic today.”My breath caught. “Daughter?”“I thought you wanted to wait,” Ethan said from the corner.“We did, but…” I pressed my hand to my stomach. “A girl.”Nick’s fingers threaded through mine, but something felt off in his grip. He’d positioned himself between me and the medical team, watching each movement like he expected an attack.“I’ll want to keep you overnight for observation,” Dr. Pitt said, reaching for my chart.Nick intercepted her. “I want to see your credentials again.”“Nick!” I tugged his hand. “She’s been my doctor for months.”“People lie.” His eyes da

(Nick)“Let’s move to the living room,” I said, helping Lila into her wheelchair. She’d insisted on getting out of bed for this conversation, despite my protests.Thompson brought extra chairs as everyone settled in. James curled up next to Lila on the couch while Ethan paced by the windows. Alexander hadn’t moved from Romy’s side since they arrived.“Start from the beginning,” my father demanded, gulping down all his scotch. “What about Grace?”Romy sat perched on the edge of an armchair, her hands clasped tight in her lap. “I met Grace when we were both modeling. She was eighteen, already dating Ethan. I was with Alexander.”Her eyes swept to him before dropping back to her hands. “At first, she seemed sweet. Vulnerable. But there were…incidents.”“What kind of incidents?” Ethan stopped pacing. Romy twisted her hands like she used to do with her wedding ring, but she was no longer wearing it.“Little things at first. A model would get sick before a big shoot that Grace wanted. Someo

(Lila)I watched Alexander and Romy gather their coats after the intense family dinner. The discovery of Maxwell’s surveillance cameras had everyone moving quickly, casting wary glances at the corners of rooms.But who’d put them there?Romy’s phone chimed—a sharp sound in the tense quiet. She pulled it out, reading something on the screen. Her fingers started trembling so badly she nearly dropped the phone. All the blood drained from her face.“Romy?” Alexander grabbed her waist as she stumbled. “What is it?”She shook her head, shoving the phone into her pocket. Alexander bent down, whispering something in her ear that made her grab his arm hard enough that her fingers went white.“We need to leave,” he muttered, already steering her toward the elevator. “Now.”“Wait.” My mother’s voice stopped them. “Nick, Lila—a moment please?”Nick helped me adjust on the couch as everyone else filed out. My back ached from sitting up so long, the baby kicking restlessly, but I needed to hear wha

(Lila)The video played on Nick’s laptop, flames leaping into the dark sky behind a younger version of him. Blood stained his expensive suit as screams pierced the night. He hadn’t moved from his study chair for hours, drinking scotch and watching the footage Maxwell had sent.“It was a beautiful night,” Nick said suddenly, breaking the heavy silence. “Clear skies, calm waters. The kind of night that makes you believe anything’s possible.”I shifted in my wheelchair, the baby kicking against my ribs as if sensing the tension. Nick poured another drink, his fingers tight around the glass.“Jean-Paul Renaud owned half the shipping routes in Europe,” he continued. “Old money, old connections. The kind of power that could make or break empires.”“The man on the yacht?” I asked softly.Nick nodded. “He approached me about a partnership. Said my father’s old contacts were nothing compared to what we could build together.” He drained his glass. “I was young, ambitious. Thought I could handle