All Chapters of After Divorce: Ex-wife Never Turns Back: Chapter 131 - Chapter 138

Chapter Eighty-EightMadelin’s POVThe cold hit me like a slap the moment I strode down the street. It was not the kind of chill that brushes your skin and disappears. No, this one seeped into the bones, down into the marrow, a bitter, clawing cold that mirrored the storm churning inside me. I wrapped my coat tighter around me, but it did little. My fingers trembled as I raised my arm, trying to hail a taxi. Cars zipped by, indifferent, their headlights streaking through the darkness like smirking specters. My breath came in shaky plumes, fogging in the frigid air. I felt exposed. Hollow. My heart beat like a war drum in my ears.Everything had unraveled so quickly. One glance, one panicked retreat, and now Lyla... sweet, soft Lyla... she was lying somewhere between life and death because she saw me. Because she followed me. I could not breathe properly. Guilt tightened around my throat like an invisible garrote. I had to return to the estate. It was the only place that might still acc

Madelin’s POVI looked up, stunned.He continued, eyes suddenly more alive. “Come back to the house. Your real home. Not the villa, not the gilded cage. Here. With your children. With the people who still love you, even if they don’t say it. They will. In time.”My lips parted, but no sound came out. The thought—me, in the house again, under the same roof as Charlotte and Damian—felt like something from a dream. A strange, sweet dream that could never be real.Barrett leaned back in his chair, the leather groaning in protest. “You and Charlotte have always been more alike than you know. And Damian… that boy needs you, even if he doesn’t admit it. He’s been drifting, even more so since… well, since everything.”My mind twisted, trying to catch up. “Damian. He’s… he’s not alone, is he?” I asked.Barrett gave a cryptic little smirk. “He has someone now. A girl. A woman, really. Kind. Strong. Smart as a whip. I think you two might get along.”I tried to recall any recent visits, any woman

Maya’s POVThe car’s engine rumbled to a stop outside the mansion, the grand estate looming like a cold, silent giant. I glanced at Louis, his face tense with uncertainty. The car doors opened, and I stepped out with a heavy heart. “Ten minutes,” I muttered to Louis, needing the briefest moment of peace. The air was thick with expectations, and though the sun shone above, it felt as though a storm was just on the horizon.We made our way toward the house, and as we approached the front door, I noticed the presence of unexpected guests. Barrett stood at the entrance, imposing as ever, with Charlotte standing stiffly beside him. My stomach tightened. The last place I wanted to be right now was here, in the presence of people who had taken so much from me. But I had a task to complete. Mom’s things. That’s all this was about.As Louis held the door open for me, I walked in, only to freeze at the sight of Emily and Madeline. I blinked in disbelief. What on earth were they doing here? My p

Albert’s POVThe meeting had barely adjourned, yet the stench of smugness still lingered in the room like cheap cologne on old velvet. I rose from my leather chair slowly, deliberately, while the others milled about with that self-congratulatory air they all wore like shiny medals on their puffed-up chests. I caught Saul's eye first, then Carl's, and gave them a look that said, "What did you think of that performance?" They came closer, grinning faintly, all too willing to slip into the comfort of backdoor politics with me."Quite the proposal from young Damian," Carl muttered, his thick white brows furrowed with a tinge of skepticism. "He certainly doesn’t lack confidence.""Confidence, or audacity?" I laughed dryly, though my mouth felt parched with restraint. "I’ve seen young men walk into boardrooms believing they hold the future in their palms. Most of them walk out with nothing but the sting of reality across their faces.""But you supported it," Saul said, his tone edged with c