All Chapters of After The Divorce: He Wanted Me Back: Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

Isabella Two weeks pass—and just like that, everything settles into a rhythm that feels almost… too normal.Work becomes the center of everything again. Meetings, site visits, reports—days blur into each other until time starts moving without me noticing. Whatever chaos followed the funeral slowly fades into the background, replaced by routine and deadlines.Lucas doesn’t reach out again.Not a single call. Not a message.Like that conversation never happened.And somehow—that silence feels louder than anything he’s said before.Emily shows up less too. When she does, it’s brief, distant, controlled. No unnecessary interactions, no tension-filled exchanges—just presence, then absence again. It leaves the space lighter, but not necessarily safer.Because something still feels off.Even if no one’s saying it out loud.So it’s just us.Work. Responsibility. Routine.And Gabriel.—Tonight, he picks me up from home.The moment I step out, his car is already there, engine running, headl

Isabella The wind rushes past us, cool and steady, carrying the faint scent of salt and something clean—something untouched. The ocean stretches endlessly beside us, dark and vast, only breaking into soft silver whenever the light catches the waves just right.For a while, neither of us says anything.We don’t have to.I rest my arms lightly against the edge, letting the breeze brush against my skin, my hair moving freely with every shift of the car. There’s something about this—about being here, in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but the sound of the sea—that makes everything else feel… far away.“You’ve been quiet,” Gabriel says after a moment, his voice low but close enough to reach me through the wind.I glance at him, a faint smile forming. “I think this is the first time in days I’m not thinking about anything,” I admit, my tone softer now. “No work. No problems. No… complications.”His gaze lingers on me. “That’s good.”“It is,” I agree, looking back out at the ocean. “You

GabrielThe balcony gives me exactly what I need—distance.No noise from the city, no interruptions, no unnecessary movement. Just the sound of the ocean and a clear line of sight that isn’t crowded by anything or anyone. It’s controlled. Predictable.For once.I rest my forearms against the railing, eyes fixed ahead, letting the quiet settle in. It doesn’t last long.My phone vibrates.I already know who it is. I let it ring once before answering, bringing it to my ear without shifting my stance.“Speak.”No greeting. No wasted time.“Where are you?” Lucas doesn’t ease into it. His tone is tight, controlled, but the irritation is obvious. “You left the site without notice, and now I’m being told you took Isabella and disappeared?”I don’t answer immediately. I let the question sit.“I handled everything that needed handling,” I say after a beat. Straightforward. No explanation attached.“That’s not what I asked.” His voice sharpens. “You don’t make decisions like that without informi

Isabella Breakfast ends quieter than it started.Not awkward—just… settled.Like whatever that moment was between us earlier, it’s already done its job.Gabriel stands first.Of course he does.He moves like he already knows what comes next, like there’s no question about how the day is going to go. Meanwhile, I’m still finishing the last sip of my coffee, watching him as he checks something on his phone.“You’re already working?” I ask lightly, setting my cup down.He glances at me briefly. “Handling something.”“That fast?”“It was handled before you woke up.”Of course it was.I shake my head faintly, pushing my chair back as I stand. “So what now?”He slips his phone into his pocket, eyes settling on me for a second—measured, like he’s assessing something.“Get ready.”I look down at myself instinctively.Then back at him.“I didn’t exactly pack for… whatever this is,” I point out, gesturing vaguely around us. “I thought we were just—” I pause, then shake my head. “Never mind.”H

Isabella By the time we finally start heading back toward the shore, my body already feels it—every muscle, every breath I forced myself to control earlier, every second I pushed past the instinct to panic.But somehow—I’m laughing.Actually laughing.The water drips from my hair, trailing down my arms as I push it back, still trying to catch my breath properly. “I can’t believe you made me go that far,” I say, half accusing, half amused, glancing at Gabriel as we move through the shallower part of the water.He walks beside me like nothing happened. Like dragging me deeper into the ocean and making me face one of my biggest fears is just… a normal activity.“You said you wanted to try,” he replies easily.“I said I liked it,” I correct, pointing at him. “From a safe distance.”“And I improved that distance.”I let out a disbelieving laugh. “Improved? You call that improvement? I almost died.”“You didn’t.”“That’s not the point.”“It is.”I stop walking for a second just to stare a