All Chapters of Dear Ex-wife; You'll Regret It : Chapter 81
- Chapter 90
169 chapters
Chapter Eighty One
The realization struck Darren without warning, sharp and suffocating.It wasn’t speculation anymore.It wasn’t coincidence.The reporter hadn’t just died.He had been silenced.Darren sat still, his posture rigid as Riley busied herself beside him, her fingers tapping idly against her phone.The chatter from the event still echoed faintly in his ears, but it felt distant now, as though he had been pulled out of the room and dropped somewhere far colder.The memory of the alley replayed again, clearer this time.The calm voice.The certainty in the young man’s words.Use it properly.His throat tightened.“They warned me,” Darren thought grimly.Not directly.Not openly.But the implication had been there all along, woven into the subtext of every polite conversation and every veiled threat.The advice hadn’t been advice at all—it had been confirmation that things were already in motion, a cold assurance that the machinery of their power was already grinding forward.A wave of raw fear
Chapter Eighty Two
Three days had passed since the incident at the Novax headquarters, yet the tension it had stirred refused to settle. It hung in the hallways like a static charge, prickling the skin of every employee who dared to look up from their terminal.By early afternoon, Kaelen had finally completed the last of the grueling official procedures at the police station. Statements had been reviewed again, every word scrutinized for discrepancies that weren't there; signatures were appended to thick stacks of legal bond, and the formalities finally concluded with the rigid, frigid politeness that followed a case too public for the department to mishandle. It should have brought a sense of closure, a momentary reprieve. Instead, it only sharpened the leaden exhaustion weighing on his bones, making the simple act of standing feel like an uphill battle.His car came to a grinding stop in the underground parking lot of Novax, the concrete echoing with the low hum of the engine. The moment the ignition
Chapter Eighty Three
The phone on the mahogany desk vibrated again, a dull, insistent rattle that seemed to mock the heavy silence of the office.Kaelen stared at the glowing screen for several seconds longer than necessary, his jaw tightening until the muscle leaped in his cheek. His shoulders were stiff, locked in a posture of rigid defense. He already knew who was calling before he even saw the digital display. He had seen the name flash twice earlier in the hour and had chosen to ignore it—hoping, with a desperate, uncharacteristic foolishness, that silence might buy him a few more hours of peace.But in this world, silence was never bought; it was only borrowed at a high interest rate.Reluctantly, he reached out and swiped the screen, picking up the call with a practiced, steady hand.“**Mr. Vaughn**,” Kaelen said. He forced his tone into something resembling professional politeness, masking the jagged edges of his anxiety. “I was just about to return your call. My schedule has been a bit more clutt
Chapter Eighty Four
The heavy, pressurized door of the isolation wing hissed shut behind Kaelen, sealing out the sterile hum of the hospital corridors. Inside the private suite, the air was warmer, scented faintly of citrus and the copper tang of medical equipment. Mirella was propped up against a mountain of white pillows, her small frame looking almost skeletal against the vastness of the bed. A Scrabble board was balanced precariously on her lap, the wooden tiles scattered in a half-finished game she had been playing against herself.The moment her eyes landed on her father, the weary dullness in her expression vanished, replaced by a spark of genuine electricity."Daddy!" she chirped, her voice thin but vibrating with excitement.Kaelen felt a sharp tug in his chest. Because of his grueling schedule and the complex nature of her treatment, he usually only managed to visit in the dead of night or during the early morning hours when her body was deep in a drug-induced slumber. Seeing her awake, al
Chapter Eighty Five
The silence in the nursery was heavy, broken only by the rhythmic, slightly labored breathing of the small girl in the center of the oversized bed.Kaelen sat on the edge of the mattress, his frame hunched, looking nothing like the untouchable titan of industry the world saw on the news.In the dim glow of the nightlight, he pulled Mirella into his arms, tucking her small head against his chest.The dam finally broke.He didn't just tear up; he sobbed.The tears fell hard, hot and stinging, soaking into the fabric of Mirella's pajama top.He clutched her as if she were the only anchor in a world that had suddenly turned into a hurricane.Every silent struggle of the past few months came rushing back to crush him.He felt like a complete and utter failure.What was the point of the billions in the bank? What was the point of the cutting-edge labs and the smartest scientists on his payroll if he couldn't even fix the one thing that mattered?"I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice thick
Chapter Eighty Six
Deep in the suburbs, far from the polished towers and glass-fronted law firms of the city center, Riley stepped out of her car and looked up at the building in front of her.It was the kind of place people barely noticed. A dull, rectangular structure with aging paint and narrow windows, housing multiple small businesses under one roof A shared office space. Cheap rent. Minimal questions. Perfect for professionals who preferred to stay out of the spotlight.This was where her lawyer operated from.Riley adjusted the strap of her bag over her shoulder and walked inside without hesitation. The lobby smelled faintly of stale coffee and printer ink. A directory board listed several businesses—consulting firms, freelance agencies, “legal services”—all cramped together. She didn’t bother reading it. She already knew where she was going.She pushed open the door to Suite 3B.The man inside didn’t even give her time to sit down.“What the hell were you thinking?” the lawyer snapped the mom
Chapter Eighty Seven
Arianna balanced her phone between her shoulder and ear as she climbed the narrow staircase leading to her apartment, one hand gripping the railing while the other fumbled with her keys.“I told you, Mum, it was just a long day,” she said, laughing softly. “No, I didn’t forget to eat. I just didn’t feel like cooking.”Her mother’s voice crackled through the line, familiar and warm, filling the quiet stairwell.Arianna slowed her steps as she reached the landing, listening as her mother launched into a familiar lecture about proper meals, rest, and how city life was slowly draining the life out of her.“I’m fine,” Arianna repeated patiently. “You worry too much.”She unlocked her door and stepped inside her apartment, nudging it shut behind her with her foot.The space greeted her with stillness.Shoes by the door, a folded blanket on the couch, the faint scent of detergent lingering in the air.It was small but orderly—exactly how she liked it.“I’ll come visit soon,” she added as she
Chapter Eighty Eight
“Then you should also be aware,” he snapped, recovering himself, “that terminating my services like this is a breach. I can sue you. I will sue you.”Riley crossed her arms. “Go ahead.”His brows furrowed. “You think I won’t? You think you have leverage here?”He leaned forward, jabbing a finger toward her. “Without me, you don’t even have a case. You’re emotional. Reckless. And now you want to throw money at the problem and make it disappear?”She smiled faintly.“You really believe,” she said, “that I came here without insurance?”He scoffed. “You have nothing on me.”Riley stepped closer to the desk and leaned down just enough for her voice to drop.“Harbor Point Storage,” she said calmly. “Unit C-17. April 6th, 2020.”The lawyer stiffened.His posture, previously aggressive and rigid, seemed to deflate as the specific details hit home like physical blows.“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said quickly.She didn’t react.“Elliot Graves,” she continued. “Your former clien
Chapter Eighty Nine
The room was thick with the heavy, cloying scent of expensive perfume and the lingering heat of their encounter. Riley had finally gone still, her breathing evening out into the deep, rhythmic cadence of exhaustion. With a final, earsplitting yell of ecstasy that had echoed off the minimalist walls of the suite, she had reached her peak and collapsed into the pillows, her body limp and her mind already drifting into the void of sleep. Darren stayed perfectly still for a moment, listening to the silence of the room. The mask he had been wearing all evening—the charming, supportive, and slightly submissive partner—didn’t just slip; it disintegrated. His face transformed, the warmth draining out of his features until they were as stern and cold as a marble bust. He didn't look like a man who had just shared an intimate moment with a lover; he looked like a scientist observing a specimen under a microscope. Slowly, deliberately, he rose from the tangled sheets. He didn't make
Chapter Ninety
One by one, the last remaining staff members had left, their footsteps fading down the corridors when it was five in the evening.The bright office lights were dimmed.Only security lights remained, casting soft pools of pale glow along the polished floors.Kaelen stepped out of the elevator slowly, his shoulders stiff with the kind of deep, bone-aching fatigue that sleep couldn't easily fix.He had just finished putting Mirella to sleep upstairs in her new ward.It had taken longer than normal tonight.She had clung to his hand with a desperate, tiny strength, looking at him like she was afraid he would vanish into the shadows the moment her eyes closed.He had stayed until her breathing evened out into a rhythmic hum, until her lashes finally rested against her pale cheeks, and until the machines beside her bed hummed in their steady, clinical rhythm.Now he was back at Novax.He should have gone home.He should have rested.But rest wasn’t an option he could afford.Not when the se