Semua Bab Divorced by my Billionaire Ex, Now He Wants Me Back! : Bab 71 - Bab 80

71Stella.After the public event at the hotel, I expected things to quiet down. For the most part, they did. The community was still buzzing, but in a supportive way. The fundraiser had created ripples, and those ripples carried me through the next week like gentle waves.Every morning, I woke up to little notes slid under my office door. Some were anonymous, some were signed. Thank you for reminding us that families like ours matter. Your courage gives us hope. The twins should be proud of you. They were scribbled on lined paper, on the backs of receipts, even once on a paper napkin.And for every kind message, there were whispers too. Rumors drifted through the city like smoke. Some said Dane and I were more than colleagues, others claimed Alex was plotting some grand takeover. I’d catch snippets in the hotel lobby, or overhear parents whispering at school pick-up. At first the gossip made my chest tighten, but I had learned to breathe through it. If the price of standing up was be

73Emma sat at her desk, pencil tapping against the workbook page that seemed determined to mock her. Numbers swam in crooked lines, refusing to line up the way they were supposed to. Around her, her classmates bent over their sheets, some scribbling confidently, others already raising their hands to show off answers. Emma chewed her lip, staring at the multiplication problem that would not make sense no matter how many times she wrote out the steps the way her mother had taught her at home. By the time she reached the answer, she wasn’t even sure it was right anymore.From the row behind her came a whisper. “That’s her—the one with the mom in the papers.” The voice wasn’t loud, but it was sharp enough to reach Emma’s ears, followed by a muffled giggle behind a palm. Her shoulders stiffened. She kept her eyes glued to the page, pretending not to hear, pretending it didn’t matter. She had learned that trick from Stella: how to keep her face calm even when her heart pounded, but calm fe

75Stella.The week began with a phone call I wasn’t prepared for. Clara had come down with pneumonia. Her voice on the line was weak and apologetic, but all I could think about was the domino effect that would follow. With her out for at least two weeks, the entire schedule collapsed. I could almost hear the chaos in the background of the hotel through the receiver, the constant hum of phones ringing and guests demanding answers.“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Harrington,” Clara whispered, her words straining through a cough.“Don’t you dare apologize,” I told her firmly. “You take care of yourself. That’s all that matters. We’ll manage here.”When I hung up, I looked at the stack of reports on my desk, the blinking light on the office phone, the to-do list that already felt impossible, and told myself it would be fine. I had managed worse. Still, a part of me wilted.The next few days blurred. I covered the desk, fielded guest complaints, checked in a last-minute tour group, and tried to keep

77Emma had always liked mornings best. The world felt softer then, not yet filled with questions or whispers. She liked the way the light spilled across her window and caught the edges of her seedling, now a little taller every week. But mornings at school weren’t always as kind. By the time she sat at her desk, pencil in hand, she could already feel the weight of the other kids’ eyes. That’s her, the one with the mom in the papers. They didn’t always say it out loud anymore, but Emma could feel it, sharp as pins.Eli, on the other hand, thrived on mornings. He bounded down the school hallway like it was a racetrack, calling to his friends, dribbling his soccer ball against the wall until a teacher frowned. “Tryouts today,” he whispered to Emma, as if she could forget. He’d been buzzing about it all week, practicing kicks in the backyard until Patch yelped and darted away from another near miss.Emma smiled at his excitement but kept her worries to herself. For her, the day’s challen

79Josh.The air along the waterfront always felt different than anywhere else in the city. Maybe it was the salt smell, the way the breeze carried just enough chill to clear your head, or the endless sound of waves rolling in and out, steady as a heartbeat. I’d walked here countless times over the years, sometimes with Stella when we needed to talk, sometimes with the twins when they had energy to burn. But today, it was Anna by my side, and that changed everything.We started at the end of the pier just as the sun was dipping, the sky streaked in pinks and oranges. I shoved my hands into my jacket pockets, not from the cold, but to ground myself. I wasn’t used to letting anyone in this far. Not since… well, not since Eleanor. Losing our mother had built walls I hadn’t realized were so tall until Anna started gently leaning against them, brick by brick.“You’re quiet,” she said, her tone light but probing. Her hair caught the wind, and she tucked a strand behind her ear.I smiled fai