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Home / Romance / The Wife You Shouldn't Have Lost / Chapter 131 - Chapter 140

All Chapters of The Wife You Shouldn't Have Lost : Chapter 131 - Chapter 140

146 Chapters

131

“The phone has been ringing for a while now. Who keeps calling you?” Ethan asked, prompting Ryan to lean forward and glance at the screen.Ryan usually never answered calls once he was done for the day—unless it was an emergency. And for emergencies, only a few people had the private number reserved for that.“It's Joshua,” Ryan muttered. “I don't know if something happened.”“Don't pick it up,” Ethan said quickly, grabbing the phone before Ryan could answer. “He's probably calling to find out whether you're with me.”Ryan frowned, clearly confused.That didn’t sound right.“Just let him answer the call,” Adrian said as he stepped into the room, immediately drawing their attention.He was the one they had been waiting for, and at last, he had finally shown up.“What took you so long?” Ryan asked, clearly irritated. “We've been waiting for almost an hour when I should have been home resting by now.”“Calm down,” Adrian replied with a gesture. “I had to help Father put a few things in p

132

The very person they had been talking about walked into the house. At once, every gaze in the room turned to her.Layla froze, unease creeping into her chest.Why was everyone staring at her like that?Then her eyes landed on her mother.Natasha's face was pale, tear-streaked, and visibly swollen from crying. It was impossible not to notice.“Is everything okay?” Layla asked the question, slipping out before she could stop herself. She stepped further into the room, her heart pounding hard against her chest.Natasha rushed to her and pulled her into a tight embrace, breaking into another sob.That only made Layla panic even more.She gently pulled away and held her mother's hands, searching her face anxiously.“Please don't tell me this has something to do with me.”Natasha shook her head at first, tears streaming down her cheeks.Before she could say anything, Joshua stepped forward and gently pulled her away from Layla, gathering her into his chest so she could cry there instead.“Y

133

That morning, the chaos downstairs jolted Adrian awake. At first, he assumed it was too early for whatever drama was unfolding in the house. But when he reached for the clock on his nightstand and saw the time, he shot upright in bed.He had overslept.That rarely happened.Without wasting another second, he got out of bed and headed toward the bathroom, intending to rush through his morning routine before leaving. But the moment he reached the restroom door, he stopped.There were enough security guards and household staff in the mansion to handle almost anything. So if the noise downstairs had something to do with his father, then it was serious enough for him to step in.He turned away from the bathroom and left his room, making his way downstairs instead.The closer he got to the living room, the louder the voices became. He could hear his stepmother clearly now.But who was she arguing with?The moment Adrian stepped into the living room, the scene before him made him pause.His

134

“I am not leaving without my mother!” Annabelle cried, struggling as the security guards dragged her toward the door.Unlike his sister, Xavier said nothing.He held himself together and followed them out in silence, though the disappointment in his eyes was impossible to miss.Their mother had failed them—just as their father once had.For so long, he had believed she would do better. He had wanted to believe she could be both a mother and a father figure to them.But he had been mistaken.And a part of him was consumed with remorse.He had done most of the things she asked of him, obeyed her unquestionably, and now this was the reward for all of it.Not only had they been humiliated in front of the maids and the guards, but they were also leaving with nothing.Their allowance had already been cut off.At this rate, they might even have to transfer to another school.“Please!” their mother cried, her voice cracking as she reached for Salvatore. “You can't do this to me. They can't le

135

“What should we do?” Harthwore asked, his voice low with concern. “The method we used to catch Salvatore's wife—couldn't we use it here too?”Joshua smiled, but it never reached his eyes.“This isn't like that one,” he said, adjusting in his seat. “That case was different. With this, we need confirmation. We need to catch her admitting it herself.” He paused, studying his father's face. “And it's different from Ruth's case. Do you know why?”Harthwore's brows furrowed as he gave a small shake of his head.“Because she's not the only one involved.”That only deepened his confusion, and it showed clearly on his face. Joshua didn't wait for him to ask. He rose from his chair and moved to the seat opposite his father, leaning forward with his hands clasped together.“It started with her daughter and her husband,” Joshua explained. “But that wasn't enough. Her sister got involved too. Even her mother.”Harthwore's expression hardened.“Ruth's involvement might be because those are her chil

136

“I hope you understand why my wife reacted the way she did,” Harthwore began after the long silence that seemed as though it would never end. “No parent wants to lose a child, especially after being separated from them for so many years.”Ruth nodded as though she understood. But the moment she spoke, her expression hardened.“Mr. Harthwore, is this about her losing her child, or about the accusations she threw at me?”A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips before he could stop it. He had always known Ruth to be wise and intelligent, but today she was proving to be even more perceptive than he had expected.“I apologize on her behalf. Our families have shared a good relationship for many years. It's difficult to believe that you would do something like that.”“Oh, please.” She let out a bitter laugh. “What you're saying may be different from what's truly in your heart. You also believe I had something to do with all of this.”“Of course,” he admitted.Her eyes immediately narrowed,

137

That evening, when Harthwore arrived home, he instructed the guards to tighten security around the house, just as he had advised Salvatore to do. What he had witnessed earlier made him realize it could be a new tactic to gain access to someone's home. He marched into the living room, and the first thing he asked was, “Where's my daughter?” “She's upstairs,” Joshua replied, rising from the couch. He had been keeping Natasha company ever since he returned home. “You never made it back to the office. Your meeting had to be rescheduled.” Harthwore patted him on the shoulder. “Thank you for taking care of that. Something came up, which is why I couldn't return to the office.” He lowered himself onto the couch. No sooner had he sat down than King came running toward him, excitedly showing him something he had scribbled on a piece of paper. Harthwore turned to his wife. “Layla didn't go to the office today?” Before Natasha could answer, King quickly scribbled another message

138

The plan to frame Ruth as the accomplice was still in motion, but it had been two days, and Sophia still hadn't heard from her friend, who was supposed to help plan their next move.She had already fulfilled her promise of visiting the suspect at the police station. Now, all she needed was to meet her friend and update her on everything that had happened.Going to her friend's house was her last option, but she wasn't sure her husband would want her there.As she sat deep in thought, an idea suddenly flashed through her mind.A perfect bait.She had never met him before, nor had they spoken in person. But if she happened to run into him this time, she could use the opportunity to thank him for helping her son reconnect with the investors.Salvatore had done exactly what he promised, and the investors had personally reached out to Nolan. It was the perfect excuse to pay him a visit while appearing genuinely grateful.Snapping back to reality, she reached for her handbag.As she moved,

139

There wasn't much time left before Ethan had to leave the country. He had already postponed his flight because he still hadn't gathered all the information he needed from the suspect Adrian had connected him with. He had warned Adrian from the beginning that the man might refuse to cooperate or even disappear. But Adrian had trusted him, and this was the result. He had been waiting for nearly two hours, yet there was still no sign of the man. Most of the time, whenever Ethan called, the suspect either ignored the calls or never returned them. It was frustrating, but he hadn't told Adrian about any of it. They needed answers. And that meant they had to be patient. The sound of his phone ringing pulled him from his thoughts. He glanced at the screen and saw his manager's name. The call could only be about the upcoming show. To be honest, Ethan wasn't ready to leave the country—not until everyone involved, especially Ruth, had been brought to justice. He answered the call, holdin

140

For the past two days, Layla hadn't stepped out of her room, claiming she wasn't feeling well. That morning, she finally gathered the courage to come downstairs.As she reached the living room, she found her father sitting on the couch. The moment Harthwore saw her, his face lit up.“Honey!” he called toward the kitchen. “Darling! Layla is finally out of her room.”Natasha wasted no time. She rushed out of the kitchen and wrapped her daughter in a tight embrace.The hug was so firm that Layla nearly choked. Realizing what she had done, Natasha quickly let go, grabbed the glass of water on the coffee table, and poured some into a cup.“I'm so sorry,” she said anxiously. “Here, drink some water.”She gently rubbed Layla's back as she drank.After taking a few sips, Layla handed the cup back to her mother.Then, to her parents' shock, she slowly dropped to her knees.“What are you doing?” Harthwore asked, immediately reaching out to help her up.But Layla gently held his hands, stopping

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