All Chapters of The Unwanted Wife's Return (Ex-Husband Wants Me Back): Chapter 351 - Chapter 360

I had sent them through his lawyer. Through his secretary. Through every channel I could think of. And every time, the response was the same: silence.He was ignoring the papers. Pretending they didn't exist. Living his life as if I had never been a part of it, as if our marriage had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience he could simply outlast.There had once been a time when I still clung to hope.A foolish part of me had believed that maybe, somewhere beneath all the lies and betrayals, Alistair still loved me. Maybe, in his own twisted way, he was trying to protect me. Maybe he was just confused. Maybe he needed time.Now I knew better.He was just a coward. Instead of facing reality, he chose to run from it. Instead of taking responsibility for his mistakes, he buried them beneath a carefully crafted fantasy and pretended the problem no longer existed.He wanted to have everything. The wife at home, the mistress in public, the daughter who worshipped him. He wanted to keep

MARL'S POV:I sat in my office, staring at the growing stack of case files on my desk without really seeing them.The afternoon light slanted through the blinds, casting stripes across the polished wood. Outside, the city hummed with the usual sounds of traffic and construction and people going about their ordinary lives. Inside, everything was still and silent. The way I liked it.People's perception of me was exactly what I had expected.Slightly wealthy. Highly capable. Picky about cases, the kind of lawyer who only took work that interested him. Difficult to work with. Constantly surrounded by wealthy acquaintances who tolerated me because I was useful.Some of the jealous ones whispered behind my back. They said my high win rate came from flattering rich clients or using underhanded tactics. They said I had never won a case on merit alone. They said I was a fraud wearing a fancy suit.Even some so-called friends believed it.I had heard the whispers for years. They slid through c

MARL'S POV:I leaned back in my chair. "Tell me more about this friend of yours."Hotch's expression softened. His eyes drifted toward the window, and something flickered across his face, something that looked almost like longing."She was my junior in law school. Same year, different class. We studied together, worked on cases together, spent late nights in the library together." He paused. "She was the smartest person I ever met. Could have done anything. Could have been anything. But she fell in love with the wrong man and threw it all away.""The wrong man?""Alistair Vane."The name landed in the room like a stone dropped into still water. I kept my face neutral, but my pulse quickened."Vane," I repeated. "The tech guy? The one who's always in the news with that actress?""That's him." Hotch's jaw tightened. "He married my friend years ago, and she gave up everything for him. Her career, her independence, her sense of self. And now he's thrown her aside for someone else. Draggin

MARY'S POV:"Is he here on Alistair's behalf?" I asked. The words came out sharper than I intended. "Is this supposed to be a warning?"Hotch blinked, confusion flickering across his face. "What? No. Marl is—""I'm not here for Alistair," Marl cut in. His eyes held mine, steady and sure. "I'm here because Hotch asked me to help with your case.""You're his friend.""I was his friend. I'm not sure I am anymore."Those words again. He had said them before, in my driveway, in the darkness of his car. I wanted to believe them. I wanted to trust him. But trust was a luxury I could no longer afford."I appreciate everything you've done for me," I said carefully. "I do. But you have to understand, you're still Alistair's closest friend. You've known him for years. You've been at his parties, watched him with Vesper, and you never said anything.""What was I supposed to say?"I didn't have an answer for that.Hotch looked between us, his confusion deepening. "Wait. You two know each other?""

MARL'S POV:Her expression shifted. The openness I had seen when she walked through the door, the guarded hope, the fragile trust, hardened into something colder. More distant and more careful."This is a professional meeting," she said, and her voice was polite but firm. "It doesn't require anyone else's approval. It doesn't need to take place under someone else's supervision."I felt the words land like a slap.She thought I was checking on her for Alistair. She thought I was reporting back to him, feeding him information, betraying her trust.I opened my mouth to correct her, to explain, to tell her that I was on her side, but the words wouldn't come.What could I say? That I had pulled her out of a cell because I couldn't stand to see her suffering? That I had driven her home and wrapped her in my coat because something about her made me want to protect her? That I had been thinking about her ever since, even though I knew I shouldn't be?She wouldn't believe me. She had no reason