All Chapters of My Ex, the Widowed Billionaire: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Athena’s POVI should’ve known peace never lasts.It had been a year since Ryan whispered my name in that hospital bed. A year since Callum came back into my life and refused to leave. A year of healing, slow mornings by the water, shared laughter over burnt pancakes, and kisses that melted every last memory of heartbreak.We had a rhythm now. A life. Something we didn’t dare imagine before.But I should’ve known that the past has a habit of clawing its way back. Especially when it’s wearing a three-piece suit and a smile that never quite reaches his eyes.His name is Daniel Grant.And once upon a time, he was the man I almost married.—The first time I saw him again, it was like my lungs forgot how to breathe.I was in town, picking up fresh flowers for the little café table Callum and I had dragged home from a garage sale. It was a small thing, but it made breakfast feel like something sacred.The florist was tying twine around a bouquet of wildflowers when I heard his voice.“Athe

It was a Tuesday when I realized Daniel hadn’t stopped—he had simply changed tactics.The gifts started small. A bouquet of roses on the hood of my car, no card. A song request on the local radio station—our old song, of course—dedicated to “the one who got away.” A flash drive in the mail containing nothing but footage of us from years ago. Silent videos. Muted laughter. Kisses preserved in pixels like relics from a war only one of us was still fighting.He wanted me to remember, but all he did was remind me why I left.The police were sympathetic, but careful. “Until he breaks the order, we can’t make a move,” they said. But Callum’s friend, Miles, was less restrained.“He’s escalating again,” Miles told me one night over coffee and code. “You’re his fixation. He doesn’t care if he gets caught—he just wants you to see him.”“And if I won’t?” I asked, already knowing.Miles leaned back, lips tight. “Then he’ll try to make you.”—It was the podcast that changed everything.I hadn’t p

The sky outside the kitchen window was a dull, overcast gray—clouds sagging like they carried secrets too heavy to keep. I stood by the sink, phone in hand, staring at the message I’d read over and over again.“I need to speak with you. Today. In person. – Richard Rhodes.”The name alone sent a knot curling in my stomach. Richard Rhodes—father of the late Emilia Rhodes, ruthless tycoon of Rhodes Industries, and the man who made sure I lost my job the moment my relationship with Callum went public. He’d always been a shadow in the distance. Now he was calling me into the light.I didn’t tell Mom or Ryan about the message. My mother was folding laundry in the living room, humming an old tune under her breath. My brother Ryan was sprawled on the couch, eyes glued to his phone, earbuds in. Peaceful. Ordinary.I didn’t want to worry them. Not when things were already tight. I’d been unemployed for weeks. The severance package had been insulting, and my name had been quietly dragged through

The police officer stood in the living room, boots leaving wet prints across the hardwood floor, examining the broken glass and the threatening note like it was just another Tuesday.“We’ll file a report,” she said, slipping the evidence into a plastic bag. “But off the record?” She looked between me and Callum. “You should seriously consider leaving town for a bit. Maybe somewhere quiet.”Callum crossed his arms over his chest. “If we run, he wins.”The officer gave a small, tired shrug. “Depends on whether you value pride over breathing easy.”After she left, the house felt different — heavier, smaller. Even with the glass swept up, even with the windows boarded over, the air was poisoned.“Come with me,” Callum said suddenly.I looked up from the couch where I sat, wrapped in a blanket that didn’t quite stop the shivering.“Where?”“Somewhere he can’t touch us. At least for a while.”He was serious. It wasn’t fear in his eyes — it was calculation. A man who knew he was still standi

The injunction came faster than we expected.By sunrise, court orders were in motion, and Richard’s lawyers — a small army of them — filed enough paperwork to drown us twice over. They were demanding retractions, apologies, gag orders. They threatened to freeze all of Callum’s remaining assets and sue me personally for “libel and intentional infliction of emotional distress.”It was brutal. It was overwhelming.And it was exactly what we had planned for."We need to counter," Will said, his voice hard as granite. He tossed a stack of papers onto the kitchen table where Callum and I sat, barely holding it together. "We knew he'd react like this. Now we make sure it buries him."“How?” I asked, my voice hoarse.Will leaned in. "By making sure the truth is bigger than the lie."Callum’s hand found mine under the table, squeezing tightly. I knew what that squeeze meant — Are you ready for this?I squeezed back. Always.We couldn't stay at the cabin anymore. Will said it was too dangerous