Alle Kapitel von UGLY? No More!: Kapitel 171 – Kapitel 180

Milo sat in the backseat of the car, watching the city blur past the tinted window. His little hands fidgeted in his lap, his fingers tracing the edge of his sleeve where a loose thread had come undone.His stomach felt funny. Not the kind of funny from laughing too hard or eating too much candy. The other kind, the kind that made you feel like something heavy was sitting there, pressing down.Mom had said he’d done good today.She’d smiled that big smile, the one she only wore when she was trying to make him feel better, even though her eyes didn’t smile at all.He had done what she asked.He told Julian that they should all live together again. He said it exactly how she told him to. But Julian didn’t say yes. He didn’t even look angry or anything, he’d just looked... sad. Like he didn’t know what to say.Milo didn’t understand that look. He had thought, if he said it right, if he reminded Julian about Mom, then maybe everything would go back to how it was supposed to be. Maybe they

Julian let out a quiet chuckle. “And that’s Mira,” he said, looking at Elara, who shook her head in amusement.“She doesn’t waste time,” Elara murmured. Then she bent down a little, extending her hand toward Milo. “Do you want to come in, sweetheart?”Milo hesitated, glancing up at Julian as if asking permission. Julian smiled reassuringly. “Go on. It’s alright.”Slowly, Milo stepped over the threshold, his hand still gripping his backpack strap.Elara stepped aside for them, the faint scent of cinnamon and coffee trailing through the air from breakfast.“Did you eat?” Elara asked softly.Milo nodded. “Uh huh. Daddy gave me pancakes.”“Good choice,” she said with a warm smile. “Mira likes pancakes too.”Just then, Mira came running back, her arms full, a red toy car clutched in one hand and a blue one in the other. “These are my best ones!” she declared proudly, holding them up. “You can have the blue one, ’cause it’s faster. Daddy said so, right, Daddy?”Julian raised an eyebrow, amu

Diana immediately crouched down to his height, arms open. “There’s my baby,” she cooed. “I missed you, sweetheart.”He hesitated, only for a moment, before getting up and letting her hug him. But something about his expression made Elara’s chest ache.His eyes weren’t relieved. They were confused.Julian’s voice broke the silence. “He was perfectly fine, Diana. Slept well. Ate breakfast.”Diana glanced up with a cool smile. “I can see that. You’ve taken such good care of him. I’m grateful.”Elara caught the tone, sweet, but too sweet. Like poison coated in honey.Diana turned back to Milo, brushing a hand through his hair. “Did you have fun, baby? You didn’t miss Mommy too much, did you?”Milo bit his lip, unsure how to answer. “It was nice,” he mumbled.Diana’s smile faltered for half a second before she recovered. “Nice,” she repeated softly. “That’s good.”Elara stepped closer, voice calm but firm. “He’s welcome to stay whenever Julian wants him here. You don’t have to worry about

The afternoon sun glimmered across the glossy rows of storefronts as Julian’s sleek SUV pulled up in front of The Galleria.Elara had tried to suggest a quieter location, somewhere that wouldn’t have paparazzi lurking behind flower displays, but Julian had only smiled, kissed her cheek, and said, “Let them talk. I want to take my family out.”And he meant it.Inside the mall, the Cross family looked almost unreal, a tall, effortlessly poised man in a crisp shirt, his stunning wife in soft pastels, and two children walking between them, fingers entwined.Mira, lively and expressive, tugged Elara toward every store window, while Milo clung to Julian’s hand, still shy but more curious than he’d been yesterday.Elara watched the two of them and couldn’t help smiling. “You realize you’ve created your own little army?”Julian looked over, eyes glinting. “An army I wouldn’t mind surrendering to.”She rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched. “Smooth, Mr. Cross.”“Always,” he said under his bre

The night air hit Leonard the second he stepped out of the building, sharp and cold against his skin. He didn’t bother putting on his coat. His hands were shaking, not from the chill, but from everything that had just happened.Lila’s voice still echoed in his head, a mixture of pleading and accusation, her eyes wild with desperation. He’d hated seeing her like that. Hated even more that part of him almost stayed.But he didn’t.He couldn’t.By the time he slid into his car, the exhaustion hit him like a wave.He leaned his head back against the seat and let out a long, shaky breath. The city lights blurred through the windshield, gold and silver melting together in the reflection of his own tired eyes.It was over.That’s what he told himself.Over.Lila, the drama, the guilt, all of it.He was done pretending it was love when all it had been was noise. A distraction. Maybe even punishment for himself.Because deep down, he knew the truth.No matter how much he tried to bury it, ther