Lahat ng Kabanata ng Divorced by Mistake: She Came Back Cold and Rich: Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

Emilia's absence had brought something worse that fateful afternoon. Emily looked out of the window at the hesitation in his voice, the room still vibrated with the echoes of her escape, the screech of tires, the slam of the door, the ghost of her terror hanging in the air like smoke after a fire. Carl seemed to observe too as his eyes found the windows, watching the dust settle on the empty driveway. Emily remained near the door, her hand still on the frame, her breathing slow and deliberate, now that he had spoken his mind. For a moment neither of them spoke. Then Emily took just one step closer as their eyes returned to each, something in her gaze had changed. There was still exhaustion, grief and all the confusion about her father there. But underneath all of that, something harder had formed. She didn't waste time. She only needed the needful done, her company saved, the bastard before her begging and the peace in her life which he stole the very first moment he walked in

He thought about the timeline. His marriage to Emily. The years before and after. The boy in the photograph couldn't be his, sure. He peered closer at Emily again this time, eyes pinned on her belly, but there were no signs that she was pregnant in the last picture they had before divorce. Yet he knew it could happen. Carl shook his head violently, pressing the photograph against his knee. His mind refused to accept what it was beginning to suspect. It was impossible. It was insane and...and...and . What if?Another question took a deep roots, it was small at first. A whisper in the back of his skull. But it grew louder, more into actual queries and then queries became possibilities which slowly steamed into something more dangerous, now. It occupied his mind all day long and left space for nothing, obsession. Sleep had failed him that night. He couldn't blink an eye. The photograph stayed on the bare wooden floor beside his sleeping bag, he had sold the bed last week to pay off a

The television on the wall was on, muted but still visible. News footage flickered across the screen, her company logo, her name, photographs of the South East border where the outbreak had begun. She reached for the remote and turned up the volume. "...continuing coverage of the MedEquip scandal, where a limb-eating virus has now been directly linked to unsterilized equipment exported from the company's warehouse. Hospital officials report that patients continue to present with symptoms, despite the company's claims that all products have been recalled..." Emily's jaw tightened. The screen split into four boxes. Analysts. Reporters, a former industry regulator. And then— "...and joining us now is Mr. Adrian, one of MedEquip's largest shareholders, who has just announced that he is severing ties with the company." The balding, red-faced man from the boardroom appeared on screen. He looked directly into the camera, his expression grave. "I can no longer in good conscience suppor

The line went dead, the phone dropping to the desk. Emilia lowered the phone slowly, the plastic warm against her ear. The silence in her study pressed in, thick, suffocating. Faustina's words looped in her skull like a broken record. We have to meet today. If we don't... everything we've worked for is going to unravel. She set the phone down and stared at her reflection in the dark window. For twenty years, they'd buried it. Smoothed the dirt. Planted roses on top. And now Emily, quiet, obedient Emily, was digging with her f*cking bare hands. Emilia reached for her coat. She didn't have a choice. Across town, Emilia shoved the front door open with enough force that it cracked against the entryway wall. "I swear to God, Carl, if you start with me tonight...." She stopped suddenly, the house was wrong. There wasn't the hum of a television humming or the clatter of dishes. Just a dead, stretching quiet that made her skin prickle. Carl sat in the living room armchair, the

The house was quiet. Emily sat in her home office, the soft glow of her laptop screen illuminating her face against the deepening evening. Outside, the last traces of sunset bled orange and purple across the sky, slowly surrendering to the encroaching dark.She had been staring at the same document for twenty minutes without reading a single word. She sighed in realization, thumb rubbing her forehead in gentle hopelessness.The crisis surrounding her pharmaceutical company consumed every corner of her mind. The poisoned products. The ruined reputation. The lawsuits. The investors, fleeing like rats from a sinking ship. Every product leaving her company was thoroughly inspected, she had personally verified the protocols, the sterilization processes, the quality checks.And yet, somehow, poisoned products bearing her company's name had reached the public. Not to mention Leslie's sudden kidnap and release, Carl, her worst enemy, the ex that almost ruined her life, walking right back into