Semua Bab Divorced by my Billionaire Ex, Now He Wants Me Back! : Bab 61 - Bab 70

62Josh.The morning after Stella’s deposition, the house felt hushed, like the walls themselves knew she needed space to breathe. She’d barely stirred when I peeked into her room, still curled under the covers, exhaustion heavy on her shoulders. I wanted to wake her, to remind her she wasn’t alone, but I knew better. She’d given everything yesterday; what she needed now was rest.So I tiptoed back downstairs and made pancakes for the twins. Eli stumbled in first, hair sticking up in every direction, rubbing his eyes. “Smells good.”“Special breakfast,” I said, flipping one onto his plate. “Your mom worked really hard yesterday, so today we keep things easy. Deal?”Emma appeared a moment later, clutching her stuffed rabbit. She slid onto the bench and gave me a serious look. “We’re supposed to let Mommy sleep, right?”“That’s right,” I said, smiling at her. “She’ll feel better if she knows you two are okay.”They both nodded solemnly, as if I’d just handed them an important mission. A

64AlexI had never felt comfortable in my father’s study. The walls were lined with books that looked more like decorations than sources of knowledge, spines stiff and untouched. The curtains were always drawn too tightly, muting the daylight into something heavy, and the air smelled faintly of cigar smoke, though he hadn’t lit one in years. The room was meant to command authority, but sitting there across from David Marwood only ever made me feel like a boy again, scolded for asking questions that didn’t concern me.He leaned back in the leather chair, polished shoes crossed at the ankle, expression carved in stone. I’d come here with a plan to be calm, to keep my temper under control, to coax something out of him. But the longer I sat, the more that plan frayed.“I’m only asking about Eleanor Harrington,” I said carefully. “You knew her. You knew her family. Don’t pretend otherwise.”His eyes narrowed, just slightly. “I knew of her. That’s all. She was a Harrington, Alex. A woman w

66Josh.The files from the box were spread across my desk like the aftermath of a storm. Pages rustled whenever someone moved past, notes scribbled by our mom in that familiar looping hand, faded receipts, photocopied transactions with names I recognized and names I didn’t. My chest felt heavy as I looked at them—because it wasn’t just evidence, it was my mother’s voice echoing back through time, urging us to listen.“Josh,” Stella said softly from the doorway. Her face was pale, but her eyes carried a determination I’d only seen in her when she was fighting for the twins. “Do you think we should take it all to the lawyer now?”“Yes,” I said without hesitation. “The longer we hold it ourselves, the more vulnerable we are. If anything happens, at least the lawyer will have it documented.”Anna, who had been standing over the scanner, looked up. “I agree. But let’s make copies first. We’ll organize them, scan everything, and keep backups in separate places. That way, even if someone tr

68Alex.The conference room felt airless, as though the walls themselves were pressing in on me. My legal team sat in their crisp suits around the polished table, laptops open, files stacked, voices calm in that detached, professional way I had once admired but now only found infuriating. They spoke of strategies, procedural delays, possible motions, but every word sounded like another excuse.“So far,” one of them concluded, “the evidence against Sophie remains circumstantial. Without direct testimony, we cannot tie her to the accident or the transfers. And as for custody, the Marwoods have significant influence with the courts in the capital.”I leaned back in my chair, running a hand through my hair. “Influence. That’s your polite word for corruption, isn’t it?”The lawyer shifted uncomfortably. “I’m saying they have resources. Connections. They can muddy the waters until nothing is clear. It’s difficult to fight that kind of machine.”I slammed my palm flat against the table, sta

70Stella.Josh came home late at night, pale and tight-lipped, the words tumbled out before he had even shut the door. Police lights. An accusation of child endangerment. Anonymous, baseless, but humiliating all the same.For a few seconds I just stared at him, my hands cold around the mug of tea I had been nursing. Then anger shot through me, so sharp it made my throat burn. “They tried to use the twins against you,” I whispered.Josh rubbed a hand over his face. “That’s exactly what they wanted. To rattle us. To make us look like we can’t keep them safe.”I set the mug down, stood, and crossed to him. “We are not going to let them win. Do you hear me? Not with lies, not with police reports, not with anything.”His eyes softened as he looked at me, but the weariness behind them was impossible to miss. I hugged him, feeling his shoulders tense then ease just slightly under my arms. We had been fighting shadows for so long, but this was different. Now the shadows had names. And they w