All Chapters of Divorced Before He Knew I was Pregnant: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Aira did not sleep much that night. Not because she was overwhelmed. But because her mind refused to stay still. Every time she closed her eyes, the same moment replayed—Lucien standing at the school gate, calm, composed, as if he had every right to be there. As if nothing about what he did needed explanation. That was what unsettled her the most. Not his presence. But his certainty. By morning, the feeling had settled into something sharper. Clarity. She moved through her routine without distraction. Breakfast was prepared. Zayn was dressed and ready. His laughter filled the apartment in small bursts, grounding her in something steady, something real. But beneath that calm, her decision had already been made. This would not happen again. Not like that. Not without structure. Not without her consent. The moment she dropped Zayn off at school, she didn’t linger. She turned, walked back to her car, and picked up her phone. Her lawyer answered on the

The café was quiet enough to pass as neutral. That had been the point. Large windows let in soft morning light, and the space was open without feeling exposed. A few people sat scattered across tables, minding their own conversations, their own routines. No one paid attention to anyone else. It was controlled. Predictable. Safe. Aira arrived ten minutes early. Zayn sat beside her, swinging his legs lightly under the chair, his small hands wrapped around a cup of juice. He seemed unaware of the weight of the moment, which Aira was grateful for. Children didn’t need to carry adult tension. “Are we meeting someone?” he asked, looking up at her. Aira paused for just a second. “Yes,” she said gently. “Your dad.” Zayn’s eyes lit up, not with confusion, but recognition. “You mean the man from school?” Aira nodded once. “Yes.” He seemed to accept that easily, as children often did when things were presented simply. He took another si

The next message didn’t come immediately, and somehow that made Aira more uneasy than if it had. For three days, everything stayed exactly as it was supposed to. The schedule held. The boundaries remained intact. Lucien showed up when he was meant to, left when the time was over, and didn’t attempt to stretch anything beyond what had already been agreed. On the surface, it looked like cooperation. Like progress. But Aira had known him long enough to understand that silence from Lucien was never empty. It was deliberate. It meant he was thinking, adjusting, deciding his next move carefully rather than reacting. So when his message finally came in that afternoon, she wasn’t surprised. I want to take him out. Aira stood still in the middle of the kitchen, her phone in her hand, reading the words over again. It was a simple sentence, but it carried more weight than anything he had asked for so far. This wasn’t about extending time within her structure. This was about stepping

The meeting wasn’t planned. At least, that was what Aira told herself. Zayn had fallen asleep earlier than usual that evening, worn out from school and the restless energy he carried after seeing Lucien again. The apartment had grown quiet in a way that felt unfamiliar, like something was missing rather than at rest. Aira stood in the kitchen longer than necessary, rinsing a cup that had already been clean. She didn’t like the silence. It gave her too much room to think. Her phone buzzed against the counter. She glanced at it, already knowing who it was before she even picked it up. Lucien. We need to talk. No greeting. No explanation. Just that. Aira stared at the message for a long moment. Under normal circumstances, she would have ignored it. Or postponed it. Or redirected it through lawyers, schedules, boundaries—anything that kept things controlled. But something about today had already shifted too much. Before she could talk herself out of it, she p

Lucien arrived earlier than expected. It wasn’t by much, but Aira noticed immediately. Zayn was still struggling with his shoes, sitting on the edge of the couch with his head bent in concentration when the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it!” he said quickly, jumping up before she could respond. “Zayn—” Aira started, but he was already halfway there. She followed anyway, her steps slower, more controlled. By the time she reached the door, it was already open. Zayn was smiling up at him. “You came early again.” Lucien’s expression softened slightly. “I had time.” It wasn’t a full explanation, but Zayn didn’t question it. He stepped aside, already pulling him in with the kind of ease that didn’t need permission. Aira stood a few steps away, watching. “You’re early,” she said. Lucien met her gaze. “You didn’t say I couldn’t be.” She held his eyes for a second, then moved aside. “Come in.” There was no resistance in her tone this time. No sharp edge. Just awareness. An