บททั้งหมดของ THE BARREN EX-WIFE WHO CAME BACK: บทที่ 71 - บทที่ 80

VANESSA'S POVWe were on our way home in Nicholas's Bentley, and I still couldn't believe it was over.The FBI raid had happened at dawn—exactly as Nicholas said it would. I'd woken to the sound of agents storming the building, shouting orders, and gunfire echoing through the halls. The entire operation had been swift and brutal. Within thirty minutes, every man involved in the trafficking ring had been arrested or subdued.Nicholas had gotten me out quickly, navigating through the chaos while FBI agents secured the building. There had been a confrontation near the exit—one of the guards had tried to stop us, and Nicholas had fought him hand-to-hand. The man had a knife, and it had been terrifying watching them struggle, but Nicholas had won.All the women being held for auction had been rescued. The buyers who'd shown up had been arrested. The entire operation was shut down.And now I was sitting in the passenger seat of Nicholas's car, wrapped in an FBI-issued blanket over the awful

VANESSA'S POV The week after Nicholas got out of the hospital passed in a strange blur of normalcy that felt anything but normal. Nicholas had been released after three days of observation and blood transfusions. The doctors said he was lucky to be alive, that another hour of bleeding and they wouldn't have been able to save him. But he'd recovered with the same stubborn determination he approached everything else—ignoring the doctor's orders to rest, working from home when he should have been sleeping, refusing to acknowledge that he'd almost died protecting me. We didn't talk about what had happened. Not the kidnapping, not the auction, not the fact that he'd paid twenty million dollars to buy me and then nearly bled out from a knife wound he'd hidden for hours. We just... moved forward. Elijah went back to school. Nicholas went back to work at Lancaster Global Industries. I tried to settle back into our routine and pretend that everything was fine. It wasn't fine. But

VANESSA'S POVI stood there, Sebastian's arm wrapped around my waist, his body pressed against my side, completely frozen in shock.What was he doing?"Oh, my darlings," Grandma Mae said again, her voice trembling with emotion. "You don't know how much this means to me. Seeing you two still so in love after everything. It's what I've always prayed for."I opened my mouth to speak, to tell her the truth, but no words came out. Sebastian's hand tightened on my waist—another warning."We're very happy, Grandma," Sebastian said smoothly, like lying to a dying woman was the easiest thing in the world. "Aren't we, Vanessa?"He looked down at me expectantly, and I saw the challenge in his eyes. Was I really going to break her heart right now?"I—" I started, but Grandma Mae interrupted."Look at how she still blushes when you look at her," she said with a delighted laugh that quickly turned into a cough. "After all these years, Vanessa still looks at you like you hung the moon, Sebastian."E

VANESSA'S POVThe silence in the hospital room was deafening.Nicholas stood frozen in the doorway, his eyes locked on Sebastian's arm wrapped possessively around my waist. I watched his expression transform—shock melting into something dark and dangerous, his jaw clenching so hard I could see the muscle jump."Nicholas—" I started, trying to pull away from Sebastian.But Sebastian's grip tightened, his fingers digging into my side. And then, as if sensing exactly how much it would hurt Nicholas, Sebastian pulled me even closer against him, his thumb beginning to trace slow, deliberate circles on my hip.He was mocking Nicholas.Nicholas's hands clenched into fists at his sides, and I saw anger flash across his face—raw, violent and barely controlled."Sebastian, let go—" I whispered urgently.But Sebastian ignored me completely, his eyes locked on his brother with something that looked almost like triumph.Nicholas took one step into the room, his entire body radiating tension, and

SEBASTIAN'S POVAn hour later, I sat at the head of the dining table, freshly showered and dressed in casual slacks and a button-down shirt. Isabella sat to my right, practically glowing. She'd been touching me constantly since we'd come downstairs—her hand on my arm, her fingers trailing across my shoulders as she passed behind my chair, and her leg pressing against mine under the table."You should fuck me like that more often," she whispered softly, leaning close enough that her breath tickled my ear. "I've never seen you so... intense."I took a sip of my wine, saying nothing.Soon enough, Maya joined us quietly, cutting her chicken into small pieces. My daughter—seven years old with my dark hair and Isabella's delicate features. She'd been unusually quiet since returning from her sleepover at Vanessa's house."How was your visit with Elijah?" I asked, watching her carefully.Maya's face lit up immediately. "It was so fun, Daddy! Elijah has the coolest dinosaur collection, and M