All Chapters of After Divorcing My Ex-husband, I Returned And Shined: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Audrey povMy hands curled into fists as I walked ahead, my steps sharp and deliberate.Unbelievable.Of all the things I had expected from today, getting interrogated for something as harmless as giving a brunch recommendation was not on the list.I could still hear Mr. Garcia’s words in my head. “It wasn’t professional.”Professional.Right.Because professionalism clearly included him acting like some possessive, overbearing—I exhaled sharply, forcing my irritation down as I reached Amelia.She looked up from where she was crouched, gathering small rocks in her hands. “Audrey! Look, I found a heart-shaped one!”I smiled despite myself, kneeling beside her. “You did? Let me see.”She eagerly placed it in my palm. It was more oval than heart-shaped, but I wasn’t about to ruin her excitement.“It’s beautiful,” I told her.She beamed, then peeked over my shoulder. “Where’s Daddy?”Good question.I didn’t look back as I answered, “He’s coming.”I felt him approaching before I saw him.

Audrey povI was still annoyed. Even after the hot chocolate, even after Amelia’s adorable marshmallow mustache, even after the warmth had seeped into my bones, taking away the last of the bookstore’s chill—I was still irritated. Because Michell Garcia made no sense. One second, he was scolding me like I had committed a crime by existing in the same space as another man, and the next, he was… What? Taking care of me? I didn’t know what to do with that. And judging by the way he had looked at me in the kitchen—calm, unreadable, and frustratingly composed—he knew exactly what he was doing. I wasn’t going to overthink it. I had a job to do. Simple as that. “Did you brush your teeth?” I asked, tucking the blanket around Amelia. “Yes,” she said, yawning. “Did you really?” She hesitated. “Maybe…” I gave her a look. She huffed dramatically, throwing back the covers. “Fiiine. But only because I like you.” I grinned. “Lucky me.” She padded off to the bathroom,

MICHELL POVShe didn’t see me at first. Didn’t hear me when I walked up. She was too lost in the conversation—if you could even call it that. Her voice had started out steady. Cautious. And then, piece by piece, I heard it crumble. I hadn’t meant to listen. But the moment I heard her mother’s voice—cold, distant, almost bored—I couldn’t walk away. Then she told her about the divorce. And the woman laughed. Ms. Taylor had curled into herself, like she was trying to make herself smaller, like she wasn’t sure she was even allowed to take up space. And I knew, then. This wasn’t the first time. This wasn’t new. This was just another wound from a lifetime of them. I had never wanted to be wrong about something so badly in my life. But I wasn’t. The conversation kept going. She told her about the accident. About her leg. And her mother’s response? “Then why are you calling me?”A slow, burning anger curled in my chest. I almost stepped forward. Almost gr

MICHELL POVI stood outside the MRI room, arms crossed, watching through the glass as the machine whirred to life. Audrey lay on the table, perfectly still, but I caught the slight tension in her hands, the way her fingers curled just a little too tightly against the fabric of the hospital gown. The doctor had asked me to step outside before beginning the scan—not that I had argued. I wasn’t about to interfere. Still, I didn’t like standing here. Didn’t like watching without being able to do anything. I glanced at the physician, who was focused on the monitors, reading the images as they appeared on the screen. His expression remained neutral, unreadable. I had seen enough medical professionals to know that meant nothing. The rhythmic thunk-thunk-thunk of the MRI filled the silence, and I shifted slightly, resisting the urge to speak. To ask. To demand an answer now. The moment the call came through, I knew something was wrong. My assistant’s voice was tight, uneasy.

MICHELL POVI stood on the terrace, staring at the city skyline, but my mind wasn’t on the view. It was on her. The way Ms. Taylor had been looking at me earlier—completely lost in thought, caught up in whatever it was she saw when she stared at me.I had turned just in time to catch the way her eyes lingered. And when she realized I’d caught her? That ridiculous, horrible attempt at pretending she hadn’t been staring. I exhaled sharply. And then, before I could stop it— I chuckled. The sound was so unexpected that I immediately frowned. I didn’t chuckle. Not over things like that. I shook my head, pushing the memory away. But as soon as I did, something else came back to me. Viktor.His smug voice, the way he leaned back in my chair like he belonged there. His words replayed in my head—*“In less than a week, I’ll be in your estate.”* Damn him. I clenched my jaw. He would be here soon, and that meant I had to keep my guard up. But it wasn’t just Viktor occupy