Semua Bab The Unwanted Wife's Return (Ex-Husband Wants Me Back): Bab 381 - Bab 390

MARY'S POV:​A huge wave of relief washed over his face, softening the harsh lines around his eyes. "Thank you, Mary."​"Do not thank me," I told him, stepping past him into the hall. "I am not doing a single thing for you."​He did not say anything back.*​The drive across town was completely quiet.​I sat in the front passenger seat, leaning my temple against the cold glass of the window, watching the streetlights and dark shop windows blur past. I knew these roads well. I had driven down them hundreds of times over the years, but tonight the whole city felt distant and unfamiliar. The high streetlamps threw long, strange shadows across the dark asphalt, and the tall office buildings on either side of the road looked like dark shapes watching us pass by.​Alistair was driving much too fast. His hands were clamped around the steering wheel so tightly that his skin looked pale, and his eyes stayed locked on the road ahead. I could see the hard strain in his neck muscles and the tight

MARY'S POV:​A heavy, ice-cold chill settled deep inside my chest.​I stood completely still near the open door, staring at the middle-aged woman who had just spoken. It was Alistair's mother, Beatrice. This was the same woman who had welcomed me into her family with open arms years ago, who had held my hands tightly on my wedding day, and who had sat by my hospital bed crying tears of joy when Elowen was born.​Yet here she was, sitting comfortably inside Vesper's private hospital room, looking as if this was the exact place she belonged.​Had she really taken Vesper's side behind my back?​The thought alone made my stomach turn upside down. I had trusted Beatrice with all my heart. I had loved her like family because she was the anchor I never had growing up. She was the one who checked on me through my pregnancy, who sat up with me during those dark post-partum months, and who kept me company on the countless long nights when Alistair was out late and I was left alone with a crying

MARY'S POV:​I watched his hands linger on her blanket. I watched the way he searched her face to see if she was in pain, his voice dropping into that quiet, soothing tone he used to reserve only for me years ago. I watched Vesper look up at him through her eyelashes, her lips slightly open, looking at him as if he were her hero.​None of it surprised me anymore.​I had seen this same closeness between them too many times to count. He always moved toward her like pulled by a magnet. He had chosen her over me in public, defended her against the press, and left me behind to deal with the fallout alone.​The only thing I could not figure out was why Vesper was still putting on this show.​She had already won. She had taken my husband, wrecked my home, and ruined my peace of mind. What else was there left for her to take?​Was she trying to win over Alistair's mother too? Alistair was already completely wrapped around her finger, ready to give her whatever she wanted. He had given up his

MARY'S POV:​The heavy leather handbag struck Alistair directly across his left shoulder with a deep thwack, making a loud sound that seemed to ring against the hard hospital walls for several seconds. He stumbled back a few quick paces, his arms going wide to catch his balance, his mouth hanging half open in total disbelief. His hand came right up to rub the sore spot on his shoulder where the bag had landed, and his expression quickly changed from complete surprise to something much darker and more angry. The blow had landed hard enough to leave a deep bruise on his skin through his shirt, and I was sure it was going to hurt for days. Beatrice had never been a weak woman, and when she got truly angry about something, she never held back her strength.​His short dark hair was messed up from the movement, with a few strands falling across his forehead. He looked completely unraveled, his sharp clothes wrinkled, and the calm control he liked to show the world was suddenly tearing apart

MARY'S POV:​I could see it in the tight set of her jaw and the cold look in her eyes. She saw through every bit of Vesper's little routine, and she was not going to let her spin the story. Beatrice had been around long enough to know when someone was putting on an act, and she was far too smart to be fooled by a woman like Vesper.​As I stood there taking in the whole room, I noticed something else.​The door to the room had been left cracked open. The hospital walls were thin, and everyone inside had been raising their voices.​I could hear soft whispers coming from the hallway outside, the sound of shoes scuffling against the clean floor, and the faint rustle of clothing. People were gathering right outside the door, drawn in by the loud fighting, waiting to get a good look at the drama unfolding in Room 412. I could see dark shadows moving along the strip of light under the door, showing that a small crowd was standing out there.​They wanted to see the fight. They wanted to see r