All Chapters of Divorced by my Billionaire Ex, Now He Wants Me Back! : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

22AlexI could not stop looking at the photo.It was small and grainy on my phone, a picture buried in a gossip post about a leadership retreat. Dane stood in the center with a glass in his hand. Behind him, near the windows, a woman turned slightly away from the camera. The light blurred her face, but I knew the line of her jaw. I knew the way she held her shoulders. I knew it the way you know your own name.I zoomed in until the image broke into little squares. I tried to make the blur sharpen by will alone. It did not. My heart still kicked hard in my chest.It might not be her, I told myself. It could be anyone. People look like other people all the time.But the thought would not stick.I called Marco, an old friend who worked at a media agency. He picked up on the second ring.“You never call me unless you need something,” he said. “Should I be flattered or insulted?”“Flattered,” I said. “I need help.”“Send it.”I texted him the link. He whistled when he saw it. “You want the

24StellaI woke before the alarm and lay still for a moment, listening to the house settle around us. The twins were quiet. Patch sighed in his sleep at the end of the hall. I wanted to stay in that soft space between night and day, but my mind had already moved ahead to the lobby, the schedule, the emails, the way my stomach tightened when I pictured Dane standing at the front desk.I got up, dressed, and braided Emma’s hair while she told me she had decided the second verse of her song would sound stronger if she sang a little louder. Eli practiced tying his shoes and asked if he could bring the lucky rock again. I said yes to both. We ate toast with honey and apples cut into stars. I kissed two foreheads at the door and watched them run toward the car. When the house was quiet, I checked the locks once more and headed to work.The hotel was already moving. The café grinder hummed. Housekeeping carts rolled across the tiles. A florist carried a box of white lilies through the lobby

26DaneI was crossing the lobby with a maintenance list in my pocket when the room shifted. You learn to feel that change if you spend enough time in hotels. A turn of heads. A pause in the noise. I followed the attention to the glass doors and saw him step inside.Alex Marwood.I knew the face from trade magazines and the kind of events where everyone speaks softly into each other’s ears. We had circled the same rooms for years without shaking hands. His name carried money and trouble in equal measure. I did not expect to see him in my hotel on a weekday morning.I walked to him like we had agreed to.“Good morning,” I said. “To what do we owe the honor?”He turned his head to look at me, and I saw the recognition settle in them.“Mr. Callahan,” he said. “Nice property.”“Thank you,” I said. “Welcome.”We stood near the concierge desk. Up close, he looked tired in a way suits cannot hide. He made a show of glancing around the lobby, casual and interested. It read as overplayed to so

28AlexHer name left my mouth before I could stop it.“Stella.”She went still. The wind pulled at her coat. For a moment she did not move, and I thought I had imagined her again, that my mind had built her out of salt air and want. Then she turned to me slowly. Her eyes found mine. Six years sat between us like a long road.I took one step and stopped. “I will not come closer if you do not want me to.”She watched me, guarded and calm. “Why are you here?”“Because I could not stay away after I saw you,” I said. My voice sounded rough to my own ears. “I saw the photo. I came. I’m sorry.”She did not answer. The water tapped the posts under the pier. A gull cried and was gone.“I was blind,” I said. “I trusted the wrong people. I believed lies that fit what I wanted to be true. I thought I had time to fix things. I was wrong about all of it.”Her face did not change. “You were not wrong about time. You chose not to use it.”The words landed hard and all I could do was nod. “Yes.”I ma

30AlexI arrived at the café forty minutes early and chose a table by the big windows, facing the door and the park. I sat, stood, sat again. I wiped my palms on a napkin and tried to practice what I would say in sentences that did not sound like speeches.Thank you for meeting me.You can ask me anything.If you want to leave, we leave.I ordered tea and forgot to drink it. I watched families in the park. A little boy chased a soccer ball and fell, then popped back up. A girl in a yellow sweater held a leaf up to the light like it was treasure. I reminded myself that I was here to listen more than talk. I reminded myself that this was not about easing my guilt. This was about two children who deserved care and calm.At two fifty-eight I set my phone to silent and put it face down. When the door opened at three, they were there.Stella walked in first. Josh came beside her. Eli held Josh’s hand. Emma held Stella’s. They paused to let their eyes adjust to the light. I stood but did no