All Chapters of After I Died, He Truly Panicked: Chapter 101 - Chapter 110

440 Chapters

Chapter 101: Paying the Price

Maxwell’s POVMy phone hadn’t stopped beeping since I’d left the hotel.Seventeen missed calls. Twenty-three text messages. All from business associates, reporters, and colleagues who’d witnessed my public meltdown at the architectural forum.“Maxwell, what the hell were you thinking?” - David Clearwater“Unprofessional behavior like that reflects poorly on our entire industry.” - Richard from the licensing board“Channel 7 wants a statement about your accusations against Regina Veyron.” - My publicist“That was a PR disaster. Call me immediately.”I sat in my home office with a glass of whiskey, scrolling through the messages with growing dread. Each one confirmed what I already knew—I’d destroyed my own reputation while trying to destroy Regina’s.The worst part was the video. Someone had recorded my entire confrontation with Regina and posted it online. Within hours, it had thousands of views and hundreds of comments.“Maxwell Chamberlain completely lost it at the forum today.”“Th

Chapter 102: Liquid Courage

Maxwell’s POVI needed air. Needed to get out of this house before I said something to Morgana that I’d regret. Before the guilt and rage and self-loathing consumed what little dignity I had left.“I’m going out,” I said, grabbing my keys.“Maxwell, where—”“Just out.”I drove through the city without any destination in mind, just needing movement, needing distance from the wreckage of the day. The radio was playing business news, and I quickly turned it off before they could mention the architectural forum incident.Eventually, I found myself at the Marriott downtown. The same hotel where the forum had been held. Where I’d destroyed my reputation in front of everyone who mattered in this industry.The hotel bar was nearly empty at nine PM on a Wednesday. Just a few businesspeople nursing drinks and trying to forget whatever disasters their days had brought.I took a seat at the mahogany bar and ordered scotch. The bartender was young, probably hadn’t seen the video yet. He served my

Chapter 103: Death and Suffering

Maxwell’s POVRegina threw a twenty on the bar and stood up abruptly, swaying slightly on her feet. Her black dress was wrinkled, her hair disheveled from running her hands through it.“Regina, wait—”But she was already walking toward the exit, her steps careful but unsteady. I watched her go, every instinct screaming at me to follow her.She was too drunk to drive. Too upset to make rational decisions. Too broken to be alone right now.I threw money on the bar and followed her out to the parking garage.“Regina!” I called as she fumbled with her car keys beside a silver Mercedes. “You can’t drive in your condition.”“Watch me,” she said without looking up.“You’re drunk. You’re emotional. Let me call you a car.”“No.” She finally managed to unlock the door and slid behind the wheel. “I don’t need anything from you, Maxwell. Not help, not protection, nothing.”The engine started with a purr. Regina backed out of the parking space too fast, tires squealing against the concrete.I ran

Chapter 104: Guilt and Rage

Maxwell’s POVI sat in the plastic waiting room chair, staring at my hands. There was blood under my fingernails from where I’d tried to open Regina’s car door. Her blood.The smell of the place made my stomach churn. Hospitals always smelled the same. Like the facility where Regina had been tortured. Like the NICU where Ivan had fought for his life as a premature baby.Like death and suffering and consequences.My phone rang again. This time it was a number I didn’t recognize.“Maxwell Chamberlain.”“Mr. Chamberlain, this is Rebecca from Channel 7 News. We’re reporting on the car accident involving Regina Veyron. Can you comment on the circumstances that led to—”I hung up.How did reporters already know? The accident had happened less than an hour ago, but of course they knew. Regina was news now. Her drunk driving accident would be front-page news by morning.More calls came in. Different reporters, all asking the same questions. I turned off my phone and buried my face in my hands

Chapter 105: Broken

Alexander’s POVI sat in the plastic hospital chair, staring at the blood on my knuckles from where I’d hit the wall. The pain felt good. Clean. Better than the rage that was eating me alive from the inside.Mother sat beside me, her hands folded in her lap, tears streaming silently down her cheeks. Father paced the small waiting room. None of us spoke. What was there to say?My sister was unconscious in an emergency room because the man she’d once loved had driven her to the breaking point. Again.The doctor appeared through the automatic doors, still wearing surgical scrubs. Dr. Katie McGrath, according to her badge. She looked tired but not devastated, which I took as a good sign.“Veyron family?”We all stood at once.“Regina is stable,” Dr. McGrath said immediately, and I felt my knees go weak with relief. “She has a concussion, several lacerations that required stitches, and bruised ribs from the airbag impact, but no internal injuries, no broken bones.”“Can we see her?” Mother

Chapter 106: Hospital Visits

Regina’s POVI’d managed to convince the doctors to discharge me this morning instead of keeping me another night, though my head still pounded with every heartbeat.A soft knock at the door interrupted my brooding. Lindsay peeked inside, her face bright“Can we come in?”Before I could answer, Mia burst through the door, her golden hair flying behind her as she ran toward my bed. Frederick followed more cautiously, his medical training probably cataloging every visible injury.“Mommy!” Mia threw herself against my side, careful to avoid the worst of the bruises. “Are you really okay? Lindsay said you got hurt in a car accident.”“I’m fine, sunshine.” I wrapped my good arm around her small body, breathing in her scent. “Just some bumps and scratches.”“You have a big bandage on your head.”“The doctor wanted to make sure it healed properly. It looks worse than it is.”Mia pulled back to study my face critically, her gray eyes taking in the purple bruising along my jawline and the stit

Chapter 107: Hope

Frederick’s POVRegina’s discharge papers lay on her hospital bed, but she made no move to gather her belongings. Instead, she watched Mia color in a new book Mrs. Veyron had brought, her face troubled.“Before we leave,” Regina said suddenly, “I need you two to do something.”Lindsay and I exchanged glances. “What kind of something?” Lindsay asked.“Take Mia for ice cream. Somewhere nearby. Somewhere you might be photographed together.”My stomach dropped. “Regina—”“The media attention from the accident means people are watching me more closely now. Watching the hospital.” Regina’s voice was steady, but I could see the strain in her eyes. “If Maxwell has people keeping tabs on my life, or if reporters are nearby, they need to see Mia with her stable, loving family.”“You mean with us,” Lindsay said quietly.“I mean with you and Frederick. The happy couple raising a well-adjusted daughter.”The words made me feel sick. More pretending. More lies. More public performance of a relation

Chapter 108: Playing Dirty

Regina’s POVThe drive home from the hospital felt different than I’d expected. My head still throbbed from the concussion, and every bump in the road made my bruised ribs ache, but my mind felt clearer than it had in weeks.Maybe nearly dying did that to a person. Stripped away the confusion and panic and left only what really mattered.Mia sat in her booster seat behind me, chattering excitedly about her ice cream adventure with Frederick and Lindsay.“And then Uncle Frederick helped me pick strawberry and chocolate together, and Lindsay got vanilla because she said it was classic, and there was a man with a camera who took pictures of us eating!”“That sounds wonderful, sunshine.”“The ice cream was really good. But…” Mia paused, her voice dropping to a more thoughtful tone. “I don’t want to lie about Lindsay and Uncle Frederick being my real parents.”My hands tightened on the steering wheel. This was the conversation I’d been dreading since sending them out together. Her simple h

Chapter 109: Overheard Truths

Regina’s POVI sat at my desk reviewing contracts while Lindsay organized client files across the room. The bruises from my car accident had faded to yellow-green patches, but my ribs still ached when I moved wrong.“Regina, the new project needs your signature,” Lindsay said, carrying a folder toward my desk.I signed the papers without really reading them. My mind kept drifting to Mia’s disappointment about keeping secrets from Ivan. The hurt in her eyes when I’d refused to let her tell him the truth.“You’re distracted,” Lindsay observed, settling into the chair across from me.“Just thinking about the children.”“Mia’s still upset about not seeing Ivan?”“She doesn’t understand why she has to lie about who she is. She’s five years old. To her, families should be honest with each other.”Lindsay’s expression softened with sympathy. “It must be hard for you too. Watching her struggle with something you can’t explain.”Before I could respond, Frederick’s voice drifted through the par

Chapter 110: School Troubles

Regina’s POVPatricia’s office felt smaller today, the mahogany walls pressing closer as we discussed strategy.“The articles will be subtle at first,” Patricia explained, tapping her pen against a notepad. “We’ll focus on Maxwell’s business practices. His public outburst at the architectural forum. Questions about his judgment under pressure.”I nodded, though something in my stomach twisted at the thought. “How long before we can file the custody appeal?”“Six weeks minimum. We need to build a foundation first. Show a pattern of poor decision-making that affects Ivan’s wellbeing.”“What kind of pattern?”“The public humiliation incident. His association with Morgana Faye, who spied on you. The fact that he’s kept Ivan completely isolated from his biological mother.”Patricia slid a folder across the table. “We start with business publications. Questions about Maxwell’s fitness to run a major firm. Then we move to parenting magazines. Articles about children’s rights to know both par

...

9 10 11 12 13

...

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP