All Chapters of Ex-husband, I'm No Longer Your Substitute : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

20 Chapters

Chapter Eleven

Ava's POV The courthouse doors swung open and the heat outside hit me right away. It felt heavy as it stuck to my skin.Derek walked beside me, holding the envelope with our marriage license like it was just another business deal for him. A knot formed in my chest as I stared at it. I had just gotten married to Derek Lancaster, a man who seemed to be more dangerous than he looked. “It's official now,” Derek said and my heart slammed against my ribs as if I didn't already know. Hearing it from him directly made my chest tighten even more. I had just opened a door I couldn't close for a whole damn year no matter what happened. “Yes, it is,” my voice sounded low as I bobbed my head, avoiding his gaze. It still felt unreal. Just yesterday, I was a divorcee and in less than twenty-four hours, I was already married to my ex-husband's greatest enemy. What would Williams and his family think of me if they found out? Derek wasn't only Williams' enemy, but also his parents’. I knew how

Last Updated : 2025-08-10

Chapter Twelve

Ava's POV Freya was already fuming with anger by the time we returned to the suite. There was no doubt she was just a step away from unleashing hell. “You should go and meet that bastard, Ava,” She yelled, her fingers curled into fists as she paced the length of the room. “How dare he come up with such crazy lies when he is nothing but a gold-digger?” I inhaled deeply as I perched on the bed, acting unfazed, as though the post circulating online wasn't my problem. I had figured out that what Williams wanted was to see me break, coming up with some stupid explanations to counter his post and wrong allegations. But I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction he wanted. Never. I would rather stay silent and let him bask in his little glory for now, then come back for him when he least expects it. Williams might have made me look like the villain now, but people always love a ‘see who's winning now’ story, especially when the villain turns out to be the one who had played the pity c

Last Updated : 2025-08-11

Chapter Thirteen

Ava's POV “Are you sure it's a good idea?” Freya asked me for the umpteenth time, her brows drawn together in that way that told me she was dying to snatch my phone away from me. I nodded. “Of course, it is,” I let out a soft smile as my thumb hovered over the post button of the video I had made. With a tap, the video went live on my social media page. Since everyone now believed I married Williams for his money— one he never had when I met him. Then, I won't try to convince them or rewrite the truth for them to see. Let them think whatever they want and choke on it. News of my marriage to Derek Lancaster would be out sooner or later. I could just drop a spark now and let them burn with curiosity. So they'd know I had nothing to hide and no matter how hurtful their opinions are, I don't care anymore. I've stopped caring about what others think of me the moment Williams and his mistress tried to drag me through the mud. My silence wasn't a weakness. It was a strategy. A proud s

Last Updated : 2025-08-13

Chapter Fourteen

Derek’s POV My assistant, Karen, had found out the anonymous poster was no one but Olivia. Olivia Thompson! My first instinct was to call her parents. I was going to ask them to keep their daughter on a leash before I made her regret ever setting foot back in Miami. But Ava had handled things in a way I'd not expected, surprising me. No petty forth and back talks, just a perfectly aimed strike. The video she posted online was now trending with people asking her who the lucky man was. No captions or explanations. Just a video of her showing off her diamond ring— revenge without a single word. My lips curled slowly into a sinister smirk as I lounged back on the couch, one leg crossed over the other, my fingers scrolling through the flood of comments. The public had forgotten they had dragged her name through the mud a few hours ago. Now, they were curious and dying to know what was happening in her life and who had put that ring on her finger.Perfect! I loved that Ava had a way

Last Updated : 2025-08-15

Chapter Fifteen

Ava's POV The drive to Derek's villa was silent, though I couldn't stop thinking about his words earlier. A family dinner? I wasn't sure I was ready for that. But when he asked me, I couldn't turn him down for some unknown reason. I let out a long sigh and he glanced at me, his jaw tight. “I'm okay,” I said in a rush, shaking my head while my hands shot up in weak protest. A flicker of something unreadable crossed his features before he turned his gaze back to the road. My mind began to spiral with different thoughts, second-guessing my decision and doubting if I was doing the right thing. But I quickly pushed down every thought as the car moved into a huge estate. My breath caught as the tall gates opened to a wide driveway that curved like something out of a movie. When the car finally rolled to a stop and the door was opened for me to step out, my mouth parted in awe. The mansion before me was massive and breathtaking. It had wide glass windows that caught

Last Updated : 2025-08-18

Chapter Sixteen

Ava's POV Three days later. I was getting ready for the family dinner Derek had spoken about three days ago, and I couldn't stop the nervousness creeping in. No one knew about my marriage to Derek yet. The video I'd posted on my page three days ago was still flying around, almost driving the public crazy as they kept inquiring about who I got married to. “We can stay back if you don't want to go,” Derek's voice cut through my haze of thoughts. He must have noticed how my fingers keep trembling around the strap of my heels. I had the feeling that this so-called family dinner wouldn't end well. I know what I had with Derek was just a contract marriage, but it still didn't change the fact that none of his family knew about me and our marriage. Who gets married without their families these days? My chest heaved as I inhaled deeply and sighed. I tilted my head up to meet his gaze, a small smile stretching on my lips. “It's all right. We should go,” my tone was soft and barely abov

Last Updated : 2025-08-20

Chapter Seventeen

Ava's POV The air in the dining room shifted the moment Derek and I stepped in, his hand wrapped tightly around my waist. Heads turned, eyes widened, and mouths hung open in shock and disbelief. Williams, Mr. Anderson, Olivia, Wendy— Williams' mother. They all looked like they had seen a ghost.The silence that followed my appearance with Derek in the dining room was a vacuum. I curved my lips into a triumphant smile, even though my heart threatened to burst out of my chest. This family! I hated every member of it. I don't want to be around them. They were nothing but predators who looked for prey to feed on. William's face twisted with shock, rage and something else I couldn't quite place. Mr. Anderson’s shock was quickly masked with a blank expression. Typical of him. He was always like that— masking his expression. And Wendy? Her face became pale as if she was going to combust under the weight of her anger. Olivia’s face was a mixture of confusion, fury and shock. Perfect!

Last Updated : 2025-08-24

Chapter Eighteen

Derek's POV Rage blasted through me the moment Anderson mentioned my mother's locket. He knew how important it was to me. That was the only piece I had of my mother and I'd been searching for it for years, not knowing Anderson had it. And now? He was trying to use it to negotiate with me. I'd suspected that Anderson would negotiate, but not in this way. A smug smile tugged at the corners of my lips, masking the storm brewing within me. “You do know how to twist the knife, Anderson,” I said, smiling as though his words had no effect on me. The locket wasn't just jewellery. It carried a message that could shatter both my mother's legacy and the Lancasters' in it. However, it had a passcode that no one except a member of my mother's family knew. If Anderson had the locket, I couldn't trust him not to get the passcode. “That's why I'm still your father,” Anderson smirked at me. He was enjoying this so much, thinking he'd gotten me already. “What do you say, son?” He asked confident

Last Updated : 2025-08-25

chapter Nineteen

Ava's POVThe car ride back to the villa was suffocating. Derek's knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel, his jaw clenched so tight I thought it might crack The silence between us was heavy, pressing down on my chest like a weight I couldn't shake off.I wanted to ask what Williams had meant by his question. What was Derek hiding? But the fury radiating off him was enough to keep my mouth shut. Every muscle in his body was tense. My mind kept replaying the scene at the dining table. The way Williams had started that question with such malice in his tone. The way Anderson had slammed his palm on the table to stop him from finishing. And the way Derek had frozen, his entire body trembling with rage.Whatever Williams was about to reveal, it was something deeply personal. Something painful enough to make Derek lose his composure for the first time since I'd met him.I stole a glance at him from the corner of my eye. His dark grey eyes were fixed on the road ahead as though

Last Updated : 2025-10-13

Chapter Twenty

Derek's POV I couldn't sleep. William's words kept echoing in my head every now and then. That bastard knew exactly what he was doing, bringing up my condition in front of everyone like that. He wanted to plant doubt in Ava's mind, to make her question everything about our arrangement. To make her see me as less than a man. I downed another glass of whiskey, hoping the burn would distract me from the rage consuming me. However, it didn't help. Nothing ever did when it came to this. Hypogonadism! That single word had destroyed my entire childhood, and ripped my family apart. It had turned me into something Anderson could discard without a second thought.I was only seven years old when the diagnosis came. Seven fucking years old when the doctors told my mother that her son would never be normal. That I couldn't produce enough testosterone, and I might never father children.I still remembered the look on Anderson's face that day. The disgust. The disappointment. As if I'd somehow

Last Updated : 2025-11-02

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