Lahat ng Kabanata ng After the Divorce, My Ex Husband Came Crawling Back: Kabanata 131 - Kabanata 140

ARIANAIt's been three days since I last heard from Durrell.My last message to him was delivered but not read. I didn't think much of it at first. Yesterday was swallowed by meetings with Chris, another contractor problem at the Wolves, and two conference calls with Alaric's office over Maxwell's petition.By the time I got home, my head was pounding. I took another pill, ate half my dinner, and fell asleep before I could check my phone again.When I finally wake, sunlight is already pouring through the curtains. I reach for my phone on instinct.10:17 a.m.Too late. I groan and drag myself off the bed. Mrs. P must have taken the twins downstairs hours ago.My heart sinks before I even unlock the screen. No missed calls, and no new messages. My message is still sitting there, unread.For the first time since Durrell left, unease settles properly in my chest. It's not fear. It's just a feeling that something is wrong.Durrell isn't the kind of man who disappears. If he can't talk, he

ARIANAThere's a brief pause. "Regarding Mr. Cox?" His assistant asks."Yes. I want confirmation of where he is, who he's met, and whether there have been any incidents since he arrived.""I'll begin immediately.""Report directly to me.""Understood." He turns and leaves.And just like that, with no drama and no wasted motion, my Durrell problem is handed to someone capable of solving it. This somehow eases the tightness in my chest. "Thank you."He picks his coffee back up, unmoved by the gratitude. "Don't thank me yet.""You think they'll find him?" I ask, needing the reassurance more than the answer."I think if anyone in Donderdam knows where he is, someone I know knows someone who knows them."That's the closest Victor has ever come to admitting the reach of his network, and somehow, it's oddly comforting."I'll let you know the moment I hear anything."I nod. "I appreciate it."He looks at me over the rim of his cup, something almost paternal crossing his face. "In the meantime

ARIANAFor the next two days, Chris and I go through everything, and I mean everything. The contractor exists, the company is registered, the invoices are legitimate, and the work listed on them was actually performed. The payments went through the proper accounts. Nothing screams fraud, theft, or anything irregular at all, and that's exactly what bothers me.I sit across from Chris in my study, staring at three folders spread across my desk, and papers scattered on the floor. "This makes no sense."Chris rubs a hand over his face. "I know." Exhaustion and worry in his voice."You said you found the source."I look at him with irritation."I thought I did," he admits, giving me an apologetic look. "I found the point where the money starts behaving strangely, but I didn't realize how carefully it had been buried."I lean back. "Show me."Chris pulls his laptop closer and turns it toward me. "There." I see a series of transactions appear on the screen. "The contractor receives payment

ARIANAThe twins are thrilled because they get to go to the park. And for some unknown reason, the pain reduces just seeing them happy, so the idea of going settles well with me.When we get there, Thea runs toward the swings, and Ethan heads for the slide with his dinosaur tucked beneath one arm. Mrs. Patricia follows them, laughing as she tries to keep up with both.I sit on a bench for a while. The fresh air helps, a little. Then my stomach twists again, and I stand, which turns out to be a bad idea, because the world tilts, and I grab the bench as my knees weaken. I try to breathe through it, once, twice, but the pain only gets worse, then I crouch instinctively, one hand pressed against my stomach.I hear Mrs. Patricia calling my name from somewhere behind me. Then another voice cuts through the noise, familiar in a way that stops me. "Grace?"I try to straighten, but I can't. All I know is that the next second, strong arms catch me before I hit the ground."Mason?" I whisper th

ARIANAThursday arrives too quickly, by then, the pain is under control enough for me to sit through the meeting without wincing or unconsciously touching my stomach.At exactly ten in the morning, I sit across a polished conference table from the man I once thought I would spend the rest of my life with.Maxwell sits beside his lawyer, and I sit beside Alaric. There are other people in the room too. Assistants, legal representatives, and people whose job is to take notes while the four of us carefully avoid saying what we actually mean.I look at Maxwell. He looks calm, too calm. I notice that his lawyer is not one of the usual Cox family attorneys.An interesting development.I glance at Alaric. He notices me noticing, but neither of us says anything.Maxwell catches my look, and a faint smile touches his mouth. He knows exactly what I'm thinking.He didn't come here with Victor's people. Good. At least he's learned something. Using the Cox family lawyers would have made this even mo