All Chapters of Reborn Of The CEO’s Cold-Hearted Wife: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

The moment the front door closed behind Xavier, Lilith lingered in the living room, her lips curling into the kind of smile she would never allow anyone…least of all Xavier, to see. The tears had dried too quickly on her face, wiped away like smudges of paint from a stage performance. She wasn’t broken. She wasn’t fragile. She was winning.Her heels clicked softly against the polished floor as she moved down the hall toward the guest bedroom that Jaxon had chosen as his room.She thought about Xavier's demands for a DNA test and that alone irritated her. A DNA test, after choosing Aurora over her five years ago, he didn't have any right to claim the boy.Lilith pushed open the door, schooling her face back into neutrality.Jaxon was crouched beside a half-unpacked box, his small hands tugging at the corner of a toy car. His dark eyes lifted at once when he noticed her enter, and just like that…the spark of excitement and the innocent laughter that had spilled moments before, died in h

Throughout the week leading up to Elara’s recital, the house had grown lonelier.Xavier came home late, sometimes so late that Aurora would already be half-asleep when she heard the garage door close, followed by his heavy footsteps across the hardwood floor. More often than not, he barely stayed long enough to hang his jacket before heading back out again, muttering something about work.Elara had noticed, of course. Children always did. Her bright chatter about tutus and recital songs had dimmed whenever she realized he wasn’t there to listen. And though Aurora did her best to fill in the silence with warmth and laughter, she could feel the ache in her daughter’s small voice each time she asked about her father. On one of those nights where Xavier had missed dinner again, Elara pushed the peas around her plate with her fork, her small shoulders slumping. After a long pause, she lifted her gaze to Aurora, her eyes uncertain.“Mommy,” she asked softly, “will Daddy be home tonight?”A

Aurora’s thumb hovered over the glowing screen of her phone, the call ringing into silence again. Her jaw tightened as the words “call unanswered” appeared for the third time in less than ten minutes.Beside her, Elara leaned forward in her little recital costume, her tutu fluffing up around her small frame like a halo of tulle. She tugged on Aurora’s sleeve, eyes wide and hopeful.“Mommy, maybe you should try again,” she said softly. “Maybe Daddy’s in a meeting, and he just… he just can’t answer right now.”Aurora’s lips pressed into a thin line. Something inside her twisted painfully at the innocence in her daughter’s voice. Even now…even now…Elara was protecting him, making excuses for a man who had promised to be here and wasn’t.Her knuckles whitened around the phone, but she forced her voice gentle as she tucked a strand of hair behind Elara’s ear. “Baby, we need to get ready. It’s almost your turn.”Elara’s small face brightened at that, her disappointment hidden beneath excite

In the days that followed, Aurora kept her silence.She wasn’t cruel. She didn’t shout. She didn’t slam doors or throw accusations. No…she did worse. She ignored him.She still performed her duties as a wife, she laid out dinner, kept the home in order, tended to Elara with patience and love…but when it came to Xavier, she offered him nothing but quiet civility. No warmth, no softness. Just distance.And that stung more than any angry words could.The morning after their argument, Xavier walked into the house holding a large, carefully wrapped box. His heart beat faster at the thought of Elara’s smile when she opened it. He had spent hours choosing the dollhouse, imagining how she would squeal and hug him.When he set it down before her, Elara’s eyes widened. “Daddy, is this…?”“Open it.” He urged with a small smile, hope glimmering in his gaze.She tore at the wrapping with eager fingers, gasping when the dollhouse came into view. But before Xavier could bask in her joy, she tilted h

“Careful!” Aurora shouted, her voice sharp with worry as Elara’s tiny sandals hit the sand and she bolted straight toward the glittering waves.Elara’s delighted squeals rang across the beach, her tutu-inspired swimsuit ruffling with every excited bounce of her little legs. The child’s laughter was so bright, so pure, that for a fleeting second Aurora’s chest ached with both pride and fear.She moved to run after her when a firm grip caught her wrist.Aurora’s head snapped to the side, irritation already forming on her tongue, only to find Xavier standing there, his face taut, his eyes flickering with a mixture of pleading and hesitation.“We need to talk.” He said.Her eyes darted back to Elara, who was now twirling barefoot near the foamy edge of the waves, unafraid of the rushing water. Aurora’s heart hammered. She hated…hated…taking her eyes off her daughter.“Do we have to do this now? I have to get to Elara.” Aurora asked, her tone clipped, her gaze still glued to Elara.“She’s