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last update publish date: 2026-02-05 16:02:52

ETHAN

I didn't go to my mother's estate.

Instead, I drove aimlessly through Manhattan, thinking about everything that had led to this moment.

My marriage. My family. My life.

All built on lies.

I'd married Hailey for the wrong reasons. Because my mother approved. Because she was pregnant. Because it was expected.

Not because I loved her.

And she'd married me for status. For money. For the Hoss name.

Not because she loved me.

We'd been playing house for five years. Pretending to be a happy famil
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  • The Ex-wife He Regrets Losing!   182!

    MABELI couldn't sit still.After hanging up with Damian, I paced my apartment. Living room to kitchen. Kitchen to bedroom. Back again.Liam was in his room. Playing. Oblivious to the crisis unfolding.My phone buzzed. Damian calling back.I ignored it.Buzzed again. Text this time.“Please let me come over. Let me explain properly.”I stared at the message. Didn't respond.Another text. “I know you're angry. You have every right to be. But don't make decisions tonight. Not like this.”He was right about one thing. I was angry.Furious, actually.Not about the distant family connection. That barely mattered. Vanessa's late husband being third cousins with Claire was genealogical trivia. Meaningless.But Damian keeping it from me for five years?That mattered.Making the decision that I didn't need to know? That it wasn't relevant? That telling me wou

  • The Ex-wife He Regrets Losing!   181!

    MABELI stared at the letter I'd just read.But something was wrong.The letter was longer than I remembered. I read it again. Claire's rambling justifications. Her claims about Elena. Her threats.Then I noticed. A second page. Folded beneath the first.I'd missed it.My hands shook as I unfolded it.This one was different. Shorter. Direct.Claire's handwriting. But the tone was different. Colder. More focused.“Mabel,Forget everything on the previous page. That was for the guards. For the prison censors. They read everything. So I gave them what they expected.This is what I actually want to say.I know you think you've won. Destroyed me. Taken everything. Built your perfect life on my ruins.But there's one more secret.About your son.About Liam.*Something you don't know. Something no one's told you.Ask Damian.

  • The Ex-wife He Regrets Losing!   180!

    HAILEYI saw the engagement announcement on Instagram.Not following Mabel. But someone I followed shared it. A fashion blogger. Post about "iconic designer Mabel James and her fiancé Damian Croft."Photo of them together. Happy. Smiling. Her ring is visible.I stared at it longer than I should have.Then closed the app. Went back to making dinner.My husband, second husband, was due home in an hour. Kevin. Insurance agent. Nice. Stable. Boring compared to Ethan but dependable.We'd married six months ago. Small ceremony. His family mostly. Mine didn't attend.They'd disowned me after the baby swap scandal. After my complicity was exposed. After the public turned against me.My career was gone. Social media influencing dried up. Sponsors dropped me. Brand deals canceled.I'd moved to Connecticut. Changed my name back to my maiden name. Started over.Got a job at a marketing firm. Mid-l

  • The Ex-wife He Regrets Losing!   179!

    ETHANI heard about the engagement from Thomas.My lawyer. Still handling my custody case. Still trying to get me more time with Jason."I saw the announcement," he said during our weekly call. "Mabel James and Damian Croft. Engaged."I sat down. "When?""Last week apparently. They're planning a small wedding. June.""Good. That's good." I meant it. Mostly."You okay?""Yeah. Fine. She deserves to be happy."After hanging up, I sat in my apartment. Quiet. Empty.I'd been living alone for over a year now. Since Hailey filed for full custody. Since the divorce finalized. Since everything fell apart.The apartment was smaller than I was used to. One bedroom. Modest. Nothing like the penthouse I'd shared with Hailey.But it was mine. Paid for with what was left after legal fees and settlements. After losing almost everything.I pulled out my phone. Looked at Mabel's socia

  • The Ex-wife He Regrets Losing!   178!

    MABEL The next evening, Damian came to my apartment. We'd told Liam the news that morning. He'd been thrilled. "Does this mean Damian is going to be my dad?" "Sort of. Stepdad. But yes, he'll be part of our family officially." Liam had hugged Damian. "Cool. Can I call you Dad?" Damian had looked emotional. "If you want to. I'd like that." Now we sat at my kitchen table with coffee and a blank notebook. "We should probably plan this wedding," Damian said. "Probably." I pulled the notebook closer. "What do you want? Big? Small? Somewhere in between?" "What do you want?" "I asked you first." Damian smiled. "Small. Intimate. Just the people who matter. Not a big production." "I agree. My first wedding was huge. Two hundred guests. Most of them Claire's business contacts. It felt like a performance, not a marri

  • The Ex-wife He Regrets Losing!   177!

    MABELI took the elevator to the forty-second floor.Damian's office. Executive suite. Glass walls. Minimalist design.His assistant looked up when I walked in. "Ms. James. Do you have an appointment?""No. But I need to see him. Is he in?""He's in a meeting….""Please. It's important."She hesitated. Then picked up the phone. "Mr. Croft, Mabel James is here. She says it's important."A pause. Then she nodded. "He'll see you. Go ahead in."I walked down the hallway. Past conference rooms. Past other offices.To the corner office at the end. Floor-to-ceiling windows. View of the city.Damian's door was open. He was standing by the window. Looking out. Not at his desk."Close the door," he said without turning around.I closed it. Stood there. Suddenly nervous."You wanted to see me," he said. Still not turning."Yes.""About?""Abou

  • The Ex-wife He Regrets Losing!   59!

    MABEL I was halfway back to the hotel when my phone rang. Bella. "Hey, I'm on my way back…" "Mabel." Her voice was shaking. "It's Lily." My heart stopped. "What happened?" "She collapsed at school. They called an ambulance." Bella's words came out in a rush. "Her blood sugar dropped too low. T

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-23
  • The Ex-wife He Regrets Losing!   38!

    MABEL After the cake cutting, I tried to stay busy, clearing plates, organizing gifts, anything to avoid Damian Croft's scrutiny. But he found me anyway. "Miss James." His voice came from behind me as I was stacking paper plates. "A moment?" I turned to find him holding two champagne flutes. He

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-20
  • The Ex-wife He Regrets Losing!   61!

    MABEL The hospital social worker convinced Andrew to get back in the car. "Let me talk to him," she'd said after security called her. "Sometimes they need a neutral party." Twenty minutes later, she returned. "He's on his way back to Meadowbrook. But I have to be honest, his commitment seems shak

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-23
  • The Ex-wife He Regrets Losing!   74!

    MABEL By the time I reached Vanessa's office building, my phone had exploded with notifications. The Margaret custody story was everywhere. Not just tabloids now. Real news outlets. "Wealthy Stylist Accused of Interfering in Family Custody Battle" "Mother Fights to Reclaim Daughter From Rich Si

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-25
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