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All Chapters of Walking Away from the Wrong Love: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

30 Chapters

Chapter 11

This time, without a word, Ellie took a spare blanket and pillow from the linen closet and made up the sofa for herself.When Derek finally entered the room, he found her already asleep. Her face, pale and delicate against the pillow, seemed no larger than his palm. The blanket was pulled up to her chin, cocooning her in a way that felt deliberately distant.He paused. She had always waited up for him before, no matter how late. This was the first time she had ever gone to sleep without him.The photo Jonathan sent him flashed in his mind. Was this sudden coldness because of another man? Was that why she was so clearly drawing a line?…The sound of the shower jolted Ellie awake. She opened her eyes to see Derek stepping out of the bathroom, a towel slung low around his hips. His robe hung open, revealing the hard planes of his chest and abdomen.She averted her gaze and shifted, trying to settle back into sleep.Then his voice cut through the quiet, cold and low."I'm offering

Chapter 12

Catherine sent a driver to take Ellie."Where to, Madam?" he asked respectfully.Ellie didn't want anyone in the family knowing she was finalizing her divorce. She gave an address a few blocks from the courthouse.When the car pulled away, she began walking the final stretch.Maybe it was the aftermath of the previous night's drenching, but a wave of dizziness washed over her. Her head throbbed, and her limbs felt like lead. Digging her nails into her palms, she clenched her jaw and forced herself to put one foot in front of the other. She could not miss this appointment.…At the courthouse steps, Derek stood with palpable impatience. He checked his watch. One minute to nine. No sign of her.Across the street, Jonathan and Drew leaned against a sports car, spectators to the drama they'd anticipated."I heard this time it was Ellie who asked for the divorce," Jonathan said, frowning. "That's a surprise. What's gotten into her? You think she's seeing someone?"Drew flipped id

Chapter 13

It was Ellie.Her eyes were closed, her face unnaturally pale, a fine sheen of sweat coating her forehead. Thomas pressed the back of his hand to her skin. It was burning up.She was running a high fever.Without a second thought, he scooped her limp form into his arms and rushed her to the hospital.Registration, blood work, an IV drip—he moved through the frantic steps until a doctor finally assured him she was stable and simply needed rest. Only then did the tight coil of anxiety in his chest begin to loosen.His phone buzzed. It was the business partner he was supposed to be meeting."Thomas, you're late.""I'm really sorry," Thomas said, his gaze fixed on the sleeping figure in the hospital bed. "A critical personal matter came up. I will make this up to you."…At the courthouse, Derek rose from his seat and stormed toward the exit. His leather shoes struck the marble floor in sharp, angry beats.Thirty minutes. No one had ever dared waste thirty minutes of his time.

Chapter 14

Drew frowned, his mind racing.What was Ellie doing in a hospital bed?Just then, a nurse finished adjusting her IV and stepped out. Drew stopped her. "Excuse me. When was she admitted?""You know the patient?" the nurse asked, surprised. "She was brought in over an hour ago. Collapsed near the courthouse, from what I heard. A Good Samaritan dropped her off. Her fever was almost 40 degrees Celsius. Running around with a temperature like that... young people have no regard for their health." With that, the nurse continued down the hall.Drew stood frozen for a moment, the pieces clicking into place.So she hadn't stood Derek up out of spite or strategy. She had been seriously ill, collapsing on her way to divorce him.Had they all been wrong about her?He quickly snapped a photo of her sleeping form. His thumb hovered over the screen, indecision warring within him. Should he send this to Derek?Just then, the door to Room 209 opened, and a relative of the patient spotted him. "D

Chapter 15

The kitten nipped playfully at the cuff of Derek's sleeve.Annoyance, already simmering from the phone call, flashed through him. He reacted instinctively, lifting the tiny animal by the scruff of its neck.Lisa quickly scooped the kitten into her arms"Derek, be gentle!" she chided softly, her voice lilting and sweet.Her tone traveled clearly through the phone line and straight into Ellie's ear.She froze. Her breath caught mid-sentence.It was Lisa.It was broad daylight… and they were doing that?She had told herself she was strong enough to handle the reality of Derek and Lisa. But hearing the proof—the casual and intimate sound of their relationship—felt like a physical blow. Her heart constricted so tightly she could barely draw breath. Her fingernails dug into her palm, sharp enough to leave half-moon indents.On the other end, Derek waited for Ellie to finish her explanation. When only silence answered him, his patience, already worn thin, shattered. "Well?" he bit

Chapter 16

"What?" Heather's eyes widened in disbelief after hearing the story. "That bastard is actually suing you for divorce? Just to clear the path for Lisa?"Ellie offered a faint, tired smile. "At this point, it doesn't matter.""So, what's your plan?""I'll hire a lawyer to handle it."Heather nodded vigorously. "Good. Let a professional deal with the legal mess. Don't let it drain you." Then, her face lit up. "Wait! My cousin is a lawyer. You should use him.""Okay," Ellie agreed simply."Perfect! I'll set up a meeting for this weekend.""Sounds good."…The next morning, the atmosphere in the QuantumX Biotech conference room was thick enough to cut with a pipette. Core members of the flagship project team sat around the long table, their faces etched with frustration."The Phase IV clinical data is a bust. Again," announced Chris Fridman, the project lead. He was in his thirties, tall and thin, wearing glasses. "Targeted delivery specificity is still unacceptably low. It's been

Chapter 17

The centrifuge hummed softly in the background as Ellie fixed her gaze on the flickering parameters on the monitor, her throat tightening.This was the seventh trial run.The previous six had ended in failure, the delicate emulsification collapsing before it could stabilize. Each setback had eroded the team's morale, leaving them clinging to hope by a thread.If this run failed, her entire proposal would be scrapped."The pH level's holding steady!"A voice rang out, sharp with excitement. The lab erupted in cheers.On the screen, a smooth, perfect curve rose and plateaued like a steady, healthy heartbeat.Chris blinked, pushed his glasses up his nose, and stared. "I'll be damned," he muttered, a note of awe in his voice. "The drug-loading rate is five percent higher than the simulation predicted."…In the president's office, when Thomas received the news, a rare smile curved across his lips.Professor Chasen had been right about Ellie all along.She really was a genius.

Chapter 18

Jordan was dressed in an impeccably tailored suit, a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched precisely on his nose. The only thing that hadn't changed from her memory was the faint, underlying coolness in his eyes.The contrast was so stark it reminded Ellie of a saying she'd once heard: It's not the street thug you should fear, but the thug who's gone to law school.She leaned toward Heather and whispered, "Heather, are you sure your cousin's reliable? Maybe this isn't a good idea..."Heather had once regaled her with stories of Jordan's youth—how he'd single-handedly taken on a gang of local troublemakers, leaving them battered and begging for mercy. That mental image had left a deep impression, and now a nervous thought crossed Ellie's mind. Did he approach his court cases with the same… fervor?Heather blinked and whispered back, "Relax. My cousin is one of the most sought-after lawyers in the city. He has a stellar win record. Your divorce will be a walk in the park for him."S

Chapter 19

Derek sat sipping his coffee, his gaze a silent, burning brand on Ellie as she spoke with the man across from her. A cold, irrational fury began to simmer in his veins. She was testing his patience. Again."Excuse me, Jordan. I'm just going to the restroom for a moment," she said, standing up.Almost simultaneously, Derek set his cup down and rose.The moment Ellie stepped out of the restroom, a powerful hand seized her arm and slammed her back against the wall. The impact stole her breath. Before she could cry out, a tall, imposing figure caged her in, his shadow swallowing her whole.A gasp caught in her throat.Long, strong fingers gripped her chin, forcing her face up until her eyes met his. Only then did she recognize him. Derek."Ellie," his voice was a low, dangerous whisper, each word a razor's edge, "I warned you. Until that divorce is final, you are still my wife. Do not push me."His eyes blazed with a fury so intense it felt like he wanted to incinerate her on the

Chapter 20

Jordan's gaze lifted just as Derek and Lisa emerged from the hallway leading to the restrooms.Derek's eyes swept over their table, sharp and openly hostile.Their eyes met for a fraction of a second, and Jordan understood instantly.So this was the husband. The man who paraded his mistress in public and saw no issue with manhandling his wife in public.And she just took it? Was she a saint, or just a fool who refused to see the knife in her back?"Here, have some coffee."He reached across the table and, with a seemingly clumsy motion, knocked his cup over.Dark, lukewarm liquid cascaded over Ellie's lap, staining her light-colored skirt.She let out a soft gasp, grabbing a handful of napkins to dab at the fabric, but the dark patch only spread."Sorry about that."In one fluid motion, he stood, shrugged off his suit jacket, and draped it over her shoulders."Come on," he said gently. "Let me take you home."Ellie hesitated, uncomfortable with the intimacy of wearing anoth

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