All Chapters of MY EX-HUSBAND WATCHED ME FALL IN LOVE: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Bella:Aiden gently intertwined our fingers as we walked out of the Grand Palais.The simple gesture brought an unexpected sense of comfort. The heaviness that had settled in my chest after seeing Luke seemed to ease, even if it was only a little.Almost immediately, reporters surrounded us from every direction."Miss Bella! Over here!""Congratulations on winning Best Model of the Year!""Are you and Mr. Blackwood dating?""When is the wedding?""Cameras this way, please!"Microphones were shoved toward our faces while camera flashes lit up the night.Aiden merely smiled politely."No questions tonight," he said calmly.He tightened his hold on my hand and guided me through the crowd while his bodyguards cleared a path for us.I stayed close beside him, grateful that he was taking care of everything.The moment we reached the car park, my steps faltered.I saw Luke leaning against his black car with his arms folded across his chest.For a second, my heart forgot how to beat.The sig

Luke: The moment Bella pushed her chair back, I knew exactly why she was leaving. No one has to explain it to me. I knew Bella better than anyone else once did. She had always been that way. If she disliked someone enough, she wouldn't even force herself to stay in the same room with them, let alone sit at the same dining table and share a meal. She would rather excuse herself quietly than pretend everything was fine. And right now, the person she couldn't bear to be around was me. The realization settled heavily in my chest. "Bella." Her name slipped out before I could stop myself. She froze halfway to the doorway. For one second, hope surged inside me. Maybe she'd turn around, she'd look at me the way she used to, she'd give me one chance to explain. But she didn't, she remained standing with her back to me, her shoulders stiff, refusing to meet my eyes. That hurt far more than I expected, she couldn't even look at me anymore. But we were both at fault, she kissed an

Bella:Right, I can lie to everyone else, but not Aiden. He’s the only one who’s ever really seen through me, the only one who notices the cracks I try so hard to hide behind a smile.“It’s a long story, to be honest…and I don’t want to think about it,” I whisper to him, staring at the floor because looking at him felt too raw.Aiden leaned forward, his voice low and steady. “You always think about it, Bella. You cry at night when you think no one hears. That’s why you’ve turned down every guy who’s tried in the last five years to be with you. I see it, even when you pretend everything’s fine.”I nodded slowly, the weight of it all pressing down on my chest until it hurt to breathe. “You’re right. Absolutely right. I just…I don’t have the courage to love anymore.” My voice sounded so small and broken, like a shattered glass. I even flinched at how empty it felt. Luke had taken the light out of me, the part that once believed in forever, and left nothing but shadows.Aiden reached ac

Bella:"Let me kiss you." Aiden asked again, leaning closer to my lips. There was this glint in his eyes that always made it hard to tell how serious he was, if he really wanted to kiss me or if he's just playing around.I shut my eyes, smiling, and just as our noses touched, I tickled him under the ribs. He jerked back with a short laugh."Hey," he grinned, catching my wrists gently so I couldn’t do it again. "We are practicing for tomorrow.""You know I can’t even imagine myself kissing you," I said to him, still smiling even as I pulled my hands away from him."Then you could’ve just stopped me, even though I don't even want to kiss you." He scoffed, but there was no real heat in it. Before I could answer, he bent and scooped me up in one smooth motion, bridal style, carrying me in his arms."Let me down." I groaned, though I didn’t fight very hard.He shook his head, already carrying me upstairs. "No, you need to sleep. The best model of the year has to rest."I chuckled at th

(Luke’s POV) I couldn’t hear half the conversation anymore. The words around the table blurred into a low, meaningless hum. All I could see was Aiden’s hand resting comfortably around Bella’s waist, fingers splayed as though they had every right to be there. The casual ownership of that touch made something inside my chest twist so tightly that I could barely breathe. I wanted to stand up, push the chair back hard enough to scrape the marble, walk around the table without a single word of explanation and pull Bella away from him by the wrist, the way I used to when we were still together anytime I see her with another. Then find some empty room, lock the door, and finally force out every truth I had swallowed for five long years. Tell her how much it hurt, how it physically hurt, to watch another man touch her. Tell her that every soft smile she gave him felt like a private betrayal, even though I had no claim left. Tell her I still loved her with a desperation that had onl