Semua Bab No Second Chances, Ex-husband: Bab 11 - Bab 20

LAUREN'S POVI stared at him, breathing heavily, my hand still tingling from the force of the slap I’d just landed on his face. It wasn’t premeditated — I hadn’t even realized my hand was moving until it had already struck him. It was like the rage inside me took control, like something deep within had snapped.This was the first time I had ever raised my hand to Ethan. In all our years together — through the highs and lows — I had never done anything like this. And judging by the stunned look on his face, he hadn’t expected it either. We were both frozen in the moment, caught off guard by how far things had spiraled.I opened my mouth to speak, my voice softer now. A part of me wanted to de-escalate — for Elena’s sake. We had a daughter upstairs who deserved better than this. Better than parents who couldn’t even hold themselves together.“I’m so…”“How dare you raise your hands at me,” Ethan snapped, cutting me off.I blinked. My brows furrowed in disbelief. That was his response?“

LAUREN'S POVI sat there, frozen, my eyes wide as I stared at the man standing above me. Ethan — my husband, the man I had built my life around — looked down at me with an emptiness I couldn’t comprehend. No remorse. No guilt. Nothing but coldness in his gaze, like I was nothing more than an inconvenience in his way.I wanted to believe anger could make people do things they didn’t mean. After all, when I slapped him earlier, it wasn’t something I had planned. It came from a place of rage and betrayal, and almost immediately, regret filled me. My heart had dropped, and I’d wanted to apologize.But him… There was nothing. Not even the smallest flicker of realization that he had crossed a line. His chest heaved slightly from the force he’d used, but his expression remained hard, uncaring.Then I heard the soft creak of the kitchen door opening and quick footsteps approaching behind me. Before I could turn fully, I saw Rosa rush over. Her eyes were wide with panic, and her face was lined

LAUREN'S POVAt that, Ethan’s face darkened, his jaw tightening until the muscles stood out sharply against his skin. “I don’t care if you leave,” he hissed through clenched teeth, his voice cold enough to make the air feel icy between us. “But you see her? You’re not taking her anywhere.”“I am,” I shot back, the words slipping past my lips before I could second-guess myself. My heart pounded in my chest like a warning drum, but beneath the fear, there was something stronger — something fierce. “She’s my daughter too, Ethan. And she doesn’t deserve to grow up in a home where her father treats her mother like this.”His eyes narrowed, and he took another slow, deliberate step forward until he was towering over me. The shadows of the room seemed to grow around him, making him look larger, darker, more threatening. “You can’t just walk out of here and take her,” he barked, his voice echoing in the silence of the bedroom.“So what do you want me to do?” I snapped, my voice rising despite

ETHAN'S POV I stood there at the top of the stairs, my hand gripping the smooth wooden railing so tightly my knuckles turned white. I watched Rosa step back into the house, no longer carrying any luggage. She didn’t dare look at me directly, only offered a quick respectful bow before hurrying back to the kitchen, leaving the hallway painfully quiet. I kept my eyes fixed on the front door, waiting… half-expecting to see it swing open again. Maybe she’d change her mind. Maybe she’d remember who she was, where she belonged, and come running back in — face flushed with regret, eyes soft and pleading, the way she used to look at me when she felt she’d crossed a line. Minutes passed. The door stayed shut. Nothing but the faint ticking of the clock on the living room wall. A disappointed sigh escaped me before I could stop it. “So she actually went through with it,” I muttered under my breath. For a moment, it felt absurd. Lauren. Leaving me. Actually walking out of my house with our da

SOFIA'S POVI finally got back home to my apartment and slipped my shoes off by the door, letting out a long sigh. Geez, the whole day had been exhausting. My feet were sore, my back ached, and the tension in my shoulders felt like stone. But despite it all, I felt good — actually, better than good. I felt satisfied.Because today, I’d finally done something I’d been wanting to do for so long. I had faced that so-called wife of Ethan’s — Lauren — and shown her, without saying it outright, that I wasn’t just another fling he’d hide away in the dark. No, I was different. I was the woman carrying his child. That fact alone changed everything. It gave me leverage, power — a path forward that belonged to me and no one else.I made my way over to the fridge and pulled out a chilled bottle of orange juice. I found a clean glass, set it gently on the counter, and poured myself a drink. As I watched the juice swirl and settle, a small, satisfied smile curved across my lips. I really am the ult