Dear Ex, Marry Me

Chapter 2 Leilani Moore I dialed Derek's number for the ninth time, pacing in the living room. It was past 11pm, and he wasn't home yet. Just like the other eight times that I had tried to reach him, his phone rang and disconnected without an answer. Derek left early in the morning today for a meeting with a client despite today being Saturday. We were supposed to spend enough time together, and as much as I didn't like the idea of him leaving earlier, I didn't want to be selfish. It's his work we are talking about, and I didn't want to make him feel like I was putting my needs before his career. It was almost midnight when I heard his car drive in, and I exhaled deeply in relief, standing up from the couch. Barely three minutes after the sound of the car, Derek walked in. He paused when he saw me in the living room, his expression changed into shock as he called out. "Honey... You are still awake?" "Where have you been, Derek? Why didn't you take my calls?" I demanded, going

Chapter 4 Leilani Moore 'What do men really want?' the question I kept asking myself as I held Derek's phone in my hand, my blood boiling in rage as I read the text someone sent to him. 'Did you arrive safely, babe? I'm glad you could make out time for us. The kids are missing you already. I can't wait to go on another trip with you again' Derek was not only cheating on me, but he already had kids outside. Not a kid, but kids. I didn't know whether I was the other woman here. What if I was the intruder in their relationship? What if he already married her before me? 'No, you are not' If I was, then I doubt the woman would've allowed him to marry me. I looked over to Derek who was fast asleep beside me on the bed, and my stomach grumbled furiously. The thought of suffocating him to death with a pillow crossed my mind, but no way I would become a murderer because of him. He wasn't worth ending up in jail for. I put the phone away and lay beside him on the bed. There wasn't any poi

Chapter 6: The Breaking Point Leilani Moore I had finally come back home, or at least, what used to feel like home. My feet felt like they were moving on their own, each step toward the living room heavier than the last. The silence inside was deafening, yet it felt comforting like a quiet that was just waiting to swallow me whole. As soon as I closed the door behind me, the dam inside me broke. The tears started flowing uncontrollably like a river finally freed from the dam that had been holding it back. I collapsed onto the couch, burying my face in my hands as sobs wracked my body. I felt like I was being suffocated by the weight of everything…the betrayal, the humiliation, the lies. How could Derek do this to me? To us? All those years together, all the love I had given him, and this was how he repaid me? I have tried my best, to control how I felt, and to not lash out up to the point I went to court and requested divorce papers and at this point, I could only let the tears fa

Chapter 8: The CallLeilani MooreTwo weeks had passed since I had walked out of my marriage and shut the door on Derek’s face. Two weeks of silence and peace. Two weeks of not having to deal with his lies, his deception, and his hollow apologies. In those two weeks, I had managed to regain some of the composure I had lost, slowly putting myself back together, piece by piece.My mind was no longer constantly racing, I wasn’t sad anymore. I wasn’t heartbroken. It felt almost foreign to me, this new feeling of calm, but I welcomed it. The house was quiet, no more running away from the truth. I could breathe again, and for the first time in a long while, it felt like I was in control.I stepped into the living room and I saw my parents laughing at whatever joke they were saying, my mother stopped and turned to look at me with a wide smile on her face. “You are back Leilani,” she said and I nodded approaching them.“What’s making you so happy?” I asked and my mom chuckled again.“Ruth is

Chapter 10: Lingering ShadowsLeilani MooreI felt him before I saw him.A soft pressure at my back, the heat of his chest brushing against mine as his presence filled the space behind me. My breath caught. The warmth of him was unmistakable. It was Jaxon.“Querida,” his voice was a hushed whisper, sending a shiver down my spine. The sound of the nickname he only called me from his lips was both familiar and dangerous. He leaned in closer, his lips barely brushing my ear, the warm breath sending a tremor through me.I swallowed, trying to hold onto the reality of the moment, but there was no escaping him, no fighting the pull. His hands slid over my arms, gentle but insistent, as though he knew exactly how to make my body respond to him. He moved closer, pressing his body against mine. His strength was a force that I couldn’t ignore, even if I wanted to. The heat between us was electric, charged with something both old and new.H