All Chapters of My CEO Ex-Husband's Regret: Chasing His Dying Wife Back : Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

IVYSunday evening, Alexander brought Lucas home right on time.My son practically bounced through the door, his face glowing with happiness. "Mom! Mom! We saw the lions and the elephants and Dad bought me a stuffed penguin and we got ice cream and—""Slow down, baby." I laughed, pulling him into a hug. "Sounds like you had an amazing time.""The best time!" He pulled back to show me the penguin clutched in his arms. "Dad said we can go to the aquarium next weekend. Can I, Mom? Please?""If your dad wants to take you, that's fine with me." I looked up at Alexander, who stood in the doorway with a genuine smile I hadn't seen in years."He was great all weekend," Alexander said. "Polite, well-behaved. You're raising him right, Ivy.""We're raising him right," I corrected. "He needs both of us.""Yeah. Both of us." hope, maybe, or longing flashes in Alexander's eyes.Lucas tugged on my sleeve. "Can Dad stay for dinner? Please? Just this once?"I hesitated. Having Alexander in my space, a

IVYI didn't wait to hear more.The words "Ivy Blackwood dies" echoed in my head as I stumbled away from the conference room, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst through my chest.They were going to kill me. At the gala. In front of hundreds of people.Marcus wasn't just angry about being cut out—he was planning my murder. Again. But this time with more determination, more desperation, more certainty.I made it to the women's bathroom before my legs gave out. Locked myself in a stall and tried to breathe through the panic clawing at my throat.One week. I had one week before they tried to kill me.Unless I stopped this. Unless I convinced Vincent to choose someone else. Unless I removed myself as a target before the gala even happened.I pulled out my phone with shaking hands and texted Vincent: Need to see you. Privately. Urgently.His response came within seconds: My office. Now.I splashed cold water on my face, trying to erase the evidence of my panic. Straightened

IVY"For months, I've been watching. Evaluating. Searching for the person who embodies what Blackwood Industries stands for." Vincent's voice carried across the silent ballroom. "Someone with integrity. Courage. The ability to make impossible choices. Someone who's proven themselves not through birthright, but through action."No. No, no, no.He promised. He said he'd give it to who deserved it. He said he understood."This company was built on legacy. On family. On the understanding that blood and merit must combine to create true leadership." Vincent paused, his eyes still locked on mine. "And I've found that person. Someone who represents everything I want Blackwood Industries to become."Please don't say my name. Please don't say my name.I tried to move toward the exit. But the crowd was too thick. Too many bodies pressed together. Too many people between me and escape."Someone who's faced every challenge thrown at them and emerged stronger. Who's survived attacks, betrayals, an

"You son of a bitch!" I screamed at Ares over the sound of squealing tires and Lucas's terrified sobs. "You just made everything worse! They're going to kill us because of you!""They were going to kill you anyway!" Ares shouted back, his hand gripping the oh-shit handle as Ilias took another violent turn. "At least this way I'm here to stop them!""Stop them?! There's a van full of armed men shooting at us! How exactly are you stopping them?!"Another bullet punched through the rear windshield. I screamed and pulled Lucas tighter against me, trying to make myself a shield between him and the gunfire."Mom!" Lucas was hysterical, his small body shaking. "Mom, I'm scared! I want to go home! Please, I want to go home!""I know, baby. I know. Just keep your head down. Don't look up. Stay with me." Tears streamed down my face. My son. My beautiful, innocent son was in the middle of a goddamn war zone because I'd been stupid enough to think I could survive the Blackwood family.The van ram

BOOK 2ARESPain.That was the first thing. Sharp and burning in my side where the bullet had torn through muscle and probably nicked something important. Every breath felt like swallowing glass.The second thing was blood. Mine. Hers. The kid's maybe—god, please not the kid's.The third thing was the smell. Gasoline and copper and burned rubber. The SUV's engine was still ticking, cooling down from the impact. We were upside down. My seatbelt was cutting into my shoulder. Everything was wrong-side-up and spinning even though we'd stopped moving.And the fourth thing—the only thing that actually mattered—was that they were coming.I could hear boots on pavement. Multiple pairs. Crunching over broken glass and twisted metal. Getting closer."Check for survivors.""Boss wants confirmation on all three targets.""The kid too?""Especially the kid. No witnesses. No loose ends."My vision was blurred, red-tinged from blood running into my eyes, but I could see Lucas. Hanging upside down in