The Ex-Wife’s Mega Comeback의 모든 챕터: 챕터 11 - 챕터 20

When Cassie slipped out of the café a month earlier, she hadn’t vanished into thin air the way Frederick and Sienna hoped.She simply went home, moving with a calmness born from exhaustion, packed a small suitcase with the essentials, left behind the car she never legally owned, and ordered an Uber.No melodrama. No scene. Just a quiet exit from a life that had taken more than it ever gave.She knew Frederick would come after her, for what she did to Sienna but Cassie no longer had the strength to fight him. Not yet. She needed solitude first. Silence. A place untouched by their history.A place where she could gather the shattered pieces of herself and figure out what part of her life was still salvageable.The hotel room she checked into was modest but peaceful, a stark contrast to the mansion where she lived in rooms big enough to swallow her whole.For the first time in years, she locked a door and knew no one would barge in demanding something of her.That was when her past, the

Sebastian went silent, so silent that Cassie could hear the muffled hum of downtown Chicago through the restaurant’s tall windows.The city was alive even on a weekday afternoon: taxis honking along Michigan Avenue, pedestrians wrapped in coats against the late-winter wind, the metallic groan of the L-train echoing in the distance. Inside, however, the air between them turned tight and uneasy.Cassie shifted, the soft leather of her seat creaking as she watched his face. His silence wasn’t passive; it felt weighted, as though he held back a truth that might fracture the ground beneath both of them.Her pulse kicked up. If she had known for even a second that he was married, she never would have called, not for help, not for clarity, not even to understand that damned night from seven years ago.The last thing she wanted was to be linked to another woman’s husband. She had lived in the shadow of accusations for far too long.The waiter passed by with a tray of steaming deep-dish pizzas

Sebastian had barely settled into the driver’s seat when he caught it. A single tear slipping down Cassie’s cheek, tracing the soft curve of her jaw like something too fragile for the harsh gray Chicago daylight.His chest tightened, an ache he couldn’t disguise. Before he could speak, his phone buzzed, and his entire expression shifted, his features softening, voice dropping several octaves into something warm and intimate.“Gorgeous,” he murmured, and even his posture eased. “Are you missing me?”Cassie blinked, wiping her cheek quickly, as if embarrassed that her pain had been visible. She couldn’t hear the voice on the other end, only Sebastian’s low chuckle and playful firmness.“You don’t? Then I’m staying longer. No—no, you don’t get to talk to her until you miss me enough. Fine. I’ll bring you a gift. A nice one. Love you, Gorgeous.”He hung up, and the cab of the car fell into a warm silence.Cassie’s eyes glistened again, but this time it wasn’t sorrow. It was something gent

Cassie shifted uncomfortably, her gaze sweeping across the familiar chaos of the schoolyard.Children ran in bursts of laughter, teachers tried to maintain order, and yet all she could focus on was the little figure tugging at her hand.“Rose, you don’t say such things,” she said softly but firmly. “Uncle Seb isn’t my husband. We are just friends, and he’s looking out for me. Friends look out for each other.”Rose’s brows knitted together, her small fingers curling into fists at her sides. “So… daddy isn’t your friend?”The questions came relentlessly, one after the other, like arrows shot straight at Cassie’s heart.Frederick, standing stiffly in the back, felt his face burn with frustration. Seven years ago, perhaps he could have challenged Sebastian. Now, it was impossible.Sebastian was too powerful and yet, he appeared calm, composed, untouchable. Fredrick swallowed the sting of defeat and decided discretion was wiser than pride.“I’ll let the nanny cook for you, Rose,” Frederick

Frederick returned from his brief meeting still carrying the scent of rain and office air, but the moment he stepped inside, he sensed Sienna’s unease.She hovered near the edge of the couch, her fingers knotted together, her voice soft but tight.“Fred… I’m afraid that if Rose keeps refusing food, she might become malnourished.”Her worry settled in the room like a thin fog. Frederick crossed to her, gentling his movements as he sat and drew her onto his lap. The tension in her shoulders softened only slightly.“Hey,” he murmured, brushing a thumb across her arm. “Don’t worry about Rose. She’s always been a picky eater. I’ll get a professional to help with her meals.”But Sienna’s mind was somewhere else—calculating, juggling possibilities.A mischievous smile ghosted across her lips as her hands slid to his shoulders, thumbs pressing into tense muscle. She eased off his coat with slow, practiced ease.Frederick’s eyes fluttered shut, a faint groan leaving him as he dipped forward an