All Chapters of My Husband's Ex Toasts Their Past: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

"What? When did you two get married? And you're already having a baby?"My words sent a shockwave through the table.Under everyone's stunned gazes, Vanessa Graves' head snapped up toward Russell Grayson, and tears instantly spilled from her reddened eyes.I smiled. "We signed the papers almost a month ago. The wedding's still being planned, but we'll let everyone know once we've set a date."The classmates who'd been gossiping moments earlier looked embarrassed and mumbled a few awkward congratulations.But a woman sitting next to Vanessa let out a scornful laugh. "Oh, aren't you just thrilled with yourself? If Vanessa hadn't been forced to end things with Russell back then, he never would've looked twice at you."Everyone knows how crazy Russell was about Vanessa. He would've given his life for her. In his heart, you probably don't even come close. If you weren't carrying his baby, do you honestly think he would've married you?"A few people nodded without thinking, clearly on

Chapter 2

Russell supposedly hated Vanessa. So why couldn't he take his eyes off her face?A wave of panic hit me, and I couldn't stop myself from reaching over and tugging on Russell's sleeve. He snapped out of it and looked at me, something complicated flickering behind his eyes before a small smile replaced it. "Alright, whatever you say."That familiar warmth settled over me, and the unease in my chest slowly faded."Sorry, everyone, I need to take my wife to her prenatal appointment. You all enjoy the rest of the evening." Russell stood up and took my hand, leading me toward the door.But Vanessa called after him, her voice cracking. "Russ, what happened back then was a misunderstanding. Can't you forgive me and at least give me a chance to explain?""No." He cut her off before she could finish, his brow furrowed and his tone dripping with contempt. "A gold-digger doesn't deserve my forgiveness, so don't waste your breath. And that Eastport Marina project? I'm taking it, end of story.

Chapter 3

I didn't hear a single word she said after that. It felt like I'd been struck by lightning, my mind going completely blank.The receptionist must have picked up on something in my silence, because she wrapped up quickly and hung up.I sat alone on a bench in the hospital corridor, staring at nothing, until the doctor called my name several times before I finally snapped back."You're here by yourself today? Where's your husband?"The doctor made small talk while doing the ultrasound. At every other appointment, Russell had always made time to be there, no matter how busy he was. It was only natural she'd notice his absence.I swallowed the ache rising in my throat and forced a thin smile. "He's tied up with work today, so he couldn't make it."The doctor nodded and didn't press further, but her brow creased slightly as she studied the monitor."You had serious trauma to your lower back before, so the pregnancy has never been the most stable. You really need to watch your stress

Chapter 4

Russell froze, his expression locking in place. "You saw all that?"I gave a small nod."It's not what you think. I doubled back to handle something for work and ran into her. She was drunk out of her mind. She latched onto me and wouldn't let go, so I dropped her off at the hospital since it was on the way."You know how much I can't stand her. When she was grabbing onto me, I wanted to rip her hand off."The disgust in his eyes was practically overflowing when he said it. It didn't look like a lie. But something still felt off, even if I couldn't pinpoint what.The exhaustion of early pregnancy washed over me again, and Russell hurried off to shower before climbing into bed beside me. "Get some sleep. I'll take you out for a walk tomorrow."I curled into his chest and let the steady rhythm of his heartbeat settle me. It helped, a little. I closed my eyes and drifted off again.But the sleep didn't last. I woke up less than three hours later.I reached for Russell on instinct,

Chapter 5

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a hospital bed.Russell stood up the moment he saw I was awake and reached over to straighten the blanket around me. "You're up. How are you feeling?"I forced my dry throat to work, barely managing a whisper. "The baby?"The light in his eyes went out, and pain crept into his voice. "The baby's gone."The words hit me like a blow, leaving everything numb. I reached down and touched my belly, and a single tear slid down my face.I thought about the day we first found out I was pregnant, how Russell had scooped me up and spun me around, grinning like a madman. I thought about the way he used to press his ear gently against my belly, trying to hear something.I thought about him rushing out to buy baby clothes and bottles like he'd just won the lottery.We'd waited so long for this baby, hoped for it for so long. And now he'd killed it with his own hands, before it ever got the chance to open its eyes and see the world.I felt like a sp

Chapter 6

My friend was angrier about it than I was, cursing up a storm."Does she have no shame? Going after someone else's husband right out in the open like that? How thick-skinned can one be?"She knows full well you and Russell are legally married, and she still came barging in. You need to be careful. The 'one that got away' thing is powerful. Don't let her actually steal him."She could have him. I didn't want him anymore.I smiled bitterly, and a dull ache pulsed through my lower abdomen, like an answer from the child I'd lost.Vanessa was more calculating than I'd given her credit for, staging the whole thing just to frame me and take Russell. She'd moved too fast, caught me completely off guard, and I'd taken the hit before I even knew it was coming.But the baby was gone now, and that pain was something I would make her pay for.I checked myself out of the hospital alone. When I got home, the house was empty.The bloodstains from the day of the miscarriage were still on the be

Chapter 7

After a long round of persuading, my parents finally relented and nodded."Fine. But if he gives you any trouble, you tell us immediately. Your mother and I will always have your back."My nose stung and my eyes filled with tears again. The tight knot in my chest loosened just a little, replaced by something warm.The night I'd insisted on leaving home to follow Russell to his city, my parents had said those exact same words. Now I'd run headfirst into a wall and come back battered and bleeding.But when I looked over my shoulder, the people who'd always had my back were still standing right there, exactly where they'd always been.He was just a man, and a ruined thing wasn't worth keeping. No matter how much it hurt now, the pain would pass eventually.After I saw my parents off, I called a friend who practiced law and had her draft a divorce agreement based on the actual state of things between Russell and me. We hadn't had the ceremony yet, but we were legally married, and eve

Chapter 8

Russell turned to look at Vanessa, and the way his eyes softened was like he was gazing at something precious he'd thought he'd lost forever.I almost laughed. "I'm not apologizing for something I didn't do. And I'm not signing any partnership with her, and I have zero interest in being her friend."I picked up the divorce agreement I'd just printed and held it out to him. "Here are the divorce papers. Take a look, and if everything's in order, sign it now."The moment the word "divorce" left my mouth, the air in the room went completely still.Russell froze. When it finally registered, his voice came out sharp and furious. "What kind of stunt is this? I'm not agreeing to a divorce, and I don't want to hear you bring it up again."The sheer force of it caught both Vanessa and me off guard, but Vanessa most of all.The smug look she'd been wearing crumbled in an instant. She reached for Russell's hand, tears in her eyes. "Russ..."But Russell's gaze stayed locked on me. He didn't

Chapter 9

After that night, Russell seemed to transform into a completely different person.He went right back to revolving his entire life around me, texting me updates on where he was and what he was doing nearly 20 hours a day, sharing little things that happened to him the same way he used to.The only difference was that this time, he never got a reply.I was busy putting together plans to launch my own company, pulling the right accounts over from the existing business and setting up positions for the senior staff who'd agreed to follow me.I barely had time to breathe, let alone deal with him, so I blocked him on everything and handed the divorce entirely over to my lawyer.When Vanessa heard I was dead set on the divorce, she went straight after Russell, desperate to lock him down. But no matter how many tearful phone calls she made or how many rambling confessions she sent by text, Russell ignored every single one. The only thing on his mind was getting me back.It didn't take lon

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