Lahat ng Kabanata ng Ex-Husband's Relentless Desire : Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

If there's anything in my life I truly regret, it's agreeing to that bonfire party proposal five years ago.Esther's contemptuous gaze felt like a thousand needles piercing my skin. Hugh didn't scold me, but his silence made me feel even more ashamed.Back then, to protect us from online harassment, the media didn't reveal our real names or photos in any of the news reports. The boy who started the fire was sentenced to one year in prison for arson. The other six of us and I were punished with three months of community service. After the fire, even though we attended the same school, we became strangers, never contacting each other again, all of us too ashamed to recall the incident.After leaving the hospital and returning to the office, I was distracted all afternoon.I searched online for the name of the firefighter called "Jackson". I found some old photos of him. He wasn't particularly tall, but he looked spirited, with a strong square jaw, and when he smiled, he showed eight

I spent the day alone in the hospital. But solitude didn't bring peace to my mind.I asked Henry and Esther to keep the cause of the accident secret. I didn't want my grandmother to worry, nor did I want David and Susan involved. If David knew his son or future daughter-in-law was being followed or targeted for assassination, he'd turn the whole city upside down. That would alert the culprit behind this.Around 3 PM, Henry had found a lead on the black Volvo."The license plate is fake, sold by a gang member who specializes in forged documents. I'm heading there now to question him," Henry said over the phone."What's the exact address?""12 Mango Street.""Come to the hospital to see me first."I didn't want Henry to go alone because that street was notorious for gang activity. Henry was just an office secretary, not skilled in dealing with such people."Didn't the doctor say you need to stay for observation?" Henry hesitated when he arrived and learned I wanted to go with him

As Shelia finished speaking, I gradually loosened my grip on her hand.Her expression was serious, which scared me. I feared she had truly let go, that she genuinely didn't care anymore.The party's noise irritated me. I went alone to my study and took out the sketchbook from the drawer. I counted 72 drawings inside. Yes, she had been drawing all along, but I never cared to notice.During those two years of marriage, I seemed to know nothing about what she did every day. I even secretly compared her to Esther in my mind, looking down on her value because she didn't work after marriage. I often felt annoyed by her excessive care.But was it true, as Shelia just said, that I didn't like her?No, she was wrong. I did like her. The ease she gave me was something I rarely felt from others in my 27 years of life.But I did undervalue her. Perhaps because I got used to her admiration and generosity from the start. Things too easily obtained often seem weightless.Flipping through the s

”What?" I could hardly believe my ears."Let's cancel the engagement ceremony. I don't think it's appropriate right now. We need some time to reconsider.""So, is it because of Shelia? You've fallen in love with her, haven't you? At Grandma's birthday party yesterday, your eyes never left her. I saw it all."I looked at Hugh. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, sighed, then said to me, "Esther, what's between us isn't Shelia, it's your lies. You're the one pushing me away.""I don't know what you're talking about. The one who lied to you was Shelia, not me." I tried desperately to defend myself."Do you realize you're in a very dangerous situation right now? I took the hit for you in the car accident two days ago. But whoever's hiding in the shadows will surely come after you again. Next time, you might not be so lucky. Please trust me. No matter what you've done in the past, I'll try to understand and forgive you. But if you won't tell me anything, I really can't help you."H

As I had just arrived at my office that morning, I received an invitation to Hugh and Esther's engagement party. Holding it in my hands, I found myself lost in thought. When I married Hugh, we had no ceremony at all; we simply obtained our marriage certificate, and I moved into his house, gaining the status of a wife.But now that Esther was the bride-to-be, Hugh was giving her all the ceremonial trappings. He proposed, planned an engagement party, organized a wedding, and even personally took Esther to pick out jewelry for the occasion.My fingers tightened around the invitation, draining it of color. While I was lost in my reverie, Zia snatched the card from my hands and slammed it onto the desk."That cheating scumbag! It hasn't been long since you two split up, and he's already getting engaged to this woman. What's he trying to do by sending you an invitation? Showing off? Well, congratulations to him for succeeding—now we all know the great peacekeeping captain is a brainless m