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154.

Author: Christie Bassey
last update Huling Na-update: 2025-12-30 14:29:44

ERDEN

I didn’t slam the door behind me. I closed it carefully, like I always do when I’m trying not to show how hard something’s hit. The click of the latch sounded louder than it should have, final in a way I didn’t like.

I stood in the hallway for a moment to allow the heat bleed out of my chest. It didn’t help much. My hands were shaking, not from anger exactly, but from restraint.

I rubbed a hand over my face and walked down the stairs and stepped outside. The air was cool enough to clear my head a little. I walked down the drive without really thinking about where I was going, stopped near the car, then leaned back against it and crossed my arms.

Fuck.

I replayed the conversation whether I wanted to or not. I’d known the truth before I asked her about Nyra That was the part that bothered me most. I hadn’t gone into that kitchen looking for a fight, but I’d gone in knowing there was something I couldn’t ignore anymore.

I pushed off the car and paced a few steps, then stopped. I
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  • An Ex-wife's Guide to Revenge   162.

    ERDENI left Lyssandra’s house without saying goodbye. No, it wasn't because I was angry, even though anger would have been easier to justify, but because I could feel the lie sitting between us like a third presence. Lyssandra might think she had me deceived, but she hadn’t denied it outright. She had just redirected my attention and my question, and she thought I wouldn't notice? I chuckled under my breath as I got into my car. She was going to meet Nyra.She might not do it today, or tomorrow but eventually, she would met her sister, but it wouldn't be her sister at all. I knew her well enough to recognize that particular resolve. The calm she wore when she’d already made a decision and was simply waiting for the moment she could act on it without having to answer to anyone. Including me.That realization followed me down the drive and into the car, settling heavy in my chest as I pulled away. I didn’t speed, nor did I slam the door. I drove like someone who needed the time to

  • An Ex-wife's Guide to Revenge   161.

    LYSSANDRA “I didn’t know what she wanted,” I say. “And I didn’t want to cause panic without proof.”“Without proof,” he echoes, glancing pointedly at the chain.“I didn’t have this then.”He straightens slowly, hands dropping to his sides.“You let her move in your orbit for weeks without saying a word to me.”“She wasn’t in my orbit,” I push back. “She called. She left messages. That’s all.”“Did you answer.”I hold his gaze. “No.”That part, at least, is true.His eyes narrow. “Did you meet her.”“No.”Also true. Just not the whole truth. The tension between us sharpens, not because he knows I’m lying, but because he knows I’m capable of it.“You’re telling me this now,” he says, “because you think this proves something.”“I’m telling you because I want you to know I’m not hiding this,” I say. “I want you to believe me.”“That’s not the same thing.”“I know.”He turns his attention back to the chain, finally lifting it from the box. The metal clinks softly, an innocuous sound for

  • An Ex-wife's Guide to Revenge   160.

    LYSSANDRA He stares at me for a long moment, then looks away. “I don’t have the luxury of avoiding him,” he says. “Not if Meredith’s on the line.”I soften despite myself. “Neither do I. But walking into his orbit again…”“...is dangerous,” he finishes. “I know.”“Do you?” I ask. “Or do you just think you can handle it better this time?”He exhales through his nose. “You think I want this?”“I think you think it’s inevitable.”“That’s not the same thing.”“It is when you stop fighting it.”His eyes flick back to mine, sharp now. “I am fighting. This is me fighting.”I open my mouth, then close it. Because arguing semantics won’t change the truth sitting between us.“What does the meeting look like?” I ask instead.“Neutral ground,” he says. “No witnesses I don’t control. Short.”“And you expect him to just talk?”“I expect him to enjoy it.” That makes my stomach twist.“When?” I ask.“Soon. I’m waiting for confirmation.”I rub my forehead. “You’re not bringing me into this, are you?

  • An Ex-wife's Guide to Revenge   159.

    LYSSANDRA The room stills.Even their lawyer looks uneasy now.“You don’t get to speak about entitlement,” Erden continues, voice low and lethal. “You exploited access. You isolated a child. And now you’re clinging to technicalities because you know morally you’ve already lost.”Marianne stands abruptly. “We refuse double custody.”There it is.The words hit the table like a thrown knife.“We’ve had her longer,” she says, voice trembling with rage. “We deserve to keep her.”I feel something cold slide through my chest.Deserve.Erden rises slowly to his full height.“You don’t deserve a child,” he says. “You earn the right to be in her life every day. And you forfeited that the moment you turned her into leverage.”Victor slams his hand down. “This isn’t over.”“No,” Erden agrees. “It isn’t.”He turns to their lawyer. “You’ll receive our revised terms by end of day. Full custody returns to us. Supervised visitation. Non-negotiable.”Marianne laughs, brittle and furious. “You think y

  • An Ex-wife's Guide to Revenge   158.

    LYSSANDRA Just hearing his voice loosens something between my shoulder blades. I didn’t realize how tightly I’d been holding myself together until that exact moment.“Hey,” I say. “Where are you?”“Out,” he replies. I can hear movement in the background. Footsteps. A door. “What’s wrong?”Nothing ever gets past him.I swallow. “Nothing. I justgot an email.” He doesn’t interrupt, but waits patiently “There’s another meeting with the Chests,” I continue. “This afternoon.”“I know,” he says.Of course he does.“Are you coming?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.“I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”Something warm flickers in my chest at that, stubborn and unwanted but welcome all the same.“Okay,” I say softly.“You sound tired,” he adds.“I am.” “Did something happen this morning?”My grip tightens on the phone. I’m suddenly acutely aware of every call I’ve made, every near-call I’ve aborted, of the way Nyra’s name still hangs around in the corner of my chest like a bruise.

  • An Ex-wife's Guide to Revenge   157.

    LYSSANDRA For a split second, I don’t know what I’m feeling. Fear comes first, almost paralyzing me, followed immediately by something hotter and more volatile. There's anger, disgust and a sick, sinking dread that curls inward and refuses to let go.“What,” I manage. “was my sister’s DNA doing on a chain from the black market?”Riley doesn’t look away. “That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out.”My hands curl into fists on the desk. “Do you think she was restrained?” “I think she was involved in something dangerous,” Riley says carefully. I laugh once, sharp and broken. “You went behind my back.”“Yes,” Riley says. “And I’d do it again.”“That chain…” My voice shakes now, anger and fear tangling together until I can’t separate them. “That could mean anything.”“It could,” she agrees. “But combined with her sudden reappearance? With the timing? With Erden already circling this situation like he smells blood in the water?”I flinch at his name. Riley watches me closely. “You didn

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