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Home / Romance / “Oops… That’s Your Loss, Ex-Husband” – / Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 29

Lahat ng Kabanata ng “Oops… That’s Your Loss, Ex-Husband” –: Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 29

29 Kabanata

Chapter Twenty - One

**MADEA** Matt Sebastian. Of all the people. Of all the nights. I sat there and stared at him and felt something shift quietly in my chest — not dramatically, not loudly, just enough to notice. He looked good. Better than good, honestly, which wasn't entirely fair. He had that same stillness about him, that same ease, like he never felt the need to fill a room just because he was in it. Older, yes. More settled into himself. But unmistakably, undeniably him. I had not said that name out loud in years. He had been the boy every girl in school wanted, and somehow — inexplicably — he had wanted me. Not the prettiest. Not the loudest. Me. And then his father's research took the whole family to Africa the summer after we graduated, and that was that. We stood outside school on his last day and I held myself together admirably, right up until the moment he hugged me. Then I didn't hold together at all. That was the last time I saw him. Until right now. In this restaurant. On

Chapter Twenty- Two

MONALISA “It’s nothing,” Jason said when I asked what was wrong. Just like that. Two words. Two tiny words, and a smile that was way too perfect, way too practiced. It could fool anyone who didn’t know him, and for a second, I almost let it fool me too. I wanted to take that excuse, wrap it around the tight, restless feeling in my chest, and just let it go. But I couldn’t. I knew that smile. I knew it like I knew every line on his face, every way his eyes betrayed him. And his eyes… his eyes never lied. “Come on,” he said, reaching for my hand. “Let’s just go as we planned.” I looked at him. Really looked. At his hand, stretched out to me. At the tired set of his jaw. At the face I had driven across the city just to see. Something was wrong. I’d felt it the moment I stepped inside, and now, standing in front of him, I wasn’t guessing anymore. I didn’t know what you were supposed to do when the man you loved looked at you like that—like he wanted you to understand, but also wante

Chapter Twenty - Three

MADEA I didn't know what to say. Honestly, I was still trying to figure it out when a scream came from somewhere behind me and we both turned at the same time. For a second — just one — I felt relieved. Which was terrible. But I did. It was a proposal. A guy was on one knee, ring out, hand shaking a little. The girl froze. Then her face just crumbled in the best way. She said yes before he even finished asking, pulling him up off the floor and into her arms. They were laughing and crying at the same time. The whole restaurant started cheering. I watched longer than I meant to. There was something about them — the way they were holding on to each other — that made my chest feel tight in a way I wasn't expecting. And just like that, my mind drifted somewhere else entirely. To Jason. We never had that. No knee on the floor, no ring catching the light, no room full of strangers cheering us on. No fairytale. Not even close. And somehow I had still ended up married to him

Chapter Twenty-Four

MONALISA "Aaron?" I blinked. "What are you doing here?" Aaron stood there with that signature grin of his, hands in his pockets, completely at ease. that was the way he always was, like he had never been caught off guard a day in his life. He was Jason best buddy and never like Madea for him so he supported our relationship from the start. More reason I liked him. " Don't worry I will make sure Jason stays with only you." He has assured me one time we hang out together. Him, Jason and I. And till now he had somehow managed to kept to the promise. I turned to Jason, who had the decency to look at least slightly guilty, his eyes sliding away from mine just a second too late. "You knew he was coming?" "I called him," Jason admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. I stared at him for a moment then looked back at Aaron. Something clicked. "How is that possible?" I said, my eyes fixed on Jason. "I have been with you all along.". Jason held my gaze without blinking. "Yes."

Chapter Twenty - Five

MONALISA "Jealous?" Jason said, sliding his arm around my waist with the particular smugness of a man who knew exactly what he was doing. Aaron's expression didn't change but his eyes did. Just slightly. "Of what exactly?" "Oh don't," I said quickly, already seeing where Jason was taking it. But Jason was already warming up. "Of this," he gestured loosely between us. "Of love. Of what we have. Of the fact that some people in this room are deeply, spiritually, and romantically fulfilled and others are—" "Jason," I said. He looked at me. Relaxed. Almost entertained. "I'm just painting a picture." I stared at him for a moment. Something moved through me — not the explosive kind of anger that makes you raise your voice and say things you regret. No. This was quieter than that. Colder. The kind that starts in your stomach and rises slowly until it settles right behind your eyes. "Put the brush down." He tilted his head slightly, like he was considering whether I was

Chapter Twenty - Six

MADEA "Emmh—" I swallowed, taking his hands off me and reaching for my bag. "I think I should go." Matt set down his fork. "You just got here," he said, his voice low, careful. "I was here before you," I stated, already looking around for the waiter. I really should go. I really, really should. "But you haven't finished your meal." He gestured toward my plate, his eyes not leaving my face. "I know that too." I pushed my plate slightly forward like it was the problem. Like the food was what was making it hard to breathe in this restaurant. "I just need to go, Matt." "Madea—" He reached across the table. "Please don't." I pulled my hand back before he could reach it. Then I tried to stand, but my body wasn't cooperating — my legs felt like they belonged to someone else. He was already on his feet, reaching out to steady me, and somehow I fell right into his hands. Warm. He was still so warm. My eyes fixed on his and something in my chest did a terrible, treacherous thing. *What

Chapter Twenty- Seven

MADEA "What are you saying, Matt?" My voice came out quieter than I intended. I hated that. I cleared my throat and tried again. "What do you know?" He didn't flinch. He just looked at me the way someone looks at you when they've already made up their mind and are simply waiting for you to catch up. The patience of it made my skin crawl. "Have you been following me?" The suspicion was out before I could stop it. "Answer me. Have you been following me?" "I—" He started, then something stopped him. His jaw tightened. He glanced away, then back, and let out a slow breath. "Madea." His voice had dropped into something careful, something almost tender. "I want you. That's enough." The room didn't change. People were still moving around us, glasses still clinking somewhere behind me, conversation still humming low in the air. Everything exactly as it had been thirty seconds ago. Like the ground hadn't just shifted under my feet. I stared at him. "I am married, Matt." "I know." Some

Chapter Twenty Eight

MADEA "I know, Madea. I know you deserve better." I raised my head, the movement feeling heavy, as if my neck could barely support the weight of my own grief. I stared at him, my vision blurring for a split second before I hardened my gaze. "What do you know about what I deserve?" I asked. My voice didn't shake, but it felt hollow, like an echo in an empty room. I let out a sharp, jagged scoff. "Really? You don’t know the first thing about me. So, please... excuse me." "Madea, don’t go," he pleaded. The sound of my name on his lips felt like a bruise. I ignored him, turning on my heel and walking out into the humid air. Every step felt like I was wading through deep water. As the taxi hummed toward home, my mind was a chaotic loop of paranoia. *Who told him?* The humiliation tasted like copper in the back of my throat. Was our misery that loud? Was the rot in my marriage so visible that a man could fly across the ocean from Africa and smell the decay the moment he landed? I

Chapter Twenty- Nine

MADEAI didn't make it to the door. I felt her hand catch the fabric of my sleeve, a sharp tug that spun me around to face the storm. Cassendra’s face was contorted, her eyes wide with a manic kind of triumph. She wasn't just angry; she was enjoying the hunt."Don't you dare walk away from me when I’m speaking to you!" she hissed, her breath warm and smelling of bitter tea. "You think silence makes you superior? It just makes you a coward. You’re a ghost in this house, Madea. A ghost haunting a man who stopped loving you a long time ago."I felt the last thread of my restraint snap. It wasn't a loud break—it was silent and cold. "Is that what this is about?" I whispered, my voice finally finding a lethal edge. I stepped closer, forcing her to either recoil or stand her ground. "You’ve spent years whispering in his ear, trying to carve me out of his life like I’m a cancer. Tell me, Cassendra, does it keep you up at night? Knowing that even if he leaves me tomorrow, he’ll still never

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