All Chapters of Divorced, But Taken By My Ex’s Uncle For Revenge: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The elevator is quiet. It’s not that empty kind of quietness, but rather the type that presses in uncomfortably, settles under your skin, and makes you aware of things you would rather ignore. Like how close to me Nathaniel Hale Monroe is standing. He’s not touching me though, but he’s not standing close enough to be inappropriate. Just enough that I can feel the warmth radiating off him, it suffocates my lungs. However, I keep my eyes forward, waiting for the elevator door of the building he just brought me to, to open. I’m guessing it’s his penthouse. A small voice in the back of my mind urges me to ask, but I push it down, concentrating on the awkward silence between us. I have an idea that the silence from his own end is intentional, though. It’s like he’s already moved past everything that happened earlier and is already thinking of something else. Finally, I open my mouth to speak, but I’m interrupted by the sudden sound of the elevator dinging softly as it comes to

The meeting is over.Every member of the board has cleared out of the boardroom, including Adrian, leaving just me, Nathaniel, and his brother, Richard Hale. And we’re all sitting in the tension from the aftermath of the meeting. I have no idea how it feels to them, but the silence is suffocating and uncomfortable, it makes it almost unbearable to breathe. Just then, Nathaniel leans in to murmur into my ears, his hot breath fanning my cheeks. “Let’s leave.”I hum and get up as he does, smoothening my dress. And that’s when Richard decides to get up too. “I want to have a word with you, Nathaniel.”Both our heads whip towards his direction, and he slips his hands into his pockets before walking towards us. “I know you don’t have the best interest of this company at heart, given you’ve always wanted to watch it fail after… what happened.” Richard briefly glances me, and I frown, but he returns his attention back to his brother. “So tell me something —“ he narrows his gaze. “What

The smile on Nathaniel’s lips doesn’t go unnoticed by me. It’s faint and controlled, though. Almost invisible, but it’s there.And for some reason, that unsettles me more than the scene playing right in front of us. Because while everyone else looks confused — shocked, even — he doesn’t. It’s as if he expected this. I shift my attention away from Nathaniel to Adrian, watching as he paces the room now, running a hand through his hair. Then, he stops and looks at the lawyer, his voice breaking the silence. “This is ridiculous!” he says. “You can’t just walk in here and start making accusations without proof. Who even authorized this?”“Mr. Hale,” the lawyer says calmly, opening the folder in his hand. “We’re not making accusations. We’re presenting findings.”“Findings?” Adrian lets out a harsh laugh that sounds disbelieving. “From where? Your imagination?”A few of the staff exchange glances, but none of them laughs at what he thinks must be a joke. Even the lawyer doesn’t react.

The silence that follows Adrian’s arrest is loud. Everyone is still standing where they’ve been, the whole place silence like they’re all waiting for something else to happen or for someone to say something.No one does.But I can feel their eyes on me. Then, the workers begin to whisper to themselves, the sound of their voices growing louder. However, I don’t pay attention to any of it.My focus is still on the direction Adrian was taken, even after he’s no longer in sight.Everything that just happened doesn’t feel real to me. It’s not because I think he doesn’t deserve it — I do — but rather, because I didn’t expect it to happen like this. It happened so publicly, it feels embarrassing. And I wonder how the news must’ve circulated. Adrian really dragged the Hale reputation through the mud. I look up at him as the thought comes to me, and that’s when the sound of footsteps coming closer shifts my attention to the owner. The lawyer. He stops directly beside Nathaniel and leans

The station feels colder than I expect it to be. Not only in temperature, but also in feeling. It’s obvious that in a place like this, you have no one to save you, and the chilling, frightening atmosphere of the building is a proof of that. It’s late in the evening, and just as the lawyer said earlier, Nathaniel and I have been invited the station for our statements for a deeper investigation on Adrian’s case. Also, the time from this afternoon till now had given me a chance to wait out the bruise on my shoulders and chest and have a change of clothes. Nathaniel and I stride towards the officer’s desk, his hand placed against my lower back, the sounds of our shoes against the concrete floors audible over the few murmurs in the station. “Good evening,” Nathaniel greets once we stop before the officer’s desk, his voice monotone. “I’m Nathaniel Monroe. My wife and I were invited over for an investigation process regarding Adrian Hale’s case.”“Evening, Mr. Monroe. Evening Mrs. Monro