Lahat ng Kabanata ng Dear husband I can live without you : Kabanata 81 - Kabanata 90

ONE MONTH LATER…One month passed in the blink of an eye—thirty endless days of sleepless nights, hollow mornings, and evenings that bled into whiskey-soaked silence.Gerald Smith had kept to his decision. He cut Anna off clean, like severing a limb. She never called, and he never reached out. Yet not a single day went by that he didn’t think about her.His life felt stripped bare, hollowed out. He moved like a ghost of himself, cold, sharp-edged, and unapproachable. Everyone around him noticed. He barked more, smiled less, and snapped at the smallest of mistakes. The man who once carried the room with his quiet authority now carried only a storm.He told himself he was trying to forget her. He lied. Every time he closed his eyes, she was there—her hazel eyes, bright yet fragile, her blonde hair catching the light, her mouth soft, maddeningly kissable. She haunted him more than any ghost could.And his grandfather made it worse. Old Xander, with his watchful eyes, never stopped asking

The lunch rush at Blue Sky Dining was in full swing. The clatter of cutlery, the hum of conversations, and the soft notes of jazz spilling from hidden speakers blended into a constant din. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting a golden sheen across the polished tables and gleaming silverware.Anna moved swiftly between tables, balancing a tray with practiced ease. Her crisp uniform hugged her neatly, and though she wore a smile for the customers, her eyes betrayed a quiet weariness. Each polite laugh and “enjoy your meal” felt like a mask she had to keep adjusting.She paused at a corner table to pour water for an elderly couple, her voice gentle and warm. But the moment she turned away, the heaviness in her chest returned. It had been days since she walked away from the hotel, days since she’d cut ties with the chaos Gerald had brought crashing into her life. She thought putting distance between them would grant her peace.And yet, as she slipped behind the counter to c

Gerald’s mood was foul the next morning as he sat behind his glossy mahogany desk at GXC headquarters. He had hoped Anna would soften after his last attempt to speak with her, but she had made it crystal clear—she didn’t even want to breathe the same air as him.He leaned back in his chair, shoulders stiff, his tie tugged loose like he was suffocating inside his own skin. With a sigh, he reached for the half-filled tumbler of whiskey sitting on the corner of his desk. The amber liquid caught the sunlight streaming in through the wide glass windows, but it did little to lighten the heaviness in his chest.Gerald scrolled through his phone, stopping at a picture of Anna. It was one he had taken quietly while she was still working for him—her head slightly bent, concentration etched on her face, unaware she had been caught in the lens.“You don’t want to talk to me, Anna,” he murmured to himself, rotating his chair lazily from side to side. His lips curved into a humorless smile. “So how

“I can’t believe you actually went back to work for that man.” Vivian’s eyes widened so much they looked like they might tumble out of her face. She clutched a pillow to her chest, staring at Anna as if she had grown two heads.Anna calmly folded a blouse into her drawer. Her movements were neat, measured—anything to avoid Vivian’s drilling gaze. “It’s not that big of a deal, Viv.”“Not a big deal?” Vivian narrowed her eyes, suspicion flashing like a detective sniffing out a scandal. “Something about this whole thing smells fishy.”Anna let out a light laugh, trying to shake off her friend’s intensity. “Fishy? How?”Vivian tossed the pillow aside and rolled her eyes dramatically. “Girl, don’t play dumb with me. The man fires you—cold as ice—then suddenly brings you back with a raise that could make Wall Street blink? Come on, think about it.”Anna hid a smile, though the corners of her lips betrayed her. “You should be happy for me. Your girl just secured her bag. Do you know how much

The car door clicked shut behind Andy, and before he could even fasten his seat belt, Penelope’s voice cut through the silence like a whip.“What the hell was that stunt Anna pulled in the boardroom?” she snapped, her tone sharp enough to slice through steel.Andy exhaled slowly, the weight of the day pressing down on him. His temples throbbed with the kind of headache that no aspirin could cure.Penelope wasn’t finished. She leaned toward him, her eyes blazing with fury. “What’s that crazy ex-wife of yours trying to do? She’s trying to ruin everything for us.” A vein popped along her temple as her jaw tightened.Andy rubbed his forehead, fighting to stay calm. “I still can’t believe this,” he muttered under his breath, half-dazed.“You’d better start believing it,” Penelope spat, her voice dripping with venom. “Mr. Smith wasn’t even difficult with me the day I went to pitch our proposal. He was quiet, almost withdrawn. But the moment that ex-wife of yours walked in, she ruined the en