All Chapters of He Chose His Ex, I Married His Rival: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

Leon didn't come back that night. In the morning, I went to the east wing for my tools. A servant lowered her head. "Ms. Ricci moved in last night."When I'd first moved into the Vistari estate six years ago, Leon had set aside a room in the east wing for me. Even after I started sharing the main bedroom with him, I'd kept my sketches, books, and conservation bench there.I opened the side door. The room looked completely different.The curtains were now Catherine's favorite color. Her dresses filled the closet. My easel had been taken apart and propped up in the hall. A few cardboard boxes were piled by the door. The top one was marked TO BE DISCARDED.I opened a box. My mother's letters, my notebooks, old photographs, and tools had all been shoved in together. Even my mother's last painting had a deep crease across it.My hand went still.I'd moved many times since losing my mother, but I'd always packed that painting myself. It was her last piece, the only thing I could still touch

That day, I sent Samuel a message."Does our marriage agreement still stand?"He replied almost immediately. "Congratulations, Isabella. You've made the right choice."Leon dealt with whoever had switched the whip. He told me he'd arrange Marianne's cremation and funeral himself. He'd be there with me to say goodbye.I didn't refuse.Marianne had died in my place. All I could do now was give her a dignified farewell.But then Catherine called, crying. "Leon, watching her get whipped triggered another panic attack. I'm so scared. Will you come stay with me?"He looked at me, torn. "Go ahead without me. I'll come as soon as I've dealt with this." Once again, he left me for Catherine.I was eerily calm. After enough disappointments, even the pain went quiet.Shortly after the cremation paperwork was completed, a staff member came over and told me there'd been a mix-up with the body's ID number.Another family had collected Marianne's urn. They'd left two hours earlier to scatter the ashes

After Isabella left, Leon didn't return to his bedroom all night.He sat alone in the east wing, staring at the empty room. He kept picturing her at her conservation bench, and each time, the pain hit him all over again.At the Vistari family meeting the next day, a manager held up an old harbor agreement. "Don, should we have Ms. Bennett look at this first, as usual?"Without thinking, Leon said, "Have her—"He stopped midsentence.The room went quiet. The manager spoke softly. "I'm sorry, Don. I forgot for a moment. Ms. Bennett has left the estate."Leon stared at the agreement, feeling hollow inside.Six years earlier, he'd won the South Harbor warehouses back from his uncle because Isabella had spent three straight nights restoring a water-damaged deed.Between its layers, she'd found the inheritance clause every lawyer had missed. She'd helped him reclaim his most important property.Later, someone had tried to fool him with a forged 100-year-old contract. Isabella had noticed tha

After I became the foundation's lead conservator, Leon finally saw me again at a museum gala.People kept coming over to greet me. They wanted to discuss projects and arrange to have pieces from their collections conserved.Leon kept his distance from the crowd.Six years ago, I was used to standing behind him at every Vistari party.Now, watching me from a distance, he finally understood. I'd built a whole life, and I didn't need him in it.Samuel was there, too, but he didn't hover. He knew I didn't need someone keeping everyone else away from me.Near the end of the evening, Leon finally came over. He'd lost weight, and the dark circles under his eyes made it clear he still wasn't sleeping.I'd heard how badly he'd been doing since I left. He drank day and night and neglected the family business. The board had reprimanded him several times. Samuel had even taken the East Harbor docks from him.After a long silence, he asked hoarsely, "If I'd saved you first that day, would things be