After The Divorce: Ex-husband's Regret의 모든 챕터: 챕터 111 - 챕터 120

The phone rang while Matthew was still standing in the middle of the living room, the silence from moments ago clinging to him in a way that made the sound feel intrusive.He glanced at the screen. An unfamiliar number.For a second, he let it ring, his thumb hovering just above the display as if answering it required more than a simple decision. Then it rang again persistently.He answered. “Hello?”“Mr. Matthew Taylor.”The voice was measured, precise, carrying the kind of restraint that did not need to raise itself to be taken seriously.Matthew straightened slightly. “Yes, speaking.”“This is Mr. Cole from Veritas Lending Group. I believe you are aware of the financial agreements tied to Taylor Holdings.”Matthew’s fingers tightened around the phone.“Yes,” he said, his tone carefully neutral. “I am aware. I have been meaning to—”“You have been unresponsive,” the man cut in, “And your absence has been noted.”Matthew’s jaw tightened.“I have not been unresponsive,” he replied. “T

The front door opened with a quiet click that did not match the tension it carried. Matthew stepped inside first, his movements purposeful, followed closely by two men whose presence filled the space without effort. They did not speak as they entered, but their eyes moved—over the furniture, the walls, the details that made the house feel lived in. Sophie looked up from the couch, the remote still resting loosely in her hand. Her gaze flickered from Matthew to the men behind him, then back again, something unreadable settling in her expression. Matthew did not meet her eyes. “You can go ahead,” he said to the men, his voice even, almost detached. “Look around.” One of them gave a short nod. The other had already started walking, his steps measured, deliberate, as though he were cataloging everything without needing to say a word. Sophie straightened slowly, her fingers tightening slightly around the remote before she set it aside. “What is this?” she asked, her voice calm, but

The television filled the room with soft light and scattered laughter, the kind that rose easily and faded without consequence. Ava leaned back into the couch, one hand resting lightly against her stomach, her shoulders finally easing in a way they had not in days. Grace sat beside her, one leg tucked under the other, her attention split between the screen and Ava’s reactions. “You see that?” Grace said, pointing lightly toward the television. “That is exactly what I was telling you earlier. He is pretending, and she is the only one who cannot see it.” Ava laughed, the sound quieter than it used to be. “I think she sees it,” Ava replied. “She just does not want to admit it yet.” Grace turned to look at her, studying her face for a moment. “That sounds personal,” she said. Ava’s smile lingered, but something in her eyes shifted slightly, like a thought brushing too close to the surface. “It is not,” she said after a second, her voice light, almost dismissive. Grace hu

The last suitcase clicked shut inside the trunk with a dull metallic sound that echoed faintly through the quiet compound.Matthew stood beside the car without moving.The evening air carried the scent of damp concrete and trimmed grass, the same scent that had greeted him every night for years whenever he came home late from work. The lights along the driveway glowed softly against the fading sky, illuminating the house behind him in warm gold.His house. Or at least, it had been.The windows were still open upstairs. One curtain shifted gently with the breeze.Matthew stared at it longer than he meant to.Three years of mornings, arguments, silence, and lies.Ava walking barefoot down the stairs with sleep still lingering in her eyes.Ava sitting by the dining waiting for him long after dinner had gone cold.Ava smiling at him in ways he had stopped deserving long before she finally left.His jaw tightened.The ache behind his ribs had become constant lately, settling deep enough th

The afternoon had gone strangely quiet. Rain tapped softly against the windows of Grace’s house while the television murmured faintly in the background, forgotten beneath the weight of paperwork spread across the dining table. Ava sat hunched over her laptop, one hand pressed against the side of her stomach as she stared at the numbers on the screen without truly seeing them. Grace walked in carrying two cups of tea and paused when she noticed the tension locked across Ava’s shoulders. “You have been sitting there for nearly three hours,” she said gently, setting the mugs down. “At least drink something.” Ava blinked slowly and rubbed her forehead. “I will.” “You always say that.” Grace pulled out the chair beside her and sat down carefully. “What did Mr. Cole say this morning?” Ava swallowed. “He said the remaining balance still has to be cleared before the extension closes.” “And?” “And the interest keeps increasing.” Grace sighed quietly. “We already expected that.”