A Divorce He Regrets (Alissa Nexus) novel Chapter 34

Without a second thought, I threw my weight against the door, but it didn’t budge. Caring under breath, I rammed it again and again, the image of that smug bastard and Raina’s helpless for driving me to the brink of madness.

On the fourth try, the door gave way, and I stored in.

The man barely had time to eat before I grabbed him by the collar and threw him to the ground. The sound of his head hitting the floor was satisfying, but it wasn’t enough. Not even close

And again

Each punch landed with the face of my fury, fueled by the image of what he’d been about to do, His smirk disappeared as his face became a bloodied mess. He tied to fight back but I was relentless. By the time I stopped, he was unconscious, his body limp and useless on the floor

queathing heavily, I tumed my attention to Raina

Star was slumped against the wall, her dress tom, her body trembling. My chest tightened as i saw the blood staining her hair, a crimson pool forming where het headrested

“Raina.” I said, my voice breaking as I knelt beside her.

Ishook her gently, my hands trembling as i tried to rouse her. Her eyes fluttered belly, but they didn’t stay open. Panic gripped me as I pressed my fingers to the back of her head, feeling the warm, sticky blood that coated my pains.

“No, no, no,” I muttered under my breath, scooping her into my arms. She felt so fragile, so small.

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I didn’t think I just acted.

+25 Bonus

bursting out of the room, camed her through the hallway, my steps hurried and purposeful, Gasps empted from the crowil as they saws, whispers spreading like

Dominic was the first to reach me, his face a mask of fury and confusion. “What the hell did you do to her?” be demanded, his voice loud and accusing.

I didn’t stop walking.

“Ask the bastard in the room,” I shot back, my voice cold and shaps. “He’s the one who tied to hurt her.”

„Dominie’s eyes flickered with rage, but he followed me without another word as I carried lain out of the building and straight to my car

The drive to the hospital was a blur of strens and headlights,

When we arrived, the doctors moved quickly, talding Ralna firman my arms and rushing her into surgery, 1 stayed in the waiting room, pacing like a caged animal, my hands still stained with her blood

Dominic sat nearby, his jaw clenched and his fists tightly balled. The tension between us was palpable, but neither of us spoke until the doctor finally came out, expression calm but serious.

“She’s stable,” he said, his voice steady. “The wound on her head required stitches, but there’s no permanent damage. She’ll need rest and observation, but she’s going to be fine.”

Relief washed over me like a tidal wave, but it was quickly replaced by anger.

“Tell me you’ve got the bastard in custody,” I said, turning to Dominic.

He sighed, his fists tightening. “Not yet. Security’s handling it.”

Telenched my jaw, my hands twitching with the need to do something–anything. “If they don’t, I will,” I muttered darkly.

Dominic shot me a look, his eyes blazing with unspoken threats. “You’d better not get in my way, Alex. If anyone’s going to deal with him, it’s me

I met his gaze, unflinching. “If you’re planning to shoot him, that’s too easy. I’d rather see him suffer.”

Dominic didn’t respond, but the tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife.

When the nurse finally came out to tell us we could see het, I felt a mix of relief and audety that hit me like a tidal wave. The tension in the waiting room, the heaviness of the past few hours–it all seemed to rush out of me at once, leaving behind a strange, hollow feeling.

“She’s awake,” the nurse said, her voice calm and gentle, but fimm. “But she needs to rest. Don’t stay too long, and try not to overstimulate her. She’s been through

Dominic and exchanged a glance. The truce between us was unspoken but absolute’s our mutual concern for Ratna trumped everything else, even the boiling anges simmering beneath the surface. Without a word, we both stood and followed the nurse down the hall.

Every step felt like a mile. Mypalms were still clammy, and my breath hitched slightly as the nurse opened the door to Raina’s room. The steady beep of the heart monitor was the first thing hoticed, followed by the faint antiseptic smell of the hospital

Then I saw ber.

She looked so small in the hospital bed, dwarfed by the sterile white sheets and the machines surrounding her. Her face was pale, almost ghostly, and the sight of her lying there, so vulnerable, hit me harder than I expected. This was Baina—the woman who had faced down life’s hardest challenges with an unwavering strength. Seeing her like this felt wrong, like the universe itself had tilted on its axis. 1

Her dark lashes fluttered against her cheeks, and then her eyes opened slowly. The hazy confusion in hier gaze cleared as we approached, and for a moment, 1 thought I saw a glimmer of relief in her expression.

Dominic reached her bedside first, his steps hurried but cautious. His hand hovered over hers before finally resting gently on it, and for once, I didn’t feel the need to challenge it.

He pointed at me, his voice low but steady. “Alex saved you,”

Raina tumed her head slowly, her movements sluggish. Her gaze landed onine, and though her body was weak, the falst glate she managed to muniter spoke.

ou,” he said, the words clipped yet deliberate, as if he wanted to make sure she understood.

That weak glace made me smile. I’m just glad I was stubbe enough to follow you,” I said, my voice soft but lared with teasing. I took a cautious i watching her carefully. “Though this does mean you ove me a date.”

step closer,

Herlips twitched, the barest him of a reaction. Whether it was amusement or imitation, I couldn’t tell, but it was enough to make my chest feel a little less tight.

pominic glanced at me, his expression unreadable, but he didn’t say amthing. Instead, he returned his focus to Falna, his hand tightening around her.

“he murmured, stone gentler now. “You’re sade.”

adrift closed again. The pellet I felt was profound. For now, seeing her alive,

Flingered a few steps behind, my hands tucked into my pockets as i watched her eyes d awake, and sate was enough

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Alex was still the arrogant ass I’d always known him to be. He saved my life, sure, and I should probably feel grateful, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. Not after everything. Not after the years of betrayal, heartbreak, and silence that had hardened me. So when he stood there, smug and confident as ever, and told me towed him a date, I nearly laughed indisbelier.

The audacity.

1 tumed my gaze toward Dominic, silently pleading for some barkop, a lifeline, anything but to my growing irritation, he was staring off into space, ammi crossed as if he didn’t want to get involved

“Fine,” I said finally, my voice low and begrudging. Each syllable was bitten off, sharp enough to cut. “But we’re not talking about anything from our past. The only topic you’re allowed to bring up is Liam. Nothing else.”

Alex sucked, his expression smng yet tinged with something softer. He leaned slightly closer, his presence overwhelming, as if he’d just won some monumental battle.

“As long as I get to have a meal with you, that’s fine by me,” he said, his tone infuriatingly light,

I wanted to retort, to tell him that his confidence was misplaced, that this wasn’t a victory. But as I met his eyes, something stopped me. They weren’t cold or calculating like I’d expected. Instead, there was something there that made me falter–tendemess, pulit, regret..

That look. I hadn’t seen it in years, and it threw me off balance. It softened him in a way that almost made me uncomfortable, as though he were afraid I’d shatter and run away again if he pushed too hard.

Feeling my control slipping, I averted my eyes, pretending to find something fascinating about the far wall. “I don’t need you picking me up,” added hastily, my voice timer now. “just…Jet me know the place. I’ll meet you there when I’m ready.”

From the corner of my eye, 1 saw him nod slowly, his smirk fading into something more genuine. “Whenever you’re ready,” he said, his voice gentler than expected

Ready? I doubted I’d ever ber

mady.

Still, I had to focus on what mattered. I had to get better–not for Alex, not for me, but for my children. Liam and Ava needed me. They needed me to be strong to hold everything together even when I felt like I was falling apart.

Two days. That’s all I allowed myself to recover and convince the world I was fine. Two days of forcing myself to push aside the memories of what had happened, to bury the lingering fear and helplessness that clawed at me whenever I closed my eyes.

When the two days were up, I was back at the hospital, sitting by Liam’s side. It felt like the only place belonged, the only place Lcould breathe.

But avoiding Alex was like trying to avoid the inevitable. No matter how hard I tried, he found a way to insert himself back into my life.

And sure enough, just as I was settling into the familiar drythm of watching Lam sleep, Alex walked into the room as though he owned it.

I glanced up, and the second our eyes met, that maddening sanile of his appeared–the one that always carried an infuriating mix of arrogance and charm.

“It’s good to see you back on your feet,” he said, his voice light but carrying something else–something deeper, “Running away from me again, I see

Tulled my eyes so hard it was a wonder they didn’t stay that way permanently.

Before I could muster a response, he held out a flower. A single white lily.

Iblinked at it, momentantly stunned, of all the things he could have done, this was not what I expected. My initial reaction was to refuse it, to smub the gesture outright out of sheer stubbornness. But Alex, being Alex, wouldn’t take no for an answer.

He stood there,

unwavering, until the weight of his persistence chipped away at my defenses. With a butt of irritation, I snatched the flower from his hand.

“Thanks,” I muttered, begrudgingly

His smile widened slightly, but before he could say anything else, the door opened, and the doctor walked in.

The moment I saw the look on his face, my stomach dropped.

“What now?” I whispered to myself, the words a silent prayer and plea

The doctor’s gaze shifted between Alex and me, his expression serious yet calm. “I’s good you’re both here,” he began, his tone steady but deliberate. “During Liam’s therapy sessions, we’ve noticed something concerning.”

felt the air in the room shift, thickening with spoken tension. My heart clenched, the dread spreading like lee through my veins.

“What is it?” I managed to ask, my voice bairly audible.

The doctor hesitated, as though carefully choosing his words “Liam’s cognitive development has been affected by his prolonged illness and coma,” he explained. “Although he’s five years old physically, his mental and emotional developered remains at the level of a two–year–old Around the time he went into coma,”

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+25 Bonus

The words hit me like a physical blow. My chest tightened, and tears bumed at the corners of my eyes. I turned to Alexinstinctively, seeking something. Anything.

To my surprise, he was already looking at me, his expression sily yet strained. Without a word, he reached for my hand, his fingers curling around mine in a gesture so fim yet gentle it left me momentarily stunned.

“What does this mean for him?” Alex asked, his voice calm but laced with tension

I couldn’t stay in that room. The weight of the doctor’s words was too much, pressing down on me like an unbearable burden. I excused myself quickly, fleeing into the hallway in search of air that didn’t feel so stifling.

The moment I stepped out of the room, the dam inside me broke. I leaned against the cold, sterile wall, covering my face with my hands as subs wracked my body.

My baby boy. My sweet, innocent boy. How much more did he have to endure? How much more could he take before it became too much?

Her name burned in my mind like a brand, furling the anger that rose within me like a tidal wave. She had done this. She had stolen years from Liam, robbed h his childhood, and left us all to pick up the shattered pieces of our lives.

clenched my fists, the sharp bite of my nails digging into my palms grounding me in my rage, I would make her pay. For Liam. For me. For everything.

A touch on my shoulder startled me, and for a brief, panicked moment, fear shot through me. But then I heard Alex’s voice.

I tumed to face him, wiping hastily at my tear–streaked cheeks. The concem in his eyes was genuine, but it only irritated me. I didn’t want his pity.

Alex may have saved my life, but that didn’t mean he could fix it. That was my job, and I wasn’t about to let anyone or anything –stand in my way.

When I got home later that evening, sure enough, the details were waiting in my inbox. A high–end restaurant in the city, one of those exclusive places with a months–loog, waiting list.

I sighed, leaning back against the couch and staring at the message. My mind was still heavy with thoughts of Liam, his struggles, and the uphill battle he faced.

The sound of the doorbell jared me from my thoughts. I frowned, glancing at the clock Who could possibly be visiting at this hour?

With a deep breath, I stood and made my way to the door, my heart pounding for reasons I couldn’t explain.

As I reached for the handle, aumall voice in the back of my mind whispered a warning, but I ignored it. Tuming the knob, I opened the door, bracing myself for whatever–or whoever was waiting on the other side.

ALEXANDER

She had always had this effect on me, even before I was foolish enough to let her go. And now, as I sat in my car, parked just a few yards from the Graham property. waiting for the right time to make my move, I felt like I was twenty again, standing outside her door, waiting to ask her on our first dare.

I checked my watch again, the seconds dragging like hours. It was still too early, but I couldn’t sit idle. The dress I had sent her should’ve arrived earlier in the day, and couldn’t stop imagining her in it. Deep emerald green–her favorite color. She’d always looked stunning in green, like it was made for her.

I parked, stepped out, and called her name.

Her body stiffened, and she turned slowly, her expression an annoyed mix of surprise and exasperation.

“What are you doing here, Alex?” she asked, her tone sharp, like she was already preparing for a tight.

I smiled, ignoring the bite in her words. “I wasn’t about to let my..” I stopped myself just in time. My wife. The wood almost slipped out, but she didn’t know the truth yet. That revelation would take time, and 1 couldn’t afford to blurt it out now. “_date, “Hinished smoothly. “I wasn’t about to let my date head to the restaurant on her own, especially when you’ve only just recovered”