No Second Chances Ex-husband (Lauren and Ethan) novel Chapter 123

CHAPTER 0123

ROMAN’S POV

“Hold on a minute,” she said suddenly, lifting her finger as though signaling me to pause, her brows furrowed slightly in concentration. There was a spark of realization in her eyes, the kind you see when someone is putting scattered puzzle pieces together in their mind,

“You’re saying…” she began, leaning forward a little, “we both went to the same college, and Ethan also tried taking all the credit for both of your work?” Her tone was part disbelief, part intrigue, as if she was still trying to wrap her head around it all.

I gave a small nod, resting my elbows on the armrest of my chair. “You said you met Ethan in college, so yeah,” I replied with a faint smile, “we both went to the same college. What a small world, huh?”

She exhaled through her nose, shaking her head slightly in that quiet amazement that said, of course it had to be

Ethan.

“Secondly,” I continued, my voice deepening a little, “yes. I don’t know who he started listening to, or maybe it was just his greed getting the best of him. But one day, everything changed. He became too tightfisted, too controlling. He wanted everything for himself. Not just the credit, but every single thing. Even when I tried to reason with him, tell him we could make a fortune together and split it equally, he didn’t care. He wanted every single penny to himself.”

Lauren tilted her head slightly and gave a short, knowing laugh. “That pretty much sounds like the Ethan I know.”

Her words carried a soft humor, the kind that tried to lighten a heavy story. I appreciated that. She didn’t seem to realize how easily she could shift the atmosphere in the room.

“So what happened?” she asked after a moment. “Why didn’t he go forward with it, even after you two stopped being friends?”

I leaned back in my chair, crossing one leg over the other as I stared at the corner of my desk for a second before answering. “Like I said, we both came up with the idea together. Think of it like a safe with two keyholes. Ethan had access to the structure design, how the thing would look, fold, and function physically. But I…” I paused and gestured with my hand, “I had access to the hardware OS chip. That chip was basically the brain, the engine of the TV. Without it, the entire system was useless. It wouldn’t even power up.”

Lauren’s expression softened with understanding. “I see,” she said quietly, her eyes narrowing slightly as if she was piecing it all together. “So he needed you just as much as you needed him?”

I nodded slowly. “Exactly. That’s why the project never launched. He couldn’t do it without me. And I wasn’t going to give him something he didn’t earn.”

There was a pause, a quiet moment. Then I exhaled and added, “Now, the annoying part was how he twisted everything. He started calling me out, spreading rumors, saying I’d betrayed him, saying I stole his idea. He swore he’d never forgive me for what I did to him.”

Lauren shook her head, her lips pressing into a thin line, “I remember… back in college, there was a time when Ethan’s project for his upcoming company crashed. No one supported him after that, it was like everyone gave

1/3

up

on him.

all thought he was a joke. But what they didn’t know was that Ethan had been too selfish for his own good. He never told anyone that he had a partner that you existed. He went around telling everyone that it was all his idea.”

Her voice carried a mix of bitterness and understanding, and could tell she was remembering more than she let

1. on.

“And that,” I said with a faint sigh, “wasn’t even the worst thing he did.” I felt my jaw tighten as I continued. ” We went our separate ways, but he couldn’t let go of his hatred for me. He couldn’t get over the fact that I ruined his perfect little story, his relationship, his image, everything. So, years later, when we both started our own companies, he made it his mission to destroy mine.”

Lauren leaned in slightly, interest flickering in her eyes.

“He began coming after my investors,” I said, the frustration creeping into my tone despite my attempt to stay calm. “He bribed clients, stole contracts, forged documents there was nothing he didn’t do. He wanted to make sure Hale Industries crashed and burned. He thought he could humiliate me, make me crawl back to him for

mercy.

I gave a small smirk and straightened my collar, letting a hint of pride seep into my voice. “But even after everything he tried, he kept failing. Every single time.”

I could see admiration glinting faintly in her eyes as she listened. I didn’t know if she meant to show it, but there was a subtle respect that made her expression softer.

“Even till today,” I said, my voice steady, “Hale Industries still outshines his company. And that says a lot. Because it proves what I’ve always known: he’s always needed me more than I ever needed him.”

“So much that….,” I said, glancing toward her again. “He was even at my company anniversary. You must have seen him there, right?”

Her lips parted slightly, and she looked away for a moment. “Yeah,” she admitted softly. “I did.”

There was something about the way she said it controlled, but layered. Like she was holding back emotion.

“And how did you feel when you saw him?” I asked, curiosity slipping into my voice.

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