All Chapters of Reborn to Ruin Him: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

“Sign here, and it’s done.”Ashford slid the final page across his desk, and I stared at my own name printed above the signature line, Kara Jones, no longer Devonte, no longer anyone’s wife.Xavier sat beside me, his hand resting warm against the small of my back, steady the way it had been through every single hard moment these past weeks.I picked up the pen. My hand didn’t shake.“The divorce finalized this morning,” Ashford said, watching me sign with something like quiet pride in his expression. “Judge Harrington expedited it, given everything that’s come out in the criminal proceedings. You’re officially, legally free of the Devonte name, Miss Jones.”I set the pen down and let out a breath I felt like I’d been holding for two entire years.“It doesn’t feel real yet,” I admitted.“It will.” Ashford closed the folder gently. “These things take time to actually settle into your bones. Give it a few days.”Xavier squeezed my hand once we stepped outside into the cold morning air, s

“You’re sure this is the right meeting point?”Xavier scanned the parking garage as we walked, his hand steady around mine, both of us alert in a way that had become instinct these past weeks. Ashford’s message had been specific, an empty parking structure downtown, eleven o’clock, come alone though Xavier had made it clear neither of us would be doing that again after everything.“Ashford said the tip specified this location exactly.” I kept my voice low, our footsteps echoing off concrete. “Whoever sent it knew enough about tonight to reach him directly, which means they’ve been watching closely.”“Or they’re someone we already know.” Xavier’s jaw tightened. “Brittany could have sent this herself, decided a public negotiation wasn’t dramatic enough to get what she wants.”“Maybe.” I wasn’t convinced, though I couldn’t articulate why yet. “Brittany asked for money outright. This feels different. More careful.”We reached the third level, empty except for a single sedan parked near th

“Authorized personally by Arthur Devonte.”Ashford’s words hung in the small conference room, the financial transfer document spread across the table between us, Xavier staring at it like it might rearrange itself into something less devastating if he looked hard enough.“What does the transfer show, exactly?” I asked, my hand finding Xavier’s beneath the table.“A payment. Substantial. Made to a private account three days before your father’s accident, Xavier.” Ashford’s voice stayed carefully measured, the tone he used when delivering something he knew would land hard. “The account belonged to a man named Gerald Cross. Former mechanic, according to public records. He worked at a garage two blocks from your childhood home.”Xavier’s jaw tightened, understanding arriving in slow, horrible pieces. “You’re saying someone paid a mechanic.”“I’m saying the timing and the amount are difficult to explain any other way.” Ashford’s expression carried genuine sympathy beneath the professional

“All rise.”The bailiff’s voice cut through the courtroom, and I stood beside Xavier, my hands steady despite the roar of my own pulse in my ears. Two years of being underestimated, dismissed, hurt by people who thought I’d stay quiet, all of it had led to this single, ordinary sentence in a room that smelled like old wood and nervous sweat.Judge Harrington took her seat at the bench, sharp eyed, unhurried, exactly the kind of woman Ashford had promised wouldn’t be swayed by wealth or reputation.“We’re here today for an emergency evidentiary hearing regarding the matter of the State versus Irish Devonte,” she said, her voice carrying easily through the packed courtroom. “Given the scope of charges filed in the past forty eight hours, I want to be clear that today’s proceedings will determine whether sufficient cause exists to proceed to formal trial on all counts.”Mrs. Devonte sat at the defense table across the room, dressed impeccably despite everything, her composure rebuilt int

“She wants to see you. In person. Before the trial starts.”Ashford’s voice carried real hesitation over the phone, and I sat frozen at my kitchen table, the engagement ring still unfamiliar and warm against my finger, Xavier watching my face carefully from across the room.“Why would I ever agree to that?” I asked.“Because her lawyer says she has information about your birth.” Ashford paused. “Something about who your family actually is. I don’t know if it’s true, or another manipulation, Miss Jones. I only know she was very specific that she’d only share it with you directly.”Xavier crossed the room and sat beside me, his hand finding mine, steady despite the tension suddenly thick in the air.“You don’t have to do this,” he said quietly. “Whatever she’s claiming, it doesn’t change who you are or what you survived.”“I know.” I turned the ring on my finger, some old, stubborn curiosity refusing to let this go unanswered. “But I need to know, Xavier. If there’s something else burie