FROM SCUMBAG EX TO SCUMBAG HUSBAND のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 101 - チャプター 110

Aunt Isadora stepped out from a side office I hadn't even noticed was there. She must have been hiding in there the entire time, listening to every word. Watching. Waiting.And the look on her face made every drop of blood in my body turn cold.It wasn't surprise. It wasn't concern. It wasn't even anger.It was satisfaction. Cold, predatory satisfaction. The look of someone who'd set a perfect trap and watched their prey walk right into it."Well, well, well," she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "Isn't this just touching? My dear niece, always so ready to forgive. Always so naive. Always so incredibly stupid.""What…" I started backing away, but suddenly Leandro was behind me, blocking my escape route.I spun to face him, and what I saw there made my stomach drop to my feet.The tears were gone. Completely gone, like they'd never existed. The broken expression had vanished. The desperate remorse had disappeared.In their place was a cold, hard and utterly remorseless e

The twenty minutes until Adrian arrived felt like twenty hours. Leandro paced back and forth, back and forth, his hands in his hair, muttering to himself. I knelt beside Elara, keeping pressure on her wound, checking her pulse.She was still breathing. Still alive.That had to count for something.When I finally heard footsteps in the hallway, I nearly sobbed with relief.Adrian appeared in the doorway, his expression carefully neutral. But I saw his eyes widen slightly when he took in the scene. Elara on the floor. The blood. Leandro falling apart in the corner."What happened?" His voice was calm. Too calm."It was an accident," I said quickly. "We were just talking. Just trying to make her understand. And she tried to run, and I grabbed her, and she fell, and…""How long ago?""Maybe thirty minutes. Maybe less. I don't know."Adrian walked over and knelt beside me, gently moving my jacket aside to examine the wound. His fingers were steady as he checked her pulse, lifted her eyelid

I sank onto the stairs, my head in my hands, my whole body shaking. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real."Sir," Kade said quietly. "What do you need us to do?""Everything." I looked up at him. "I want every private investigator in the city on this. I want hackers looking at traffic cameras, phone records, everything. I want a million-dollar reward posted for any information leading to finding her. I want…"My voice broke again. I pressed my palms against my eyes, trying to hold back tears."I want my wife back," I whispered. "That's what I want. I want Elara home safe.""We'll find her, sir. I promise.""Don't make promises you can't keep."I pulled out my phone with shaking hands and started making calls. First to my head investigator. Then to a cybersecurity expert I'd used before. Then to contacts in law enforcement who owed me favors.Each call was the same: "My wife is missing. I need your help. Money is no object. Just find her."The sun was starting to rise when

"You should rest more," Adrian said, standing. "The medication will make you drowsy. Sleep is the best thing for your brain right now.""Okay." I was suddenly very tired. The pain pills must be kicking in because everything felt heavy and distant."I'll be right here if you need anything," he said, settling back into his chair, and adjusting the flow of the liquid from the drip into my hand. "I'm not going anywhere."As my eyes drifted closed, I heard him say something else, so quiet I almost missed it."I've got you now, Elara. You're finally mine."Elara?The name struck something deep inside me. Something that felt true in a way "Emma" didn't.But I was too tired to think about it. Too tired to question.The medication pulled me down into darkness.When I woke again, it was late afternoon. Golden light slanted through the windows, painting everything in warm tones.Adrian was gone from the chair, but I could hear sounds from another room. Cooking, maybe. The smell of something savo

That night three weeks ago I'd lost track of time, I sat in my office going through Elara's things again drunk. Looking for anything I might have missed. Any clue I might have overlooked.I pulled out her favorite sweater and held it to my face, breathing in her scent. Vanilla and jasmine. Home."Killian?"I looked up to find Bella standing in the doorway, wearing a silk robe that was far too revealing. Her hair was down, flowing over her shoulders. Her expression was soft. Sympathetic."It's three in the morning," she said quietly. "You should sleep.""Can't sleep.""You need to rest. You're running yourself into the ground." She walked closer, and I noticed she was barefoot. "Elara wouldn't want this. Wouldn't want you destroying yourself.""Don't," I said sharply. "Don't tell me what Elara would want.""I'm just trying to help.""Then help me find her. Don't stand there telling me to rest when my wife is out there somewhere, possibly hurt, possibly…"My voice broke. I couldn't fini