Semua Bab Divorced by my Billionaire Ex, Now He Wants Me Back! : Bab 101 - Bab 110

102.Stella.The sound of the front door clicking shut still echoed in the room when I heard Josh’s footsteps, fast and heavy, like he was bracing for battle. He didn’t wait until Alex’s car had pulled away, didn’t give me the mercy of a few minutes to steady myself. He was there in the doorway, jaw clenched, brown eyes narrowed with the same stubbornness that used to drive me mad when we were kids. Only now, I was the one caught in the crosshairs.I didn’t bother sitting up. The cushions on the couch were still warm from where Alex and I had sat, my heart still thundering in my chest, lips tingling from the taste of his mouth. I curled my legs under me, gathering the blanket tighter, as if it could protect me from what was coming.Josh tossed his keys onto the coffee table with a clatter, not even looking at me at first. He pulled off his jacket, slinging it over the back of the chair. Only then did he face me fully, arms folded, his whole posture a wall.“You want to tell me what th

104StellaSaturdays have a certain rhythm in our house—lazy, messy, noisy, shaped by the twins’ moods and whatever I can find in the fridge. I woke that morning with the memory of Alex’s words echoing in my head, the night’s been in my head all week, and found myself both restless and eager, nervous in ways I hadn’t felt in years. I made pancakes. I brushed Emma’s hair into neat little puffs. I checked my phone a dozen times, each notification sending my heart skittering.It was early afternoon by the time we finally made it out the door for ice cream. The sun was warm, the air soft, and the kids chattered the entire drive, still glowing from the museum. I kept glancing in the rearview, half to check for seatbelts, half because I just liked seeing them together—Emma tracing a dinosaur sticker onto her jeans, Eli telling Alex about the “secret trapdoor” at the playground. Alex listened, his face relaxed in a way I rarely saw. It made me ache a little, how easily he fit into this world

106Stella.I woke to sunlight, gentle and golden on the quilt, but my first sensation was a pang—Alex was gone. Just an empty pillow and the faint scent of him in the sheets. It would have been easy to lie there and pretend nothing had changed, to let the afterglow of last night blur reality, but my mind was already racing, cataloguing all the ways this could fall apart. Old habits die hard.Downstairs, the house was still and peaceful. I made coffee, set out bowls for cereal, checked my phone while I waited for the kettle. There, nestled between a spam email and a school newsletter, was a new message. No subject, just a single image attached.I opened it, and the world tilted beneath me.It was a photo of me and Alex, clear as day, snapped through the living room window. The timestamp was last night. We were close—maybe laughing, maybe about to kiss. My breath caught, heart pounding in my chest. I looked up at the window instinctively, almost expecting to see someone staring back.F

108Alex.I hesitated just long enough for Stella to look at me, a dozen questions in her eyes. I saw the hope there, but also worry, and underneath it all, there was trust. It was tentative, but real nonetheless. I gave a crooked smile and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll stay.”Eli whooped. Emma grabbed my hand and started dragging me toward the living room before I could even look at Stella again. She lingered behind us for a moment, her face hidden, and I wondered if she was fighting tears, or just trying to catch her breath.The night became a blur of blankets, laughter, and the twins’ relentless negotiations over which movie to watch. Emma wanted the animated fairy tale she always picked. Eli lobbied hard for dinosaurs, then caved when Emma pouted. I sank into the couch, sandwiched between them, letting myself forget about Sophie, about threats, about everything but the simple comfort of holding my children close.Stella joined us with a bowl of popcorn and that small, lopsided smile that al

110Alex.A call came at 4:43 a.m. My phone was under my pillow; I woke so fast my heart stuttered in my chest. Stella’s name glowed on the screen, and for a split second I was sixteen again, sneaking out of my parents’ house to meet her behind the old bandstand. But there was a thin edge in her voice—breathless, shaken—that cut through the years in an instant.“Alex?” she whispered, barely above a breath. “There was someone outside my window. I heard footsteps, I—can you come?”That was all it took. I was out of bed and shoving on yesterday’s jeans, keys in my pocket before she finished her sentence. I didn’t bother to answer, just said, “I’m on my way,” and hung up so she wouldn’t hear the fear in my voice.The drive felt endless. The streets were still empty, city lights painting the puddles silver as I sped across town. I tried to keep my mind blank, to push away images of Stella standing alone at the window, of the twins huddled in their beds, of all the things I’d failed to prot