Alle Kapitel von UGLY? No More!: Kapitel 181 – Kapitel 190

In the kitchen she poured them both water, then set a single glass of wine on the table, for later, an image to send if needed.She would create sympathy, then amplify it.A line here, a picture there, a tale of concern and devotion that the right journalists would lap up.If that failed, she had deeper cards, she knew secrets in the right places, she could call in favors that hurt reputations, she could drop a few well placed whispers that would make partnerships and boardroom alliances shift.She had resources, she had leverage. And she wasn’t afraid to use them.Leonard slept and stirred and slept again, fingers clenching the blanket like a child.Lila watched him and allowed herself a cold little smile.It wasn’t enough for him to come back because she begged. He had to want the life she offered, and if he wouldn’t want it freely, she would engineer the want.This was not charity. She moved through the motions of caring, a clean shirt smoothed over his shoulders, a damp cloth on

The hospital smelled of disinfectant and sterile silence, the kind of clean that always made Lila feel dirtier inside.She stood at the reception desk, her sunglasses hiding the sleepless shadows beneath her eyes, fingers tapping impatiently against her clutch.The nurse recognized her. “Dr. Evans will see you now, Ms. Lila.”Her heels clicked softly down the polished hallway.Everything felt too bright, the lights, the walls, the faces that turned briefly toward her.When she reached the door with Dr. Evans, Infectious Disease written in neat black letters, she paused before knocking, forcing her lips into a small, polite smile.“Come in,” a voice called.The office was quiet except for the faint hum of an air conditioner.Dr. Evans, a woman in her late forties with a tired kindness in her eyes, looked up from her computer. “Lila,” she greeted softly. “I’m glad you came in.”Lila sat across from her, crossing her legs neatly. “I got your emails,” she said, voice steady though her han

Leonard moved toward the door. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence stretched thin, heavy with everything left unsaid.When he opened the door, she finally said, “You don’t have to go, you know.”He paused in the doorway. “I do.”Her lips twitched, a hint of a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Then at least promise me you’ll call.”He gave her a halfhearted nod, not trusting himself to say more, and stepped out into the hall.The soft click of the door behind him felt final.For a few seconds, Lila just stood there, staring at the closed door. Her hand still gripped the mug, knuckles white, the ceramic trembling faintly.Then the smile dropped.Her breathing changed, shallow, uneven. She set the mug down carefully, then leaned against the door, her forehead pressing to the wood.The perfect calm she’d held all morning shattered.“You always leave,” she whispered bitterly, her voice trembling. “You always, always leave.”Her reflection in the hallway mirror caught her atte

Milo frowned, lower lip trembling. “I didn’t do it on purpose. The spoon fell.”Elara stood nearby, suppressing a laugh behind her hand as she watched the scene unfold. “Julian, your soldiers are losing discipline.”Julian chuckled, reaching for a napkin and beginning to clean the mess. “Well, every army has a few casualties. Though I didn’t expect milk to be one of them.”Milo giggled. “Cereal army!”“Exactly.” Julian nodded solemnly. “We fight hunger, one spoon at a time.”Even Mira couldn’t help but giggle at that, though she tried to keep her indignant stance. “You’re making jokes, Daddy, but my shoe’s all sticky.”Julian glanced up at her and feigned horror. “Sticky shoes? Oh no. That’s it, call the fashion police. We have a cereal emergency.”Elara snorted, turning away so they wouldn’t see her laughing.Julian handed a damp cloth to Mira. “Here, Captain Clean Up. Wipe your shoe, and we’ll call it even.”She hesitated, looking between her parents, then finally knelt down beside

Diana's reflection in the rearview mirror stared back at her, a flawless mask with eyes that had begun to fray around the edges. She almost didn’t recognize the woman looking back.The same woman who’d once been the picture of poise, now sitting in a car outside a school like a desperate stalker.“Look at you,” she murmured with a bitter laugh, brushing her fingers against her reflection. “Reduced to this. Watching her raise your child.”When Julian crouched to say something to Milo and Mira, probably something tender, something fatherly, Diana’s breath hitched. Her grip on the steering wheel turned white knuckled.And then it happened, Milo leaned forward, pressed a quick kiss to Julian’s cheek, and whispered something that made Julian smile.That was it.That was the moment the thin thread of her composure snapped.Her entire body tensed, and a low, trembling laugh escaped her lips. “Oh, he’s good. He’s very good, isn’t he, Julian? You take him out once, and suddenly you think he’s