Lahat ng Kabanata ng An Ex-wife's Guide to Revenge: Kabanata 151 - Kabanata 160

ERDENI woke before she did.That part wasn’t unusual. I rarely slept deeply enough to stay under once the light shifted or my body decided it had rested enough. What was different was how still I stayed afterward. I didn’t move right away. I didn’t check the time. I didn’t reach for my phone or catalog everything that needed to be handled before noon.Lyssandra was pressed against me, warm and heavy in that loose, unguarded way people only are when they’re truly asleep. Her leg was hooked over mine, her face tucked into the space beneath my jaw. One hand rested on my chest, fingers spread like she’d placed it there on purpose and forgotten about it sometime in the night.I stared at the ceiling for a long moment, listening to her breathe.Then she shifted.Not fully awake, but just enough to adjust closer. Her fingers curled slightly, then slid upward, brushing over my collarbone before tangling into my hair. She didn’t open her eyes. She didn’t say anything. She just ran her nails s

ERDENI didn’t slam the door behind me. I closed it carefully, like I always do when I’m trying not to show how hard something’s hit. The click of the latch sounded louder than it should have, final in a way I didn’t like.I stood in the hallway for a moment to allow the heat bleed out of my chest. It didn’t help much. My hands were shaking, not from anger exactly, but from restraint. I rubbed a hand over my face and walked down the stairs and stepped outside. The air was cool enough to clear my head a little. I walked down the drive without really thinking about where I was going, stopped near the car, then leaned back against it and crossed my arms.Fuck.I replayed the conversation whether I wanted to or not. I’d known the truth before I asked her about Nyra That was the part that bothered me most. I hadn’t gone into that kitchen looking for a fight, but I’d gone in knowing there was something I couldn’t ignore anymore.I pushed off the car and paced a few steps, then stopped. I

LYSSANDRA I barely make it through the building doors before my phone starts vibrating in my hand.I don’t even need to check the screen to know it’s Riley. She texted to say she would call me later. I stop walking anyway, and answer the call. It's still very early and I haven't done any work so I really hope whatever she says doesn't disrupt my entire day. I answer. “Hey.”“I need to come see you,” she says immediately without a word of greetint which is very unlike Riley. “Are you at your office already?” My stomach drops. “Riley?”“I’ve got something to show you.”That does it. I close my eyes and exhale slowly, counting the breath like Erden once told me to when my thoughts start stacking too fast.“What kind of something?” I ask.“The kind I don’t want to say out loud,” she replies. “Especially not over the phone.”I look down the corridor, at the marble floors and glass walls, at people already moving through their mornings. My pulse keeps ticking too fast.“I just got here,

LYSSANDRA Just hearing his voice loosens something between my shoulder blades. I didn’t realize how tightly I’d been holding myself together until that exact moment.“Hey,” I say. “Where are you?”“Out,” he replies. I can hear movement in the background. Footsteps. A door. “What’s wrong?”Nothing ever gets past him.I swallow. “Nothing. I justgot an email.” He doesn’t interrupt, but waits patiently “There’s another meeting with the Chests,” I continue. “This afternoon.”“I know,” he says.Of course he does.“Are you coming?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.“I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”Something warm flickers in my chest at that, stubborn and unwanted but welcome all the same.“Okay,” I say softly.“You sound tired,” he adds.“I am.” “Did something happen this morning?”My grip tightens on the phone. I’m suddenly acutely aware of every call I’ve made, every near-call I’ve aborted, of the way Nyra’s name still hangs around in the corner of my chest like a bruise.

LYSSANDRA He stares at me for a long moment, then looks away. “I don’t have the luxury of avoiding him,” he says. “Not if Meredith’s on the line.”I soften despite myself. “Neither do I. But walking into his orbit again…”“...is dangerous,” he finishes. “I know.”“Do you?” I ask. “Or do you just think you can handle it better this time?”He exhales through his nose. “You think I want this?”“I think you think it’s inevitable.”“That’s not the same thing.”“It is when you stop fighting it.”His eyes flick back to mine, sharp now. “I am fighting. This is me fighting.”I open my mouth, then close it. Because arguing semantics won’t change the truth sitting between us.“What does the meeting look like?” I ask instead.“Neutral ground,” he says. “No witnesses I don’t control. Short.”“And you expect him to just talk?”“I expect him to enjoy it.” That makes my stomach twist.“When?” I ask.“Soon. I’m waiting for confirmation.”I rub my forehead. “You’re not bringing me into this, are you?