No Second Chances Ex-husband (Lauren and Ethan) novel Chapter 15

Chapter 15

LAUREN’S POV

Ethan raised his brow, dropping his phone carelessly on the nightstand, the dull thud echoing through the silent room. Slowly, deliberately, he pushed himself up to his feet and closed the distance between us, each step filled with unspoken menace.

“And why would you come up with such a stupid idea?” he demanded, his voice laced with mockery, as though what I’d said was so ridiculous it barely deserved acknowledgment.

For a moment, the audacity of his words struck me silent. My two brows shot up, my chest tightening.

“You think it’s a stupid idea?” I finally managed, my voice tinged with disbelief. “Okay, please enlighten me, Ethan. Why exactly do you think it’s stupid?” ! crossed my arms tightly over my chest, trying to steady my breathing and hold onto what little dignity I had left.

He let out a dry, humorless laugh and tilted his head, the smirk that followed cutting deeper than any insult. “You’re really asking me why I think that’s a stupid idea? Come on, Lauren, stop acting like a child.” His tone shifted, turning crueler, more condescending. “Let me remind you, in case your little emotional outburst made you forget – you’re broke.”

The words pierced through me like a blade, so blunt yet so cruelly precise. My body stiffened. My arms slowly fell to my sides as I stared at him, mouth parted in shock.

Before all of this – before Sofia, before the betrayal – had he truly forgotten? The nights I came home exhausted from three different jobs, still managing to comfort him when deals fell through, or when investors walked out on him. The nights we lay awake, talking about a future neither of us could yet afford to see.

“Is that what you really think?” I whispered, my voice trembling, unable to hide the hurt.

He saw it – he must have seen the pain – but it didn’t stop him. A small smirk curled on his lips, cruel and satisfied. “Wait, don’t tell me you’ve been thinking that everything in this house belongs to us?” he asked, amusement dripping from every word.

“I haven’t been thinking that, Ethan. I know it does,” I shot back, though my voice cracked under the weight of it all. “We built this wealth together. Or have you forgotten?”

His expression hardened, the playful cruelty vanishing, replaced by something colder. “That’s where you’re wrong,” he spat. “Everything in this house belongs to me – Ethan Black. I built Black Corporation from the ground up. When everyone else gave up, I didn’t. I stayed. I fought. That’s why we’re here today.”

I swallowed, the lump in my throat growing so tight it felt like I couldn’t breathe. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, but I forced them back, shaking my head slightly.

“And I never stopped believing in you, Ethan,” I said softly at first, my voice gaining strength with every word. “I stood by you even when your own family turned their backs. Even when Sofia turned her back on you, I stayed. Do you think you could have kept fighting if I wasn’t there feeding us? Covering the rent? Do you really believe you would be standing here if Iwasn’t feeding your ass?” I said, my voice getting emotional as tears began to build up in my

eyes

My words hung between us, raw and heavy.

His jaw twitched slightly, but instead of acknowledgment or guilt, his face remained stone cold.

“I’ve told you, Lauren,” Ethan snapped, his eyes narrowing as he stepped closer, “don’t you dare insult me. You do not get to cross that line.”

“Oh, okay,” I shot back, folding my arms across my chest, my voice shaking from a mix of anger and disbelief. “But you get to insult me? By forgetting all

the hard work I did for you? By cheating on me? By not only sleeping with Sofia but also getting her pregnant?”

For a split second, I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes – maybe guilt, maybe regret – but it vanished as quickly as it came.

“I see you came back up here for me to slap you again,” Ethan sneered, his voice dripping with contempt.

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Chapter 15

A cold laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. “That wouldn’t happen ever again,” I said, my voice steady despite the burning pain in my chest. “Because I wouldn’t be here for you to do so.”

I turned back to the wardrobe, my hands trembling as I continued packing my clothes into the suitcase. The weight of what I was doing hit me all over again, but I forced myself to keep going.

“And how are you going to feed yourself, Lauren?” Ethan demanded, his tone mocking. “Where are you going to sleep? How are you even going to move that bag to wherever you’re going? Because you’re sure as hell not taking a damn thing from this house, especially my cars.”

That got my attention. I froze, the fabric of one of my dresses clenched tightly in my fist, and turned to face him.

“That car is mine,” I reminded him, my voice barely above a whisper. “You bought it for me on my birthday.”

“Exactly,” he shot back, a cruel smirk twisting his lips. “I bought it for you, and I can take it away. You’re not leaving with that car.”

I stared at him, my chest rising and falling with each ragged breath as the truth of what he’d become settled in my heart. This was the man I had loved, the man I had supported, sacrificed for, built a life with- and now he stood there stripping me of everything, even the smallest thing that had once meant something good between us.

Slowly, I nodded, accepting my fate. A small, bitter smile curved on my lips, though my heart felt like it was splintering inside me. “You really hurt me today, Ethan,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “I mean that. You can keep all the jewelry, the cars, the furniture — every single thing in this house. I’m leaving today. I hope you enjoy staying in this empty place alone.”

His eyebrows furrowed as my words seemed to finally sink in. “Alone?” Ethan repeated, his voice slightly unsteady for the first time.

“You think I was going to leave my daughter here with you, after how you have been behaving lately? With the way you’ve been acting?” I continued, my voice growing stronger even as tears blurred my vision. “I’m taking Elena with me.”