All Chapters of Ex Wife's Collapse After Divorce: Chapter 21
- Chapter 30
47 chapters
Chapter 21
After thinking it over, Ethan decided to go.Not because of Vivian's threat. That text had pissed him off, but it wasn't the reason.It was Eleanor.Eleanor Whitmore — Vivian's mother — was the only person in that family who had ever treated him like a human being.Three years of marriage. Three years of Reginald's sneers, his cold remarks, his endless comparisons to men Ethan had never met and didn't care about.But Eleanor?Eleanor asked him if he'd eaten. Eleanor noticed when he looked tired. Eleanor once spent an entire month making bone broth from scratch because Ethan had mentioned — just once, offhand — that he'd been a premature baby with a weaker constitution."You're my son now too," she'd said, pressing a thermos into his hands. "And I take care of my sons."She'd even scolded Vivian for him. More than once. Vivian had thrown fits about it, accusing her mother of caring more about her son-in-law than her own daughter.If Ethan was going to end this marriage, Eleanor deserve
Chapter 22
Reginald stared. He'd heard it from Vivian already, but clearly hadn't believed it. His expression said he still thought it was a bluff.Vivian's face went white. Her fork hovered in the air, frozen.Eleanor set down her silverware.She looked at Ethan first — a long, pained look — then turned and smacked the back of Vivian's head."Vivian! What did you do to him this time?" Eleanor's voice shook. "How many times have I told you — your career isn't everything! You keep ignoring Ethan's feelings, and for what? Is this how a wife behaves?"Vivian flinched. "Mom! Why are you hitting me? I'm not the one who asked for the divorce!""So what?" Eleanor's eyes blazed. "I know Ethan. Unless you did something to break his heart, a man who loved you that much would never walk away on his own."She pointed straight at Vivian's face."You ungrateful girl. Haven't I told you privately? Ethan is a good man. I told you to cherish him. Why don't you ever listen?""Do you need to lose him completely? W
Chapter 23
Vivian pressed her palm to her cheek.The skin burned.She stared at Eleanor, eyes wide, brimming with something between shock and betrayal."Mom." Her voice trembled. "You hit me. You actually hit me — for him?"Twenty-seven years.Twenty-seven years, and her mother had never once raised a hand to her. Not when she failed her driving test three times. Not when she maxed out Eleanor's credit card in college. Not once.Until tonight.Until Ethan.The tears came before she could stop them. Hot, furious, spilling down both cheeks."Vivian, sweetheart, I—"Eleanor's anger crumbled the instant she saw her daughter cry. She reached out, her expression shifting from rage to guilt in a heartbeat.But Vivian didn't wait to hear it.She shot one last look at Ethan — raw, venomous, her jaw locked so tight the tendons in her neck stood out — then turned and bolted for the door.The slam rattled the picture frames on the wall."Vivian! Where are you going?"Eleanor rushed to the hallway.No answer
Chapter 24
Ethan took the elevator down and began walking through the complex.He knew Vivian's patterns better than she knew them herself.Three years of marriage. Every fight with her father ended the same way — she'd storm out, declare she was leaving forever, then hide somewhere within the community walls and cry until someone came to find her.She never actually left.He found her in under three minutes.She was crouched behind the flower bed near Building C, hugging her knees, phone pressed to her ear. Her shoulders shook with quiet sobs.Ethan slowed his steps.He was about to call out to her — time to go home — when her voice drifted toward him.Soft. Gentle. Nothing like the shrieking fury from five minutes ago."Damian, don't worry about it. I'll handle the company side — you just focus on your family's situation."A pause. A sniffle."The funding gap? How much do we need?" Her voice dropped even lower, intimate. "I can talk to Dad's finance team. They owe me a favor. We'll get it so
Chapter 25
The weekend disappeared like water through open fingers.Two days. No Vivian. No calls, no drama, no suffocating tension. Just Aurora's apartment, her kitchen, her voice drifting from the living room while Ethan cooked.It was the best weekend he'd had in five years.On Monday morning, they left together — Aurora driving, Ethan in the passenger seat with his phone out.Before they'd even pulled onto the main road, he'd typed and sent the message to Vivian.*Don't forget. City Hall today. Bring your ID and household registration. I'll meet you there at 10.*He pocketed the phone and leaned back.Aurora glanced at him. "Texting your wife this early? How romantic.""Ex-wife," Ethan corrected. "Reminding her about the divorce paperwork.""Ah." Aurora's lips curved. "The romantic kind of texting, then."The phone buzzed.Ethan pulled it out. One new message from Vivian.He opened it.His expression changed.*"Ethan Carter, you have the NERVE to talk about divorce? YOU'RE the one who cheate
Chapter 26
By 3:30 PM, Ethan was standing outside Starfall Lounge, folder tucked under his arm, tie straightened, game face on.'Twelve million. Just keep your eyes on the number.'He found the private room William had specified — Room 7, second floor. Muffled bass thumped through the door. He knocked twice, then pushed it open.The karaoke screen blazed neon lyrics across the far wall. Bottles lined the coffee table — whiskey, red wine, beer, mixers. The air smelled like perfume and cigarette smoke.Ethan's gaze swept the room and locked onto Sophie Whitfield in under a second.She sat dead center of the leather sofa, legs crossed, a glass of red wine dangling from her fingers. White fitted top, denim shorts, waves of chestnut hair spilling over her shoulders. Three years had sharpened her features — the baby fat was gone, replaced by something harder. More deliberate.Around her sat seven others. Three faces triggered faint recognition — university classmates of Vivian's, people he'd seen at d
Chapter 27
The first three rounds went fast.Sophie poured heavy — three fingers each time, no chasers. She watched him over the rim of her glass with the focus of a hawk tracking a mouse.Ethan matched her pour for pour. The cognac burned going down, but his breathing stayed even, his hands stayed steady.By the fifth round, Sophie's cheeks were flushed. Her words came a half-beat slower. She leaned back in her seat, blinking hard.By the seventh round, she was swaying."You..." Sophie pointed at him with a wobbly finger. "You got better at this.""I had practice." Ethan set his glass down. Still upright. Still clear-eyed. "So — can we talk about the contract now?"Sophie groaned. She pressed her palm against her forehead, eyes half-closed."One more thing." "Sophie—" "One. More. Thing." She held up a single finger. "Sing with me. One song. Then I'll sign whatever you want."She grabbed the karaoke remote and punched in a song number. The screen flickered. A familiar melody filled the room
Chapter 28
The second Ethan's eyes closed, Sophie's drunk act evaporated like it had never existed.She straightened up, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and snapped her fingers at two guys near the door."Help me get him to my car. Downstairs. Now.""Wait — Sophie, what are you—""Did I stutter?" Her voice was ice. "Move."They moved. She cranked the room's AC up three degrees, grabbed her purse, and turned to the rest of the group with a dazzling smile."Everything tonight's on me. Drinks, food, whatever you want. Stay as long as you like." She blew a kiss. "Birthday girl's got somewhere to be."She was out the door before anyone could respond.Downstairs, the two guys loaded Ethan's unconscious body into the passenger seat of her white Porsche. Sophie tipped them each a hundred and slid behind the wheel."Unbelievable," one of them muttered as she pulled away. "Ditching us for a guy."The other one — a former classmate who knew both Sophie and Vivian — watched the taillights disap
Chapter 29
The vase shattered against the wall. Crystal fragments exploded across the hardwood floor like shrapnel.Vivian grabbed another — the Lalique piece Ethan had bought her for their second anniversary — and hurled it at the opposite wall.Crash. Her chest heaved. Her hands shook. The living room looked like a war zone — broken glass, overturned furniture, picture frames face-down on the floor.Three years. Three years of marriage in this house. Their house.And he'd crawled into Sophie's bed.Her phone sat on the coffee table, screen still glowing with those photos. Ethan's bare chest. Sophie's smug face pressed against his skin. That caption — Some men are worth stealing.Vivian's vision blurred red.She'd called him seventeen times. Seventeen. Every call went to voicemail.Because he was too busy screwing her ex-best friend.'No. He's not screwing anyone. He's broke. He's pathetic. He left me and now he's desperate and Sophie's using him and he'll come crawling back any day now beggi
Chapter 30
Vivian's breath caught. He looked... different. Sharper. Harder. Like something inside him had calcified overnight.Sophie moved first. She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing herself against his side. Possessive. Triumphant."Ethan, baby, I'm sorry—" She looked up at him with wide, apologetic eyes. "She just barged in—"Ethan didn't push her away.Vivian's stomach lurched."Ethan —" Her voice came out strangled. "Ethan, what are you — this isn't — she drugged you, she set you up, you can't possibly —""Vivian." His voice was flat. Dead. Like talking to a stranger at a bus stop. "I'm going to ask you one question."She stared at him."Am I your replacement?"The air left the room.Vivian's lips parted. Her eyes darted to Sophie, then back to Ethan."At the celebration dinner," Ethan continued, his tone unchanged. "I heard someone say it. That I was Damian Hale's replacement. A stand-in. A consolation prize you settled for because the man you actually wan