บททั้งหมดของ THE BARREN EX-WIFE WHO CAME BACK: บทที่ 41 - บทที่ 50

VANESSA'S POV As soon as Elijah told me he was verbally bullied by Isabella, I lost my mind. My six-year-old son—my baby—stood before me with tears streaming down his face, telling me how Isabella had made him feel unwanted, unloved, and abandoned. The protective instincts that had been simmering since I walked into this mansion now exploded into a full-blown inferno. I could feel my hands trembling, not from fear or weakness, but from the sheer force of the rage coursing through my veins. Every maternal instinct in my body screamed at me to comfort Elijah, to hold him and never let go. But there was something else screaming louder—the stronger need to protect my child from anyone who dared to hurt him. And Isabella had hurt him. She'd terrorized him with her cruel words, planted seeds of doubt in his innocent mind, and made him question the one constant truth in his life: that his mother loved him unconditionally. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to remain calm on the outsi

VANESSA'S POVNicholas had just seen me naked.Completely, utterly naked.Still dripping wet from the shower where I'd just touched myself to thoughts of him—where I'd made myself come while imagining his hands on me, his mouth on me, his cock inside me.And now he was here, in the bathroom with me, staring at my body with such raw hunger it made my knees weak.Every instinct in my body was screaming at me to close the distance between us. To walk toward him, press my naked body against his, and finally feel what I'd been fantasizing about. My skin was still flushed and sensitive from my orgasm, my nipples hard, and between my legs I was still wet—not just from the shower.It would be so easy.Three steps. That's all it would take.Three steps and I could touch him, kiss him, feel those hard muscles under my hands instead of just imagining them.Three steps and I could find out if he wanted me as badly as I wanted him.But I couldn't move.Because this was a contract marriage.Because

VANESSA'S POVSebastian's hand remained extended, his eyes locked on mine with that infuriating confidence that said he knew I had no choice but to accept.The entire ballroom was silent, waiting.I didn't know what to do.My heart hammered against my ribs as I stared at that outstretched hand, paralyzed by indecision and the weight of hundreds of eyes on me. Then another hand appeared in my field of vision.Nicholas.He stepped smoothly between Sebastian and me, his body a protective barrier, his hand extended toward me with a warmth that contrasted sharply with Sebastian's calculated move."I believe this dance belongs to me," Nicholas said, his voice carrying clearly across the silent ballroom. "Vanessa is my wife, after all."The tension crackled like electricity.Sebastian's jaw clenched, his hand dropping slowly to his side. For a moment, I thought he might actually cause a scene, might challenge Nicholas right here in front of everyone.But he was too smart for that. "Of cours

VANESSA'S POVThe water was everywhere—in my lungs, my nose, my throat. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't do anything except thrash uselessly as the pool dragged me down into its depths.I was going to die.The thought was crystal clear even as panic consumed me.My dress was a weight around my legs, pulling me deeper. My arms flailed, trying to find purchase, trying to push myself up, but I didn't know how. I'd never learned to swim.No one could save me. Everyone was inside at the party, laughing and drinking and celebrating while I drowned in the pool.Who had pushed me?The question flashed through my oxygen-deprived brain as I sank deeper.Sebastian.It had to be him. We'd just argued in the bathroom. I'd threatened to destroy his reputation, his career, everything he'd built. Maybe he'd decided killing me was easier than risking exposure.But would he really go that far? Would he actually commit murder?Olivia.Nicholas's ex-girlfriend, the supermodel who'd been humi

SEBASTIAN'S POVMy phone buzzed for the tenth time in an hour, and I ignored it again.Isabella had been calling non-stop since last night, leaving increasingly frantic voicemails about Maya being missing. But I'd been too busy dealing with the aftermath of the gala—the whispers about Nicholas and Vanessa's dramatic exit after someone had pushed her into the pool, the questions from shareholders about the "family drama," the damage control with the board.Besides, Maya was with her nanny. She was fine.When my phone rang for the eleventh time, I finally answered."What?" I snapped."Maya slept over at Vanessa's house last night!" Isabella shrieked, her voice hysterical. "Your ex-wife had our daughter overnight without my permission! I just woke up and she was gone!"My blood ran cold."What did you just say?""Maya slept at Vanessa's house, Sebastian..." Isabella was crying now, her words coming out between sobs. "The nanny took her over yesterday to play with Elijah, and they never c