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136!

مؤلف: Author Deblice
last update آخر تحديث: 2026-02-26 14:05:55

MABEL

David had called the cab.

Ethan was pulling himself together. Drinking the last of his water. Straightening his tie.

Looking marginally more human than when he'd arrived.

"The cab will be here in five minutes," David said.

"Thank you." Ethan stood. Steadied himself. "Mabel, I…"

The lobby doors opened.

Damian walked in.

He stopped when he saw us. Took in the scene. Me. Ethan. The empty water glasses. The general dish
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  • The Ex-wife He Regrets Losing!   142!

    MABELBy eight AM, my phone had seventeen missed calls.My assistant in LA. My business manager. Three different clients.I called my assistant first. Nicole."Mabel, thank God. Have you seen—""The interview. Yes. I've seen it.""It's everywhere. Every outlet is covering it. Entertainment news. Fashion blogs. Even mainstream media." Nicole's voice was strained. "And clients are calling."My stomach dropped. "Who?""Jessica Carmichael called at six this morning. She's pulling out of the March campaign."Jessica Carmichael. A-list actress. One of my biggest clients."Did she say why?""Her team cited 'brand alignment concerns.' They don't want to be associated with the controversy.""Anyone else?"Nicole was quiet."Nicole. Who else?""The Riverside Hotel Group. They're canceling the spring styling contract. And Miranda Chen's team sent an email an ho

  • The Ex-wife He Regrets Losing!   141!

    MABEL I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Hailey's carefully arranged expression. I Heard her voice. The calculated emotion. *Homewrecker. Manipulator. Troubled woman.* At two AM, I gave up. Went to the kitchen. Damian was still there. Laptop open. On a conference call with my publicist Katherine and her team. He looked up when I entered. Muted the call. "You should be sleeping," he said. "Can't." I poured water. "How bad is it?" "Katherine's team is working on a response. We'll have something by morning." "That's not what I asked." Damian closed his laptop. "It's bad. But manageable." "How bad?" He hesitated. Then pulled up his phone. Show me the trending topics. #MabelJames w

  • The Ex-wife He Regrets Losing!   140!

    MABELI stayed on the porch a while longer after Damian went inside.The night air was cool. Clear.For the first time in months, my mind was quiet.Not empty. Never empty. But quiet in the way that felt productive rather than anxious.Things were moving in the right direction.Claire in jail. Liam knowing the truth. Andrew rebuilding. Elena James Designs nearly ready to launch.And Damian.Patient, steady Damian.Willing to wait.I picked up my cold tea. Smiled to myself.Maybe things were actually going to be okay.My phone buzzed.I assumed it was Damian. Forgotten something. Or a goodnight message.But the name on the screen was Rose.Vanessa's assistant.Strange. Rose rarely called me directly.I answered. "Rose? Everything okay? Is Liam…""Liam's fine. He's asleep." Rose's voice was tight. Urgent. "But Ms. James, you need to see something.""What is it?""I don't want to explain. Just watch it." She paused. "I'm sending you a link now."My phone buzzed again. A link to a celebri

  • The Ex-wife He Regrets Losing!   139!

    MABELThe kiss lasted only a moment.But it changed everything.I pulled back first.Not dramatically. Not suddenly. Just gently. Creating space between us.Damian let me. Didn't reach for me. Didn't close the distance I'd created.Just watched me. Patient.The porch was still quiet. Still private. The crickets still singing somewhere in the dark Westchester grounds.Everything the same as five minutes ago.Except nothing was the same.I stood. Walked to the porch railing. Looked out at the dark garden.My heart was racing. My thoughts louder than the quiet night."Mabel." His voice was soft. Not demanding. Just present."Give me a second."He did.I stood at the railing, sorting through the noise in my head.The kiss had been good. That wasn't the problem.Damian was good. That wasn't the problem either.The problem was everything else.Liam learning the truth two weeks ago. Still adjusting. Still navigating two mothers and a new reality.Bella and Andrew rebuilding something fragile

  • The Ex-wife He Regrets Losing!   138!

    MABELThe weeks at the safe house had their own rhythm.Morning coffee. Security briefings from David. Updates from lawyers. Afternoons with Liam. Evenings with Bella and Lily.And Damian.He came every few days. Sometimes for business. Updates on Claire's trial. Security assessments. Legal strategy.But sometimes just to check in.To sit with us at dinner. To play board games with Liam. To talk with me on the back porch after everyone else had gone to bed.Those evenings became my favorite part of the week.We'd sit outside with coffee. Sometimes wine. The Westchester property was beautiful at night. Quiet. Stars visible without Manhattan's light pollution.We talked about everything. His company. My styling business. Elena James Designs. Liam's progress. Andrew's sobriety.Things that mattered. Things that didn't. Everything in between.He made me laugh. Genuinely laugh. Something I

  • The Ex-wife He Regrets Losing!   137!

    MABELThe cab disappeared around the corner.I stood at the lobby window watching until the taillights faded into the Manhattan traffic.Ethan was gone.More broken than when he'd arrived, if that was possible.Seeing Damian had done that. The confrontation. The questions. The realization of whatever was developing between Damian and me.Another thing he'd lost.Not that he had any right to it.I turned from the window.Damian was standing where I'd left him. Hands in his pockets. Expression carefully neutral now that Ethan was gone.David had discreetly moved to the other side of the lobby. Giving us space."He's gone," I said unnecessarily."Yes."I walked back to the seating area. Sat down. The adrenaline of the last hour slowly draining.Damian sat across from me. Same place Ethan had occupied twenty minutes ago.The contrast was stark.

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