After The Divorce: Ex-husband's Regret의 모든 챕터: 챕터 81 - 챕터 90

Ava sat straighter than her body wanted to allow, the hospital pillow pressed stiffly against her back, her fingers wrapped around the edge of the tray like it might steady something deeper than her hands.The smell of the food drifted up, warm, in a way that made her hesitate before taking the first bite.Across from her, the woman adjusted the tray slightly, nudging it closer.“You should eat while it’s still warm.”Ava nodded, her grip loosening just enough for her to pick up the spoon.“Thank you,” she said, her voice quieter than she intended.The woman gave a small nod, settling back into the chair beside the bed, her eyes lingering just long enough to make sure Ava actually started eating.Ava lifted the spoon.The first bite felt heavier. Her throat worked around it slowly.Then again and again.The silence between them wasn’t empty. It stretched, careful, like neither of them wanted to disturb something fragile that had just begun to settle.After a moment, Ava glanced up.“Y

By the time Matthew got home, the night had already settled into something heavy and unmoving. The drive from the airport blurred into fragments—lights, turns, the low hum of the engine—but the moment the door clicked open, everything sharpened again. The house greeted him with silence. He stepped in, dropping his suitcase just inside the door, the dull thud echoing faintly across the room. His hand was already reaching for his phone before the door fully shut behind him. He pressed the call button. The line didn’t connect. His jaw tightened, his fingers pressing harder against the device as if that might force it through. “Ava,” he said under his breath, pacing forward into the sitting room. “Pick up.” He tried again, slower this time, watching the screen like it might change its mind. Still nothing. He exhaled, sharper now, his chest rising unevenly as he dragged a hand down his face. “She must have had a flat battery,” he muttered, the explanation forming quickly, settling

Morning did not arrive so much as press its way into the room, dragging a pale, reluctant light across the walls and settling over Matthew like a weight he could not shrug off. He woke into it with a dull ache behind his eyes, his neck bent at an angle that made him wince when he tried to move. For a moment, he stayed where he was, stretched awkwardly across the bed, one arm hanging halfway off the edge, his shoes still on, his shirt creased and clinging faintly to his skin. The air carried the stale quiet of a night that had not been rested through. His gaze shifted slowly, unfocused at first, until it landed on the papers beside him. They had not moved. The edges were slightly crumpled now, as though even paper could absorb the tension of a room like this. Matthew pushed himself up, his body resisting in small, stubborn ways. His shoulders rolled back stiffly, his hand dragging down his face as he exhaled through his nose. For a moment, he sat there. The memory of the night b

By the time Mr. Martins stepped out, and the sun had climbed higher, settling into a brightness that made everything look sharper. Matthew had not moved far from where he stood. One hand rested against the car roof, fingers spread, and unmoving. The other hung loosely by his side, his phone still caught in his grip. His shoulders carried a stiffness that hadn’t eased since he got there, as though something inside him had locked into place and refused to give. The glass doors parted. Mr. Martins walked through them with the kind of composure that came from years of practice. His suit sat perfectly on his frame, every line neat, every detail intentional. Even from a distance, there was something controlled about him, something deliberate in the way he approached. Matthew watched him come closer but didn’t ’t move. Mr. Martins stopped a few steps away, offering a polite nod. “Good morning, sir.” Matthew said nothing. The silence stretched just enough to make it clear it wasn’t

Ava had not moved far from where she sat on the edge of the bed. Her hands rested loosely in her lap, fingers tracing absent patterns against the fabric as the quiet settled around her in a way that felt unfamiliar but not entirely unwelcome.The room held its stillness well. The knock came soft but clear.Ava’s head lifted immediately, her shoulders straightening as if her body had been waiting for something to interrupt the silence.“Yes?” she called, already rising.Another knock, slightly firmer this time.She crossed the room and opened the door.A man stood there, tall, composed, his posture easy in a way that suggested familiarity with the house. Behind him, Grace stood a step back, her expression calm, her presence steady as ever.The man smiled. “Here are your suitcases, ma’am.”Ava’s gaze dropped briefly to the luggage beside him before returning to his face.“And you must be Robin?” she asked.“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, the smile lingering, polite without being overdone.Ava