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All Chapters of DIVORCED BY THE BILLIONAIRE: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

146 Chapters

Chapter 31

AURORA THE hospital lights were too bright.I blinked and blinked but the whiteness didn't go away, just stayed there burning into my eyes while I tried to remember where I was. The ceiling was white and the walls were white and there was a machine beeping somewhere nearby, steady and constant."Ms. Vale?"I turned my head. Dr. Ellis stood at the foot of my bed, her head tilted, her expression caught somewhere between concern and confusion."You're back," she said. "I just saw you this morning.""I–" I tried to speak but my throat was dry. "I fell.""Fell?"Dr. Ellis walked closer and pulled up a chair. "The ambulance nurse gave me the report. Sharp pain in both legs, no bleeding, you were conscious the whole time. They induced you in the ER because the pain was too severe.""Induced?""To stop the contractions. The pain you felt was your body trying to go into early labor. We gave you medication to stop it."I stared at her. "Early labor?""Your baby is fine, Ms. Vale. She's safe. T

Chapter 32

AURORA The discharge papers took forever.I sat on the edge of the hospital bed, my legs dangling, my back still sore, watching the nurse explain things I couldn't focus on. She talked about medications and rest and follow-up appointments and I nodded along but my mind was somewhere else, somewhere in the restaurant where I had fallen, somewhere in the basement where I would have to sleep tonight."Ms. Vale?"I blinked. "Sorry.""I said you need to take it easy for at least a week. No heavy lifting, no standing for long periods, no rushing into dangerous situations." She smiled a little. "The doctor was very specific about that last one.""Right.""Your prescriptions are ready at the pharmacy downstairs. Someone can pick them up for you.""I'll get them.""You need someone to help you home.""I'll manage."She looked at me like she didn't believe me, but she didn't argue. She just handed me the discharge papers and told me to sign.I signed with shaky hands. At this point I planned t

Chapter 33

AURORA I felt better the next morning when I woke up.Although not completely. My back still ached and my legs were still weak and sore, every time I moved too fast I felt a twinge in my stomach. But better. Enough to get out of bed, shower, dress, and climb the stairs to the restaurant.That even hurt more.The dining room was quiet when I got there. The chairs were still up on the tables and the lights were still dim. I walked to the counter and started the coffee machine. I was reaching for a cup when I heard voices in the kitchen."...the front of course, and we'll rotate the weekends..."I recognized Mrs. Bayer's voice but the other two were unfamiliar. Unmistakably ounger and female.I walked to the kitchen door and peered inside. Two girls stood with Mrs. Bayer near the stove. One was tall and thin with dark hair pulled into a very tight and painful ponytail. The other was a bit shorter, curvier, with bright red hair and a face full of freckles. They were both wearing aprons,

Chapter 34

AURORA I woke up the next morning feeling better than I had in days. Not completely better, my back still had a dull ache that reminded me I wasn't fully healed, but the sharp pain was gone. The leg pain too. I could walk without wincing, which felt like a victory. I got dressed slowly, careful not to move too fast, and climbed the stairs to the restaurant. The Bayers weren't around when I got there. The kitchen was quiet, the back door locked, the office dark. I found a note on the counter written in Mrs. Bayer's handwriting when I went to take my apron. ‘Gone to the wholesaler. Be back before lunch. Everything is prepped, just need to set up. — E’ I folded the note and tucked it into my apron pocket. Maria and Sophie arrived a few minutes later, both of them looking nervous and eager. Maria's hair was in that same tight

Chapter 35

AURORA The rest of the day passed in a blur. Sophie and Maria took over most of the work while I handled the register and counted tips. Every time I bent down to grab something from under the counter, my back reminded me I wasn't completely healed yet. But I pushed through it. I had to.Lydia had left around that morning with a promise to come back. "I need to get some things from my hotel," she said, already halfway out the door. "What time do you finish?""Late. Maybe around ten, so don't wory, take your time.""Perfect. I'll be here.""Lydia—""Don't argue with me. I'm sleeping over and I'm going to use some cute pajamas. Heh!"She was gone before I could respond. I shook my head and went back to work.The evening rush came and went. Sophie handled the tables like she'd been doing it for years. Maria kept the kitchen running smoothly. I stood behind the register, my feet throbbing, my back aching, and counted down the hours until I could sit down.At nine-thirty, Mrs. Bayer came o

Chapter 36

AURORA I woke up at five in the morning to the sound of the refrigerator humming.The basement was still dark except for the dim light coming from the small window near the ceiling. I blinked a few times, trying to remember where I was. I glanced around. The white walls. The fresh paint. The pipes that are no longer visible. Right. The basement. Oak City. I sat up slowly, my back protesting. The pain wasn't as sharp as before, but as a pregnant woman you realize your body is now for two and a small back pain leaving you is a dream. What was left was just a dull ache that reminded me I wasn't fully healed. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up carefully. My ankles were swollen, too. I looked down at them and sighed."Great."How unfortunate can one woman get.I walked to the small mirror hanging on the wall and examined myself. My face looked tired. My hair was a mess. My stomach had grown again. I turned sideways and looked at my bump. Twenty-four weeks. Almost six

Chapter 37

AURORAThe morning rush came and went in a blur of coffee orders and plates and the constant sound of Sophie calling out order numbers to Maria in the kitchen. I moved between the register and the counter, my back still aching but my legs holding up better than they had in days.Mrs. Bayer arrived around nine with Mr. Bayer following behind her. They were bickering about something I couldn't quite hear, but the moment Mrs. Bayer walked through the door she smiled and shook off her coat like nothing was wrong.I waited until the rush died down before I approached her. She was in the office, counting receipts, her reading glasses perched on her nose."Mrs. Bayer?"She looked up, setting the stack of receipts down. "Yes, dear?""I was wondering if I could take the afternoon off. You know my friend is visiting and we need to do some... baby shopping."She smiled at me. "Of course, dear. You've been working so hard. Take the rest of the day if you need to.""Are you sure?""I'm sure." She

Chapter 38

Lydia was already awake when I came upstairs. She was sitting at one of the tables with her suitcase packed and her coat on, scrolling through her phone like she hadn't just spent the last two days turning my life upside down in the best way possible. "You're up early," I said. "I have a long drive back." She looked up and smiled. "And I wanted to say goodbye properly." I walked over and sat across from her. The restaurant was quiet, the chairs still up, and the lights dim. Mrs. Bayer was already in the kitchen, the sounds of her moving around filtering through the door. "Did you sleep well?" I asked. "Like a baby. Your basement is weirdly comfortable." "It's not a basement anymore. It's a fully furnished underground apartment." She laughed. "Sure. Keep telling yourself that."

Chapter 39

THIRD PERSON Aurora walked back to the table with their drinks, and the three men grinned as she approached like they'd already won something, like she was just a server they could push around for their own amusement. She set the glasses down one by one, her movements stiff and careful as if she were afraid any wrong move would break her. She said, "Here are your drinks. I've already explained the discount policy to you. It's 10% off for groups of three or less. That's what you qualify for."One of them leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms behind his head in a way that was meant to show he didn't care what she thought. "What if we don't want the 10%? What if we want the 25%?""Then you can go somewhere else, because that's not how this works." She tried to keep her voice normal, even though she could feel her hands were starting to shake with angee. "That's the policy. I don't make the rules."The second one reached for his glass but didn't drink, just held it and swirled th

Chapter 40

AURORA The office door clicked shut behind Mrs. Bayer and I stood in the middle of the small room with my arms wrapped around myself, my hands shaking. Mrs. Bayer went to the desk and sat down without looking at me, just sat there with her hands flat on the surface, her breathing slow, looking disappointed.Whatever she was going to say, if we went back in time I'd still hit him again.He freaking groped me! Even if I was a woman, does being pregnant not raise the no touch alarm for him?"Do you have any idea what you just did?" she asked."Yes, I hit him with a tray." I replied, remorselessly."You hit a customer with a tray." She repeated "You saw what he did, so of course it's only normal I—""I know what he did." She finally looked up at me, sighing. "I have eyes, I know exactly what he did, pretty much everyone knows.""Then why are you—""Because you're pregnant, Aurora. Six months pregnant. You just got out of the hospital. A blow to the stomach is all it'll take to end that

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