All Chapters of He Divorced Me On Our Anniversary: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

86 Chapters

31. In-Laws at the Door

Lena’s POVI knew something was different the moment I heard the car on the gravel not the usual sound of a neighbor’s truck or Keenan coming home from town. I was standing at the kitchen sink and my hands deep in soapy water, staring at nothing while I scrubbed the same plate for the third time when there was a knock I wiped my hands on a towel, my fingers shaking as walked down the hallway toward the front door. My mind kept screaming that I should not open it but something deep inside me already knew who it was I opened the door slowly.Caroline stood on the porch one hand resting on the railing her other hand holding her handbag as if it was the only thing keeping her steady. John stood just behind her, his face looked older than I remembered and for a heartbeat none of us moved but then Caroline made a small sound. “Oh, Lena,” she whispered.Before I could stop myself and before I could even think tears filled my eyes as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me so tight

Last Updated : 2026-01-18

32. The death threat

Ethan POVMy phone rings when I’m halfway through a glass of water I don’t remember pouring.I almost ignore it.I have been doing that a lot lately, ignoring calls, messages and the quiet because the quiet lets my head run too far ahead of me. But something about this number makes my stomach twist before I even think about it.Private number.I set the glass down too hard, water spilled over the edge and onto the counter, but I don’t wipe it up. My hand is already shaking when I answer.“Yeah,” I say. “Talk.”His voice comes through low and rushed, nothing like before when my father brough him over. Not confident. Not calm.“We can’t talk like this,” he says. “You need to meet me.”I straighten. “Meet you where.”“Somewhere private,” he says. “Not your office or your house. Let's make it somewhere you don’t normally go.”I laugh once, sharp and wrong. “You’re the one who told me everything was under control.”“It was,” he snaps. “but it isn’t anymore.”I run a hand through my hair an

Last Updated : 2026-01-19

33. The knock

Ethan POVThe knock comes when I’m standing in the kitchen staring at nothing.Not hard. Not soft either. Just firm enough that it says I’m not leaving until you answer.My first thought is stupid. It’s Lena.My second thought is worse. It’s whoever sent that message.I don’t move right away. I stand there with my hands on the counter, heart thumping so loud it feels like it might give me away. I tell myself to breathe. In. Out. Slow. I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t kill anyone. I didn’t even know the man was dead until five minutes ago, if that.The knock comes again.I walk to the door and look through the peephole.A man stands there with tired eyes and a badge clipped to his belt. Plain clothes. No uniform. He looks like someone who hasn’t slept enough and drinks too much coffee. Behind him is another guy, younger, trying too hard to look serious.I open the door.“Yes,” I say.“Ethan Carter,” the older man says.“That’s me.”“Detective Raynolds,” he says, holding up his badg

Last Updated : 2026-01-19

34. Growing condident

Lena POVI never thought I would be the kind of person who people listened to.Not really.Back then I was the quiet kid. The one who learned early that staying small kept you safe. At the orphanage, loud kids got punished first. The pushy kids got ignored. The ones who survived were the ones who blended in who didn’t need much, who learned how to nod and smile and say thank you even when nothing felt okay.So standing in the middle of the town hall with a clipboard in my hands people actually waiting for me to speak, still feels unreal.“Okay,” I say, clearing my throat. “If the food stalls go along this side, then the kids’ games should be closer to the park so they don’t get trampled when it gets busy.”A couple heads nod and someone scribbles a note.Ruth beams at me from the other side of the table like I just cured cancer. “That’s exactly what I was thinking,” she says. “See, I told you she is good at this.”I feel heat crawl up my neck. “I’m just trying to make sure no one gets

Last Updated : 2026-01-19

35. Lines Being Crossed

Lena’s POVBy the time the week of the carnival really kicks off, I barely remember what it feels like to sit still.I wake up tired and I go to bed even more tired, and somewhere in between I am everywhere at once. I’m carrying boxes, taping signs, handing out paintbrushes, answering questions I don’t even know the answers to yet. If something needs doing, someone seems to look at me and say, “Hey Lena, can you—” and before they finish the sentence I’m already nodding.I don’t mind it. That’s the strange part.It feels good to be needed in a way that doesn’t feel fake. Not polite smiles or pity looks. Actual trust. Real work. People handing me responsibility like it makes sense that I should have it.Ruth keeps laughing and telling everyone I’m running the whole damn thing, even though she’s still the one with the clipboard and the sharp eye that misses nothing. Jess jokes that if I disappear for five minutes the town might actually fall apart, which makes me laugh even when my feet

Last Updated : 2026-01-20

36. Pressure points

Ethan’s POV The quiet in this place isn’t peaceful. It’s loud in its own way. It presses in on me, follows me, sticks to my back like sweat. Every room feels wrong without her in it, like the house knows she left and hasn’t forgiven me for it. I don’t remember when I last slept through the night. I lie there staring at the ceiling most nights, phone on my chest, waiting for it to buzz. Waiting for a name that never shows up. When I do fall asleep, it’s shallow and stupid, the kind where you wake up feeling worse than before. My head hurts. My jaw hurts from grinding my teeth. My thoughts won’t shut the hell up. No leads. No calls. Nothing. Just silence. I’m standing in the kitchen, coffee going cold on the counter because I forgot it was there, when my phone finally rings. I grab it too fast, hope punching me right in the gut before I even check the screen. “Carter,” I say. “It’s Reynolds,” the detective says. That hope drops fast. “Tell me you found something,” I say anywa

Last Updated : 2026-01-20

37. Cracks in the town

Lena’s POVI notice the flyers before I even read them.That sounds stupid, but it’s true. It’s the way they look. Too clean. Too glossy for this town. Pinned up straight, corners neat, paper thick enough that the wind hasn’t curled it yet. They don’t belong on the old wooden notice board outside the grocery store or taped to the lamp post by the pier where kids usually stick missing cat signs and hand drawn ads for guitar lessons.I’m carrying a box of paper cups for Ruth, balanced awkwardly on my hip, when one catches my eye.Future Development Opportunities.That’s what it says in big letters, smiling letters, the kind that pretend nothing bad ever comes after them.I stop walking.A couple of people are standing near the board, not talking, just staring. One of them is Mr. Harlow from the bait shop. He’s been there longer than anyone. He used to slip free candy to kids when no one was looking. Right now his jaw is tight and his hands are shoved deep into his pockets like he doesn’

Last Updated : 2026-01-20

38. The thing Ryan isn't saying

Ryan’s POVI pick the place because it’s loud.That’s the first rule you don’t meet someone like Donavan in a quiet room, you meet him somewhere with noise and movement and too many people half listening. Somewhere where words get swallowed before they land.The bar smells like old beer and fried food and something sweet that is probably meant to cover the fact that the floor has never really been clean. There is a game on the TV that no one is watching properly, and the music is too loud for this time of the day, which works for me.Donavan’s already there when I walk in of course he is.He is sitting at the bar one elbow resting like he owns the place, suit jacket still on even though everyone else looks like they threw something on without thinking. He looks out of place and completely comfortable at the same time which I don’t like.He turns his head when he hears my steps.“Ryan,” he says, like we’re old friends who didn’t end badly. “You’re late.”“I’m right on time,” I reply, s

Last Updated : 2026-01-21

39. The Carnival Night

Lena’s POVBy the time the sun starts going down the whole town feels different almost as if it’s holding its breath and smiling through it at the same time.Lights are hanging across the main street crooked in places because no one here cares enough to make them perfect and honestly that’s part of why people love this night so much. Music blast from speakers that have been pulled from someone’s garage and kids are already running around with sticky fingers and painted faces even though half the booths aren’t fully ready yet.I’m everywhere and nowhere all at once.“Lena, can you help with the drinks,” someone yells.“Lena, where do these go,” another voice calls out.“Lena, do you know who’s running the dunk tank,” a kid asks tugging on my sleeve.I laugh and answer and move and forget to think too hard about anything because if I stop, even for a second, that tight feeling in my chest comes back.For a few hours it almost feels normal not perfect and sure not safe exactly. Just norm

Last Updated : 2026-01-21

40. The wrong kind of quiet

Lena’s POVThe morning after the carnival feels off even before I open my eyes.It’s not loud hangover chaos or tired relief like I expected. It’s quiet in a way that doesn’t feel earned as if everyone agreed not to talk about something and no one said it out loud. The air through the cracked window doesn’t smell like sugar and fried dough anymore just salt and cold and something sharp underneath it.I lie there staring at the ceiling longer than I should my phone is still on the nightstand the screen dark. No missed calls or messages. That makes my stomach twist harder than if it had been all night.“Keenan,” I say out loud just to hear his name.Nothing answers.I get up and pull on clothes without thinking much about it, jeans, hoodie and my hair shoved into a messy knot. When I step outside, the street looks normal at first glance. The same houses, boats down by the docks and the same dog barking two streets over.But people don’t look at each other the same way.Two women talking

Last Updated : 2026-01-21

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