Revenge on my Cold-Hearted Ex-Husband

The drive back to her office felt longer than usual. Elara stared out the car window, watching the city pass by in a blur of lights and movement, but her mind was stuck in that hospital room. The image of Kian lying weak in bed, his usual sharp confidence gone, replayed over and over.Why me? she thought, pressing her fingers to her throbbing temples. Why does it have to be me?She settled into her desk later that afternoon, but work felt impossible. Every document she picked up, every call she took, only reminded her of the man she’d tried so hard to erase from her life. She found herself flipping through old photo albums—ones she’d kept hidden in a box at the back of her closet, too afraid to look at them for years.There they were: photos of her and Kian on their wedding day, laughing as they exchanged vows. Photos of them traveling to the coast, walking hand in hand along the beach, sunlight catching on their faces. Photos of them at business galas, Kian looking at her with eyes f

Elara stared at the small diamond earring resting on her palm, her fingers trembling. It was impossible. Elena was her best friend—her only companion through the worst years of her life. She was the one who had held her when she cried over Kian, who had told her she deserved better, who had helped her build her confidence back up. How could she be the one behind all this?Maybe she dropped it earlier today, Elara told herself desperately, trying to find an excuse. When she hugged me, or when she sat by the bed. It doesn’t mean anything.But her heart sank when she remembered the threatening message on her phone, and the nurse’s description of the intruder: tall, slim, dark hair, wearing a beige coat—the exact same things Elena was wearing just hours ago.The door creaked open, and Lucas walked in. He had come to check on Kian, but his eyes immediately fell on the earring in Elara’s hand. His expression turned grim.“That’s hers, isn’t it?” he asked quietly.Elara nodded slowly, her th

The golden light of the rising sun spilled across the hospital room, but it brought no warmth, only a stark clarity of the battle that lay ahead. Elara looked at Kian, seeing not just the man she loved, but a warrior reborn. The fear that had clouded his eyes for years—the fear of endangering her—was gone, replaced by a burning resolve that matched her own. Lucas closed the file he was holding, his expression grim but hopeful. "Finding Mrs. Hale won't be easy. If Julian Rutherford hid her, he did it somewhere deep, somewhere no one would ever look. He is meticulous. He covers every track, erases every trace. But..." He paused, tapping his fingers against the folder. "She didn't just vanish without a trace. Before she disappeared, she made one last contact. She sent a message to an old colleague, someone she trusted years ago. It was short, cryptic, but enough to tell us she was afraid for her life. She said she knew what Rutherford was planning, and that she had kept records—physical

The car moved swiftly and silently through the darkened streets, putting a safe distance between them and the hospital they had just left. Inside the vehicle, Elara and Kian sat side by side, shoulders touching in the confined space, yet there was no need for constant chatter or explanation to understand one another. The heavy, suffocating weight and biting coldness that had defined their relationship for so long had finally evaporated. In its place was a profound, new kind of connection—one that had been built upon the painful foundation of revealed truth, silent sacrifice, and a love that had been hidden away behind carefully constructed lies just to ensure her safety. Kian reached over and found her hand resting on the seat between them. He wrapped his fingers around hers and squeezed gently but firmly. His palm was warm, though it trembled slightly—a lingering reminder of the major surgery he had just endured and the pain he was currently trying so hard to suppress. Yet, despite t