Semua Bab His Ex Mistress, His Enemy: Bab 151 - Bab 160

The Romano family’s main house always carried a certain charge. Maybe it was the long history, or maybe it was the way everyone inside seemed born with the ability to turn any room into a crisis meeting and a Latin-Italian family drama at the same time.I stepped out of the car with Ash in my arms. My son was still yawning, his hair sticking up like he’d just been hugged by four cats in a row.Zoe hopped out first and shot toward the front door like a tiny, high-pitched bullet. “SIUUUUU!” she hollered.“Zoe! Slower, cariño!” Mama’s voice drifted from inside.I was just crossing the threshold when I saw them. Mama sat on the main sofa, elegant as ever, hair pinned up neatly, a soft green dress only she could make look expensive.Beside her, Krystal leaned against Zach’s side, her hand gliding over the curve of her growing stomach. She was glowing, and Zach… the man looked like he’d punch anyone who dared tire out his wife. Possessive in a way that would seem ridiculous on someone else,

Cookies stayed warm on my plate while I slid into the couch on the back terrace. Mountain air drifted in through the open glass wall, carrying the scent of pine and damp soil.The view in front of me stretched out with ridiculous perfection, a sweep of grass rolling toward the lake, sunlight slipping through tall trees, insects humming from somewhere unseen. It looked like an overpriced screensaver.I bit into a cookie and let my eyes fall shut. Crisp. Sweet. A hint of salt. Exactly what a tired brain needed for a soft reset.I leaned back, crossed my legs, opened TikTok. I needed entertainment or escape. Probably both.The first video: Winona dancing on a beach in Bali, her hair flying like she’d just finished auditioning for a shampoo commercial. The caption read, “Healing? No. I’m suing the universe for emotional damages.”“I want to heal too,” I muttered, staring at the blue water on my screen. “Or at least get splashed by holy water so my life doesn’t feel like a crime drama.”I

Zane’s kitchen always made me feel like I had wandered into a commercial for high-end cookware sponsored by a lonely Scandinavian architect.I stood in front of the six-burner gas stove that looked way more prepared for MasterChef than I ever would be. The carbon steel pan hissed softly, holding the sofrito I was forcing to adapt to my mom’s homemade seasoning ratios.And somehow, even though this was a cabin… well, people called it a cabin, but it felt more like a retreat for CEOs fresh out of therapy. Floor-to-ceiling windows, a private lake view, and the kind of cedar scent that could melt my debit card on contact.I was measuring sea salt when Zane’s footsteps came closer.“Ash is out,” his voice rolled in, low and warm at the back of my neck. “Knocked out cold. Probably social jetlag after two hours with Zoe and Zake.”I kept my focus on the pot of chicken. Colombian lunch style. Chicken guisado, yellow rice, honey fried plantains, cucumber salad with vinegar, all recipes I learne

Film opened with a three-minute overture. Five seconds later, my phone blew up. Not literally. But the vibration felt like a group chat reenacting a global war.Notifications stacked nonstop: WINONA, SHEENA, and sometimes Sheena in caps like she planned to beat the data out of her keyboard.Winona: what do you mean erick accepted money from mercier holdings?!?!?!Sheena: he met someone who looks like amelia??? Dianna valdez explain this right nowWinona: i’m in bali but i’m ready to fly home and smack him with my flip-flopSheena: wait. Erick hiding an apartment??? The apartment is completely empty??? Why is he acting like a spy show antagonist???Winona: i’m eating a coconut bowl and i almost choked. I hate thisI sent a short voice note before they shredded my phone. “I’m alive. Everything’s fine. You get five more minutes to scream, but please remember I’m watching a breakup movie where people dance in the desert.”Maritza looked over with one raised brow. “Five minutes in and we a

Maritza still sat on the couch, hugging a pillow like it was some kind of charm. Diego now stood outside the door, his silhouette visible through the crack of the frame. The living room felt too tight, too full of breath, too close to the wooden panel that was supposedly the safe room door.The problem was, my brain was not the type that could sit and wait like rice in a rice cooker."I want to go to the library," I said.Maritza looked up. "Now? While the world might be exploding?""If I sit here any longer, I am going to explode first." I stood. "If anything happens, scream. Or throw something at my head."She lifted the pillow. "It’s ready."I stepped out before my brain could pitch another stupid idea. Diego turned, one eyebrow lifting a little."The library," I explained. "Still inside the safe radius, right?"He weighed it. "As long as you stay away from the windows, yes.""I promise not to jump out and challenge the sniper," I answered.The corner of his mouth twitched, almost