บททั้งหมดของ Married to a Narcissist, Pregnant With My Ex’s Child: บทที่ 31 - บทที่ 40

Tom’s POV. Lisa sat sideways on my lap, one arm looped loosely around my neck, the other scrolling through pictures on her phone. Sunlit beaches. Private villas. “Look,” she said. “This one has private villas. No crowds. Just us.” I glanced at the photo. Clear water. White walls. “Looks nice,” I said. She squealed and placed her phone on the table, satisfied. She placed a hand on my chest, her fingers tracing light circles. “I’m tired of cities,” she went on. “I want somewhere where time doesn’t matter. I chuckled. “That’s new.” “Oh…honey.” A knock sounded on the door. I glanced at Lisa. She pouted, then stood up slowly and smoothed her skirt. “Come in,” I said. My secretary walked in. “Sir,” she hesitated, holding out the tablet. “The service center called. The work on your wife’s car was authorized this morning.” I looked up. “I didn’t approve anything.” “No, sir. It was authorized by a Mr. Rowland Brooke.” Lisa’s lips curved. “Interesting” I rubb

She took a seat beside me, sighing deeply.“What’s wrong, Selene?”I looked down at my fingers on my lap.“I think… I should just go back.”Her brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”“I mean, I can’t fight Tom. And I don’t want to lose Amira. Tom is never going to sign those divorce papers without causing a fit. He really doesn’t like to lose, and I don’t like drama either.”“So what you are saying is, after successfully taking the bold step to walk away. You are considering going back to Tom because…?”“Oh, I just don’t know.” I buried my face in my fingers.I let out a shaky breath, her words causing a hollow feeling in my chest.I straightened. “This battle… it feels too big for me,” I murmured. “Tom… he’s never going to let this go quietly. I can already hear him arguing, manipulating… dragging everything into a mess I don’t want to deal with.”Selene leaned closer. “Selene… I get it. I really do. But you don’t have to face it alone. If it ever gets out of hand, we’ll handle it. Even

Selene’s POV.Sophie left before sunrise. She was excited for the next phase in her life, and I couldn’t be happier for her.I braided Amira’s hair and got her prepared for school. Tom’s threat still lingered in my head. I pushed it as far back as I could.I had to resort to the school bus for Amira. I couldn’t keep up with taking Amira to school and making it on time for work.I walked into the Lyric Press building with butterflies in my belly. The reception was quite warm and friendly. I smiled all through, taking in the aura of the people here.And now, here I was, sitting at the long conference table in an orientation meeting with the other newbies as well. Work tags have been given to us.Rita, my new work colleague/friend, sat next to me. Diligently taking down notes. She had published her first and only book a few months back, which got me more than interested. She wasn’t here for the money, just for the experience.My phone buzzed once.I ignored it.It buzzed again.I glanced

Rowland’s POV I didn’t go to work today. My mind spiraled. I hated seeing Selene look that way. She looked so fragile, so pale. I walked to my wine cellar and popped open a bottle of champagne. I closed my eyes, savoring the feel of the alcohol going down my throat. How was I going to help Selene? Losing custody of Amira would break her. I have seen how alert she is around her. The poor girl was in the middle of all this. I blame myself; I should have been there to stop everything! My fingers curled beside me, body tensed. The doorbell rang. I paused, my eyes narrowing. I wasn’t expecting anyone today, and Ben wasn’t coming back from his vacation till next week. It couldn’t be Mother either. I placed my drink carefully on the counter and walked to my office. I peep at the computer that displayed the image my CCTV camera captured from the outside. Elena stood at the front door. Holding a tray of some sort. I lowered my head and exhaled. Right.

Selene’s POV. I tossed the scrambled piece of paper into the trash for the thirteenth time. My head was a big mess. I stared at the report I was given to take care of as part of my team contribution to the magazine and I had only two days to turn it in. I placed my head on the desk slowly. I hadn’t even gone a full month on here and I was already slacking. After I left the meeting three days ago Natalie, my lawyer had gotten into my car. “Talk to me,” she said, buckling in. “You hinted at something in there.” I gripped the steering wheel, staring straight ahead. The building still loomed in front of us, glass and steel and everything I was trying to hold together. “He’s cheating,” I said quietly. Natalie didn’t react. Not even a blink. She waited. “With Lisa,” I added. “She’s pregnant.” That did it. Natalie exhaled slowly, like she’d just been handed a missing puzzle piece. “Good,” she said. I turned to her, startled. “Good?” “Not morally,” she clarified. “Legally.” My h