RETURN OF MY BILLIONAIRE HUSBAND

Caleb Monroe looked breathtaking in his light green tuxedo.

He smelled just like Cashmere Bouquet—the scent that always made Lauren's heart melt.

She couldn’t stop smiling every time she looked at him.

It was Granny Rosa’s birthday.

Tomorrow, it would be Lauren’s.

Granny Rosa was the only family Lauren had left, so they’d gone all out to make the celebration special. .

Caleb had spared no expense, throwing a grand party right in the heart of Beverly Hills.

He had promised her that tonight would be unforgettable—just like their other romantic nights.

And it truly felt that way. Lauren was finally starting to forget the pain and loneliness of the past three years.

The guests sang the birthday song joyfully.

Granny Rosa beamed with happiness, her blonde hair styled in a neat beehive and soft makeup brightening her kind face.

Lauren had done it all for Granny Rosa —her hair, her makeup, even her nails.

Caleb had invited the best of the best—wealthy CEOs, respected business moguls, and Beverly Hills elites.

After the party ended, Lauren stood near the balcony, watching the event team take down the decorations and rearrange their large sitting room and Granny Rosa bid her guests goodbye.

Caleb walked up behind her, wrapping a hand around her waist.

“You had a good time, right?” he asked, his voice low and warm.

“I definitely did,” she smiled. “All thanks to Caleb Monroe.” She wrapped her arms around his neck playfully. “So… how about we end the night with a little magic of our own?”

But just as their moment began, Granny Rosa appeared behind them.

“You’ll stay with me tonight, won’t you, Lauren?” she said, her voice sharp but tired. “You promised to read my favorite book. Not... run off to roll in the sheets with your billionaire boyfriend.” She reached out and took Lauren’s hand firmly. “You always leave me alone in this big house and run off to Caleb. But not tonight, okay? It’s still my day.”

Lauren gave Caleb an apologetic look as Granny Rosa pulled her toward the hallway and shut the door behind them.

Granny walked straight to her bookshelf and pulled out her favorite Ken Follett novels. “You’ll read them to me,” she said cheerfully, jumping onto the bed like a spoiled little girl.

Lauren laughed softly. It reminded her of the old days—when she was a teenager and Granny Rosa used to read Debbie Macomber books to her every night after her parents died in that horrible snowy accident. Since then, Granny Rosa never wanted to share Lauren with anyone.

"You didn't even thank Caleb for everything he did today,” Lauren said suddenly.

Granny Rosa sighed. “ Ethan truly loved me. It was real.”

“Caleb does love you too for real” Lauren insisted. “He takes care of you. He planned this party with me for months. He was so concerned about making your birthday perfect.”

“Do you love him?” Rosa asked gently.

“I do, Mum. I finally feel happy again… after mourning my husband.”

Granny's voice turned quiet. “I miss Ethan. I remember how we used to sit on this very bed, laughing and talking about everything.”

Lauren turned away. “Mum, please… can we not talk about Ethan again? You always bring him up on your birthday, and it ruins everything.”

She hated how his name still lingered like a shadow. It had been three long years. Caleb was here now. He loved her. Yet Granny Rosa kept dragging Ethan into the present.

Lauren kept reading until Granny Rosa finally fell asleep. She gently pulled the blanket over her, kissed her forehead, and tiptoed out of the room.

Downstairs, Caleb was in the sitting room, quietly smoking.

When he saw her, she ran into his arms, and they kissed deeply. Passion quickly took over. They undressed each other right there and made their way to the bathroom.

Just like always, they ended up making love under the shower. Caleb loved it that way—wet skin, close bodies, hot steam. After just a few deep thrusts, they made their way to the bed.

Lauren loved falling asleep naked in his strong arms. She always felt safe there.

*****

The Next Morning...

The sun was already slipping through the curtains when her phone rang. Caleb was still asleep beside her, his bare chest glowing in the light.

She slipped out of his arms and reached for her phone. A strange number flashed on the screen.

“Hello?” she said softly.

“Hi, Lauren. How have you been?”

Her heart skipped. That voice.

It couldn’t be.

“Ethan?”

“I missed you so much.”

Tears instantly filled her eyes. She stood up so fast, forgetting she wasn’t even wearing anything. “This... this can’t be Ethan. Ethan is dead.”

“I lost my memory, Lauren. I was unconscious for months. My biological father hid me away while I healed. But I remember now.”

“Where are you?” she whispered, shaking. “If this is a prank, stop it. Ethan is dead!”

“Dante Beverly Hills. Come to the rooftop. I’m here.”

Lauren didn’t wait a second longer. She threw on her dress and ran out of the house.

When she arrived at the hotel, a man dressed in all white was already standing by the entrance.

“You’re here for Ethan Whitmore, right?” he asked.

“Yes... please,” she breathed out.

He led her through the building, and soon she spotted someone standing at the edge of the rooftop. Just his back. But she knew. The red hair. The broad shoulders.

Her knees buckled.

He turned around.

It was Ethan.

And everything went black as she fainted right into the arms of the man who had once been her whole world.

***

Lauren woke up on a bed that didn’t look any bit familiar. She had thought she would wake up from the dream until she saw the back view of her husband again.

He was pouring boiling water from a kettle into a saucer.

He turned immediately as if he knew she was awake and offered her green tea.

She refused to drink and glared at him.

“What are you back for?”

He was confused. “How?”

“I am in a relationship. I have had sex with someone else. Not once, not twice, like countless times! You can’t appear from nowhere and claim me as your wife. My body belongs to someone else now.”

He didn’t flinch. His eyes set in something that looked like love and obsession. “Your body still belongs to me.”

“What if... what if I’m pregnant?”

“You will have the child and give it back to the father and then we continue...”

She slapped him. “How dare you!!!”

He glared at her. “I will never let go of you for anyone. Never.”

“What if I plan to divorce you?”

Ethan’s face hardened. His voice was low but steady, filled with a certainty that sent a chill down her spine.

“You won’t be able to.”

Lauren narrowed her eyes. “Why not?”

“Because legally, you’re still my wife.” He took a step closer. “The moment I resurfaced, I filed to have the declaration of my death overturned. Until the court officially rules on it, the divorce papers you think you filed mean nothing.”

She shook her head in disbelief. “You can’t just block a divorce.”

“I can,” he said, voice calm but deadly serious. “The court can’t finalize a divorce when I was never served, never given a chance to defend my marriage. I’ve already filed motions to vacate any decisions made without me. And with my lawyers? The best money can buy—they’ll make sure this drags on.”

Lauren’s heart hammered. “Even if I want to be free?”

“Even then.” He locked eyes with her. “And legally, you moving on while I was ‘dead’ looks like abandonment. That gives me leverage. The law doesn’t care about feelings, only facts. Facts say we’re still married, and until that changes, you belong to me.”

She swallowed hard, words failing her as he stared down the fight in her eyes.

“Your new life? Your fiancé? None of that matters until I say so.”

He poured himself a cup of tea and sipped it calmly, the war just beginning.

***

She stepped into Ethan’s grand bathroom, the warmth of the marble under her feet contrasting with the cold storm inside her heart. As the shower poured down her head, tears slipped quietly down her cheeks. She had missed him terribly, but the thought of being married to him again felt impossible. She had mourned, given up, and then he came back to confuse everything.

Someone had tried to kill him. Who would do such a thing?

She stepped out of the shower and spotted a dress and a pair of shoes laid out on the bed. Her breath caught. That dress—it was the exact same yellow sundress with dark embroidery around the collar she had worn when he proposed in Texas.

The dress she had sold, stained with sweat and memories.

Shivering, she slipped into it, trying to steady herself. A cold wave of fear ran through her when she remembered the properties she’d sold—the ones they’d bought together in Europe to save up.

What if he found out?

She hurried to style her hair into a neat beehive, then pulled out the red lipstick she always carried and carefully applied it. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out her phone and froze. Sixty missed calls. Forty-two were from Caleb Monroe.

Her heart raced. She jumped to her feet and moved toward the door just as Ethan walked in, carrying a plate of pancakes and a cup of tea.

“Eat before you go. It’s not a request,” he said firmly.

She scoffed, “Not a request?”

She tried to leave but stopped when he spoke again.

“Should I start by getting my properties back, or are you going to sit and eat?”

Panic surged through her. How did he find out?

She sat down, accepting the pancakes and tea, chewing nervously.

“Remember, it was our joint account,” she said quietly.

He chuckled softly. “You only had five hundred dollars there—from your nursing savings. I had thirty thousand.”

She looked at him, embarrassed.

“We used that to buy properties in Europe—small places mostly in rural spots. Nothing fancy, but enough to grow our savings.”

Ethan took a sip of tea, eyes darkening. “You sold them off after you thought I was gone. To start your fashion store in Beverly Hills.”

She nodded, biting her lip. “I sold the houses in Romania and Portugal—old cottages and some farmland. It wasn’t much, but it gave me the seed money I needed.”

Ethan’s voice was steady but calmer. “I’m not blaming you for getting your life together, Lauren. I’m glad you were able to take care of yourself while I was away. You pulled your life back together. I know you did it while mourning… it must have been really hard.”

Tears welled up in Lauren’s eyes. “Once I’m able to pay you the thirty thousand dollars, will you sign the divorce papers?”

He chuckled softly. “You’re crazy.”

“I don’t want to be your wife anymore, Ethan.”

“Why?”

“It’s complicated right now. Besides… I love someone else.”

He searched her eyes, voice low. “…And if I say I don’t believe you?”

Lauren looked at him and shook her head. “It’s obvious, Ethan.”

Without another word, she dumped the remaining pancake and tea and walked out.

***

Lauren dialed Granny Rosa. The phone picked up immediately, Granny’s croaked voice loud on the other end.

“My child, where have you been? Come to the hall right away. Capuchin Hall. It’s my after-birthday event.”

Without hesitation, Lauren drove straight to the hall. When she arrived, she was hit by the greatest shock of her life.

Caleb Monroe was down on one knee, holding out a ring.

A proposal. A surprise proposal.

How could she wake up from this tangled mess?

Caleb Monroe, her fiancé, was proposing—and her husband was still alive.

The moment felt eerily familiar.

Capuchin Hall had a branch in Texas.

That was the exact same hall where Ethan had proposed to her four years ago.

And she was wearing that same yellow sundress.

She sobbed uncontrollably as Caleb looked up at her, hope shining in his eyes.

But how could she break the news that her “dead” husband was very much alive?

The proposal wouldn’t be valid until the divorce was finalized.

Taking a shaky breath, she finally found her voice.

“My husband—who was declared dead three years ago—is alive. I met him this morning. He’s alive and healthy.”

Tears trickled down her cheeks as the room fell silent.