Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Ex-wife He Regrets Losing!: Kabanata 51 - Kabanata 60

MABEL I don't know how long I sat there on the floor, clutching the DNA results, tears streaming down my face. Time felt suspended. Meaningless. All I could think about was that single line, 99.9% match. Liam was mine. My son. The baby I'd carried for nine months. The child I'd given birth to. The little boy who'd been ripped away from me before I could even hold him properly. He was alive. He was healthy. He was real. And he had no idea I existed as anything more than the nice lady who styled his mother. "Mabel?" I looked up. Bella stood in the doorway, her earlier anger replaced by concern. "What happened?" She moved closer. "You've been out here for twenty minutes. I heard you crying." I couldn't speak. Could only hold up the paper with shaking hands. Bella took it, reading quickly. Her eyes went wide. "Oh my God." She sank down beside me. "He's really yours?" "Yes." "99.9%, that's basically certain." "Yes." "Mabel." Her voice was soft now. "I'm so sorry. For what

MABEL Vanessa's eyes bored into mine, waiting for an answer. "Why did you really come back to New York?" she asked again. I opened my mouth, but before I could speak, she held up a hand. "Actually, let's start with something more immediate." She pulled up her phone, showing me the Post article. "Did you use your sick sister for publicity? For sympathy?" "No!" The word came out fierce. "Absolutely not. That article is a lie." "Is it?" Vanessa set down her phone. "Because the photos are real. You and Lily at hospitals. At pharmacies. At public events where you're clearly visible with a child who has medical equipment." "Because she's twelve years old and I take her places! She's not a prop, she's my sister!" "Then why does this article exist?" Vanessa's voice was cold. "Why would someone write this unless there was something to it?" "Because someone is trying to destroy me." My hands clenched in my lap. "Someone who wants to ruin my reputation and drive me out of New York." "Wh

HAILEY I watched the media circus unfold from the comfort of my penthouse, a glass of wine in hand. The Post article had done exactly what I'd hoped. Mabel's reputation was in tatters. Social media was tearing her apart. Even some of her LA clients were reportedly reconsidering their relationships with her. Perfect. But as I scrolled through the comments and articles, something nagged at me. Why had Mabel come back to New York? Not for her career. She'd been successful in LA. Had established clients. A solid business. Coming to New York, where the Hoss family could make her life difficult, didn't make sense. Unless she had a reason. A specific reason. I pulled up Marcus Vega's report again, reading through it more carefully this time. Mabel had returned to New York six months ago. Started taking on high-profile clients. Built her reputation quickly. And then she'd taken on Vanessa Latham. I paused, staring at Vanessa's name. Why Vanessa specifically? There were dozens of w

MABEL "Wait." Damian's voice stopped me before I could leave the coffee shop. I turned back. He was standing now, his expression serious. "Sit down. We're not done." "I told you what I'm going to do…." "And I'm telling you it's a mistake." He gestured to the booth. "Sit. Please." I hesitated, then sat back down. Damian slid in across from me. "You're about to walk into Vanessa's office and blow up her entire world," he said. "Have you actually thought about what happens next?" "I tell her the truth. Show her the DNA results. Ask for shared custody…" "And she says no. Then what?" "Then we negotiate…" "There's no negotiation, Mabel." Damian's voice was firm. "Vanessa will fight you. With everything she has. Do you understand that?" "She might be reasonable…" "She won't be." He leaned forward. "I've known Vanessa for fifteen years. I've watched her destroy competitors who underestimated her. She's ruthless when she needs to be." "This is different. This is about her son…" "

MABEL They moved Lily to a room on the pediatric floor. Bella and I sat on either side of her bed while she slept, the beeping of monitors the only sound. A doctor came in around seven PM. Different from the ER doctor, this one was older, with kind eyes and gray hair. "I'm Dr. Rodriguez, the endocrinologist on call." She pulled up a chair. "I've been reviewing Lily's case." "Is she going to be okay?" Bella asked. "She's stable now. But we need to discuss what caused this episode." Dr. Rodriguez pulled out her tablet, showing us Lily's charts. "Her blood sugar dropped dangerously low. The paramedics' quick response saved her life." "But why did it drop?" I asked. "Bella manages her insulin carefully." "I'm sure she does. But I examined Lily's insulin pump." Dr. Rodriguez's expression was serious. "It's malfunctioning." Bella went pale. "What?" "The pump is delivering inconsistent doses. Sometimes too much, sometimes too little. That's what caused today's hypoglycemic episode—sh