All Chapters of His Forgotten Love Returns: The Return of the Ex-wife: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Rachel I didn’t see Rick when I woke up in the morning. I guess yesterday really was a goodbye. We didn’t have much to pack except a few things, so we were ready by the time Cale came to pick us up. He was punctual to the minute, standing by the car with a quiet, professional dignity.Slade had sent me a message saying he was coming to get us, even though I’d wanted to tell him we would go on our own. Then I realized I had no idea where the house was, so I sent back a simple “thank you.”Cale helped us load everything into the car, and soon we were on our way to our new home. The children were unusually quiet; they didn’t even protest. I had to remind myself that I was doing this for them, to have the strength to keep going. It was for their future, for their opportunities, and for the security I couldn’t provide alone.I sighed, peeling at the skin on my thumb. Anxiety made my fingers restless, and I worried at a hangnail until Cale gently startled me by placing his hand over mine.

|| Rachel ||I woke up the next day needing to be fully prepared and focused for my first day back at Pierce Industries. Instead, the first thing I felt was a sharp, wrenching pain ripping through my lower abdomen. It hit so suddenly and violently that it stole my breath and made the room tilt.I forced myself out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. The moment I looked down, realization hit me.My period.Why the hell did I miss the signs? I always tracked it. Always prepared. Always knew. The stress of the move… the emotional hurricane with Slade… something must have thrown my cycle off. At least, that’s what I told myself.Cursing under my breath, I hurried back to the bedroom and dug through one of my suitcases. I hadn’t unpacked yesterday—not because I was tired, but because some silly instinct told me to wait until Emilia could help me today. And of course, now everything was going wrong. I was supposed to be on my way to the company. Instead, I was kneeling on the floor, stomac

|| Slade ||"Why did I leave then?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper, strained under the weight of the question."I told you I was engaged," I said quietly."I guess I didn’t even know the reason you got engaged then," she murmured, drifting into thought."I never told you. And I didn’t know you were planning to leave. I came home one day and you were just… gone. It shattered me. I felt something tear straight out of my chest. Then I found out you’d booked a flight… and that the plane had crashed."I swallowed hard, my voice rough. "After that, I walked through this house like a man half-alive. I kept roaming the rooms because everything smelled like you—your shampoo, your clothes, even the damn coffee mug you always used. I’d catch myself touching the spots where you used to stand, just to feel something. Anything."A breath shook out of me. "I mourned you for six years. Six long years of trying to live with a hole I couldn’t fill. And then I saw you at the banquet… and it was l

|| Rachel ||After checking the construction site, Simon drove Slade and me to a restaurant. As we walked in and sat down, waiters approached us, arranging the food on the table. The table was meticulously set with fine china, and the waiter poured sparkling water into our glasses. When they left, I looked at Slade."How did they know what to get us?" I asked, hoping I didn’t sound stupid."Cale set up everything," Slade replied, gesturing for me to eat.I smiled at him, glancing down at my dish—light grilled salmon with asparagus. Not my absolute favourite, but exactly what I would have chosen. A perfect guess. "You seem to know everything about me now." I confessed."I know everything about you, and I’m glad nothing much about you has changed. Somehow you’re still the same Rachel Foxx," he said, his gaze warm."I’m glad too," I said softly.That’s when his phone rang. He pulled it out from his inner suit pocket, a frown immediately forming on his face. His jaw tightened, and his ey

|| Rachel || I had just slipped into my nightdress and sat on the bed when a knock came at the door. “Come in,” I replied. The door opened and Slade walked in. “You know you don’t need to knock before you come in, right?” I said. He came to the bed and sat beside me. “I read to them and carried Finn back to his bedroom.” I reached out and cupped his cheek. “You did good. Do you want me to tell them you’re their father?” “Let them love me first,” he replied, his eyes dark with a hidden fear. I pulled my hand away from his chin and sighed. “They already love you, Slade. What are you even talking about?” Frustration tightened my voice. He lay down and pulled me against him. “Why don’t you tell me about the last six years,” he murmured, tucking me securely against his side. I snuggled into him. The scent of his skin and the solidity of his chest were the only anchors I needed. “There’s nothing much to tell, except that Rick saved me, and I raised your children thinking