Dear Ex Wife Please take me back (Athena and Alex) novel Chapter 169

ATHENA

“Where did Daddy go?” Rayen asks as Luca drives us back home.

I don't know what to say or how to answer that question. Yesterday passed in a blur.

I can barely remember what happened after Alex left or how I hugged Rose goodbye with promises of catching up.

I've been holding onto my phone like it's my lifeline. Hoping and praying Giana is alright.

She saved me. Gave me an education and made my life so easy.

She had another heart attack and could die.

I have the formula. Maybe I should stop hiding it and use it to save her and have Alex take a dose to prevent this from ever happening to him.

“He had something to do, sweetie. You'll see him soon.” I finally find the strength to answer my son, who nods and focuses on his game.

Luca and I share a look through the rearview mirror.

“You can't keep it hidden from him forever.” He says.

I know he's right, but I don't admit it.

I'll tell him when I hear how she's doing.

“Do you think the formula can help?” I blurt out the question.

Well, if Alex knows, then Luca totally knows about it.

“Are you talking to me?” He asks, giving me a straight face.

“Forget it!” I mutter. Not having the strength to fight him today.

“No you can't. It was last used seven years ago. Plus, Giana is old. You'll need to do more tests on its effectiveness, and that could take another seven years. I also suggest you don't repeat that question outside.”

I let out a tired sigh and look out the window. Trees blur past. Sunlight flickers through the leaves, painting golden patches across my lap, but it doesn't calm me.

My fingers keep twitching, my phone burning a hole in my palm. Still no updates.

“Some new people just landed,” Luca adds suddenly as he hands me his tablet. “Figured you should see this.”

The screen shows a photo taken outside Quinn’s Medical Center.

A tall man who looks a hell lot like Alex's dad and a woman with blond hair, is stepping out of a sleek black car.

The woman’s face is mostly covered by oversized sunglasses. The man looks cold and makes my backbone shiver.

I frown. “Who are they?”

Luca doesn’t answer immediately.

“That's Noah and Sloane’s parents.” Luca finally answers, and I gasp.

I slide next, and in the next picture, the woman has pulled off her glasses.

“She looks so identical to Ariana. Are they sisters?” I ask.

It's funny that I'm hearing about these two for the first time. I assumed his parents were late since neither of them spoke about them. But then I realize Sloane was abroad.

So I guess that's where she was.

But why are they only showing up now? Their daughter has been in a coma for over eight months.

Lucas's soft laugh and slight shake of his head pulls me back.

“They're not sisters. It's crazy but John is one sick bastard.”

“Language!” I hiss with a glare as I turn to look at Rayen, who is buried in his game.

Luca chuckles, “That kid will be cursing soon, too. It's inevitable!”

“Why is John sick?”

“Can't you tell? He married a woman who looks exactly like Ariana. Doesn't that tell you something?”

I meet his gaze through the rearview, and he shakes head like I'm stupid.

“John had a crush on Ariana. But she fell for Eli and they got married. So the brothers fell off. Giana handing the entire company to Eli didn't help the situation. So I guess he relocated and found himself a lookalike and married her.

What's fucked up is that he even made her study law and dyed her hair blond too. She's a brunette originally. But I hear she's now a cold ass prosecutor. I don't know why they came, but it isn't to catch up.”

“Maybe they're here because they're mother is sick.” I point out.

Not everything has to have a hidden agenda I try to convince myself even though I agree with Luca.

That's pretty sick.

“They landed four hours before Giana collapsed. So unless they can see the future, I suggest you be careful and don’t let them near Rayen. You have nothing to worry about though, Alex would burn us all to shit before anything happened to you. I'm just giving you a heads up.”

“Well. Their daughter took a bullet for me, I’m sure we will start on a very lovely note.” The sarcasm rolls out of my tongue.

Luca doesn’t respond, he just snorts and focuses back on the road. His silence feels more loaded than any warning.

We pull into Isabelle’s driveway twenty minutes later.

I unbuckle Rayen and help him out of the car. He’s humming the theme song from his game, completely unaware of the tension sitting like lead in my chest.

The front door opens before we can knock, and Isabelle steps out.

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