Lahat ng Kabanata ng RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE EX-HUSBAND CHASED ME BACK: Kabanata 201 - Kabanata 210

The door creaked louder, followed by the hesitant tap of small footsteps. Lina appeared in the doorway, dwarfed by one of Jeff's old sweaters, the sleeves rolled up a dozen times. Her dark eyes darted between us, sensing the charged silence."Tía Daniela says you're leaving," she said to Jeff, her voice still rough from sleep.Jeff's hand stiffened around mine. I watched his throat work as he swallowed—the way he always did when steeling himself for something painful.Lina shuffled forward, clutching something in her small fist. She uncurled her fingers to reveal two mismatched buttons. "For luck. From my collection."The childish offering hung between us. One button was pearlescent, the other chipped navy plastic. I remembered finding similar treasures in Daniela's pockets when we were kids—little talismans against the dark.Jeff accepted them with surprising gravity. "Gracias, mija." His rough Spanish made Lina smile.She leaned against my side, her warmth seeping through my shirt.

The first thing I noticed when we stepped off Rykov’s yacht was the silence.Not the absence of sound—Monaco’s harbor still bustled with megayachts and shouting deckhands—but the quiet that settled in my bones. The kind that comes when a storm you’ve been bracing against finally passes.Jeff’s hand stayed firm at the small of my back as Interpol led Rykov away in handcuffs, the oligarch’s shouts fading into the salt-tinged breeze."Tía!" Lina barreled into me, her neon sneakers skidding on the polished teak deck. "Did you see? Mateo did the thing with the gun like we practiced!"I caught her by the shoulders. "You practiced hostage scenarios?""Only on YouTube!"Jeff coughed into his fist. I shot him a glare that promised we’d revisit this later.Mateo stood a few feet away, shoulders hunched under Daniela’s Chanel blazer. At sixteen, he was all sharp angles and wary eyes—too much like how I’d been at that age. When he noticed me staring, he touched two fingers to his temple in that s

We moved as one—him firing precise shots to clear our path, me slicing through the smoke with my wedding knife. The ivory skirts of my gown tore against the boathouse debris, the delicate lace now streaked with blood and motor oil.Lina had already untied the speedboat, her tiny frame straining against the ropes. Mateo slumped against the pier, his breathing shallow but steady."Go!" Daniela tossed me a flare gun. "I'll hold them off."I caught it midair. "Like hell you will."Jeff solved the argument by shoving both of us onto the boat. "Family reunion later. Surviving now."The engine roared to life just as D-0 emerged from the smoke—his perfect face now twisted in something almost human. Rage."You can't outrun your destiny, Demetria!"I raised the flare gun. "Watch me."The projectile hit him square in the chest, bathing the entire boathouse in hellish red light. As we sped away, the last thing I saw was D-0 burning—and Sister Marguerite making the sign of the cross.✵Lake Como's

The first helicopter's searchlight cut through the trees like a blade, illuminating the dust swirling around our ragged group. My torn wedding dress fluttered in the rotor wash as the Lazarus subjects formed a protective circle around us, their brands pulsing in eerie synchronization."Stay behind us," Subject XVII—no, Michael, he'd growled when I asked his name—ordered as his bone claws gleamed in the moonlight.Jeff's arm tightened around my waist, his body vibrating with tension. "Demi, we need to—"A thunderous crack cut him off as the largest pine tree near the clearing suddenly toppled toward the approaching helicopter. The pilot swerved violently, but not fast enough—the rotor blades shredded through branches in a shower of sparks.I whirled toward XXIV—Eli—who stood with his palms outstretched, veins glowing silver beneath his skin. His grin was all teeth. "Told you we don't run."Lina's gasp drew my attention. Her shattered tablet now displayed a live satellite feed of our lo

The storm raged around our stolen Gulfstream as Kara's revelation settled over us like a shroud. Somewhere beneath those angry clouds, children—my genetic children—were sleeping in glass coffins, unaware they'd been sentenced to die at dawn.Jeff's grip on my shoulder tightened. "We need coordinates. Extraction plans. Actual intel—not just visions from some winged—"Kara's wings flared open with a sound like unsheathing swords. "The facility is built into Mount Cimetta. Three levels below ground. The children are on B2."Daniela whistled. "Swiss Alps. Of course Ryans would pick a Bond villain hideout."Lina had already pulled up satellite imagery on her cracked tablet. "There's no roads leading up there steep enough for tanks." She squinted at Kara. "Can you fly people down?"Kara flexed her carbon-fiber wings. "Only the aerials can carry weight. And not for long."Mateo's brand pulsed crimson again. He doubled over with a groan. "They're waking the guards. Ex-military. Enhanced."Sis