All Chapters of Billionnaire's regret: Ex-wife is an heiress: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

John sat beside Claire throughout, holding her hand. The constant beeping of the machines around him had grated on his nerves at first. They felt like a reminder of how fragile the situation was, but he had already acclimatized to it. Now they were just background noise, the sound of her still being here, and the assurance that she was alive. "I'm so sorry." John whispered, pressing his lips to the back of her hand slowly. "Please, come back to me. I miss you already."She looked too still. That was the thing that unsettled him most. Claire was never still. Even when she was resting, there was always a slight movement, a shift, the sense that her mind was running somewhere just beneath the surface. Seeing her like this felt like a contradiction.Mark sat on the other side of the bed, his eyes moving slowly across the monitors, the IV lines, the readouts he only half understood. He had always trusted professionals to do their jobs, never felt the need to micromanage expertise. But sit

Mrs. Pelina was sworn in with usual court routine, the clerk, the Bible, the oath , and Judge McCoy watched it all from the bench with patient attention. He was one of the most respected judges in the country, known for rulings that were difficult to appeal precisely because they were so thoroughly deserved. He had no interest in making this one an exception.Hayles waited until she had settled before he approached. He began to pace about with no form of nervousness or anxiety."Mrs. Pelina, can you tell the court where you were employed between 1997 and 1998?""Yes." She said. Her voice was clear and composed. She was a slim, tall woman with striking features, the kind of face that made it easy to believe she had been just as striking twenty-five years ago. "I worked as a receptionist at Newcastle Hotels.""And your hours? You would typically be on shift from morning through to the night?""Yes. I used to take both the day and night shifts." She said. "I've since moved to day shifts

Karen sat by the window of her apartment with a cigarette between her fingers and a glass of wine she kept picking up and setting down without drinking.Derek was asleep in her bed. He had gone out faster than she expected. She had learned that about him quickly. He was easier to manage than she had anticipated in almost every way, and she had known from the beginning that she had no intention of making anything of it. He was only useful for sex , and that was all it was for her. She liked that he cared more about her sexual satisfaction than his, which made him an even better choice. She took a slow drag and let the smoke out toward the window.Her mind drifted to John, the way it always did when she had enough quiet to let her thoughts wander wherever it wanted. She had made herself a promise that she was done chasing him. She was going to move forward, and she was going to make him regret every refusal at the same time, but she still couldn't stop thinking about him. The way he h

John drove like a man with somewhere urgent to be and no particular concern for anything that might be between him and it. Tony had barely gotten his seatbelt fastened when they hit the traffic."John?” Tony said, one hand on the door, and the other on the dash. "Breathe.""She tried to kill her, Tony." John said calmly without raising his voice , which was almost worse. "My own grandmother, Tony! She tried to kill Claire.""John, listen to me." Tony kept his voice even. The car was moving fast and he was committed to staying calm for both of them. "I understand why you're there right now. I do. And you're not wrong to be angry. But let's think about it for one second.”"I have thought about it." John said flatly, pressing harder on the accelerator, swerving through the city like he had"You honestly think she'd do something this stupid. Can it be this traceable when she knows you'd come straight to her door the moment something happened to Claire?"John said nothing, tightening his j

Thomas was on his feet before Hayles had finished his sentence."Objection, Your Honor." He snapped. "The prosecution is attempting to introduce a witness whose name does not appear anywhere on the submitted witness list. This is procedurally improper and prejudicial to the defense."Judge McCoy raised a hand to quiet the room and gestured for both counsels to approach. They came forward. Thomas was rigid and filled with controlled irritation from Hayles’ unethical approach. Hayles was moving with the composure of a man who had been waiting for this moment."Counsel." Judge McCoy said, "Explain yourself.""Your Honor, I became aware of this witness and the associated evidence less than an hour ago, before you entered the courtroom." Hayles said. "This was not information available to us during the formal disclosure period. We are presenting it at the earliest possible opportunity.""That is a remarkably convenient timeline." Thomas said."Convenient or not, the evidence exists and it