All Chapters of No Second Chances, Ex-husband: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

LAUREN'S POV I sat there, staring blankly at the dinner right in front of me. It had been twenty-four hours since I lost Elena, yet somehow, her memory clung to me like a second skin I couldn’t peel off. The food looked warm and inviting, but to me, it might as well have been ashes. Tessa’s voice floated around me, sometimes faint, sometimes sharp enough to pierce through the heavy fog that wrapped itself around my mind. She was scolding me again, just like she always did whenever I lost myself too deeply in grief. “I swear, Lauren, do you want to starve yourself to death?” she snapped, her tone carrying both frustration and worry. It was the word death that finally pulled me back, made me lift my eyes from the untouched food. Death felt so close now, almost like an old friend beckoning me. My only joy had gone there why couldn’t I follow? I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came. My chest felt hollow, and the heaviness in my heart weighed every breath down. Just then, the

LAUREN'S POV My nails dug into the skin of my palms as I clenched my fists, my chest heaving with silent sobs I refused to release. She could have insulted me all she wanted. She could have mocked my past, called me names, twisted the truth. But bringing up my daughter, my Elena was unforgivable. I came here to mourn my child. But instead, I walked straight into a trap. And Ethan? He didn’t even notice. He didn’t see the wicked curl of Sofia’s lips. He only saw me, the woman he used to know, now a mother broken by loss, blamed for causing a scene. “Are you okay?” Ethan asked, his eyes locked on Sofia, who was now clinging to him like a helpless child. I watched her carefully, every movement, every subtle shift in her expression. The smirk she had worn so confidently just moments ago quickly dissolved as soon as Ethan turned to look at her. Her expression softened, and with a quivering voice, she responded, “No, I’m not. You didn’t tell me you were married to a crazy woman.” He

LAUREN'S POVThe picture of Elena was squeezed tightly in my trembling hand, the edges worn from how often I’d held it, stared at it cried over it. Her innocent smile frozen in time, so full of life, of laughter, of everything that used to make my world make sense.Now, it all felt like a lie.I thought I had endured the worst pain imaginable. I thought losing her, my baby, my light, was the most I would ever have to bear. But I was wrong.What I just heard from Ethan… no, not just heard, what everyone just heard was far worse than anything I could’ve imagined. It was more than betrayal. It was monstrous.The place had fallen into stunned silence, whispers buzzing like flies in the corners. Eyes flicked from me to him, judgment heavy in the air. People exchanged glances, disbelief etched into their faces, as if unsure whether they had truly heard what they thought they had.And Ethan? He stood there with that same look on his face, confusion… or was it guilt trying to wear the mask of

LAUREN'S POV I watched them walk away, their silhouettes shrinking against the horizon with every step. My body stayed frozen in place, my knees digging painfully into the sand, but I barely felt it. The gritty particles clung to my skin, sticking to the dampness of my legs, and my hands were buried deep in the coarse grains as if holding onto the earth itself might keep me from collapsing completely. The tears that streamed down my face dripped steadily onto the ground, mixing with the sand until tiny dark patches bloomed beneath me. “Please… don’t go,” I called out one more time, my voice breaking into a pitiful rasp. “Elena… she needs this.” My words echoed weakly in the stillness, drifting after them like fragile smoke. I kept staring at Ethan’s back, hoping desperately that he would pause, glance over his shoulder, maybe let even a flicker of decency soften him. But he didn’t stop. He didn’t turn around. His stride didn’t falter, not even for a moment. A deep, hollow ache swe

LAUREN'S POV My eyes slowly slid open, the faint sting of light forcing me to squint. At first, all I saw was a hazy blur, the outlines of shapes swimming before my vision like shadows under water. My breath came slow and uneven, and it took me several seconds before the realization hit me — I had passed out. For a moment, I just lay there, my mind trying to piece together the events that had led to this. My chest rose and fell as I remembered the last time something like this happened, the first time I collapsed from stress and exhaustion, only to wake up in a hospital bed thanks to a stranger who had taken pity on me. Back then, the doctor’s words had been firm and clear: Don’t overexert yourself, don’t push beyond your limits. But really, what choice did I have? With everything Ethan had done… with the betrayal, the humiliation, and now this — how could I possibly stay calm? Stress had become my shadow, following me everywhere, and I was powerless to shake it off. A soft, dist