Lahat ng Kabanata ng No Longer Yours, Ex Husband: Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

[Vivienne]The man hands me the phone with a smirk and waves his hand dismissively. “You’ve got one hour. Make it count.”I take the phone and nod, trying to keep my composure as he and his men retreat to a corner of the warehouse, leaving me alone.Well, not exactly. Maria still sits on the floor where she fell, her eyes burning with hatred.“I know you don’t have shit,” she hisses, her face twisted with rage. “But Tony’s too greedy to see through your pathetic lies. I’m not stupid. I know you’re trying to play games. But that’s fine. He’ll see what a fool he was when your time’s up and your bullshit is exposed. Until then, enjoy your little victory. But remember this: even if you get out of here, I won’t stop coming after you. You turned my husband against me, and I won’t ever forgive you for that.”I don’t pay attention to her. There’s no point.Instead, I turn away and dial a number.He picks up in the second ring. “Hello?”“Hey, it’s me.”“Miss Sinclair. Long time no see. But any

[Vivienne]Maybe it’s the fact that I’m done with idiot men for the day, or that I have grown a deep hatred for men altogether, but the moment I hear the distressed voice of Rosita and the sound of a man grunting, my heart hurls and I don’t think twice.I shove the door open, and although it sounded like my friend was in trouble, I did not expect to find her on the floor, on her stomach, with a man straddling her from behind.I see red so fast, I don’t even know when I grab the laptop from the table and swing it right over the bastard’s head.Crack!And, oh boy, that was satisfying.The laptop snaps in half on contact, and he goes down with a painful cry, covering his head with both hands.“You touch her and I’ll cut your dick off and feed it to you!”I raise the laptop in the air, ready to strike again when I finally hear Rosita screaming.“Oh, my God, Viv. What the hell?”I look down, finding her scrambling towards the guy and not me.“Why would you hit him? God, and that too so hard

[Vivienne]On my way to the precinct, I spill everything to Rosita. I tell her how we were drugged the previous night, the terror of nearly losing my eyes, and how it’s all courtesy of one of her clients, hellbent on making me pay the price for my non-existent actions.Rosita listens, her face growing more horrified with each detail. By the time I’m done, her hands are trembling, and she’s white as a sheet. “Vivienne… I had no idea. I’m so sorry. If I’d known—”“It’s not your fault, Ro,” I cut her off, trying to keep my voice steady. “You couldn’t have known that this client of yours would go this far.”“I know, but still. We at least need to do something about that club manager. How dare he drug us? If I see him, I’ll strangle him with my bare hands. He can’t just do that to women without repercussions.”I can’t agree more with her, but before I can reply, Marcus pulls the car over in front of the station, and we climb out.The detective is already there, waiting for us. He takes us

[Caden]I’m sitting in what looks like a conference room, staring at the capped bottle of water in front of me. I check the time for the hundredth time and sigh.This is taking too long.How hard can it be for a detective like Lopez to convince Vivienne to drop the case?Maybe I was wrong to approach him myself. Perhaps I should have gone to one of his superiors. I could have surely saved myself from this awkward encounter with Vivienne.Just then, the glass door opens, and the sound of footsteps snaps me out of my thoughts. I look up to find Lopez grabbing a bottle of water, uncapping it, and gulping down the whole thing. He then pulls out a chair and sits down, placing his hands on the table.“I’m sorry, Mr. Lawrence, but—”“I’ve heard enough,” I tell him, and he looks surprised, suddenly speechless.I stand up, and that’s when he finds his voice again.“But you didn’t even… I didn’t even tell you… I don’t think you understand—”“I understand everything perfectly. I think it’s you w

[Vivienne]I see it—the tiniest crack in his facade, the brief flash of uncertainty in his eyes. But just as quickly, it’s gone, replaced by that same cold, calculating look he always wears like a second skin.“You’re bluffing,” he says, though his voice lacks the conviction it usually has. “You wouldn’t walk away from this marriage as if it means nothing to you. Because it does. That’s the only reason I haven’t signed those divorce papers yet. Three years, Vivienne. We’ve been married for three years. And for a person like you—the emotional kind—that’s a long time, long enough to make it your whole life. That’s why you can’t walk away from this. Those divorce papers are a joke, and if you don’t stop bringing them up again and again, I swear to God, I will sign them, and you’ll be left with nothing but regrets. So enough with your bluff, already. You understand? Just drop this damn case and come back home. You’ve been gone for too long, and it has started to piss me off."I feel my hea