All Chapters of Goodbye, Ex-Husband, Next Please: Chapter 201 - Chapter 210

AVA’S POV A FEW DAYS LATER It had been days since the criminal hearing. Days since Laura sat in court, raised her chin like a queen, and said “not guilty” like she really believed she hadn’t done anything wrong. I watched her from the second row. My hands gripped the edge of the wooden bench so tightly that my knuckles turned white. I was trying not to shake, trying not to cry, trying to keep breathing. The judge saw through her lies, though. Laura got two months. Just sixty days. Sixty days for everything she did to me and my company. It didn’t feel like enough, but at least it was something. Her past record helped. That, and all the evidence showing she planned every bit of it. But today wasn’t about jail time. Today was the civil hearing. This time, it wasn’t about guilty or not guilty. It was about what she owed me. What she took. The damage she caused. The lies she spread. The contracts we lost. The people who left me. The company I almost lost. Sally came with me again. S

AVA’S POV His arms wrapped around me like he was anchoring me to the ground, like he knew I’d been holding too much for too long. I didn’t care that we were standing in the middle of the airport, people moving around us with rolling suitcases and curious glances. My face rested against his shoulder, and for a second… just one second… the weight I’d been carrying finally let go. It felt like peace, even in the middle of all the noise. “I missed you,” I said softly, the words catching in my throat. “I missed you more,” he murmured back. Neither of us moved. We just stayed like that, still and quiet. After everything that had happened, the familiarity of that moment was a kind of relief. Not dramatic. Not complicated. Just two people who’d been through hell and somehow found their way back to something steady. Eventually, he pulled back to look at me. His eyes scanned my face like he was making sure I was really okay. “You look good,” he said gently. “Tired, but good.” I ga

AVA'S POV I swallowed, unsure of how much to share. “Yeah… It’s been a lot.” His gaze never wavered. “I’m proud of you, Ava. For standing up for yourself. For building something of your own despite everything they threw at you.” Hearing those words – so simple, yet so genuine –hit me harder than I expected. I looked down at my hands resting in my lap, blinking back the sting behind my eyes. “I don’t know if I feel proud,” I confessed quietly. “It all just feels… exhausting.” “Survival usually does,” he said with a small smile. “But you built Avaris Luxe from nothing, Ava. You fought for yourself when no one else did. That’s something worth recognizing, even if you can’t see it yet.” I let out a slow breath, nodding. There was a lump in my throat I couldn’t swallow down, and a part of me hated how emotional I still got about everything. But maybe that was okay. Maybe I didn’t have to be so strong all the time. “And you?” I asked, shifting the conversation away from me bec

JASON’S POV I had barely slept last night. It was one of those nights when no matter how tired I was, my mind refused to rest. I sat in my office now, a coffee gone cold beside me, trying to focus on the stack of reports in front of me. Seeing Ava again yesterday, watching my grandfather turn his back on my father. And me, caught in the middle, trying to keep control while everything around me was slipping. I ran a hand through my hair and sighed, just as a knock came on the door. “Yeah?” I called. Ben stepped in, looking… off. He hesitated. “Uh, sir…” I looked up. “What is it?” Ben shifted uncomfortably. “The receptionist just called. Laura’s downstairs.” My heart stopped for a beat. “What?” “She’s in the lobby. She’s wearing sunglasses and a scarf… trying to hide her face. But it’s her.” I stood up slowly, confused. “That’s not possible. Laura’s… she’s supposed to be in jail for at least another month.” Ben nodded. “Yeah, I know, sir. But she’s here.” I stared at him f

ALEX'S POV I was drowning in paperwork. After spending a week in Paris with my brother, who, for the first time since his accident years ago, had opened his eyes briefly and whispered my name before slipping back into his vegetative state, I thought I’d return feeling hopeful. Instead, I came back to a mountain of files and emails, each one screaming for my attention. And I couldn’t ignore them. I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my eyes. The clock on my desk said 2:14 p.m., but it felt like midnight. I was about to continue with what I was doing when my phone buzzed on the table. I picked it up lazily, expecting it to be my assistant, a business partner, or a client. But the name flashing on the screen stopped me cold. It was Jason Campbell calling. I stared at it for a second. Jason never called me. Not unless something was really wrong. I hesitated for a bit and then answered. “Yeah?” “Alex,” Jason said, his voice clipped, urgent. “We need to meet. Now.” I sat up s