Lahat ng Kabanata ng TAKE ME BACK EX WIFE: Kabanata 121 - Kabanata 130

121JOANA’S POV“Ass?”Clinton glared at Caleb, “I’m older, remember that.” Caleb ignored him, returning to face me.“I’m managing him because you asked to,” he said softly.I smiled softly. I knew it would take a bit of time, but I was ready to build that brotherhood and leave their lives for good.“Now, what’s the plan?” Clinton said softly, breaking the silence, “Now that Anita is faking her condition, this will definitely affect the court hearing,” he said with caution.“Didn’t they say the court might reschedule the court hearing?” Caleb crossed his legs, his face expressionless while scrolling through his phone.“Umm about that, the court still left the date as the day scheduled, but I requested for a jury.”The sudden pause hung in the air when Caleb and Clinton landed their gaze on me, “I thought you were contemplating the jury.” Clinton said calmly.“Wait, you knew about her thinking about requesting for a jury?” Caleb tried to stay calm, but his tone betrayed him.“Ca

123 JOANA'S POV The air turned still. It wasn’t even silence in the room that made it that way. It was the amount of unspoken words, the emotion stuck between me and Clinton like a thick cloud that would not budge. The door creaked open just after I had removed my hand from his grasp. Instinctively, my head turned to see Caleb. Between his open hands, he stood, eyes raking the room as a seasoned detective might look for the gaps in the story between the lines. He looked at Clinton, then looked at me and ended his goat stare at Clinton again. His jaw tightened. Clinton slowly stood, and a knowing expression passed over his features. He gave her a neutral tone, but I noticed the twitch in his cheek, and I answered, “I’ll go get some water.” He was never good at hiding his emotions from me. I didn’t say a word. Neither did Caleb. One could faintly hear the tap running in the kitchen and then the retreating footsteps of Clinton in the hallway. When he entered the room, closi

125JOANA'S POVI placed my fingers on the rim of the glass vase on the corner table, which began shaking slightly from my touch and tipped over, falling down and breaking. Silence was torn by the sound of shattering glass, like a gunshot.Damn.I dived to pick up the shards and heard footsteps running towards the hall."Did you hear that?" Caleb's voice was somewhat urgent, but low."Yeah. Clinton replied, 'It came from the hallway.' "Stay behind me."Panic flared inside me. Before I could think too long, I jumped up and took off up the stairs. I didn’t look back. I didn’t stop until I was safely behind my closed door in my room, and my chest was heaving from my sudden sprint.Breath stuck in my throat, I stood against the door, trying to unskin my palm as I willed the adrenaline to calm. I touched my chest with my hand. My heart had leapt to my throat and refused to return.Their footsteps halted downstairs. They were murmuring, looking, maybe even checking. However, I remained stil

127 JOANA'S POV Standing there before the jury, a pen in my hand that wasn’t just a pen, but a voice recorder hidden up my sleeve, the courtroom buzzed in tense silence. The weight of the moment felt heavy on my shoulders, but I didn’t flinch. As the storm brewed in me, I said, “I have one more piece of evidence.” Mr. Hartley, the opposing lawyer, immediately half rose to his feet, his tone sharp and accusing. "Your Honour, this was not submitted before trial." It should be inadmissible!” Eleanor, always calm but stern, raised a brow at him. “Mr. Hartley, sit down. So let’s hear what Ms. Joana Henshaw has to say.” The judge’s gavel gently hit the wood. No further sounds were heard in the courtroom. Stepping forward, I handed the pen to the bailiff, who brought it to the judge. “This is a voice recording device,” I said. It contains a conversation between me and the defendant, Anita Delgado, when I went to the hospital. The woman admitted she faked her mental healt

129JOANA'S POVMy heart clenched.But I couldn't allow it. I wouldn't.“Undo it?” I laughed faintly. “Do you believe that apologies and wishful thinking will erase the nights I have not slept?”“How can they heal the fear that I see in Mirabel’s eyes whenever a stranger gets close? And wonder which of your admirers will try to finish what Anita did?”As he opened his mouth, nothing came out.I shook my head. “It was long that I shut myself up. Through and through, I did not want to hurt my kids, and so I allowed it deep inside. But this isn’t love, Clinton. It’s survival. And I can’t do both.”His eyes searched mine. “I never stopped loving you.”I let the silence hang. I wish it would dig into my skin, like nails. Because I loved him too. But that was the most dangerous truth of them all.“You think love is enough?” I whispered. “It wasn’t love that saved us from saying goodbye to Louisa. It’s not armour, Clinton. It’s a wound we can’t stop reopening in the name of making this work.