No Second Chances Ex-husband (Lauren and Ethan) novel Chapter 145

CHAPTER 0145

LAUREN’S POV

My head rested against the glass of the window as Roman drove out of the compound. The hum of the engine filled the silence between us, steady and low, like the rhythm of a heart that refused to slow down. I exhaled softly, watching the city roll by – houses, trees, morning joggers, everything so calm and ordinary, except for the strange tension lingering inside me.

Roman didn’t come with his driver today. He said he wanted to “personally” take us to school and work, but I wasn’t foolish enough to believe it was purely out of kindness. This was Roman – persistent, stubborn, and far too good at getting what he wanted.

My own car sat perfectly fine in the driveway, keys ready on the console. I could have driven myself and Aria, but somehow, between the few minutes I went upstairs to get dressed, Roman managed to bribe my daughter into siding with him.

I smiled faintly at the memory, though it wasn’t out of amusement, it was disbelief.

When I had bent down to fix Aria’s hair, I noticed a small smudge of chocolate near her lower lip. That was when I knew. That was when everything suddenly made sense.

The secret whispering between them. The way they avoided my questions when I asked what “surprise“. The way Aria suddenly started insisting, “Mommy, I want Roman to take me to school today!”

Chocolate. That was the secret weapon.

“Of course,” I muttered to myself now, folding my arms as Roman turned the car onto the main road. “Bribery by dessert. Classic.”

He must have sensed my silent irritation because he glanced at me briefly before smiling in that cocky, boyish way that made it hard to tell if he was teasing or just enjoying my annoyance.

“Come on, cheer up,” he said lightly, his eyes flicking between the road and me. “I won the debate fair and square. You can’t take that face to work today.”

“Speaking of work,” I said, my tone flat, “how do you expect your workers to react when I step out of your car this morning? Everyone knows I have mine.”

He chuckled quietly, his lips curving. “Well, I mean, I have other plans.”

My brows furrowed. “Other plans? What does that mean?”

He shrugged, clearly enjoying the suspense. “It’s a secret. And if I tell you, it’s not a secret anymore.”

I gave him a look, the kind that should have made him think twice about testing my patience. “Yeah, well,

secretly giving Aria chocolate was also a secret, and look how that turned out. So just tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.”

“Relax,” he said, still smiling as he steered smoothly around a corner. “We’re almost at Aria’s school, right? No need to spoil the fun before the day even starts.”

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CHAPTER 0145

+25 BONUS

“Fun,” I echoed under my breath, turning my gaze back to the window. “That’s what you call this.”

He didn’t answer, and I didn’t push. The rest of the ride was quiet except for the faint sound of Aria’s video game console in the back seat. I glanced at the rearview mirror, watching her tiny legs bounce up and down with excitement. She looked so alive, so bright. Whether it was because of her game or because Roman was driving her today, I couldn’t tell, maybe both.

And that realization tugged at something deep inside me.

Maybe it shouldn’t sting, but it did. Because once upon a time, I was her whole world, the person she ran to every morning, the one who made her smile like that. And now, somehow, Roman had taken a piece of that space and she doesn’t even know that’s her father

Roman slowed as we approached the familiar turn that led to Aria’s school. He parked near the gate, where teachers stood waiting to welcome the children.

I turned around to face Aria, who was already putting her console away and grabbing her backpack. Her face was glowing, her hair slightly messy from all the movement.

“Alright, you have fun in class, okay?” I said softly. “You know the drill.”

She nodded eagerly and raised her little fist for our morning routine. I smiled and met it with mine — a quiet fist pump” before she leaned over and gave me a quick hug.

Then the car door opened automatically, and she stepped out. One of the teachers took her hand, guiding her inside as Roman and I both watched from the car.

The door clicked shut again. The sound left a strange emptiness behind.

For a few seconds, neither of us said anything. Then Roman turned to me with that same easy grin.

“Alright,” he said, “now let’s move to our next stop.‘

“Next stop?” I repeated, my brows drawing together. “How many stops do we have exactly?”

“About two,” he said casually, checking his side mirror before pulling back onto the road. “I just want to grab something from my office, then we’ll head to our main joint.”

I frowned slightly. “Main joint?”

“(

He nodded, eyes still on the road. “You could say it’s somewhere quiet. Remember, there’s something I wanted to tell you. I thought it’d be better to say it there, somewhere private.”

I studied him carefully, suspicious. “You do realize we’re alone right now, don’t you? So why not just say it here?”

He laughed lightly, his fingers drumming the steering wheel. “And where’s the fun in that?”

I rolled my eyes. “Fun seems to be your favorite excuse lately.”

“Lauren,” he said in that half–serious, half–teasing tone that made his voice a little deeper. “You’re working for me. Which means, if I say you take a break for one week, you take a break for one week.”

2/3

CHAPTER 0145

+25 BONUS

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