All Chapters of DIVORCED BY THE BILLIONAIRE: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

AURORA I spent the rest of Sunday morning finishing what Mr. Bayer and I had started. The sofa was in place, the dresser against the wall, the bed in the corner, but the little things still needed doing, hanging a curtain over the small window, finding a spot for my suitcase, unpacking the last box of kitchen supplies I bought at the grocery store. I re-set the mini fridge next to the table, plugged in the hot plate, and arranged the few pots and pans I purchased on a shelf Mr. Bayer had screwed into the wall yesterday.Mrs. Bayer came down around noon with a basket of linens — towels, dishcloths, a set of sheets that actually fit the mattress. It was a necessity that for some reason I forgot to buy.At leastt she had one to spare."Much better," she said. "Don't you need something for the floor.""I'll get one.""There's a thrift store two blocks down. My husband can drive you."I thanked her and folded the towels into the dresser drawer. She stood in the doorway for a moment, watc

AURORA By the time the sun came up, the basement was empty except for the now wet mattress, the ruined sofa, and the puddles of water still soaking on the floor. I stood in the kitchen with my arms wrapped around myself, my wet clothes sticking to my skin.Mrs. Bayer arrived a few minutes later. She looked at me, then at Mr. Bayer, then at the water stains on my shirt."Go shower," she said. "I'll find you something to wear." She gestured to the bathroom upstairs.The bathroom upstairs was small, just a toilet and a shower stall with a sink and a cracked mirror. I stood under the hot water for a long time, watching the dirt and dust wash off my legs. My feet were cold even under the heat.When I came out, Mrs. Bayer had left a sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants on the chair outside the bathroom door. They were too big — hers, probably — but they were dry and that was all I needed.I found her in the dining room after changing, setting up the coffee machine. She looked up when I reac

   AURORA  After a very intense research, I found a suitable clinic to register for my prenatal checkup. The clinic was on the other side of Oak City, a tall building with a blue sign that said WESTSIDE WOMEN'S HEALTH. You shouldn't be deceived by the look, according to my research it was super affordable and we'll equiped. It was a hospital built and funded by the minister of women's affairs after her first daughter died during childbirth.  God bless her soul. My back was aching from all the work so I took a taxi instead of the bus. The driver dropped me at the entrance and I stood there for a moment looking at the glass doors before I walked in. The waiting room was full of pregnant women, some with toddlers climbing on their laps, others alone like me staring at the wall or scrolling through their phones.  

AURORA I clutched my clothes shaking as we walked outside.The clinic doors swung shut behind us and I stopped for a hot second, I just stood there on the sidewalk, my hand pressed against my stomach, trying to breathe. That was close.All the anonymity, all the plans to just be alone, all the plans to live a very quiet life almost got ruined. I shook the cold off my legs and looked around, looking for somewhere to sit while Theo just watched me with keen interest. I needed to sit down but there was nowhere to sit, just the concrete, the cars, trolleys and the people walking past, going about their day.I walked to a bench near the parking lot and sat. My hands were trembling. I pressed them flat against my thighs and stared at the ground.What just happened?I didn't think he'd recognized me. He almost exposed everything, he would've ruined everything. All my very careful plans.When I left Sacramento my goal was to go where no one would recognize me, I'd start a new life, with ne

AURORA The lunch rush was always the worst, too many people crammed into too little space with the contractors still moving through the restaurant like they owned the place, and I had just cleared a table near the window when I heard raised voices.Customers yelling over eachother."You touched me!""I didn't touch you, you bumped into me.""I didn't bump into you, you pushed me."I turned around to see a man and a woman, middle-aged, standing near the counter where I had just set down a tray of dirty dishes. The man was tall and broad-shouldered with a face already turning red, and the woman was smaller with her arms crossed and her chin lifted like she was ready for a fight."I'm not going to stand here and be accused of something I didn't do," the man said."Then maybe you should watch where you're going," the woman shot back."I was standing still. You walked into me.""Are you calling me a liar?""I'm calling you clumsy."The woman stepped forward and the man stepped forward too