All Chapters of The Underestimated Ex-husband: Chapter 171
- Chapter 180
180 chapters
Settling with the Heart
Seraphina was still standing by the window when she noticed the familiar car pull up outside her house and her brows knit together “That was fast…” she murmured.Adrian had left only a while ago in a calm, thoughtful and quiet in that dangerous way that meant his mind was chewing on something heavy, and she had watched him drive off convinced she wouldn’t see him again until maybe longer but here he was.Her heart skipped though not from excitement alone but from instinct ‘Something is wrong.’The car door opened before she could even move fully away from the window while Adrian stepped out with his movements sharp and decisive like a man who had made up his mind about something important.Seraphina didn’t wait but opened the door just as he reached it “Adrian?” she said with surprise written all over her face, “You were just…”“There’s a lot we need to talk about” he said immediately but his voice was low, tight and barely Controlled.She searched his face and what she saw there made
Apologies for Wrongs
The house was unusually quiet when Adrian returned though not with the peaceful kind of quiet but the kind that felt like everything inside the walls was holding its breath, he closed the door behind him slowly loosening his tie as he stepped inside with his movements heavier now and weighed down by everything he had learned, everything he had said, and everything he still hadn’t fully accepted “Rhea?” he called.“In the living room” her voice answered while he followed the sound and met Rhea seated on the couch with a book in her hands though it was obvious she hadn’t turned a page in a while. And the moment she looked up and saw Adrian’s face she closed the book gently “Hey” she said, “You’re back earlier than I expected.”Adrian stopped a few steps away from her “I need to talk to you” he said.Rhea studied him carefully “That serious?” she asked.“Yes” he replied, “Very.”She patted the space beside her “Sit.”He did but for a moment neither of them spoke.Adrian rubbed his palms
The Call from Power
The summons came without warning while Adrian was seated alone in his living room with the lights dim and the city outside unusually quiet for once. His jacket lay folded beside him with his phone face-down on the table as if he were deliberately avoiding the world because the last forty-eight hours had been relentless-statements signed, reports file, and arrests finalized.“Cortez. Victor. Larry. Names that had once carried weight, fear, power were now reduced to ink on official documents and cold steel bars” he exhaled slowly rubbing his palms together when the phone vibrated twice and he frowned, picked it up and glanced at the screen ‘UNKNOWN CALLER. SECURE LINE.’Adrian stiffened but didn’t answer immediately because secure lines were never casual, they didn’t ring unless something or someone important was on the other end.The phone vibrated again and he answered “Adrian Hart” he said calmly.There was a brief pause and then a composed and unmistakably authoritative voice filled
Seraphina's Home Coming
The drive was quiet though not awkward but just careful.Adrian’s hands rested firmly on the steering wheel with his eyes fixed on the road ahead while Seraphina sat beside him with her fingers laced together in her lap as if she were holding herself in place.It felt strange after everything- fear, separation, and uncertainty but this moment felt too normal.Seraphina broke the silence first with her voice soft “Are you sure about this?”Adrian glanced at her briefly and then back to the road “I wouldn’t be doing it if I wasn’t.”She swallowed “I don’t want to feel like I’m… invading.”“You’re not” he said immediately and more firmly this time, “You’re coming home”That word ‘home’ settled into her chest like something fragile and she looked out the window again while blinking slowly till the car pulled into the driveway of Adrian’s house with the gates opening smoothly as the headlights washed over familiar walls and trimmed hedges.Adrian turned off the engine but neither of them m
The Paternity Test
The envelope sat on Adrian’s desk like a loaded weapon; white, plain and sealed, and it had arrived less than an hour ago, hand-delivered, confidential and stamped with authority though Adrian hadn’t opened it immediately but had stood by the window instead with his hands clasped behind his back staring out at the city as if the truth might reveal itself without him touching the paper.Rhea had noticed “You’re pacing again” she said softly from the doorway.Adrian didn’t turn “I know.”“That means you’re afraid.”He exhaled slowly “No. That means I’m preparing.”“For what?”“For the end of something”Rhea stepped closer but didn’t touch him “Is it the test?”“Yes”Silence stretched between them before Rhea broke it “Do you want me here when you open it?” she asked.Adrian shook his head “No. But… don’t go far.”Rhea nodded once “I’ll be right outside.”When she left, Adrian finally turned back to the desk when she left, he sat while the envelope felt heavier than it should have when h
Closure after Remorsefulness
Elena sat alone in the small counseling office with her fingers twisting a tissue until it tore while the walls were a calm beige and the kind chosen to soothe people who had lost control of their lives, meanwhile Soft instrumental music hummed faintly in the background while the therapist had stepped out briefly to get water.Elena barely noticed because her mind was on Adrian, on everything she had done and on everything she had lost, and then the door opened but it was not the therapist this time.Adrian stepped in.Elena looked up sharply startled “Adrian… I didn’t know you were coming.”“I told them I wanted to speak with you before the session” he said calmly closing the door behind him.She swallowed “Are you… are you here to…”“To make sure you’re set up properly” he said, “Nothing more.”She nodded slowly bracing herself while Adrian pulled a chair and sat across from her, not too close, and not too far because the distance was deliberate.“I’ve arranged long-term support for
A Public Revelation
The conference room at the Ministry of Justice was filled long before the announcement began while Cameras lined the walls, and microphones crowded the podium with reporters whispering urgently to one another with phones glowing and feeds already live.Adrian stood at the back of the room away from the lights while Rhea stood beside him with her arms folded and eyes sharp as she scanned the crowd “You sure you don’t want to stand up there?” she asked quietly.Adrian shook his head once “Not my style.”“You realize this will still be about you” she said, “Whether you like it or not.”“I know”The Attorney General stepped to the podium at the front.“Ladies and gentlemen” the man began, with his voice firm, “today, we formally announce the charges against a criminal syndicate that has operated in secrecy for years led by Cortez, with several high-level accomplices”A murmur rippled through the room while Adrian’s jaw tightened slightly.“These individuals” the Attorney General continued
The Proposal
The night had fallen softly over the city with the kind of quiet that made every streetlamp look like it had been placed just to hold back the darkness while Adrian stood on the balcony of his penthouse looking down at the city below though his mind wasn’t on the lights or the traffic but was on Seraphina.Adrian felt the weight of everything that had passed- the battles, the betrayals, the danger and the lies but all of that faded into something quieter and something personal tonight.He heard footsteps behind him and didn’t need to turn around because she always had that timing and that sense of knowing where he was without being told.“Adrian?” Seraphina’s voice was soft and tentative.He turned letting a small and almost shy smile tug at his lips “Hey.”“You wanted to see me?” she asked while coming closer with her eyes cautious but curious.“I did” he said, “I… I needed to talk to you alone.”Her eyes widened slightly at the seriousness in his tone “Alone?”“Yes… no cameras, no i
Preparations For the D-day
Morning light spilled through the tall glass windows of Adrian’s penthouse washing the marble floors in gold while the city below was already awake with cars moving like veins of light and buildings humming with ambition but inside the apartment was a different kind of energy filled the air though not urgency and not danger but Anticipation.Seraphina stood by the balcony with her fingers resting lightly on the glass as she stared down at the city and from up here everything looked distant, controlled and unreal while she exhaled slowly her chest tightening.“So this is the world you live in” she murmured more to herself than anyone else.Heels clicked sharply against the floor behind he “Correction” Rhea said briskly with a clipboard tucked under her arm, “this is the world you’re about to rule.”Seraphina turned startled “Rhea… please don’t say it like that”Rhea raised a brow “Like what? Honest?”Seraphina laughed nervously and shook her head “You make it sound… heavy”“It is heavy
The Wedding
The sound of the ocean came first soft, steady and endless.It rolled against the private island like a promise with waves brushing the white shore beneath a sky washed in gold as the sun slowly descended while the Palm trees swayed gently with their shadows stretching across the marble pathways that led to the grand pavilion built just for this day.Everything was alive inside.Assistants moved in careful precision, straightening linens, adjusting crystal centerpieces, and whispering into earpieces, while the scent of jasmine and roses hung in the air, delicate but undeniable and Light caught on glass and gold reflecting elegance rather than excess.This was power but refined and controlled and at the center of it all stood Seraphina.She faced a tall mirror with her hands trembling slightly as she smoothed the lace of her gown while the fabric hugged her gently flowing instead of constricting designed not to overpower her but to frame her yet her breath felt shallow.“This is real”