All Chapters of I LEFT WHEN HIS EX CAME BACK WITH HIS SON: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

THALIAMy head felt like someone had taken a hammer to it.Every pulse of blood behind my temples sent another wave of pain through my skull. I groaned softly and buried my face deeper into the pillow.Why did the pillow smell… different?Slowly, I opened my eyes.The first thing I noticed was the ceiling.White. Wide. Familiar.Too familiar.My brain took a second to catch up. Then my eyes widened.I shot up almost immediately.This was Brandon’s bedroom.“What the hell—”The sudden movement made the pounding in my head worse. I pressed a hand against my temple, breathing slowly while trying to remember what happened last night.The club.Olivia.The drinks.The male escorts.Then—My stomach dropped.Brandon.Fragments of memory flashed through my mind in broken pieces.The flashing lights on the dance floor.Knox laughing.Someone spinning me around while music blasted in my ears.Then Brandon’s voice.Cold. Furious.His hand grabbing my wrist.Dragging me out.The car.And then…My

THALIAI closed my laptop and leaned back in my chair.My body still felt heavy from last night, and the lingering headache throbbed faintly behind my eyes. A shower would help. Sleep would help even more.I slid out of the chair and headed for the bathroom. Hot water washed away most of the exhaustion, loosening the tightness in my shoulders. By the time I climbed under the covers, my mind was calmer.Tomorrow, I needed to see my mother.***The hospital felt exactly the same. Sterile. Quiet. Heavy.I walked down the familiar hallway slowly, my shoes echoing softly against the tiles. Nurses moved quickly past me. Patients whispered in low voices. I barely noticed.Room 312.I paused at the door. The handle was cold beneath my hand. I pushed it open.The machines hummed steadily. Monitors beeped quietly. The faint smell of disinfectant lingered in the air.My mother lay in the bed, still and pale, exactly as she had for the past five years.I drew in a shallow breath, the sight twist

THALIABrandon froze the moment he saw us.Just for a second. But I caught it. He hadn’t expected me here, standing face-to-face with the boy Clara had been so eager to parade around.Then he moved. Quickly. Too quickly. He scooped Leo into his arms, protective, almost instinctive.“Leo, are you okay?” he asked, his voice tight.Clara rushed forward. “He fell,” she said, anxious—but her eyes flicked at me, something hidden beneath the concern. “She pushed him.”I almost laughed. Of course.Brandon’s gaze snapped to mine, sharp and cold.“Thalia,” he said, voice hardening, “what is wrong with you?”There it was. The accusation. His first instinct was to believe her. To decide I was the problem. Honestly, I should’ve been used to it by now.I tilted my head slightly. “Aren’t you going to introduce him to me?” I asked calmly.Brandon stiffened. Something unreadable flashed across his face. Then the boy cried out:“Daddy! It hurts!”Brandon’s attention snapped back immediately. “It’s okay

BRANDONThe air around me seemed to go completely still.My fingers tightened slightly around the paper.I read it again.Slower this time.Carefully.As if forcing myself to understand something that refused to make sense.The words didn’t change.Divorce Agreement.A strange, sharp feeling settled in my chest as my jaw clenched.“What is this?” I muttered under my breath.The maid stood frozen a few steps away, not daring to speak.But I wasn’t asking her.I was asking—Myself.Because this didn’t make sense.Nothing about this made sense.Thalia wanted a divorce?No.That wasn’t right.She wouldn’t—My grip on the paper tightened further, the edges crumpling slightly under my fingers.She couldn’t.Not Thalia.Not the same woman who used to wait for me every night.Who lit up the moment I walked through the door.Who—My thoughts cut off abruptly.Something in my chest tightened.Uncomfortably.I pushed it down immediately.This had to be a mistake.Or some kind of impulsive decisio

THALIAOlivia had said he was good-looking, but that hadn’t prepared me.Not even close.Adrian Vale looked up from the file in his hand, his movements unhurried, almost lazy, but there was nothing careless about it.His eyes met mine, and it was like he saw through my soul.He leaned back slightly in his chair, studying me for a second longer than necessary, like he was already forming an opinion.And just like that—I felt the need to impress him.There was a quiet confidence in the way he carried himself—effortless, controlled.Dangerously so.Tall, even while seated. Broad shoulders relaxed beneath a crisp shirt, sleeves rolled just enough to reveal his forearms. His features were sharp and defined, but not cold. There was something almost approachable about him.Which made it worse.Because it felt… deceptive.“Thalia Wentworth,” he said, voice calm, smooth.Not a question.I straightened slightly. “Yes.”A small pause.Then—“Adrian Vale?” I asked like I had no idea.His lips cur