All Chapters of Ex-husband Wanted an Open Marriage With My Sister: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

I sank into the office’s leather swivel chair, clutching the stack of Aegis documents Lucas had left behind. The frayed paper edges dug uncomfortably into my palms. I stared at the name “R. Hynes” for a long moment until the letters blurred into shapeless dark smudges before my eyes.The phone’s shrill ring cut awkwardly through the stillness of the office.I picked up without uttering a word.“Jenny.” Alexander’s voice crackled over the receiver, dry and graveled from a sleepless night. “The boy’s awake. He’s asking for you.”My grip on the documents tightened. “He said he didn’t want to see me last night. Taking him back now is exactly what he wants, isn’t it?”Silence hung on the line. I heard the scratch of a lighter’s flint wheel, followed by a long exhale of smoke.“He’s crying,” Alexander said, falling back into his usual unyielding calm. “He sobbed the entire ride in the car. He’s only four years old, Jenny. Are you really going to hold a distraught child to words spoken in an

English TranslationLucas’s message arrived the following evening.[Message | Lucas ]: Senior, I’ve got the details. Olivia Vickers, now going by Olivia Miller. She was adopted back in 2018 by a Brooklyn couple: John and Patricia Miller. John works as a construction labourer, and Patricia is a supermarket cashier. They also have a biological son four years older than her.I scrolled down.[Message | Lucas ]: One more thing. Olivia’s in the third grade at PS32 Elementary School. Same class as Daniel Rich.I read that final line three times over.Same class.Daniel’s class has more than twenty kids. I’d sat through two parent-teacher conferences and seen all their faces, yet never paid special attention to any of them. Olivia Vickers—Olivia Miller—had been among those faces all along. She might have stood beside Daniel, lined up with him for lunch, sung him happy birthday on his birthday.And I’d known nothing about her.[Message | Lucas (Underclassman)]: Here’s the address: 1427 Vernon

The bar goes by the name The Blind Tiger, tucked away down an unremarkable alley in Greenwich Village. Pushing open the door, you’re greeted by warm amber lamplight and the low hum of jazz. Behind the bar stands a bearded bartender, slowly shaking a cocktail shaker in his hands. Lucas leads me to a tiny round table tucked in the corner. It is so small our knees nearly brush against one another. “It’s peaceful here,” he says, pulling out a chair for me. “I’ve dropped by a few times before; their whiskey is excellent.” I sit down and fold his suit jacket across my lap. The residual body heat has faded from the fabric, yet a faint laundry detergent scent still lingers. A server in a black apron approaches. Lucas orders a glass of bourbon, then asks what I’d like to drink. “The same for me.” Once the ser

The phone rang at seven in the morning. I was sitting on the carpet of my hotel room, with documents I’d brought back from the office the night before spread out in front of me.I picked up the call and said nothing."Jenny." It was Alexander’s voice, sounding worn out. "You left some things at the villa — clothes, papers, and some photos of Daniel. If you don’t come get them, Anna will dispose of everything.""Let her deal with them.""Jenny." He spoke my name, his tone laced with a tangled emotion I couldn’t fathom. "Daniel’s been asking for you. He wants to know when Mom will come home."My fingers tightened around the phone."I thought you said he’d been crying.""He cried earlier. He’s calmed down now, but he keeps asking about you." Alexander paused. "You know the police took Anna in for questioning after the fire. She’s been emotionally unstable lately. If you come over, I’ll make sure she stays out of your way.""Why should I trust you?""Because you need those belongings. You

I thrust the briefcase into Rita’s arms and clamped my right hand tight around her wrist. “Rita, stay here. When Daniel wakes up, tell him I’ve gone to buy his favorite Lego spaceship. Make sure he never doubts my words.” Rita adjusted her glasses and stepped in front of Detective Johnson. “Go. I’ll handle things here. Detective, my client has urgent personal matters. Reschedule the questioning for two hours from now. You may arrest her right now and face lawsuits from a full legal team, or wait in your car until I’m finished.” I walked past the detective and sprinted toward the rented gray sedan by the road. Tires screeched against the pavement. I slammed on the gas and raced toward Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn. A live location sent by Lucas blinked on the screen, pointing to an old pickup truck registered to Olivia’s foster father. Steering with one hand, I dialed Lucas. “Pull up the truck’s insurance records and regular routes. They’ll take important documents while transferrin