All Chapters of No Longer His Ugly Wife: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Lucy’s POVI stared at Alaric in bewildered silence. “What trouble are you talking about?” I challenged, the aggravation from our earlier disagreement still sharp in my tone. “What else could have possibly gone wrong?”When he didn’t answer right away, I immediately grew tired of the conversation before it even fully began. “If this is about what we talked about earlier, I am done with the conversation, Alaric. I have nothing else to say to you about that.” “This isn’t about you still having feelings about your ex and his child,” he said, emphasizing the fact that Noah was not mine. “But, you best believe that we will be talking about that at a later day,” reassured with indignation. “If that isn’t what you want to talk about, then what is it, Alaric?” I demanded, rolling my eyes. But my impatient glance froze on the weariness suddenly visible in his irate eyes.It was at that moment that I realized this must have been something serious. Whatever it was that he wanted to talk about

Alaric’s POVThe relief I felt when Lucy finally told her father everything was immense. She had done the right thing, the hard thing, and the way Edmund immediately shifted into businessman mode confirmed my high regard for him.He was a fighter. He would be fine.But the quiet drive home had been anything but peaceful. Lucy, absorbed in her own turmoil, hadn't noticed the subtle shift in my mood, or perhaps she hadn't cared.I couldn't stop replaying her venomous words from the argument: "Just because you don’t care whether Harvey lives or dies, doesn’t mean I should feel the same!"The accusation was immature, but it stung with the unwelcome clarity of truth. I didn't care for him in the way she cared for Edmund. My relationship with my father was built on respect and obligation, not sentiment. Harvey Kingsley made sure of that. My father was kept informed about the business and its inner workings because it was owed to him, not because of a desperate need for connection. Lucy

Lucy’s POVIn my rush, I barely noticed the irritation on Niki’s face or Alaric’s impatience. All that mattered was the business on my agenda.After talking to Dad, I felt a huge relief, a burst of drive, and a clear path to freedom. Leaving the bank, the weight of old nerves lifted. I was so light and energized—the version of myself that had been buried by three years of marriage and insecurities. I had to tell someone, and my best friend was the first person I thought of.“Hey, Ashley. Is Amanda in?” I asked when I arrived at the pastry restaurant.When I arrived, Amanda was standing at the warming, wiping everything down before placing fresh pastries inside.“Manda!”When she heard my voice, Amanda turned around, a bright smile on her face. “Luce!” she rushed to me and we embraced. “How are you?” I asked.“Great!” she retracted from me. “Not as good as you, I see.” she chuckled. “You’re looking good, Luce! Maybe marrying that jer-I mean, Alaric did you some good after all.”I chuc

Lucy’s POV“Congratulations on your new space, Mrs. Kingsley.”Stephanie congratulated me as we stood in my new space. Being in HR and a former assistant to Matthew Vance, left a bad taste in her mouth. So, I made her my assistant. And she was a damn good one. “Thanks, Steph.” I started to pull out schematic and ideas that I had for the interior of the restaurant. “You’ve gotten in touch with the building constructor.”“Yes, and the interior designer,” she replied. “They’ll be here at three to go over your expectations and price points.”“Thank you.” I smiled, then looked at my watch. “We have a little over two hours..” I looked at Steph, “I’m going to take a look around and then we can head to that cafe down the street to have lunch.”“Sure thing!”I walked around the first floor of my new restaurant. Two floors, each with his and hers bathrooms. The kitchen was huge-bigger than Amanda’s, and it just had great bones. I was excited. And anxious.Because as I wandered around, to check

Alaric’s POV“Isn’t this nice?” Livia sat as she sat across the table from me this evening.The woman was positively beaming from ear to ear. Having lured me to this very high-end and exclusive restaurant under the guise of business, I was beginning to think that there were other plans at play.“It is nice,” I agreed nevertheless, as she was right. The restaurant, Le Rêve Noir, was a favorite of most of the city’s elite. It didn’t surprise me that Livia had chosen such a place. “Now, I’m assuming you wanted to meet here because you had more business to discuss concerning the acquisition.”She rolled her eyes, “Or, I called you because I missed you and wanted to have a nice night without a bunch of talk about your company.”“Liv,” I sighed impatiently. “That’s not what you said over the phone.”“Fine, fine,” she huffed. “I also figured that with me being back in town, I could maybe pick the brain of the smartest and most successful man I know,” she said, surely an attempt at flattery.