All Chapters of TOO LATE TO REGRET, EX-HUSBAND: Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

The rain battered the broken glass of the lighthouse windows like falling stones, each impact sounding like a tiny fist pounding against wood.CRASH!A jagged bolt of lightning ripped across the black night sky outside, illuminating the dusty, rotting interior of the old tower in a blinding, electric white flash. Shadows danced wildly across the damp stone walls before plunging us back into near-total darkness.Up on the high metal observation deck, Marcus Vance stood tall with a cruel, smug grin stretched across his pale, sharp face. In his right hand, he held a heavy black pistol, casually resting the cold barrel against the shoulder of a trembling, terrified little boy."Leo!" I screamed, my voice cracking raw and sharp as hot tears flooded my eyes.My seven-year-old son looked up at me from the dark shadows, his face stained with tears, his small hands tied tightly behind his back with thick plastic cuffs. Beside him, little Emma was sobbing quietly, her face buried against the di

The steady, rhythmic beep of the blinking red light cut through the damp, cold air of the lighthouse like a sharp knife slicing through silk.BEEP.BEEP.BEEP.My heart hammered frantically against my ribs, a wild, trapped bird beating its wings in absolute terror. I pulled Leo and Emma tighter against my chest, wrapping my arms around their small bodies to shield them with my own flesh and bone as I stared across the observation deck toward the old emergency generator box lurking in the dark corner."What is that?!" I screamed over the pulsing, robotic sound, my voice cracking with sudden, blinding panic.My father didn't answer. He lunged forward past the federal marshals, dropping hard to his knees directly in front of the heavy metal machinery box. His hands flew across the rusted service panel, ripping off the metal cover with a sharp, piercing screech of tearing iron.Inside the box, wired directly into the decaying diesel engine, sat a heavy plastic explosive charge connected t

The harsh, artificial blue light of my smartphone screen glared brightly against my thumb in the dark, casting sharp, jittery shadows across my face as we stood together on the wet wooden pier of the East River.BZZZ.Arthur stopped walking beside me instantly, his razor-sharp instincts picking up on the sudden, rigid tension in my posture. He turned on his heel, his dark, intense eyes scanning my pale expression in the flickering glow of the red and blue police cruisers parked along the dock."Vivian? What is it?" Arthur asked, his voice dropping into a guarded, protective register that brooked no argument. "Did another message come through?"I didn't answer right away. My eyes scanned the words on the screen over and over again, reading the short, clinical message line by line, trying to force my exhausted brain to process what the federal court clerk had just sent. It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of freezing ice water straight over my head.“Case Update: Federal Docket 44-

The heavy oak doors of the Manhattan Federal Courthouse swung shut behind us with a satisfying, echoing thud that seemed to reverberate deep into the concrete steps.Thud.Outside on Foley Square, the midday autumn sun was shining brightly and fiercely against the towering glass skyscrapers that framed the plaza. Endless streams of yellow New York cabs honked their horns in chaotic rhythms, and rushing pedestrians bustled along the gray concrete sidewalks in heavy wool coats, grabbing hot coffee on their way back to their offices, completely unaware of the life-altering legal battle that had just concluded inside Room 404.I stood right there on the wide stone steps of the courthouse, taking a deep, long, shuddering breath of the crisp October air. It felt lighter, sweeter, and infinitely cleaner than it had in years. The tight, agonizing knot in my chest–the persistent, icy ghost of fear that had whispered dark warnings in the back of my mind every single time my phone rang or an unf

The blue light from the estate mainframe cast sharp, flickering shadows across Arthur's face.The screen glowed brightly in the quiet study, illuminating the flashing red text box at the very top of the encrypted directory.UNREAD FILE: MESSAGE_FOR_VIVIAN_CARTER.MP4My heart gave a heavy, painful thud against my ribs. I stared at the screen, my hands resting lightly on the edge of the mahogany desk. After everything we had been through–after the courtroom battles, the bomb threats, the kidnappings, and Victoria's sudden, terrifying appearance in our foyer–it all boiled down to a single video file left behind like a poisoned apple."Don't open it yet," Arthur said, his deep voice calm but laced with absolute caution. He reached out, his long fingers hovering over the computer mouse. "It could be a logic bomb, a tracker, or a digital trap designed to wipe our servers or trace our IP address.""It's not a trap," I whispered, shaking my head slowly as I stepped closer to the screen. "Vict