All Chapters of After The Divorce: He Wanted Me Back: Chapter 181 - Chapter 190

IsabellaThe city lights below seemed to blur as the kiss deepened, the sweetness of the birthday greeting shifting into something hungrier and more desperate. Gabriel’s hand moved from my waist to the back of my neck, his fingers tangling in my hair as he pulled me closer, his breath hitching against my lips. He broke the kiss just for a second, his forehead resting against mine, his chest heaving."Isabella," he groaned, a low, rough sound that vibrated through me. "If we don’t stop now...""Don't stop," I whispered, my hands sliding up his chest to grip the lapels of his jacket. I needed this. I needed to feel him, to know that despite the lies Lucas had spun, this—the heat between us—was real.He didn't need another word. Gabriel moved with a sudden, fluid urgency, guiding me off the hood and opening the back door of the car. The leather was cool against my skin as he ushered me inside, but the temperature in the cramped space rose instantly as he followed me in, the door clicking

Isabella The Thorne estate was transformed into a sea of flashing lights and shimmering glass. As Gabriel pulled the car into the circular driveway, the sheer scale of the event became clear. Dozens of luxury cars lined the entrance, and the red carpet was swarming with media crews, high-end CEOs, and business owners whose names dominated the financial news. The air hummed with the sound of camera shutters and the low murmur of the city's elite.Just as we stepped out, Elias’s car pulled up right behind us. He stepped out and offered a hand to Mia, who looked like she was born for the spotlight, radiating confidence.The four of us moved toward the entrance together. The moment Gabriel stepped onto the carpet with me on his arm, a hush seemed to ripple through the crowd, followed by a frantic wave of camera flashes. The sight of Gabriel Thorne—the heir of the Thorne empire—coming in with me was clearly the headline they had all been waiting for."Stay close," Gabriel whispered, his h

Isabella The air behind the velvet curtain felt stifling, the distant sound of the orchestra's upbeat tempo clashing violently with the panic rising in my chest. Mia was pacing in a tight circle, her face flushed with a mixture of shock and pure rage. I had just finished whispering the rest of it—the missing funds, the 40% loss, the USB drive, and the way Lucas was using Gabriel’s own future as leverage."That absolute bastard!" Mia hissed, her hands clenched into fists. "Isabella, you can't just stand here and let this happen! He’s literally selling Gab to that obsessed bitch Emily just to cover his own tracks. You have to fight! You have the files, you have the truth—protect him!""It’s not that simple, Mia!" I snapped back, my voice trembling. "I’m not afraid of Lucas. I don’t care if he buries my company or turns me into a pariah. I can live with that. But Gabriel..."I looked through a gap in the curtains, watching Gabriel. He was standing tall, looking every bit the prince of t

Isabella The drive away from the Thorne estate was a blur of high-speed lights and the fading echoes of the chaos we left behind. We didn’t head back to the city or to his penthouse. Instead, we traveled toward a secluded cliffside villa, a private sanctuary of glass and stone overlooking the ocean—a place Gabriel had kept off the grid.The silence of the villa was a stark contrast to the roar of the gala. As soon as we stepped into the moonlit living room, the adrenaline began to ebb, leaving us all breathless."Wait, wait, wait!" Mia burst out, pacing the length of the polished floor while clutching a throw pillow like a weapon. "Back up. You’re telling me you knew? You knew Lucas was going to pull that stunt with the 'engagement' tonight?"Gabriel leaned against the dark wood of the bar, loosening his tie and unbuttoning the first two buttons of his shirt. He looked exhausted, but the cold mask he had worn on stage was gone."I knew," Gabriel said calmly, pouring himself a drink.

Isabella The adrenaline from the gala had finally faded, leaving behind a cold, hollow anxiety that made sleep impossible. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Lucas’s predatory smile or the flash of the cameras as he announced a lie to the world.Eventually, I gave up on rest. I slipped out from under the covers, careful not to wake Gabriel, and stepped out onto the private balcony of our suite. The ocean air was freezing now, biting at my skin through my thin silk nightgown, but I needed the chill to ground me. My mind was a storm of "what-ifs." What if the board turned on Gabriel? What if the files weren't enough? What if Lucas had one more trap we hadn't seen yet?The villa was supposed to be a fortress, but standing there in the dark, I felt incredibly exposed.I leaned against the railing, staring into the shadows of the tree line that bordered the property. Suddenly, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. It was that prickling sensation of being watched—not by a camera, but by