Lahat ng Kabanata ng THE BARREN EX-WIFE WHO CAME BACK: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

VANESSA’S POV “Tell me, Vanessa—does my brother fuck you better than I do?” I froze in the doorway. I’d just come back from the hospital. The pain from the miscarriage I had six months ago still hadn’t gone away, and today it had been unbearable. I’d been vomiting and feeling pain in my stomach for hours. The doctor had run several tests, examining me while I tried not to break down on that cold table. And now my husband stood in our living room asking me something that didn’t make any sense. “What?” I whispered. Sebastian turned around, and the look on his face stopped my heart. I’d never seen him look at me like this—with pure hatred and disgust, like I was the most vile thing he’d ever seen. That’s when I noticed he was shirtless. His hair was also messy and wet, like he’d just stepped out of the shower, but there was something else. He looked like he’d just had sex. I pushed the thought away immediately. He’d probably just worked out or something, and I was being parano

VANESSA’S POV I suddenly opened my eyes to blinding white light and the steady beeping of machines. My head throbbed with a dull, persistent ache that seemed to pulse in rhythm with whatever was beeping nearby. I blinked several times, trying to clear my vision, and slowly the blurred shapes above me began to sharpen into faces. Nurses in their uniform, and a doctor in a white coat—all of them staring down at me with expressions I couldn’t quite read. Panic clawed at my chest. Where was I? What happened to me? Why were all these people hovering over me? “She’s awake,” someone announced, their voice cutting through the fog in my brain. I tried to sit up, but pain exploded through my entire body—my head, my ribs, and my legs—forcing me back down against the pillow with a sharp gasp. “W-where am I…” My voice came out hoarse and weak, barely above a whisper. My heart started racing and the monitor beside me beeped faster. There were still too many people in the room and I couldn

SEVEN YEARS LATERSEBASTIAN’S POVI adjusted my Rolex as my driver navigated through downtown traffic, and I couldn’t help the satisfied smile that spread across my face.Life was absolutely perfect.Seven years ago, I’d closed that tech acquisition deal that made me a billionaire overnight. But that was nothing compared to what I’d built since then. Lancaster Global Industries—the company I’d inherited from my father after his death three years ago—was now worth over fifteen billion dollars and climbing.Fifteen billion.The number still felt surreal sometimes, even to me.I glanced at my phone and saw the news notification that had been trending all morning: “Sebastian Lancaster Does It Again: LGI Signs Major Shareholder Deal with Anonymous Investor.”Anonymous Investor.That part annoyed me slightly because I liked knowing exactly who I was doing business with, but my legal team had assured me everything was legitimate. This mysterious shareholder had purchased a thirty percent sta

VANESSA'S POV Seven years. It'd been seven years since Sebastian Lancaster shattered my entire world, and now I was standing in his boardroom about to return the favor. Seven years ago, Sebastian had destroyed me so completely I didn't recognize myself in the mirror. He'd called me barren, useless, and a failure as a wife. He'd fucked my best friend and blamed me for a sex tape I'd never made. Then he'd thrown divorce papers in my face while I recovered from being hit by a car. But that broken girl was dead now. I'd rebuilt someone stronger in her place. The woman standing in this boardroom wore a red Valentino dress that was extremely expensive. I owned a mansion in Manhattan, a thriving event-planning company trusted by billionaires and world leaders, and enough money in my accounts to never worry again. And I was about to rip Sebastian's entire empire away from him. I'd signed a contract marriage with Nicholas seven years ago in that hospital room. I was going to play his de

VANESSA'S POVMy hands gripped the edge of the sink as I stared at my reflection. My makeup was still perfect, my hair still in place—I looked exactly like the woman who'd walked into this building an hour ago, confident and untouchable.Sebastian wouldn't break me.Not again.I fixed a strand of hair, straightened my dress, and took a deep breath.The elevator ride down gave me time to compose myself completely. By the time the doors slid open to the lobby, I was already feeling confident.I immediately heard voices—lots of them—along with the unmistakable sound of cameras clicking and reporters shouting questions. There was a crowd gathered near the entrance, and Nicholas stood in the center of it all, surrounded by microphones and recording devices, looking completely at ease like he'd been born for this.It seemed like the news of his return had spread worldwide. Nicholas was even giving a speech to the media."—the transition will be smooth," he was saying to a reporter. "I have