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20. A Shattered Dream

Penulis: Meminger
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-05-30 20:20:20
Marcus’s Point of View

The Venetian twilight crept through the apartment’s curtains, casting long, mournful shadows across the hardwood floor where I sat, slumped against the couch, staring at the cracked plaster ceiling. My body felt like lead, anchored by a grief so raw it seemed to have hollowed me out. Ella was gone.

Her note—Marcus, Don’t follow me. Don’t look for me. You destroyed what we had, and I’m done. Let me go, or you’ll only hurt us both more—was crumpled in my pocket, her wedding ring a cold weight against my chest where I’d tucked it into my shirt. Those words were a dagger, each syllable slicing deeper, offering no clue where she’d gone or why she’d fled so suddenly.

The apartment, once alive with her laughter, her lavender scent, was now a lifeless shell, mocking me with memories of the life we’d almost reclaimed.

I’d spent the day tearing through Venice, driven by a desperate need to find her. She was mine—my wife, my Ella—and I wasn’t going to let her slip awa
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  • The Billionaire's Ex-wife Never Looks Back    36. Obsessed With You

    Marcus’s Point of ViewThe engine of my Maserati growled as I eased out of Shawn Hayes’s mansion, the gravel crunching beneath the tires, a sharp contrast to the storm brewing in my chest. The meeting with Shawn had been a dance of veiled skepticism—his polite refusal to commit to the Carter’s Wine investment, his probing questions about the company’s scandals, my scandals. His parting words, wishing me luck in finding my “wife,” had felt like a taunt, though his smile was too polished to confirm it. I gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles whitening, the lake’s dark expanse a blur beyond the North Shore’s manicured estates. Five years of chasing Ella had honed my instincts, and something about Shawn—his sharp gaze, his guarded tone—set my nerves on edge. He was a rival, not just in business, though I couldn’t yet name why.As I reached the mansion’s wrought-iron gates, they swung open, and a convoy of six black SUVs rolled past, their tinted windows reflecting the dusk’s fading li

  • The Billionaire's Ex-wife Never Looks Back    35. Meeting Shawn Hayes

    Ella’s Point of ViewThe Seattle dawn was a soft farewell, its pale light filtering through the living room window as I knelt before Lily, her small arms wrapped tightly around my neck. Her curls tickled my cheek, her warmth a tether to the life I’d built, a reminder of why I was braving this journey. “Be good for Grandpa, okay?” I whispered, kissing her forehead, her giggle a spark that eased the knot in my chest. Emerson stood nearby, his gray eyes steady, offering a reassuring nod. “We’ll be fine, Ella. Go do what you do best,” he said, his voice quiet but firm. I hugged him, a brief embrace that carried years of hard-won trust, then grabbed my suitcase and stepped into the waiting car, my heart heavy but resolute. Chicago awaited, a city shadowed by Marcus’s past, but I was no longer the woman who’d fled. I was a mother, a surgeon, and I’d return to Lily unscathed.The flight was a blur, my mind tracing the steps of Shawn Hayes’s surgery—coarctation of the aorta, a high-stakes pr

  • The Billionaire's Ex-wife Never Looks Back    34. I Know Who I Am And I'm Not Afraid

    Ella’s Point of ViewnThe Seattle night was a quiet embrace, the city’s skyline a faint shimmer beyond my bedroom window, its soft lights filtering through the curtains like a whispered promise of safety. I lay in bed, my daughter Lily curled against me, her small body warm, her steady breaths a rhythm that anchored me. Her dark curls spilled across the pillow, her tiny hand clutching my necklace, the star pendant she’d chosen for me years ago. Five years in Seattle had woven a life I cherished—Lily’s laughter, my work at Emerson’s hospital, the fragile peace I’d built with my father. But the call from Shawn Hayes, his voice warm and urgent, had cracked that peace open, stirring a fear I’d thought I’d buried. Chicago—Marcus’s city—loomed like a storm on the horizon, and I couldn’t shake the dread that going there might unravel everything.I’d spent the day wrestling with Shawn’s request. His condition, a coarctation of the aorta, demanded a delicate surgery, one I was uniquely qualif

  • The Billionaire's Ex-wife Never Looks Back    33. The Fears of the Past

    Ella’s Point of View The Seattle sunset painted the sky in hues of lavender and gold, its soft light filtering through my bedroom window, casting a warm glow over the life I’d built. Five years had slipped by since I’d fled to this city with Emerson, my father, escaping Marcus’s shadow and the terror of his pursuit. Against all odds, things had turned out better than I’d dared hope. Marcus had never found me, his hunters silenced by distance and time. My daughter, Lily, now five, was a radiant spark, her laughter a balm to the scars I carried. I’d thrown myself into my work at the hospital Emerson funded, reclaiming my identity as a doctor, my days filled with purpose. And, slowly, painfully, I’d forgiven Emerson. His genuine remorse for shattering my mother’s life had worn down my walls, a delicate process that left us on fragile but steady ground. I stood by the window, my damp hair loose after a shower, the scent of lavender soap lingering on my skin. The house—Emerson’s s

  • The Billionaire's Ex-wife Never Looks Back    32. Difficult to Recover

    Marcus’s Point of ViewThe Chicago skyline glittered beyond my penthouse window, a cold constellation of steel and glass that mirrored the ambition burning in my veins. I adjusted my cufflinks, the silver glinting under the chandelier’s glow, my tailored charcoal suit a armor for the battle ahead. Shawn Hayes, the billionaire investor my father, Joshua Carter, had pinned our hopes on, was the key to stabilizing Carter’s Wine. His wealth could shore up the company I’d nearly tanked, and today’s meeting at his mansion was my chance to prove I wasn’t the failure Joshua saw. But my mind wasn’t on wine or contracts—it was on Ella, always Ella, the ghost who’d haunted me for five years, her absence a wound I refused to let heal.I slid into my black Maserati, the engine’s purr a low growl as I pulled onto Lake Shore Drive, the city’s pulse humming around me. My phone buzzed, Theo’s name flashing on the screen. I answered, speaker mode crackling as his voice filled the car, all easy charm.

  • The Billionaire's Ex-wife Never Looks Back    31. The Never Ending Obsession

    Five Years Later Marcus’s Point of ViewThe Chicago sunrise spilled through the massive windows of my penthouse bedroom, its golden rays glinting off the polished oak floor, mocking the storm raging inside me. I stood before the full-length mirror, adjusting my silk tie with precise, angry tugs, my reflection a mask of control that barely concealed the chaos beneath. My navy suit was immaculate, tailored to perfection, but my eyes—bloodshot from sleepless nights and five years of relentless pursuit—betrayed me. “I hope you’re here to tell me you’re giving me back my CEO position at Carter’s Wine, Dad,” I said, my voice sharp, laced with a defiance I didn’t fully feel. Joshua Carter’s presence in my room this early meant trouble, and I braced for his lecture.“Not so fast, son,” Joshua replied, settling into a leather armchair nearby, his posture as polished as ever despite the silver strands creeping into his dark hair. My father, the patriarch of the Carter family, was a titan in b

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