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Home / Romance / The Wife You Shouldn't Have Lost / Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

All Chapters of The Wife You Shouldn't Have Lost : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

146 Chapters

031

It had been a long night for the Harthwore family. Both couples couldn’t bring themselves to sleep after what they had witnessed the previous day. When they got home, Layla hadn’t said a word about it, and they hadn’t asked if she knew Ashley was married to her ex-husband.To make matters worse, she appeared strong on the outside, and she wasn’t even showing signs of pretending, which bothered them even more. A past she had already let go of and moved on from shouldn’t be something they kept bringing up.Natasha returned from the kitchen, placing a cup of coffee on the stool for her husband before sitting beside him, her head resting in her hands.Their silence carried so many unspoken words that even a child could sense it. They weren’t saying anything, yet they were communicating through it.“My eyes are getting heavy, and it’s already dawn,” Harthwore said, breaking the silence as he reached for his coffee cup. He took a sip, the cup lingering in his hands as he stared into space.

032

The fire had already been extinguished by the security personnel even before the firefighters arrived. They had wasted no time after alerting the family and the firefighters, doing everything they could to minimize the damage.The family arrived at the scene, the smell of smoke filling their noses. Natasha couldn’t hold back and soon began to throw up from the fumes.Her husband escorted her back to the car before returning inside. She couldn’t stand the smell of burnt items—it always made her sick.They walked into the building, stopping at the area where the fire had started.“But what could have caused it?” Layla asked, scanning the surroundings. The lights were always turned off before everyone left the office, so what could have triggered it?“I don’t know, ma’am. I was doing my usual rounds when I noticed the fire and alerted everyone.”“Ethan,” Harthwore called, inspecting the area.“Yes, Father.”“How well do the employees behave? I mean—their level of negligence.”The sibling

033

Harthwore took matters into his hands. What they had initially concluded to be a wire spark that caused the fire now seemed to be something more. He sent his wife and daughter home to freshen up while he stayed back with Ethan, waiting for the employees to arrive.They showed up a few minutes after Layla left. They were questioned about the sunglasses, but no one recognized them. Some staff wore medicated glasses, while others claimed they had never worn glasses to the gallery before.The atmosphere in the company grew tense, and Ethan eventually urged everyone to return to work. He knew most of them well—not that he had seen them with glasses before, but he was certain none of them would have come at dawn just to drop a pair of sunglasses. What for? Thesame company they work.The gallery had CCTV cameras installed throughout the building, which became their last option since no one admitted ownership. Harthwore had warned everyone before they proceeded to review the footage. If any

034

The sound of items shattering on the floor made the maids rush out from the kitchen into the living room. They froze, staring at the destruction their boss had just caused.Glassware and flour jars lay scattered everywhere. They grew nervous and didn’t dare move any closer, afraid of getting hurt.She had never been kind to any of them, and no one was willing to risk approaching her now."What should we do?""I don’t know. But I’m not the one going over there to stop her. Look at how aggressive she is.""But what could be making her act this way? She doesn’t look normal."They fell silent, until one of them shifted her gaze to the television in front of them. She pointed toward it—Layla’s picture filled the screen."That… the news—that’s it," she said, connecting the dots."She’s moved on and has her own family. Why is she still obsessed with her?"She shrugged, glancing at the others. "They’ve been scheming a lot, and it’s all because of Miss Layla.""I must admit, I was shocked when

035

“We can find him within twenty-four hours. It shouldn’t take longer than that,” Joshua said to his father as he watched the clip he had been given. His tone was firm, filled with anger and determination to get his hands on the man.“Go ahead. I want him found. He needs to tell us who he’s working for.”Joshua nodded and placed a call, issuing instructions from where he stood.Harthwore’s mind wasn’t at ease. He wasn’t convinced by what they had seen—the sunglasses alone proved there was more to it.If the glasses didn’t belong to any of the employees, then the man in the footage had to be the owner.He might not have been wearing them, but they were connected to him. Perhaps he had taken them out and forgotten to put them back.After a few minutes, Joshua finished giving detailed instructions and ended the call, turning back to his father.“I’ll forward the clip to them. By dawn, we should have something on him.”His father nodded as Joshua proceeded to send the footage to his team. T

036

“What do you mean the gunshot was aimed at someone?” Ryan asked as he fixed his friend’s injury. Adrian was exhausted by his questions and didn’t bother responding. The pain from the shattered glass sent sharp signals through his head, making it difficult for him to keep his eyes open, and Ryan’s talking only worsened it. Ryan pulled away after stitching his wound. He dropped the aid box and sat down next to him. “I’ll give you some drugs. Make sure you don’t skip them.” “Can I have them now? Maybe it will help with the pain.” Ryan excused himself to get the drugs. Just before he returned, there was a knock on the door. As soon as Adrian looked up, his father was already making his way inside. He scurried toward him, pulling him into a hug. “I’m glad you’re okay.” Adrian simply allowed it. His father didn’t get to hug him that often, and today, he chose to stay in his embrace. He was still wrapped in the hug when his stepmother marched into the room, and suddenly, the atmosphe

037

It hadn’t been more than twenty-four hours, and they had already found him. Joshua was good with things like this, which was why he didn’t hesitate to leave it to him. They left Adrian’s house and urged the others to go home, informing them that there was something they needed to attend to. Ethan was the one who drove them home, while his brother, Joshua, took their father to the location where they were holding the suspect. As they arrived, they could hear cries and the sound of whips cutting through the air. He was already being punished, which Joshua didn’t remember authorizing. “He’s being punished?” Harthwore asked. “Yes. But I didn’t instruct them to do it.” “Maybe he’s refusing to admit it. That should be the only reason they’re whipping him.” Joshua said nothing further and led him through the building until they reached the room. The men halted their flogging immediately, stepping aside to make way for Harthwore. “You’re sure he’s the one?” That was the first question

038

The moment Layla arrived at the office, she headed straight to inspect the work done the previous day. The construction company had done a thorough job, so clean that nothing hinted at the damage, unless you already knew what had happened. Satisfied, she returned to her office and settled into her chair, giving it a slow twirl. A few minutes later, one of her employees walked in with her coffee and placed it gently on the desk. “Thank you. You can go,” Layla said, reaching for the cup. She lifted it halfway, then paused. The woman hadn’t moved. Layla set the cup back down, her gaze sharpening as it settled on her. “I said you can leave. Why are you still standing?” The woman didn’t respond. Her fingers twisted into the fabric of her clothes, pulling it tight. A thin line of sweat slipped from her temple, trailing slowly down her face. “Ma… it’s…” Her voice faltered, her grip tightening as more sweat gathered along her forehead. Layla’s eyes flicked briefly to the air conditio

039

“You’re welcome, Miss Layla. I’ve been waiting for you,” the waitress said, grinning from ear to ear. Layla wasn’t surprised that she had been expected. Seeing that Sophia had already assigned someone to wait for her, it only showed how desperate she was for this meeting. But for what exactly? She returned the smile without a word and turned on her heels. The waitress led her to a room and stopped. “She’s inside, waiting for you.” Layla nodded and reached for the doorknob, pushing it open. There she was—seated, casually eating. She didn’t even bother to look up, continuing as if Layla hadn’t entered. Layla knew better than to wait for an invitation. She stepped in without hesitation, unbothered and unafraid of whatever this meeting might bring. It was time that Sophia was put in her place. Part of her believed that if Sophia had never been in the picture, things might have been different; she might have had a better relationship with her son. But because of her, nothing had gone

040

Both men sat down, waiting for the figure to arrive. Adrian’s spy had reached out earlier, informing him that he would be bringing the evidence he had gathered. As promised, Adrian had called Ethan to witness the conversation, while Ryan remained on the line, listening in since he couldn’t make it in person.The wait didn’t last much longer.Soon, they spotted him approaching from a distance, walking briskly toward them. Just before he got close enough, Adrian spoke, his tone casual but probing.“I was with Pookie earlier today. I thought you were her driver.”Ethan straightened slightly, clearly caught off guard. “You were with her? I didn’t know you went to the gallery,” he said, his voice laced with surprise.That morning, he had dropped her off at the gallery before leaving almost immediately to handle other matters. He hadn’t stayed more than five minutes.“I wasn’t at the gallery,” Adrian replied calmly. “I just happened to drop her off.”Before Ethan could respond, the man fina

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