All Chapters of He Divorced Me On Our Anniversary: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Lena's POVI woke slowly to the soft light filtering through the curtains. For a moment, I was not sure where I was. The room felt familiar, safe, and quiet. Three months. Three whole months I had been here, living a life I never knew I could create for myself. Three months away from Los Angeles, away from Ethan, away from everything I used to know. I stretched, my muscles stiff from sleeping too long, and let my eyes wander around the room. Everything was in its place – nothing too fancy, nothing I had to worry about breaking.I rubbed my eyes and let my mind drift back to three weeks after I first arrived. I had called John and Caroline, Ethan’s parents, and told them I was okay, alive, somewhere far away. They were the only ones who knew exactly where I was. I made them promise not to tell anyone, and they kept their word. It had been strange at first, talking to them without Ethan in the conversation, without pretending I was okay with everything. But now I felt lighter, as if tha

Lena’s POVI wake up before the sun fully breaks over the water and the house is quiet.I turn my head and see the empty pillow beside me. Keenan is already up which doesn’t surprise me he haven't slept properly all week, too wired, too excited, too terrified about today.The bookstore, his bookstore. I push myself up slowly feeling that familiar pull in my lower back and swing my legs over the side of the bed. The floor is cool under my feet when I stand and for a second I just stay there breathing.From downstairs, I can hear voices. Keenan talking fast, Ruth answering louder. I smile before I even mean to. I throw on a dress that hangs gently over my body and run my fingers through my hair, not bothering to make it neat then step out into the hallway.The stairs creak under my feet as I make my way down and by the time I reach the kitchen the smell hits me first. Coffee, eggs and something sweet burning just a little.Ruth is standing at the stove, her hair piled up in a messy bun a

Lena's POVAs soon as I came to my senses, I forced my face into something polite, something calm, like I hadn’t just felt my stomach drop straight through the floor.“Donovan?” I said slowly, almost like I was asking myself instead of him, like maybe if I said it wrong he’d disappear and I could tell myself this was just my brain doing that thing where it drags up old faces when you least expect them.He stared at me for a second, then smiled, and that’s when it really hit me.He looked the same and he didn’t, all at once. Same eyes. Same mouth. Same way of standing like he took up more space than he needed. But the boy I remembered was gone. The skinny twelve year old with scraped knees and hands always shoved in his pockets had turned into a man, broad shoulders filling out an expensive jacket, hair cut neat, confidence sitting on him like he’d practiced wearing it.“Yeah,” he said. “It’s me.”I nodded once, still holding my grocery basket like I might need it to keep myself uprigh

Lena’s POVKeenan has gone off to bed and I sit here with the box infront of me. I tell myself not to look again but I had to make sure it was real and that I wasn't imagining things. My fingers shake when I finally reach for it my memory feels fuzzy.I lift the lid slowly again and for a moment, my brain doesn’t register what I’m seeing just thick and glossy paper then my breath leaves my body in one hard rush the first photo lies face up, Ethan in a bed I recognize our bed, his hair is messy like it gets in the morning, sheets tangled around his waist, his bare chest exposed in a way that used to feel safe, familiar, mine and beside him Maya. Her head resting on his shoulder, her dark hair spread across his chest, her hand curled against his skin like she belongs there.My heart breaks and I don’t move I can’t.This can’t be real this has to be fake someone edited this but the room is too familiar. The pillowcases, the lamp on the bedside table, the framed photo of us on the nightsta

Lena’s POVThe day starts wrong before I even open my eyes. I wake up tangled in the sheets of Keenan’s parents’ vacation house and for a second I forget where I was. I sit up slowly, rubbing my face and try to shake the heaviness off my chest. My phone is silent on the nightstand. No messages, no missed calls and it stings more than I want to admit.Keenan is already up I hear him moving around in the kitchen, humming under his breath like the world isn’t falling apart around me. I pull on one of his old hoodies and walk barefoot down the hallway. He looks up when I step into the kitchen. “Morning, grumpy,” he says with a grin flipping a pancake in the pan like he actually knows what he is doing.I lean against the counter. “If you burn those I’m disowning you.”He laughs. “Bold words for someone who can’t even make toast.”We eat quietly and when we finish I grab my bag. “I’m going to the café,” I say.“I will walk you,” he replies instantly.I shake my head. “I’m fine. I will be ba